Ben Silverstone looking like a young version of Mr. Bean plays Steven the sixteen year old gay schoolboy. Brad Gorton looking like a young Hugh Grant but with curlier hair plays John, the Head Boy at their school.
This movie is teen angst with a few twists. Now that we're in the late 1990's, gay love among young boys can be shown on the screen. Steven knows he's gay, has known this since he was 11 years old, and has no problems with being gay. His problem is the universal teenager's problem, how to find a good partner. So his partner has to be a boy, but this is no big deal. Matter of fact he has things a bit easier than other boys who are looking for girl partners. Steven's a thoroughly modern boy.
But John has problems accepting that he is gay. Still, he falls for Steven. See them deal with the universal problem, how to spend private time with a lover without both sets of parents finding out. Of course, John has the much bigger problem of concealing his gay nature from everyone except Steven.
Two other films come to mind with similar themes.
"Wild Reeds" from France also deals with gay love between two schoolboys. And it used a terrific soundtrack of 1950's pop as an effective background, just as "Get Real" uses a 1990's pop sound track. However, in France of the 1950's neither of the boys could be openly gay, or even freely accept gayness as part of his being, the way Steven can.
"Grease" also uses a terrific soundtrack as background to teenage angst. Though in this case it's all boy-girl romance and there isn't a gay hint to the movie. Yet some of the situations are the same - how to make the object of your love return the affection, how to meet privately, and how to consumate the romance.
The only unreal part of this movie is the Hollywood portrayal of Basingstoke in England - upper class suburban, all nice houses and cars, two parent families. And quite unlike today's England, not a minority person in sight!
"Get Real" with its realistic portrayal of gay adolescence should be mandatory viewing at all schools. To show the kids that it is OK to be gay. That it's OK to be gay and happy. That tolerance and understanding are best. That it's not OK to beat up on gay kids just for being gay.
This movie is teen angst with a few twists. Now that we're in the late 1990's, gay love among young boys can be shown on the screen. Steven knows he's gay, has known this since he was 11 years old, and has no problems with being gay. His problem is the universal teenager's problem, how to find a good partner. So his partner has to be a boy, but this is no big deal. Matter of fact he has things a bit easier than other boys who are looking for girl partners. Steven's a thoroughly modern boy.
But John has problems accepting that he is gay. Still, he falls for Steven. See them deal with the universal problem, how to spend private time with a lover without both sets of parents finding out. Of course, John has the much bigger problem of concealing his gay nature from everyone except Steven.
Two other films come to mind with similar themes.
"Wild Reeds" from France also deals with gay love between two schoolboys. And it used a terrific soundtrack of 1950's pop as an effective background, just as "Get Real" uses a 1990's pop sound track. However, in France of the 1950's neither of the boys could be openly gay, or even freely accept gayness as part of his being, the way Steven can.
"Grease" also uses a terrific soundtrack as background to teenage angst. Though in this case it's all boy-girl romance and there isn't a gay hint to the movie. Yet some of the situations are the same - how to make the object of your love return the affection, how to meet privately, and how to consumate the romance.
The only unreal part of this movie is the Hollywood portrayal of Basingstoke in England - upper class suburban, all nice houses and cars, two parent families. And quite unlike today's England, not a minority person in sight!
"Get Real" with its realistic portrayal of gay adolescence should be mandatory viewing at all schools. To show the kids that it is OK to be gay. That it's OK to be gay and happy. That tolerance and understanding are best. That it's not OK to beat up on gay kids just for being gay.