Get Over It (PG-13)
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This came out in 2001, and I'm sure I saw it sometime in the early Aughts, probably on TV during a free preview weekend of some movie channel. But I'm writing this review after watching the movie again on DVD, in 2016. And I must say, I didn't remember much about the movie, except that I know I had liked it when I first saw it. What I did remember was that it was a modern adaptation of one of Shakespeare's plays, though I didn't recall which one. (It was "A Midsummer Night's Dream," with which I am not greatly familiar, though I did see a somewhat more faithful adaptation, sometime between the first and second times I saw this movie.) And I remembered that it starred Kirsten Dunst and Ben Foster. But when I watched it again, I was kind of surprised by how different it was than I expected it to be. (I think I was confusing it with She's All That.) In any event, I enjoyed it even more than I remembered. It wasn't particularly a hit either financially or critically, which I think is a damned shame.
So... there's this guy named Berke Landers (Foster), who was childhood friends with a girl named Allison, until her family moved away. But she moved back to town when they were in high school, and they began dating. But like 16 months later, she breaks up with him. Shortly thereafter, she begins dating a former member of a boy band named Striker. Berke wants to win Allison back, though his friends Felix (Colin Hanks) and Dennis (Sisqó) think he should just get over her. Meanwhile, Allison and Striker both get parts in a school play that's being directed by a guy named Desmond Forrest Oates (Martin Short), who seems to think of himself as a great, undiscovered artiste (though his actual talents and taste are somewhat questionable). And of course, the play is a musical adaptation of "A Midsummer Night's Dream." Allison and Striker play Hermia and Demetrius. In an effort to win Allison back, Berke auditions for the play, but only gets a minor role. (Though when the student playing Lysander- one of the lead roles- has an accident, Berke ends up getting that role. It was kind of inevitable, though I give the movie props for not giving him that role from the start.) He begins spending a lot of time with Felix's younger sister, Kelly (Dunst), who helps him improve his acting skills. She also plays Helena, in the play. And she's obviously romantically interested in Berke, though for much of the movie he seems oblivious to this, because he's so focused on Allison. Also, Kelly has a friend named Basin (Mila Kunis), who has a minor role in the play. Dennis is totally into her, which she's definitely aware of, but for most of the movie she seems more amused by his infatuation, than anything else. Still, he eventually gets a replacement role in the play, as her dance partner. (There are some other familiar actors, including Ed Begley, Jr. and Swoosie Kurtz as Berke's free-spirited parents, and Zoe Saldana as Allison's best friend.)
I don't want to reveal any more than that about the plot. The ending was pretty predictable, but I still thought it was really good. You know, it's kind of rare for me to really buy romantic pairings in most rom-coms, but I definitely felt some chemistry between Berke and Kelly, so that's part of what made me love this movie. But another important reason I love it is because it's quirky. (I kind of feel like I should even put my review in the "quirky" section, but not quite.) We occasionally get a strong sense of Berke's feelings via dramatizations of what's going on in his mind's eye. (This also happens to an extent with Desmond.) Also I really enjoyed Kelly's singing. And... I dunno what else to say. I've left out a lot of details. But I just think it's a really fun movie.