Get Real

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Get Real

R

1999

1h 48m

Comedy

Drama

LGBTQ+

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

79%

Tomatometer

47 Reviews

84%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Steven (Ben Silverstone) spends his school days longing for all-star athlete John (Brad Gorton). But John has a gorgeous girlfriend, and Steven is still in the closet about being gay. The only one who knows the teenager's secret is his friend Linda (Charlotte Brittain). After a curious run-in with John in a public restroom, Steven starts to wonder if the jock is straight after all. When they start a romance, it threatens to expose the truth about both of them.

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Critics Consensus

An authentic portrayal of homosexuality in high school, Get Real is an engaging dramedy that doesn't sermonize its audience nor trivialize its characters.

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David Edelstein

Slate

07/24/2007

The strength of this agreeable comedy, directed by Simon Shore from a screenplay by Patrick Wilde, is that it makes even the tiniest sexual encounters seem emotionally momentous.

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Derek Elley

Variety

07/24/2007

Fresh, funny and thoroughly engaging.

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Lisa Alspector

Chicago Reader

07/24/2007

An issue movie, a comedy, and a love story, this is pretty good at being all three.

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Jim Lane

Sacramento News & Review

08/07/2008

3/5

Sandra Contreras

TV Guide

07/24/2007

2.5/4

Simon Shore's feature directing debut displays considerable confidence and aplomb. But his fairly hackneyed sense of storytelling seems to value accessibility above complexity, so don't expect any surprises.

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Garry A

@heavyg 05/23/2025

I was surprised how good this was for a late 90s coming out/coming of age movie. The running time was the average 2 hours (back then) but would have benefited from more editing to get it under 90 minutes.

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sam T

@RT31620072 10/11/2024

Yes! the movie is really good for is time

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Jens B

@Jens97 01/11/2024

Discovered this one in my DVD collection and was surprised by how funny, charming, and heartfelt this was. I wish I was like Steven in high School and I would love to spend more time with Steven, his neighbor, and his mom!

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04/02/2018

I hadn't heard of this until a couple of days ago. It's a cracking film but brought back some decidedly un-cracking memories. Well worth watching.

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08/10/2016

Get Real is a excellent portrayal of homosexuality in high school. This is a dramedy that is both engaging, and memorable.

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04/02/2016

A closeted gay teen falls into a romantic relationship with a popular jock who is afraid to even openly admit that they are friends. A pretty decent coming-of-age story from England.

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Simon Shore

Director

Ben Silverstone

Steven Carter

Brad Gorton

John Dixon

Charlotte Brittain

Linda

Stacy Hart

Jessica

Kate McEnery

Wendy

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Synopsis

Steven (Ben Silverstone) spends his school days longing for all-star athlete John (Brad Gorton). But John has a gorgeous girlfriend, and Steven is still in the closet about being gay. The only one who knows the teenager's secret is his friend Linda (Charlotte Brittain). After a curious run-in with John in a public restroom, Steven starts to wonder if the jock is straight after all. When they start a romance, it threatens to expose the truth about both of them.

Director: Simon Shore
Producer: Stephen Taylor
Screenwriter: Patrick Wilde
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Distant Horizon
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama, LGBTQ+
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 30, 1999, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 23, 2016
Box Office (Gross USA): $1.2M
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: Dolby, Surround