“The Art of Getting By”, written and directed by Gavin Wiesen stars Freddie Highmore (“August Rush”), Emma Roberts (It’s Kind of a Funny Story” and “Scream 4″) Sasha Spielberg (Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw’s daughter and known from “The Kids are Alright”) and Marcus Carl Franklin (“Blue Blood” tv series).

Freddie Highmore is George. A New York senior attending Morgan School, a private school with a caring Principal Martinsin (Blair Underwood). George’s take on life is the purpose of birth is to die so why bother putting any effort into life? Everything was was born to grow and die. This philosophy gets him in a lot of trouble with his studies including his favorite subject, art. George just finds most things meaningless and with his real dad residing in Bejing, why put forth any effort into anything?

George is supposedly depressed to the point every day is a challenge. Even his support group at the school that include his art teacher (Jariath Conroy), an English teacher the principal (Underwood) understands but won’t give up on him. His mom (Rita Wilson) has her own demons to fight with his step-dad (Sam Rockwell).

Then George meets Sally (Emma Roberts) and the two take a liking to each other even with his rebellion. He tells her he fears life. This never turns into a serious romance and his senior year melt down is not getting any better. However when Sally’s flirtatious mother (Elizabeth Reaser) turns up, she tries to show him a thing or three, He quickly learns what it’s like to be liquored up and to puke to no end then to be taken in under Sally’s wing to sober up and start over in life suddenly. She even asks him to sit with her at the school lunch table.

There is not much going on here and writer/director Gavin Wiesen falls short in the much to say catagory. This is just a story of a series of events and observations. Where does George’s step-dad go during the day? Is everything crashing down on George? If you are eventually going to die, as a given amount of statistics were verbally narrated during the opening credits by George, why bother doing anything?

George is very lonely guy who’s made it all the way to his senior year without much to show for all those years except for his drawings. But he can drink and party. Hey that’s a learning lesson in it’s self. The next thing you know, graduation day is rapidly approaching and George has an entire year of school to make up in just three weeks if he wants to join his classmates. Flunk or pass. Bottom line. But again. Why bother if you will be gone some day sooner or later?

Well speaking of being gone, I am gone. This romantic/comedy just did nothing for me, with the exception of Emma Roberts. She is just eye candy which is a lot tastier than cotton candy, if you ask a hustler. “The Art of Getting By”, a Fox Searchlight release, just barely does that. It opens in theaters June 17, 2011, runs 85 minutes and is rated PG-13.

By Hustlin Bob Higgins 1 1/2 stars