How to Be

After spending some time in the UK I honestly thought I get British humor. After watching this, I truly think I don't.

Although the movie is well produced, the character of Art played brilliantly by Pattinson, I found myself feeling mostly sorry for him and not seeing the funny part. I see the great job of all the people involved in the production but I can't say it suits my type of sense of humor. There were moments I smiled or half-smiled but never laughed at loud.

So, over all, I don't regret watching the movie, neither would I recommend it as a great, funny comedy .

I was one of the lucky ones to see this movie at Slamdance. I absolutely loved this movie.

"This is not your typical Robert Pattinson movie. He doesn't play a good-looking, heart-throb. Robert plays Art, an insecure, confused, depressed, misfit who has no direction, no real social skills, and no support from his parents. His only love is music, but he sucks at that too. After the break up from his girlfriend, he basically looses it and has to move back in with his parents. This is his struggle to become "normal" so his parents and friends will accept and love him. He even goes to the extreme of hiring a self-help professional to help him. You will feel so sad for Art – trust me! Don't get me wrong, this movie contains endless British humor to lighten the subject up.

A wonderful independent movie with a great message. A job well done for Robert Pattinson.

'How To Be' starts off strong but quickly turns into a drawn-out yawn of a movie. The plot progresses slowly and the character development of Art, played by a blasé Robert Pattinson, turns the viewer from understanding and caring (about what happens to his relationships) to annoyance. His mates are, in my opinion, there to fill the gaps in the story- they really never help Art in his quest for 'normal' and to be blunt- it was too difficult to understand what they were saying (at one point I had to turn on the subtitles so I knew what was going on) this is never a good sign.

There is hope, however, for the young Mr. Pattinson. Though Art seems like a lost cause from the first moment he lies, Robert in a small way- keeps this movie a float. At some points Art is such a downer (which is brought on by his own doing) that I found it hard to 'put' myself through the rest of the movie. There are comedic moments when Pattinson is charming and moments when he holds your attention (close to the end) but it does not change the outcome of the overall film witch just leads one to believe- yes, sometimes we all need a little help- and in this case it is the film that needs it.

'How To Be' could be considered an art house flick but it is 100% and Indie drama. The settings are the streets of England and the overall production creates the feeling that you are standing in the midst of their conversations (when you can understand them) and the music helps the movie along nicely, but then again the music is by and large,too drab.

for people saying this isn't funny or whatever, its not a comedy. it just has its slightly humerus/tragic moments that may appear funny to you if you can relate.

to me, its kind of a mix between I <3 huccabees and ghost world. Yeah its kind of off beat and slow paced but that doesn't make it a bad film. I can completely relate to art, struggling to connect with a distant and dysfunctional family. he is frustrated with his life and struggling to see reason and purpose.

I liked this film, because it addresses dysfunctional families, mental health and feelings of disassociation with the world around us. And I'm not a fan of Robert really, so the assertion in earlier comments that only Patterson obsessed ppl would like it, and only out of bias, is very unfair to this film I think.

its rare to find films similar to this that really communicate this feeling of frustration and search for answers. all the characters seem very self involved, and that seems to be the way of the world. it has to be common to feel alone when no one actually listens to what you say.

The funny thing about this film is in the first 3 minutes I'm saying to myself, that's Cedric Diggory, being the ignorant American I am. But after the 4th minute I could see no one but Art, the lovable and pathetic loser who just doesn't know how to get a handle on his life because he has no one to validate his existence. His parents loath him, his girlfriend dumps him, and his new age therapist seems to need Art more than Art needs him in the end. I came home from seeing this movie at Slamdance and described it to someone as "my life, except 20 something, and a guy, and in London, but other than that, EXACTLY my life!" The people I saw it with at Slamdance didn't get it, but they had much more "normal" upbringings. Like I said, I loved this movie because I could identify so much with it, and at the same time it was almost unbearable to watch because I saw so much of myself, the parts I'd rather leave to my own past. I commend the cast and crew for a very funny and heartfelt movie, and recommend everyone watch it with an open mind. It may not be your life, but it was someone's.