"Get Over It" is a 2001 American teen romantic comedy film inspired by William Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream." It follows a student in their final year of high school who tries hard to get back together with his former girlfriend by joining the school play she and her new boyfriend are performing in, even though his friends advise against it. The film was directed by Tommy O'Haver for Miramax Films and written by R. Lee Fleming Jr. It was released on March 9, 2001, and stars Kirsten Dunst, Ben Foster, Melissa Sagemiller, Sisqó in his film debut, Shane West, and Colin Hanks. The film made $19.9 million but had a budget of $22 million. It received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot

After Berke Landers' girlfriend, Allison, ends their relationship, he attempts to win her back by trying out for the school play, even though he has no experience in acting or theater. At the same time, his friends Felix and Dennis work to help him find a new girlfriend.

With the support of Kelly, Felix's younger sister, who has feelings for him, Berke earns a small role in the play. The play is a modern musical version of Shakespeare's comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream, titled A Midsummer Night's Rockin' Eve. It is written and directed by Dr. Desmond Oates, the school's strict drama teacher. When the play's lead actor, Peter Wong, is hurt in an unexpected accident, Berke takes over Wong's role as Lysander. With Kelly's help, he gradually improves in his performance, though he does not realize how his feelings for her are growing.

At a party hosted by Felix at Berke's home, Kelly kisses Berke. However, Berke refuses to pursue a relationship with her, explaining that she is Felix's sister. During the same party, Berke and Allison discover that Allison's new boyfriend, Bentley "Striker" Scrumfeld, is cheating on her with her best friend, Maggie. This leads Allison to end her relationship with Striker.

During the intermission of the play's opening night, Allison tells Berke that she wants to reconcile with him. Meanwhile, Striker pays two theater technicians to use stage pyrotechnics to try to knock Berke off the stage. Before the play resumes, Felix gives the orchestra sheet music for a love ballad written by Kelly to replace the director's unpopular song.

As the play begins, Kelly sings her song so beautifully that Berke finally understands he loves her. He stops following the script and instead improvises a verse expressing his character's love for Kelly's character, Helena. The audience applauds as Berke and Kelly share a kiss. Striker objects to this change, but accidentally triggers the technicians to set off an explosion, which knocks him offstage and into the orchestra.

Dennis kisses Basin, Kelly's friend and his dance partner, who kisses him back, showing they may begin a relationship. Kelly and Berke leave the theater, looking forward to their future together.

The film ends with Sisqó and Vitamin C singing and dancing with the cast to the song "September" as the credits roll.

Production

Kirsten Dunst was first offered the role of Allison but decided to play Kelly because Kelly had more singing parts. The late singer and actress Aaliyah was thought about for the role of Maggie in the movie, but the role was given to Zoe Saldana.

The movie Get Over It was filmed in Ontario, Canada. Filming started on June 1, 2000, and finished on August 2, 2000, taking 63 days to complete. High school scenes were filmed at Port Credit Secondary School. Other places in Ontario where scenes were filmed include Mississauga, Toronto, and Port Credit.

Release

The film was first shown in the United States on March 9, 2001, by Miramax. It was later released in the United Kingdom on June 10, 2001, by Momentum Pictures, and in Australia on September 6, 2001, by Buena Vista International.

The film was made available on DVD and VHS in the United States by Miramax Home Entertainment on August 14, 2001, and in the United Kingdom by Momentum Pictures on April 1, 2002. Special features on the DVD include a commentary track with director Tommy O'Haver and screenwriter R. Lee Fleming Jr., deleted and extended scenes with optional commentary, outtakes, and a makeup test with Martin Short. The DVD also includes music videos such as "The Itch" by Vitamin C and an original song titled "Love Scud" by the fictional boy band "The Swingtown Lads."

In 2010, Disney sold Miramax, which it had owned since 1993, to a private equity firm called Filmyard Holdings. The film was re-released on DVD in the United States on May 15, 2012, by Echo Bridge Home Entertainment through a licensing agreement with Filmyard. This version of the DVD does not include special features or subtitle tracks. In March 2016, a Qatari company named beIN Media Group purchased Miramax from Filmyard Holdings. In April 2020, ViacomCBS (now known as Paramount Skydance) acquired a 49% share in Miramax from beIN, gaining rights to the Miramax catalog. The film was later made available on Paramount+'s subscription streaming service and on the free streaming service Pluto TV. On July 7, 2021, Paramount Home Entertainment reissued the film on DVD as part of a larger effort to re-release many Miramax titles during 2020–2021.

Reception

On the website Rotten Tomatoes, 43% of 65 critics gave the movie Get Over It positive reviews, with an average score of 4.9 out of 10. The website’s summary states: "Like many teen movies, Get Over It is easy to predict and lacks enough story to fill the movie’s length. However, it has some enjoyable moments." Metacritic, which calculates scores using a weighted average, gave the film a score of 52 out of 100, based on 14 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle praised the film, saying it "breaks the usual pattern of teen romance movies." He highlighted Martin Short’s performance as a vain and silly drama teacher. A. O. Scott of The New York Times noted the film was "halfhearted" but had "heart" from its main characters, Kirsten Dunst and Ben Foster, as well as Short’s humor. He described the movie as "mild, harmless, and occasionally touching," comparing it to "diet soda" and "slightly stale bubble gum." Eddie Cockrell of Variety magazine gave a mixed review, calling it a "mildly entertaining, mostly harmless teen comedy" that focused more on silly high school scenes than on serious storytelling.

Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly wrote that the film’s director, O’Haver, "enjoys the flashy style of top 40 music" and cited the opening credits as an example. However, he called the movie "mostly a failure" and said the main romance lacked believability, though he praised Martin Short’s performance. Ernest Hardy of LA Weekly gave a negative review, comparing the film to a "simplified version" of A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

In March 2001, the Hartford Courant compared Get Over It to the film Waiting for Guffman. The New York Daily News also compared it to Waiting for Guffman, noting Martin Short’s character was "similar to Corky from Waiting for Guffman but without the sadness."

The movie earned $11.6 million in the United States and Canada and $8.3 million in other countries, totaling $19.9 million worldwide. This amount was less than its production budget of $22 million. The film spent one week in the Top 10 at the domestic box office.

Music

The soundtrack album came out on March 13, 2001, by Island Records.

Other songs in the movie but not on the album include:

• "Happiness (The Eat Me Edit)" – Pizzaman
• "Magic Carpet Ride (Matt Philly Remix)" – The Mighty Dub Katz
• "Champion Birdwatchers" – LA Symphony
• "Love Scud" – The Swingtown Lads
• "Morse" – Nightmares on Wax
• "A Little Soul (Lafayette Velvet Revisited Mix)" – Pulp
• "Reach Inside" – Boh Samba
• "Phthalo Blue" – The Fairways
• "The Itch" – Vitamin C
• "Get On It (Krafty Kuts Latin Funk Mix)" – Resident Filters
• "Pass It On" – Keoki
• "September" – Sisqó & Vitamin C