Getting It Right

This is a small British film from 1989 and I guess you could say that it has some similarities to The Graduate (The coming-of-age of an awkward young man, his first romantic experience being an indiscretion with an older married woman he does not end up with, the general state of being a satire about its place and time), but this film is warmer, gentler, more humane, and more charming than The Graduate was.

The story involves a young man in his early 30s (Jesse Birdsall) who , aside from working in a hair salon, has not forged anything of an independent life due to fears of making mistakes. He is still tied to his cantankerous parents and has not been in an actual relationship. This changes very quickly after attending a party where he bonds with the hostess (Lynn Redgrave), a deeply unhappy woman who puts on airs, but who is really frightfully lonely, and he also meets a young titled lady with punkish tendencies (Helena Bonham Carter). But maybe perhaps, neither of these women is the answer to his quest, but rather the answer is his good hearted, plain-Jane coworker (Jane Horrocks).

The story might play out like many other films made before or since, but they rarely come with such delicacy of tone, wit, and charm, and much of that credit goes to the finely attuned script which brings back memories of some British films of the 60s. The film also provides some cameos for some familiar faces: Pat Heywood (the nurse from 1968's Romeo and Juliet), John Gielgud, Judy Parfitt, Shirley Ann Field, and Peter Cook. And the whole thing is topped off with a title song by Dusty Springfield.

Given the talent and general excellence of this film, one would think it would have made it to DVD. It has that hard to define quality that certain films achieve, the ability to bring a smile to your face when you weren't expecting to. While I watch films mainly to laugh or get an adrenaline rush, those flicks that make me smile and keep me smiling long after they're over have a magic that should have it's own name. The same magic is the prevailing quality of better known films, like "Love Actually" or several other Hugh Grant British romantic comedies. The storyline is almost formulaic. The acting is good, professional, and heartfelt though unexceptional. The laughs are few though solid. The tears are available but not overpowering. The romance is tender and sincere bot again, not overwhelming. There is nothing in this film that is very over the top. Nothing exceptionally memorable like John Cusack standing outside the girl's window holding a boom-box with an anthem pounding into your brain. It's rather like a date flick for pleasantly married people who love their spouses. But just because an emotion isn't screamingly loud and in your face, that doesn't mean that it isn't deep and meaningful. This movie is both deep and meaningful, on a pleasant journey in the life of Gavin Lamb. If you want to smile, spend a couple of hours with Gavin getting it right. (If you can find this film - it doesn't play often enough for me, and I've bought it twice on VHS.)

31-year-old London hairdresser Gavin Lamb has never slept with a woman, but he is, after all, a virgin in all things, not just sex. A cautious romantic idealism has kept him at arm's length from any meaningful (or otherwise) relationship, until he learns, with help from a trio of very different women, that 'getting involved' means doing just that. From the older and wiser Lynn Redgrave he discovers the pleasures of physical love; scatterbrained Helena Bonham Carter teaches him the responsibilities of a more platonic friendship; and from girl next door Jane Horrocks he learns how to honor a commitment. It's a pleasant and polite little comedy, with just enough genuine character to give it some depth, and with a welcome lack (because the screenwriter is a woman?) of the raging hormones and horny desperation so common to big screen coming-of-age stories. There is, perhaps, too much reliance on Gavin's voice-over narration, but how else could such an introspective person express himself?

This was a highly rated, now forgotten, trifle. Though surrounded by opportunities, uptight Gavin can't make a choice on a date or a career, saying (without elaborating on his criteria) "I just want to get it right." He investigates a bit, but his interest seems to be in inaction or only stale, bourgeoise standards. Sex is had, but Gavin makes a rather numb protagonist. I have a friend like him, but at least he eventually came out of the closet, which is what you begin to suspect about G. The movie is harmless but kind of goes nowhere. Lynn Redgrave is there as the older woman who still recalls the swinging London of the 60s. This is proof why some British chaps are indistinguishable from the deceased.

Gavin Lamb (Jesse Birdsall) is a shy, sensitive and virgin hair cutter, completely dominated by his mother, and working in a salon in London, having Jenny (Jane Horrocks) as his assistant. When he is thirty-one years old, he meets three women that changes his life and behavior: the older (and very gorgeous) one, Joan (Lynn Redgrave), with whom he has his first sexual relation and learns about sex; the other one, the rebel and selfish Lady Minerva Munday (Helena Bonham Carter), with whom he learns to think about his feelings first and be less indulgent with other persons; and Jenny, who he starts seeing with different eyes and for whom he falls in love. The story is a surprisingly good romance, with excellent direction and performance of the whole cast and a very tight screenplay. The story is not corny, but delightful and charming. The humor is too British, and sometimes is not funny or does not make much sense for a Brazilian, but anyway it is always classy and enjoyable. One problem in my country is the commercial title adopted by the distributors. The Brazilian title of `Getting It Right' is `Minha Primeira Transa' (the translation would be `My First Shag'). This title is very vulgar and does not correspond to the reality of such elegant, sensitive and touching romance. Therefore, it reaches a public totally different from the original target. Conclusion: persons whom wants to see `My First Shag' get disappointed, and persons with my profile, that would appreciate this romance, do not get even close to the film in the rental or the store. They certainly will associate this movie with `Porky's', `American Pie' and others of the same genre. Since the end of June I am including a comment in IMDB of each movie that I watch. Some friends of mine, also users of this marvelous site, have requested me to include the Brazilian title in my comments to facilitate them to find the subjected film. If IMDB direction has no objection, I am going to include the Brazilian title in Portuguese (with a free translation to English) in the end of my comments from now on for reference only. Concluding my comments of `Getting It Right', my vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): `Minha Primeira Transa' (`My First Shag')