Get Over It
When Berke Landers, a popular high school basketball star, gets dumped by his life-long girlfriend, Allison, he soon begins to lose it. But with the help of his best friend Felix's sister Kelly, he follows his ex into the school's spring musical. Thus ensues a love triangle loosely based upon Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Night's Dream", where Berke is only to find himself getting over Allison and beginning to fall for Kelly.
The film disappointed at the box office against its respectable budget of $22.0M, earning $19.9M globally (-10% loss).
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Get Over It (2001) reveals precise narrative architecture, characteristic of Tommy O'Haver's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 27 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.6, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Berke Landers
Kelly Woods
Allison McAllister
Striker
Dr. Desmond Forrest Oates
Felix Woods
Basin
Dennis Wallace
Main Cast & Characters
Berke Landers
Played by Ben Foster
High school student devastated when his girlfriend dumps him, joins school musical to win her back
Kelly Woods
Played by Kirsten Dunst
Berke's best friend's sister who secretly loves him and helps him through heartbreak
Allison McAllister
Played by Melissa Sagemiller
Berke's ex-girlfriend who dumps him for a soap opera star
Striker
Played by Shane West
Pretentious soap opera actor who dates Allison and stars in the school musical
Dr. Desmond Forrest Oates
Played by Martin Short
Eccentric and flamboyant drama teacher directing the school's musical production
Felix Woods
Played by Colin Hanks
Berke's loyal best friend and Kelly's brother, supports him through heartbreak
Basin
Played by Sisqó
Eccentric friend who performs in a band and provides comic relief
Dennis Wallace
Played by Zoe Saldana
Another friend in the group who provides support and comic relief
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Berke is happily dating Allison, his girlfriend of over a year. He's content in his comfortable high school life, completely devoted to her.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 10 minutes when Allison dumps Berke for Striker, a pretentious British exchange student who just landed the lead role in the school musical. Berke is devastated and blindsided.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 21 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 24% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to Berke makes the active choice to audition for the school musical "A Midsummer Night's Dream" solely to win Allison back. He crosses into a world he never belonged to before., moving from reaction to action.
At 44 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 51% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat Berke has a moment with Kelly where they connect deeply during rehearsal. False victory: he thinks he's close to winning Allison back, but he's actually falling for Kelly without realizing it. Stakes raise as opening night approaches., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 65 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Berke gets Allison back but realizes he doesn't love her anymore - he loves Kelly. But Kelly, hurt by watching him chase Allison, has moved on. He's lost what he actually wanted by chasing what he thought he wanted., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 70 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. Berke decides to use the musical's opening night performance to publicly declare his real feelings for Kelly. He synthesizes his newfound confidence with genuine emotion to fight for what he truly wants., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Get Over It's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Get Over It against these established plot points, we can identify how Tommy O'Haver utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Get Over It within the comedy genre.
Tommy O'Haver's Structural Approach
Among the 2 Tommy O'Haver films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.4, reflecting strong command of classical structure. Get Over It represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Tommy O'Haver filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional comedy films include The Bad Guys, The Evening Star. For more Tommy O'Haver analyses, see Ella Enchanted.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Berke is happily dating Allison, his girlfriend of over a year. He's content in his comfortable high school life, completely devoted to her.
Theme
Dennis tells Berke about getting over heartbreak and moving on. The theme of the film: sometimes you have to let go of what you thought you wanted to find what you really need.
Worldbuilding
Introduction to Berke's world: his best friend Dennis, his neighbor Kelly (Dennis's sister), his high school social life, and his relationship with Allison. We see the comfortable routine before everything changes.
Disruption
Allison dumps Berke for Striker, a pretentious British exchange student who just landed the lead role in the school musical. Berke is devastated and blindsided.
Resistance
Berke wallows in misery, unable to accept the breakup. Dennis and Kelly try to help him move on. Berke resists, obsessing over Allison and trying to understand what went wrong.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Berke makes the active choice to audition for the school musical "A Midsummer Night's Dream" solely to win Allison back. He crosses into a world he never belonged to before.
Mirror World
Kelly volunteers to help Berke with the musical. Their relationship shifts from casual neighbors to close collaborators. She represents what he actually needs versus what he thinks he wants.
Premise
The "fun and games" of Berke navigating the musical theater world. He rehearses with Kelly, has comic mishaps with the eccentric drama teacher, and pursues Allison while slowly bonding with Kelly.
Midpoint
Berke has a moment with Kelly where they connect deeply during rehearsal. False victory: he thinks he's close to winning Allison back, but he's actually falling for Kelly without realizing it. Stakes raise as opening night approaches.
Opposition
Complications intensify. Berke's pursuit of Allison continues while his feelings for Kelly grow. Kelly realizes she has feelings for Berke. Striker becomes more antagonistic. Everything gets messier as opening night nears.
Collapse
Berke gets Allison back but realizes he doesn't love her anymore - he loves Kelly. But Kelly, hurt by watching him chase Allison, has moved on. He's lost what he actually wanted by chasing what he thought he wanted.
Crisis
Berke processes his loss and recognizes his true feelings. He sits with the painful realization that he was blind to what was in front of him all along. Dark night before clarity.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Berke decides to use the musical's opening night performance to publicly declare his real feelings for Kelly. He synthesizes his newfound confidence with genuine emotion to fight for what he truly wants.
Synthesis
The musical performance serves as the finale. Berke performs with heart, confronts Striker, and improvises declarations of love to Kelly during the show. He executes his plan and wins her over.
Transformation
Berke and Kelly are together, happy and transformed. Berke is no longer the guy pining for his ex - he's someone who knows what he wants and had the courage to go after it. Mirror to the opening: different girl, different person.