Its Kind Of A Funny Story - Movie No. 11

Its Kind Of A Funny Story

Directed: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck
Starring: Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis and Emma Roberts
Year: 2010
Watched: 8/1/11

What the Fudge is it?

A depressed teenage dude checks himself into a psych ward after feeling suicidal. Once in the nut house he makes all kind of weird and wonderful friends while learning that he probably isn't that depressed..and isn't half as crazy as other folk.

What i thought...

Uggghhh well past bedtime on a week night so i am gonna type and what comes out comes out...spellers of the world beware!!

Got to admit i ended up going to this because another showing was sold out. All i knew walking in the door was that a little weedy kid felt really depressed, checked into a psych ward and met the hairy dude from the handover. I was sold from the get go as daft as it sounds. I like Zach unspellable as i will call him from now on. Although he seems to be getting a little backlash since the hangover. Why is this? because obviously if he is in a film which loads of people like and find funny then the true comedy fans and film fans should stop liking him. Pile of shite! Its a separate rant for another day but a regular occurrence that once someone or something becomes big for the reason small amounts of people liked it those people suddenly stop liking it. Happens with music, films, games....everything down to smelling your own socks when you take them off. Maybe not the last one but i stand by it!

Anyway we meet Craig as he decides to try and kill himself. Shortly afterwards he checks himself into a psych ward and begins to meet the occupants and learn more about them. From the get go the comedy is that awkward slightly dark humor that you see in a serious man or thank you for smoking.....it deals with a serious matter but you laugh your way through it. instead of selling lies to make people die or divorce and searching for faith the topic this time is teen depression and feeling alone etc.

I think the film deals with its topics well and touches on the balance thats seen it the grown up version one flew over a cuckoos nest. Never reaching the heights of Jacks performance Keir Gilchrist put in a great performance as the troubled teen. This is by no means a cuckoo nest but i dont think it tries to be, to do so would be stupid. Instead it seems to be a film about a teenager who simple has trouble dealing with the day to day problems like girls, friends, distant father and family expectations. In fact one of the most interesting things about the film is the little love triangle that Craig finds himself in with a girl outside and one on the inside.

Zach unspellable is great as an older patient Bobby who seems the most sane out of everyone. The scenes with Boddy and Craig are great and act as a younger and older conversation of the same person. Bobbys characters isnt shown or explored as much as you would like but when he is serious he is good and when he is funny you will probably laugh.

The film juggles the quirky and serious very well for most of the film but verges on too much indy for little segments. A musical number featuring queen in the musical therapy session is funny but i could see why the quirkiness might be too much for a more disgruntled viewer (and im plenty disgruntled)

There are some great performance from the mother, father and little sister. Jim Gaffigan is great as a slightly clueless and distracted father and Lauren Graham shows that gilmore girls was just an elaborate bet that got out of hand and she actually can act and do comedy well. Emma Roberts plays a little emo love interest who is actually quite sweet...again some scenes teeter on being almost too quirky but for the most part it hold it together. Although Craigs bout of depression seems very light hearted and short i think the film has a message about teenagers and their worries and fears. Craig almost seems to realize that his problems are fairly small compared to other patients.

Overall

Great film, check your disgruntled face at the door and sit back and enjoy the quirky youthfulness of it all (i know it is hard, those pesky kids with their hair and their hormones!!!). Reminded me of Garden State which i thought wasn't a bad thing. Depression has never been so light hearted and funny.

4/5