Quick Movie Review: "It's Kind of a Funny Story"

Seen on: September 22, 2010

The players: Directors: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, Writers: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, Cast: Keir Gilchrist, Emma Roberts, Zach Galifianakis, Lauren Graham

Facts of interest: Boden also edited the movie.

The plot: A teenager who thinks he is depressed checks himself into a psychiatric ward. Once there, he ends up with the adults...

Our thoughts: Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden’s new dramedy “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” follows the adventures of a confused teenager (Keir Gilchrist) who believes he’s depressed and ends up checking himself into an adult psychiatric ward, where he meets a bunch of eccentric characters and hopes to find the best solution to his little predicament.

Based on the novel by Ned Vizzini, “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” is primarily a film about second chances. Now that Gilchrist’s character gets to spend time with a group of people suffering from conditions they can’t get rid of so easily, he slowly starts to realize that the best thing for him to do is to embrace the life he has and look at the world in a more positive way.

“Funny Story” is a film I admit I really enjoyed, even though Boden and Fleck’s screenplay definitely qualifies as simplistic. The writing may not be the movie’s strength, but the lead characters here boast a refreshing energy that instantly makes them likeable. Additionally, “Funny Story” features a fine group of actors whose warm performances boost the film’s entertainment value.

Gilchrist is the kind of young actor you want to keep watching, and even though his character may not be the most compelling in the movie, his performance surprises. Zach Galifianakis plays a troubled patient Gilchrist befriends at the hospital, and the natural chemistry between the two guys is directly linked to the success of the films’ comic aspect. Laughs are scarce, but the smiles keep coming.

Strangely enough, the one who surprised me the most in this movie was Emma Roberts, who plays the only other teenage patient in the ward.  A confident actress with a bright future, she’s in complete control of her character and always raises the level of reality in the scenes she’s in. Her complex relationship with Gilchrist’s character is one of the movie’s strong points.

Freaky quote: "Is there a place here for people more like me?" - Keir Gilchrist

The final word: I didn’t fall in love with “It’s Kind of a Funny Story,” but I would be lying if I said I didn’t have a good time watching it. As a low-budget indie flick examining the transformation of a young man from a state of depression to a state of hope during a stay at in a psychiatric ward, “Funny Story” offers enough surprises and heartwarming moments to at least give you your money’s worth.

Article by Franck Tabouring