< Comforting the Soul
September 2, 2011
By: Joel Martin
At least that’s the message conveyed in the 2010 film It’s Kind of A Funny Story. Directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden deliver a humorous and uplifting story of a boy in high school who discovers that his life is not near as depressing and difficult once he opens his eyes to the lives of others around him. Keir Gilchrist delivers a satisfying performance as Craig, a 16-year old high school student who checks himself into a mental hospital for having suicidal thoughts. Although the plot sounds depressing, Gilchrist incorporates a great deal of unintentional humor in the midst of discovering the lives of the other patients of the psychiatric ward.
Supporting cast members include Emma Roberts as Noelle, Craig’s love interest who is also a patient in the hospital, Lauren Graham as Craig’s mom, Lynn, comedian Jim Gaffigan takes on the role of Craig’s father, George, and the always comedic Zach Galifianakis plays Craig’s friend and mentor, Bobby. The cast is well put together, and each play off of each other’s character very well.
Simply mentioning mental hospital creates an image of a dismal and sometimes frightening location, but the film follows the example of the Robin Williams film Patch Adams, encouraging the audience into seeing the characters for who they are as people, rather than simply by their mental instability. The interactions between the patients in the film, especially between Bobby and Craig, convince the audience that looking on the bright side of life is the only way to survive living in such a dreary environment.
One of the most interesting things about the film is the delivery of the humor. The cast generally look like they awoke from a year-long hibernation right before the scene, and yet, despite their depressing looks, the dialogue creates hilarious scenes. Not to mention the fact that anytime a character describes their life as a high school student who is not the most popular in school its bound to be humorous, and the way Craig describes his various predicaments throughout the film is priceless.
Now, be warned that the film does have its down moments, as is true with most films, and it does incorporate a very real sense of reality at certain points. But the mix of reality and humor create a movie that leaves viewers satisfied with a good outlook on life at the conclusion. The movie gets a solid four out of five stars from me, and is certainly worth renting from a local Redbox or adding to the Netflix queue. Bobby sums up the feel of the movie by responding to Craig’s question, “How’d you end up in here?” with “I’m on vacation.”
September 2, 2011
By: Joel Martin
Movie Review: It's Kind of a Funny Story
People often say that laughter is the very best medicine. Perhaps that sounds far too optimistic for those people who are experiencing a downturn in life, but even though laughter might not be the cure, it certainly helps.
The film receives a solid review.
Supporting cast members include Emma Roberts as Noelle, Craig’s love interest who is also a patient in the hospital, Lauren Graham as Craig’s mom, Lynn, comedian Jim Gaffigan takes on the role of Craig’s father, George, and the always comedic Zach Galifianakis plays Craig’s friend and mentor, Bobby. The cast is well put together, and each play off of each other’s character very well.
Simply mentioning mental hospital creates an image of a dismal and sometimes frightening location, but the film follows the example of the Robin Williams film Patch Adams, encouraging the audience into seeing the characters for who they are as people, rather than simply by their mental instability. The interactions between the patients in the film, especially between Bobby and Craig, convince the audience that looking on the bright side of life is the only way to survive living in such a dreary environment.
One of the most interesting things about the film is the delivery of the humor. The cast generally look like they awoke from a year-long hibernation right before the scene, and yet, despite their depressing looks, the dialogue creates hilarious scenes. Not to mention the fact that anytime a character describes their life as a high school student who is not the most popular in school its bound to be humorous, and the way Craig describes his various predicaments throughout the film is priceless.
Now, be warned that the film does have its down moments, as is true with most films, and it does incorporate a very real sense of reality at certain points. But the mix of reality and humor create a movie that leaves viewers satisfied with a good outlook on life at the conclusion. The movie gets a solid four out of five stars from me, and is certainly worth renting from a local Redbox or adding to the Netflix queue. Bobby sums up the feel of the movie by responding to Craig’s question, “How’d you end up in here?” with “I’m on vacation.”
