It's Kind of a Funny Story

It's Kind of a Funny Story premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2010. It's follows a young boy named Craig who hasn't experienced high school in the best way. Craig's best friend is dating the girl he loves. In a high school full of future scholars, Craig can't seem to find his niche. He doesn't seem to know what he's good at, and his rowdy friends aren't helping. Craig's father played by stand up comedian Jim Gaffigan urges his son to prepare for the future, and apply to a summer camp for the brightest students in the city. Now that Craig's problems are piling up, he dreams about killing himself. Craig rides his bike to the hospital seeking help before he does something he may regret. After a plea for help, the doctor checks him into the psych ward. Craig finds comfort in the other patients realizing that someone is always willing to help.

I despise movies that cast extremely good looking kids as high school outcasts because it's not believable. I refuse to accept that Zach Efron wouldn't be popular in any high school. The main character in this movie is not buff or chiseled; he's look perfectly regular, and that's why it's easy to believe his performance. Keir Gilchrist plays the protagonist Craig. Keir's character is just like any number of kids you went to high school with. He's very awkward with a good sense of humor. And even though we learn throughout the movie Craig is a good kid with a kind heart. But given the chance to impress his crush, Craig will stretch the truth and maybe hurt some people along the way. Craig makes the same mistakes we've all made, that's what makes him relatable.

My favorite two stars of this movie were Zach Galifinakis and Emma Roberts. Coming off his success with The Hangover, Galifinakis is in high demand right now. Everybody loves him, and for good reason. The guy is a character, and finally he shows a little range in this one. His character is bi-polar, he doesn't act like he should be in the hospital most of the time, but when he feels angry or rejected he loses his mind. Bob is real easy to love and probably teaches Craig more about life than anyone else in the hospital. Galifinakis reminds me of comedians like Robin Williams or Jim Carrey. He can go from slapstick silly to a serious dramatic actor. I'm currently a big fan.

Emma Roberts is just cute. I'll admit I had a little crush on her in this one. She hasn't done many serious movies so far in her career. But right now it looks like she isn't taking the commercial route and looking for some more challenging roles. Roberts plays another patient in the hospital Noelle, a girl who struggles with her appearance and has a history of cutting. It's no simple task to play a person who is depressed. It's hard to keep on smile on even in the happiest moments. Roberts captures this well, her character is embarrassed about cutting, and trys to keep her secret under raps. She plays a character with a lot of layers, and I wish she would have appeared in the movie a bit more.

It's Kind of a Funny Story is darker comedy. It hard to tell whether the movie actually takes its self seriously throughout. One scene completely jumps from reality. The main characters appear on a stage dressed as punk rockers lip singing David Bowie's, "Under Pressure." The movie goes back and forth between serious and comedic. I liked the cast, and I really enjoyed the story. This film could be seen as predictable by some, but not enough to ruin it for me. I felt great after watching It's Kind of a Funny Story. If you ever felt like an outcast in your life, you can relate to this film too. I loved it and hope to own it when it comes out on Dvd.