Review: It's Kind of a Funny Story
It's Kind of a Funny Story is not quite aptly titled, as the title doesn't give the movie enough credit for its humor or pathos. It's a Very Funny Story, Except When It's Tragic might be more accurate.
This quirky and endearing film is part dark comedy, part teen romance and part biting social commentary, and it's one of the most entertaining films I've seen this year. Even Zack Galifianakis -- hold on to your popcorn! -- gives a fine, unexpectedly understated performance.
Based on a novel by Ned Vizzini, It's Kind of a Funny Story is the tale of smart but insecure 16-year-old Craig (Kier Gilchrist), who suffers from the usual pressures of teenage life. Aside from trying to find his place in the world, he has an unrequited crush on a good friend's girlfriend, Nia (Zoë Kravitz), and his parents are pressuring him to apply for a prestigious academic program. Stressed beyond his coping skills, Craig checks himself into Argenon Hospital, a Brooklyn psychiatric facility.
The hospital's juvenile ward is being renovated, so Craig finds himself staying in the adult ward with the expected cast of schizophrenics, manic depressives and other patients with severe mental health issues. The adult ward isn't exactly the most therapeutic environment for a teenager. But Craig soon meets an ally in Bobby (Galifianakis), a veteran patient with a penchant for impersonating doctors and escaping the hospital. Bobby takes Craig under his wing, introducing him to the other patients and teaching him the basics of survival in the highly structured -- but sometimes frighteningly unstructured -- world of a mental hospital.
Bobby also mentors Craig in his reluctant pursuit of the only other teen on the ward, Noelle (Emma Roberts), an equally smart girl whose many facial and forearm cuts reveal problems far more serious than Craig's. While Bobby helps Craig with life and love, the teen does what he can to return the favor as Bobby slowly reveals his unsettling backstory.
All of this may not sound like an even remotely funny story -- but trust me, it is. The zippy script by co-directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck (the filmmaking team that also brought us the stellar Half Nelson) is full of hilarious one-liners and bitterly funny observations that keep the story from being mired in its dark undertones. Although It's Kind of a Funny Story obviously borrows an idea or two from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, it's far lighter in tone (and frankly, nowhere near as profound, but few films are). On the other hand, it never glosses over the fact that mental illness can be a living hell. The mental patients behave in amusingly weird ways, but they're all portrayed with great sensitivity, and the movie never makes light of their illnesses.
It's Kind of a Funny Story also pulls no punches in condemning our society's underfunded and overmedicated approach to dealing with mental illness. When Craig's friends learn of his whereabouts, many of them admit to taking antidepressants, Ritalin and other psychiatric drugs. Their attitude toward these powerful pills is unnervingly casual, as if a mentally medicated adolescence is normal. There are also fleeting but pointed jabs at a sociopolitical climate that tells us we'll be just fine as long as the economy is growing and we can afford to buy bright, shiny new objects that make us feel better. (And if we're not feeling better, there's always Zoloft ... at least for those with good health insurance.)
The teen romance in It's Kind of a Funny Story is appealing and quite believable, even in the unlikely environs where it happens. These days, any film romance that starts without a sappy meet-cute is a rare gift, and I was happy to see that Craig and Noelle's first encounter is more gritty and cynical than oh-so-adorable. From then on, there are the expected moments of romantic joy and pain, but all are well scripted and subtly acted, and they make total sense within the world view of two teenagers living in a mental hospital.
The film also has several clever asides, flashbacks and fantasy sequences, all stemming from Craig's drolly sophisticated but otherwise wholly adolescent imagination. The fantasy sequences are especially entertaining, and I won't spoil the fun by giving away any other details. (Hint: You're 16 -- what would you fantasize about?) There is also a smattering of Scott Pilgrim-ish animation and attitude, which are welcome counterpoints to the film's drab hospital setting and dreary subtext.
As I said, Galifianakis -- whose film career consists mostly of amped capering in forgettable comedies -- gives a surprisingly nuanced performance. His Bobby is a sad-eyed prankster, at once clever, worldly and naïve. He's the ward's thoroughly likeable rogue, the sort of patient who's charming enough to get away with flouting the rules. Bobby is also very funny, and Galifianakis's comic background is readily apparent. But he's equally at home in the film's many serious scenes.
The rest of the cast is in fine form also. Gilchrist is thoroughly believable as Craig, the overly analytical kid we all know who is almost too smart for his own good. His awkward attempt at romance is a place we've all been, and while Gilchrist plays the hapless teen with plenty of snark and sass, he also imbues Craig with enough sweetness to make us root for him throughout the story.
To her credit, Roberts plays Noelle as more pained than sexy. She's obviously attractive, but this attractiveness really isn't what holds Craig's interest, and Roberts wisely focuses on the character's vulnerabilities. She's far more complex than the cute but one-dimensional love interest we see in most teen romances.
It's Kind of a Funny Story is the rare film that blends teen comedy hallmarks with indie sensibilities. It's a smart and poignant bit of cinema that makes important points without preaching, and I hope it finds a wide audience among teens and arthouse fans alike.