Movies 119: It's Kind of a Funny Story

Name: It's Kind of a Funny Story

Rating: PG-13 for mature thematic issues, sexual content, drug material and language.

Run-time: 1 hour and 41 minutes. 

Starring: Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianikis, and Emma Roberts. 

Released: October 8th, 2010 (limited release).

Directed By: Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden.

Synopsis: Set in New York, 16-year-old Craig (Gilchrist) stressed out from the demands of being a teenager, checks himself into a mental health clinic. There he learns that the youth ward is closed – and finds himself stuck in the adult ward. One of the patients, Bobby (Galifianakis), soon becomes both Craig’s mentor and protégé. Craig is also drawn to another 16-year-old, Noelle (Roberts). With a minimum five days’ stay imposed on him, Craig is sustained by friendships on both the inside and the outside as he learns more about life, love, and the pressures of growing up.

There's probably two ways you knew about this movie: you had read the book prior or you're lucky enough to have it in a theater by you. You could just be a film junkie like me though and track all the upcoming movies coming out. I actually think I found out about this movie in a commercial before Easy A. I don't know why but something drew me to this story, it might have been the uncanny psychical resemblance between the main character and one of my good friends but I think the latter part of it was the storyline.

It just sounded interesting. Some force drew me to want to see this movie so badly I took a 15 mile trip to the closest theater it was playing at. I was so excited to see it and it wasn't just because funny man Zach Galifianikis so happened to be in it. There was just something special about it, and watching in the theater I could tell. This coming-of-age dramedy struck a part of me I wasn't sure was there. It made me feel a roller coaster of emotions in a mere hour and 41 minutes. It's Kind of a Funny Story had me speechless walking out of that theater. I didn't have anything to say about it for a good 15 minutes, I didn't want to say anything about it though. It was like I wanted to keep the feeling I had while watching it, and talking about it would just ruin it.

I could say so much about how the film's cinematography was visually enthralling or how the acting seemed real and sincere, but I should probably get around to the book adaptation part. I am well aware that this film is based after the book of the same name (by Ned Vizzini) and I am hoping to pick up the book soon. I came into the theater with no prior judgement so I am not sure how readers of the books will feel about It's Kind of a Funny Story but I'd still suggest it since movies are never the same as the books anyway.

I will say this film is more of a teen-young adult go see more than anything else though. I can definitely tell you it's a better movie choice then most of the things out right now. How many movies have you seen in theaters and wished you just waited for it's dvd release? Now how many movies have you seen on dvd that you wished you saw in theaters? It's Kind of a Funny Story is one you should see in theaters because these days, American movie-goers are paying to see people get made fun of in 3-D and watch bombshells be assassins. With options like those, movies like these are thrust to the side. 

I'm not guaranteeing you'll love it like I did but you will most likely like it. It's at least a solid B on the grade scale. So if it's in a theater by you, see it.