It must be tough for any film centred on psychiatric stress, set in a hospital ward for mental patients; it will always invariably end up being compared to "One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest". In fact such a stamp has that film made on the genre, it seems that any film attempting to deal within the same topics, it will always come off as cliche and more than a little derivative. Put simply, it is hard for any new film put its own stamp on a subject so fragile and delicate. However as great as that film is, there surely must be some new things filmmakers can say nowadays about such a topic. However that is not to be the case here; its shadow unfortunately covers over almost all of "It's Kind Of A Funny Story". A film with noble intentions, but one that never rises above 'sweet'.
Craig (Keir Gilchrist) is a very stressed 16 year old boy. After having contemplated suicide, he checks himself into a psychiatric hospital. After initial feelings of fear and intimidation, Craig begins to get to know the patients around him. Among them is Bobby (Zach Galifianakis), who takes Craig under his wing and whom he forms a friendship with. Can Craig learn to control his emotions and not cave under the immense pressure from his father/friends/school? Along the way he meets Noelle (Emma Roberts) a fellow patient who self harms. The film does run the risk of being too bogged in seriousness and a dour subject matter. Mental health isn't exactly fun. However play it the other way, take away some of the levity from the illness and you risk making your subject twee and not to mention offending any real life victims of the disease. This is where the film finds its one major flaw. It seems caught in between thse two worlds and never fully committing to either. Director/writers Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have proven their talent after their previous oscar worthy effort "Half Nelson" four years ago. In short they should have been able to pull off a far more substantial and satisfying film than what we are left with here. Not to say the film is not good; it is very entertaining and watchable at times, but is that really what you want when it should have been so much more?
The cast are all meet the demands of the script admirably. Lead, Gilchrist is a very charming protagonist and one that is easy to root for despite the fact that he has not been seen in much previously. Emma Roberts sidesteps her tween-centric past to convey a girl with a lot of serious, deep problems. If she seems quite 2D at times, it is down more to the limitations of the script and her character rather than her acting skills. She certainly has it in her to carry more dramatic and serious fare. And then there is Galifianakis. Galifianakis's schtick is showing signs of wearing. There is only so many times he can do the loveable idiot man-child before it falls into predictable and one note territory. The man is a very natural and funny comedian and actor, and it is obvious he is very talented. His stand up shows darker signs underneath than any of his bigger comedy films have, and HBO's sleuth comedy show "Bored To Death" show there is certainly more from his personality to be mined. I am glad then that this film demonstrates the range this man has the capability to play. It may only be one small step, but it should lead to greater things more people want to take a chance with him on. The role is funny and quirky at times, but offers more going underneath the exterior with problems not nearly as easily handled as our leads. Galifianakis pulls it off very well and the film comes alive with every scene he is in. So the main issue comes down to how the overall theme is portrayed. The film is too nice to bear any greater dramatical weight. There is far more going on here that the script should have delved into, but it is simply more content with with being sweet and feel good. It is funny, but why not take it into darker and possibly more controversial territory. Laughs could come thicker and the true dark nature of our minds fight with itself could be dealt with better rather than the sometimes too saccharine offering we are left with. The film is good, but it's hard to become too involved in it when our protagonists main problem is too simply chill out and relax.
Verdict: 65%
A very pleasant and entertaining film. Performances all deliver and Galifianakis proves he has plenty of range underneath the beard, but the film refuses to delve too deep into its dark issues, leaving a rather muted aftertaste.
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