It's Kind of a Funny Story - 3 smiles

As I was watching “It’s Kind of a Funny Story,” I thought of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” Not that there are a lot of overt parallels, but the central commonality is the camaraderie that develops among the inhabitants of a mental ward. They learn and draw strength from one another. Co-writers and co-directors Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden balance the right amount of seriousness, light comedy, and whimsy. Some of the dream sequences are characterized by animation and there’s a campy lip-sync number to the Queen/David Bowie song ‘Under Pressure.’ And the acting is strong. Zach Galifianakis does an especially good job as the likeable Bobby, a man who’s hiding a few things. And although Bobby generally comes across as an easy-going guy, there are times when he allows something darker to show through and in those instances especially, Galifianakis shines. Newcomer Keir Gilchrist is believable in the role of a troubled teen who learns that his problems are nothing when compared to others. And there’s chemistry between him and Galifianakis and his same-age female co-stars, Emma Roberts and Zoe Kravitz.

Sixteen-year old Craig (Gilchrist) informs the audience in a voiceover that he has been having vivid dreams about killing himself. Frightened, he checks himself into the mental ward of a hospital. His parents (Lauren Graham and Jim Gaffigan) are supportive but a little confused about what landed their son in this predicament, although it’s plain to us that the academic high-pressure demands of his father have something to do with it. As Craig meets more of the people in the ward, he forms a friendship with the gregarious Bobby (Galifianakis), who is open about everything except why he’s in the hospital. Craig also begins a tentative relationship with Noelle (Roberts) who might be just the girl to make him forget about his obsession with Nia (Kravitz), his best friend’s girlfriend. “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” is upbeat and life affirming. 10/14/10