It's Kind of a Funny Story

Name: It's Kind of a Funny Story
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Released: October 8, 2010
Duration: 101 min
Rating: 63
Cast: Emma Roberts, Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis

2010

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 140 Ratings

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7.3	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 140 Ratings

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It's Kind Of A Funny Story

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Movie Details & Credits

Focus Features | Release Date: October 8, 2010 | PG-13

Starring: Emma Roberts, Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis

Summary: It’s @5:00 A.M. on a Sunday in Brooklyn. Craig Gilner is bicycling up to the entrance of a mental health clinic; this bright 16-year-old is stressed out from the demands of being a teenager. Before his parents and younger sister are even awake, Craig checks himself into Argenon Hospital and is admitted by a psychiatrist. But the youth wardIt’s @5:00 A.M. on a Sunday in Brooklyn. Craig Gilner is bicycling up to the entrance of a mental health clinic; this bright 16-year-old is stressed out from the demands of being a teenager. Before his parents and younger sister are even awake, Craig checks himself into Argenon Hospital and is admitted by a psychiatrist. But the youth ward is temporarily closed – so he finds himself stuck in the adult ward. One of the patients, Bobby, soon becomes both Craig’s mentor and protégé. Craig is also quickly drawn to another 16-year-old displaced to the adult ward, the sensitive Noelle, who just might make him forget his longtime unrequited crush Nia. With a minimum five days’ stay imposed on him by the adult ward’s staff psychiatrist Dr. Eden Minerva, 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. (Focus Features)… Expand

Director: Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 101 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Calvin Wilson

Gilchrist ("United States of Tara") is immensely appealing as a kid who's just a bit too wrapped up in himself to grasp that perhaps his problems aren't insurmountable. Read full review

Kimberley Jones

Boden and Fleck's unabashedly warmhearted film is a sensitively wrought but also very funny portrait of the way we respond to pressure. Read full review

Peter Rainer

Even though the various patients too often come across as cutesy case studies, Fleck and Boden for the most part avoid working their lives up into some grand-scale "Cuckoo's Nest"-style microcosm of humanity. Read full review

Joe Morgenstern

The film itself is fairly slight: I'm not sure what it adds up to. Still, I enjoyed every moment of its beguiling saga of a depressed teen named Craig. Read full review

Steven Rea

If there's a psych ward for motion pictures, It's Kind of a Funny Story should check itself in. Boden and Fleck's film suffers from bipolar disorder: manic and silly one minute, moody and muted the next. Read full review

Elizabeth Weitzman

Melancholy 16-year-olds are the ideal audience for It's Kind of a Funny Story, which actually feels as though it were made by an especially precocious adolescent. Read full review

Ann Hornaday

There's very little that's even kind of funny in It's Kind of a Funny Story, which can't accurately be described as a comedy but isn't a true drama, either. Read full review

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User Reviews

sethbk

Oct 11, 2010

A wonderfully made movie that is more of a drama than a comedy. It was very enjoyable to watch and I would recommend going to see it. It's Kind of a Funny Story is a wonderful coming-of-age tale.

4 of 4 users found this helpful40

PopcornNRoses

Nov 8, 2010

I wasn't sure about this film, but I liked the trailer, and I had a recommendation from a friend, so I was happy to fall totally in love with it. Keir Gilchrist is amazing as Craig, a 16 year old battling feeling of suicide, so much so that he checks himself into a local hospital to fightI wasn't sure about this film, but I liked the trailer, and I had a recommendation from a friend, so I was happy to fall totally in love with it. Keir Gilchrist is amazing as Craig, a 16 year old battling feeling of suicide, so much so that he checks himself into a local hospital to fight back against it. When he realizes this wasn't a lark, and that he's stuck for a minimum of 5 days in the hospital, he starts to get to know the residents of the adult psychiatric ward where he is - the teen psych unit is being renovated. And he begins to realize that he's not alone in his battles. While there, he meets the other teen in the adult ward, Noelle (wonderfully played by Emma Roberts), and a romance starts to spark. And his new friend Bobby (Zach Galifianakis) shows him the ropes on how to get along in the ward. Over the five days, Craig gets to know why he's feeling suicidal, his family starts to understand his recent behavior, and his friends, once they find out where he is, show surprising support for him. I've had demons of my own recently as well as over the years, and I totally related to Craig and his problems, even though I'm 30 years his senior. The end of this movie left me sobbing , with a smile on my face and hope in my heart. Without A doubt, one of the best films I've seen all year.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

CognauticCreix

Oct 2, 2011

This probably isn't the perfect movie, I mean, it kinda starts slow with the not most easily identifiable protagonist, even for those suffering through depression. This guy brought levels of failure to self express, strangely inconsistent self-absorption (which isn't uncommon), andThis probably isn't the perfect movie, I mean, it kinda starts slow with the not most easily identifiable protagonist, even for those suffering through depression. This guy brought levels of failure to self express, strangely inconsistent self-absorption (which isn't uncommon), and cringiness to new levels, and it takes a little bit before you discover his better qualities. But I loved the movie none-the-less, his embodiment of what is teenage depression was spot on, and his growth from that to someone focused on living their life with appreciation on what truly matters to him hit me just in the right spot, and couple that with a the stunning Emma Roberts, who just happened to be a reasonable unassuming human being (unlike most romantic heroine's dramatic and self-degrading tendencies), and this movie fit with me like a lock and its key. Not to mention the lovable Zach Galifianakis' performance, and the progression of everything involved. In your teenage years if you ever suffered through romantic obsession, feelings of isolation, depression, a lack of appreciation, aimlessness, etc. then this movie can be enjoyed by you. As far as movies go, this will go down in being one of my all time favorites.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Summersausage

Jan 8, 2013

It's a small cute story to deal with people who suffer from mental disorders. It is not as impacting as Half Nelson yet Ryan Fleck Does deliver a suitable appreciation of the combination of wisdom and young admiration.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Misslove14xx

Mar 13, 2011

This movie feels like it is directed towards people ages 13-16, not that that has to be a bad thing, but, though most of it is pretty well done, it's a little cliche. The whole movie has a surprisingly mellow feeling, despite the fact that it takes place in a mental hospital. I kind of feltThis movie feels like it is directed towards people ages 13-16, not that that has to be a bad thing, but, though most of it is pretty well done, it's a little cliche. The whole movie has a surprisingly mellow feeling, despite the fact that it takes place in a mental hospital. I kind of felt like it lacked a climax, which can kind of make the whole movie feel like it's just along for the ride. Over all this was an enjoyable movie that was pretty well done, just needs a few tweaks.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

jimmytancredi

Sep 6, 2011

What a surprising movie! I really enjoyed it. This film recalls â

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

LaGuerta

Mar 4, 2013

So inoffensive that it's offensive. It is cliché ridden and tries too hard to be quirky. Boden and Fleck select a subject matter that hasn't yet been given the treatment required for greater societal understanding and by approaching it in such a casual way, trivialise

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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