Read Positive User Reviews for It's Kind of a Funny Story

10

sethbkOct 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

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10

jakesonaplaneOct 27, 2010

Good movie. Dark comedy at it's finest; poignant and thoughtful, meant to make you look deeper into yourself. Having worked at a treatment center for 3 years, I found Galifianakis' performance to be perfect; he nailed it so well that I'mGood movie. Dark comedy at it's finest; poignant and thoughtful, meant to make you look deeper into yourself. Having worked at a treatment center for 3 years, I found Galifianakis' performance to be perfect; he nailed it so well that I'm convinced that in whatever capacity he's been around people of this sort. A good movie, well made, unapologetically creative, and with a message that people of all mental states can appreciate.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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9

goodmoviesOct 18, 2010

"It's Kind of a Funny Story" is a well-told -and funny - story of frustration, hope, and redemption. The acting is excellent, and through laughter and touching moments we learn a thing or two about authenticity and acceptance.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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9

jkerr50Oct 19, 2010

I found this movie to be a realistic and amusing portrayal of teenage depression. The film avoids exploitive cliches, trite resolutions, and cheap laughs. Very enjoyable, but not for every taste.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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7

Misslove14xxMar 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 itThis 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

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7

awfyJun 26, 2011

I would certainly recommend this if you're "must watch" list is getting low on movies. It's not ground breaking, it's not hysterical but it's enjoyable. It's storyline is nothing new but it's nice to see if set on a hospital ward rather thanI would certainly recommend this if you're "must watch" list is getting low on movies. It's not ground breaking, it's not hysterical but it's enjoyable. It's storyline is nothing new but it's nice to see if set on a hospital ward rather than a high school playground.

For Zach Galifianakis fans, he is his usual comedic perfection however he does have a few touching and emotional scenes. It definitely shows a different side to him as an actor.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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8

dev92Aug 16, 2012

I was extremely impressed with this film, one which I would not immediately pick up and watch but one that I am glad that I did. It's an emotion-filled adventure which really showcases the issues with mental health extremely well. A braveI was extremely impressed with this film, one which I would not immediately pick up and watch but one that I am glad that I did. It's an emotion-filled adventure which really showcases the issues with mental health extremely well. A brave film but one that relies on both it's direction and cast to push it to the heights to which it reached. Well worth a view.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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7

ShiiraOct 15, 2010

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Stop me if you've heard this one before; it's the story of the "great white hope", an inner-city, public middle school teacher, the inspirational type, naturally, who sees a black youth in trouble, a girl on the verge of entrenching herself forever within the drug trade, the nefarious culture of gangbangers, thus inspiring Dan Dunne(Ryan Gosling) to take it upon himself to make a difference(as the bylaws of the genre dictates that he does so), and tries to save her. Saving Drey(Shareeka Epps) becomes Mr. Dunne's mission. Intervening on his student's behalf, the teacher, full of piss and vinegar...and self-righteousness, pays the drug dealer a visit, in which the girl's mentor lectures the pusherman about the bad influence he poses toward his young niece. This is the crucial juncture in the movie where the half-nelson that the filmmakers put on the story's form and content, struggles to break free, and abide by those genre bylaws, but can't. While the narrative, at the outset, may not differ much from other teacher/savior flicks such as John N. Smith's "Dangerous Minds" and Richard LaGravenese's "Freedom Writers"(to name a few), Mr. Dunne's unanticipated actions previous to his momentous showdown with the antagonist, instigates a whole new set of circumstances that forces a divergence from the genre norms, and throws "Half-Nelson" into chaos. Dan, as it turns out, has a serious problem, a problem that does serious damage to his integrity, in which the girl's supposed knight and shining armor suddenly lacks the moral authority to save anybody. It's kind of a funny story, a riposte to the "white man's burden" scenario, as "Half-Nelson" saddles itself with a crack addict as its protagonist, hardly the role model that this sort of archetypal movie calls for. Bobby(Zach Galafanakas) is no role model either, a verbal admission he makes to Craig(Keir Gilchrist), the boy at risk whom the divorced father of a young daughter mentors at the psychiatric ward of the Argenon Hospital, as opposed to the silent epiphany that Dan undergoes, the instantaneous realization of this confused man's own ethical impotence which visibly washes above board his face. It stops the outraged teacher's hypocritical speechifying; this crack addict's stern reprimand, cold, in mid-stream, toward a nonplussed Frank(Anthony Mackie), when Dan realizes the irony of the situation, the dialectical impasse at hand, as there can be no supply without demand, but here is a textbook example of oppositional forces at work; it's as if Dan wrote out the situation on his chalkboard, in which a drug user tells the drug dealer to stop trafficking. It's kind of a funny story. Stripped of any racial and sexual differences, the dynamics between Bobby and Craig is nevertheless, the same story, an equally gelastic one, full of the same contradictions, where the mentor(Galafinakas), a man who attempted suicide six times, has the gall to advise his pupil against killing himself, while extolling the virtues of life. Whereas Drey helps an incapacitated Mr. Dunne out from a school bathroom stall, therefore greatly undermining his institutional ascendancy to shape a young mind, the shifting balance of power, likewise, occurs in "It's Kind of a Funny Story" when Craig helps Bobby prepare for a group home interview, going so far as loaning his mentor a clean shirt. Bobby knows the music, but not the words, so he just rips off the words("That he is not busy being born is busy dying," from the Bob Dylan track "It's Alright, Ma(I'm Only Bleeding)") that describe matters concerning life and death, and it shows, because his own words turn out to be a sort of anti-poetry, an aesthetic emblematized by prosaic whininess and narcissistic vampirism. In the cafeteria, Bobby chastises a consorting patient, a regular at the table, for taking Craig's breakfast burrito, but later in "It's Kind of a Funny Story", a darker story, one that was probably intended to promote fraternalism, emerges, where Bobby makes a petition to his disciple's soul on the basketball court, asking Craig that he "...be young," and "live ife like it meant something," which has the ring of a desperate man who would take Craig's life if he could. One more suicide attempt makes seven, unlucky seven, if he survives. Considering the setting, an Ingmar Bergman film sits waiting on the sidelines, hoping for a time-out and genre substitution. Rather than play chess with death, like the knight does in "The Seventh Seal", Bobby could challenge Craig to a game of one-on-one, or horse(slang for "heroin"), for his life, like something out of Peter Hewitt's "Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey". It's kind of a funny story because it's Zoloft that saves Craig, ultimately, just like how crack saves Drey, in which both teenagers free themselves with drugs, both legal and illegal, as an elixir for the benevolent tyranny of deeply flawed men.… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

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8

DukeNov 2, 2010

A Film Review By: Sam Fragoso

"It's Kind Of A Funny Story" *** Newcomer Keir Gilchrist and Zach Galifianakis star in the new film "It's Kind Of A Funny Story". When a film can make us laugh and cry all in the same scene, you it's doneA Film Review By: Sam Fragoso

"It's Kind Of A Funny Story"

***

Newcomer Keir Gilchrist and Zach Galifianakis star in the new film "It's Kind Of A Funny Story".

When a film can make us laugh and cry all in the same scene, you it's done something right. "It's Kind Of A Funny Story" is not so much of a comedy, as it is a touching story about people with depression and other illnesses.

The film revolves around Craig (Keir Gilchrist), a sixteen-year-old boy, who like many teenagers has been dealing with depression and anxiety. Until one night his depression is stronger then usual. He rides his bike to the Brooklyn Bridge, where he is ready to jump off. But he decides to preserve his life, get real help that could benefit him in the future. So he goes to a hospital, where be begs and pleads to be taken into the mental facility.

At first, Craig is reluctant to stay at the hospital, he is so unaware of the people in these facilities, that have much bigger problems then he could ever imagine having.

Eventually he adapts to it, however he has to stay there for five days in order to be cleared to go home. But on the way, he meets people that can really help him and can certainly relate to his problems.

The first character he meets is Bobby, played by Zach Galifianakis. I know what you all are thinking; there is no way that Galifianakis can play a serious role, in a film like this. But he does, he shows signs of genuine sincerity and sympathy to the people heâ… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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10

MegWhiteleyApr 11, 2012

Really pretty movie, is emotive, and fantastic, the performance of Emma Roberts is really awesome and the rest of the cast, uff, is fantastic. It's Kind of a Funny Story is amazing.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

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9

movieboyJan 29, 2011

Loved this film. One of the best "teen" related movies in a long time. It mixes comedy and drama perfectly. And abounds with interesting characters. Zach Galifianakis shines of course in a quite subdued role. A kind of updating of "One FlewLoved this film. One of the best "teen" related movies in a long time. It mixes comedy and drama perfectly. And abounds with interesting characters. Zach Galifianakis shines of course in a quite subdued role. A kind of updating of "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest" I was especially impressed with how the "crazy" characters were not overplayed, and i didn't find it predictable. Even loved the Queen fantasy segment. Definite thumbs up.… Expand