Life is comprised of tiny miracles. Was that the moral of It’s Kind of a Funny Story’s...story? Well, then I’m a believer. Add on the fact that my astronomically gentile roommate managed to make a pretty mean matzo ball soup while we watched...call me Mother Theresa.
This film only further cements my belief that greatness in contemporary film comes from great literature. It’s Kind of a Funny Story is based on Ned Vizzini’s 2006 novel about a depressed boy who has himself committed following thoughts of suicide. Doesn’t sound like rainbows and puppies, I know, but rainbows are lame (unless they come in the “double” variety) and puppies are great until they dookie all over your house. The good news is this movie was delightfully, semi-predictable, and our apartment is totally dookie-free. Good movie, here’s a treat...
Zak Galifinakis makes this movie. No, Zak Galifinakis makes life. He has what I like to call the F Factor. F is for Farley. F is for Ferrell. You can look at him, in utter silence, and find him irresistibly hilarious. What IS that, the beard? I think it’s talent...which to my astonishment, he has in abundance. And while we cried laughing after he has a fight in the psychiatric ward with his wife, and walks out of the room claiming, “That was my accountant, I checked the wrong box. She got pretty upset about it.” We also cried...crying. He’s a man recovering a 6th stint of attempted suicide, and gradually losing a relationship with his daughter and wife. An unexpectedly, impressive performance. Plus, he’s probably the only person in the world whose last name is commonly misspelled more than mine....2 Ns. It’s not quanntum mechannics.
Last thing, I just want to take a moment on Emma Robert’s behalf. I’m sick of everyone claiming she’s riding her aunt’s coattails to fame. That’s just not true. She’d have to be far less talented for that to be the case. (Something I like to call the Paris Hilton factor) But she isn’t exceptionally gifted either. How can I put this, Emma Roberts=vanilla yogurt. Everyone likes it, it gets the job done, it complements other things nicely like fruit and granola, but no one’s demanding vanilla yogurt on their deathbed. Key lime pie yogurt perhaps, but definitely not vanilla. Like Emma Roberts, the yogurt is white and sweet, but will never live up to the status of its iconic aunt...ice cream.
Now I’m hungry...
