This week, I watched the film It’s Kind of a Funny Story (stupid title).
I was not amused (so, stupid and also misleading title).
What a terribly mediocre movie. I haven’t read the book, by Ned Vizzini, but I’m sure it’s better than this adaptation was, or they wouldn’t have bothered. Even though, Craig is the kind of weak, self-absorbed, whinging little drama queen I loathe, I’m mildly surprised that Keir Gilchrist, whom I liked in The United States of Tara, couldn’t do more with the character. Every teen character in this film needs to step out of suburbia and take a look at the real world. Perspective is the solution, not recreational psychiatry.
If I had seen this movie on my own time, I would be calling for blood (or a refund), but since it was fundatory, I’ll just say that I kind of hated everything about it. The story, the characters, the point (if there was one-was there? Did I learn anything? I learned that middle-class teenagers are weak, self-absorbed, whinging little drama queens…oh wait, I already knew that). The script made me die a little inside. Seriously…the question game? And the map thing? I can’t remember anything else offensive because as soon as the credits started rolling I forgot it. Deliberately. It’s kind of my super power. One of them, anyway…
Three little bright spots, I suppose. Bowie and Queen singing “Under Pressure” – Bowie is numero uno on my Silver Fox Sex God list, and that song alone raised this movie from torture device to just a plain old crap movie. Also, Zach Galifianakis, just for being the sly, adorable, weirdly sinister, baby-faced man-bear that he is. And the other bright spot: Craig’s little speech at the end. That feeble attempt at philosophical insight and plot resolution was a snake of awfulness devouring its own awful tail – full circle (“Breathe…live.” Gee, thanks, Oprah)… So bad it was good. It kind of made me laugh. Kind of hysterically. Or maybe I was just glad the movie was over so I could start forgetting it and maybe watch Ghostbusters 2 or something.
Ugh. I can’t even find the will to keep heckling. That’s kind of alarming. I’ll have to leave it to the professionals.
I didn’t include an image of the subject of this post due to its general dreadfulness. So here’s Book Cat #2, Titus playing hipster and giving me the cut eye for interrupting his important reading.
There. Now I feel better.
The Reading Robyn 