It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010)

It's Kind of a Funny Story is yet another of those movies I added on my watchlist and got stuck there for ages because there was always something more appealing to watch. Or something that I had meant to watch for even longer. 

Anyways, the story, which is based on Ned Vizzini's novel of the same name, follows Craig (Keir Gilchrist), a depressed 16-year-old who, after contemplating suicide by jumping off the Brooklyn Bridge, decides to check himself into the psychiatric ward of a hospital, thinking they'll keep an eye on him and send him home for school the next day. Getting out is not as easy as Craig pictured it though and, once in, his new psychiatric, Dr. Minerva (Viola Davis), forces him to stay for five days. During his stay, he quickly befriends Bobby (Zach Galifianakis), an optimistic adult, and Noelle (Emma Roberts), a sweet teenager. 

As any another movie about depressed teenagers I've seen, It's Kind of a Funny Story doesn't have much of a plot as it rather focuses on its characters and the interactions between them than events. In addition, it lacks originality and it's fairly predictable, but at least it delivers a good message about dealing with problems and seeking help when in need. 

The main characters —Craig, Bobby, and Noelle— could have been written better as most of the characterization and development comes from their quirks and, in Craig's case, from annoying, voiceover monologues; still, they are decent enough to make you care about them and root for them, and each of them grows throughout the film so I guess we can call that a win. Unfortunately, the supporting characters don't make a lot of sense, especially Craig's parents and sisters and Dr. Minerva, which is nothing but a way to waste a talented actress such as Viola Davis. 

As for the performances, Keir Gilchrist is barely decent as the teenager who is depressed simply because he is a teenager, and is overwhelmed by the too-serious world he lives in as he lacks the charisma and wit required for the role, and Emma Roberts is decent as Noelle, a character we know nothing about other than her having self-harm issues. Both because of these two weak performances and because he does a pretty good job, Zach Galifianakis steals the show as Bobby, a divorcé who is pessimistic about his past but very optimistic about his future. He brings so much humanity to the character and finds a nice balance between comedy and drama. 

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As for the direction, I'm not sure Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck were the right people to make this film. The tone of It's Kind of a Funny Story is way lighter than Half Nelson's. While this is not a problem, the facts that most of the comedy here doesn't really work and that there isn't a balance between humour and drama are. Also, this kind of story feels too bland for them. 

Don't get me wrong, the film is still enjoyable, but it's not as good as it could have been, as good as Boden and Fleck could have made it. 

A Merry Friggin' Christmas (2014)

It's been so long since I added A Merry Friggin' Christmas on my watchlist that I forgot why it was there. So it's knowing nothing about it that I finally decided to watch it (it turned out it was because of Robin Williams). 

The film follows Boyd Mitchler (Joel McHale), a father who does all he can to give his kids a perfect Christmas because his childhood was ruined by his drunken father, Mitch (Robin Williams), who ruined Santa Claus and Christmas, and pretty much everything for him. When his younger brother, Nelson (Clark Duke), asks him to come his son's baptism which will be held on Christmas Eve in their hometown, Boyd is forced to spend Christmas with his family and estranged father. It gets even worse when he realises that he forgot his son's Christmas presents, decides to make an eight-hour round trip to get them and his father tags along to help.

Although it's not the smartest of plots, it does have some potential at the beginning. Eventually, the writers decided to develop it, or rather not develop it, in the worst way possible and the result is a dull, pretty stupid and unengaging story whose moral and message get lost. I guess it's supposed to deliver the true meaning of Christmas —something the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas! did beautifully— and show how to deal with childhood fantasies while growing up, or something like that. I'm not sure because it's all very confusing and messy. 

The characters too are pretty weak. They all are shallow, one-dimensional, unsympathetic and, frankly, quite pathetic characters that it's difficult to care about —maybe the drunken Santa Boyd almost killed is an exception. In other words, they are forgettable.

It doesn't surprise me one bit that the cast does a terrible job. Joel McHale who I loved in the Community episodes I've seen isn't funny at all, and the fact that he plays a hating jerk doesn't help either. Robin Williams who plays the grumpy old man who never was there for his son is too serious —this is supposed to be a comedy, after all— and his witty humour and one-liners are nowhere to be found. The rest of the cast is just as bad, Lauren Graham deserving a special mention because her acting reaches a whole new level of bad.

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At last but not least, the comedy. It's certainly not entirely the actors' fault is their performances are dull and unfunny. There isn't much you can do when you have to work with jokes that are either childish or dumb, or both. There's a one-liner from Williams at the end of the movie, that's the only time I chuckled. A Merry Friggin' Christmas is so unfunny is depressing.