It’s Kind of a Funny Story IS kind of funny, and kind of inspired, and mostly kind of good. A
Cukoo’s Nest for teens, the movie tells the story of Craig, a stressed out high school student who thinks he’s suicidal, so he checks himself into a mental ward and learns how much he has to live for. Yes, it is that cheesy, and yes it takes all the easy outs you’d think this scenario would offer, but ultimately Craig’s story is earnest, a cinematic hug for those working through a seemingly universal teenage depression. It’s easy to forgive a film its clichés if it means well, if it takes pride in them, levies them to build something bigger and more important – cliché’s, after all, often translate into honesty.
Funny Story could have been transcendental. That it never finds the spirit to be so is ultimately kind of a let down.
