It's Kind of a Funny Story Directed by: Anna Boden Starring: Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Roberts Rating: PG-13 Release Date: September 24, 2010
TRAILER SCORE: 6/10
MY THOUGHTS: It looks like it's shaping up to be a pretty good year for Zach Galifianakis with Dinner for Schmucks at the end of this month and Due Date in November. Sadly, that doesn't necessarily mean a good thing for his fan base. Galifianakis is an odd casting choice, but as I've seen in movies like Hangover, he's got funny down. The question remains; does he have the dramatic chops? It's nothing personally against Galifianakis or It's Kind of a Funny Story and its "ironic" hipster title, but these types of movies have been done before. Honestly, it looks like a modern take on "Catcher in the Rye," which doesn't interest me much, particularly from a 23-year-old's standpoint. We're all overstimulated, overanxious, and underwhelmed by life, but does that mean we make a movie about it? No, not really. If I had to take a stab, I'd say this movie's trying to make a break for the coveted "indie" title that movies like Juno and Little Miss Sunshine captured in their runs. It's an odd mix of "indie enough to maintain its credibility" with "mainstream enough to make money." It's been my experience movies likes that tend to kowtow to the mainstream and offer some sort of deep insight into the mind of their protagonist, in an attempt to make the audience examine themselves. Still, from the previews I might consider watching it for Gilchrist's performance as well as a few other notable actors and actresses. I'll wait to check it out at home.