Zach Galifianakis is on fire, but it seems he still enjoys coming back to smaller roles. Although It's Kind of a Funny Story was advertised nationally, in my town, it was only shown at the local independent theatre. It's Kind of a Funny Story is a teen drama at heart, but Galifianakis brings enough to the table to keep everyone else entertained.
The film opens with Craig(Keir Gilchrist) explaining his life and the characters that populate it. His mother Lynn is played by Lauren Graham, and his father George is played by an all but wasted Jim Gaffigan. I am a huge Gaffigan fan, and it's a shame to see his comedic talent squandered for the sake of irony. Craig is under constant pressure from his father to get into a prestigious college, and this is the root of the majority of Craig's issues. Craig is also being constantly upstaged by his best friend Aaron and his little sister Alissa. The fact that Aaron is also dating the girl Craig is in love with pretty much pushes Craig to the breaking point.
Craig checks himself into a psych ward hoping to gain an instant fix from a pill or spiritual enlightenment from a staff member, but quickly finds himself stuck for a week. There he meets Bobby(Zach Galifianakis), who is having some issues with his family and the relationship he has with his daughter. Every scene with Galifianakis is laugh out load hysterical, and will keep even the hardest to please entertained when featured in a scene. Bobby helps Craig to appreciate his life and what he has, usually by comparing it to his own. A large theme of the movie is youth and what can happen along the road ahead, and Craig helps Bobby to realize this as well.
Craig's friends and family eventually discover Craig's plight, and this only makes matters worse. Craig meets a girl in the psych ward by the name of Noelle, played by Emma Roberts, who has plenty of issues of her own. The drama expands as Craig's first love Nia comes to visit him in the hospital, and confesses her own feelings toward him. Generally the story ebbs and flows between Craig running into an issue he doesn't know how to handle, and going to Bobby for a hilarious yet generally beneficial solution.
The acting is great all around and the plot feels real. Craig wants to kill himself for no particular reason, and everyone else points out the foolishness of this desire. It's Kind of a Funny Story has something for everyone to relate to, and if it doesn't, it has Zach Galifianakis, which is generally all you need.
