IT’S KIND OF A FUNNY STORY: 2 ½ STARS
“It’s Kind of a Funny Story” has been dubbed the teenage “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.” That’s a very simplistic—some might say lazy—way of describing a movie about Craig (Keir Gilchrist), a 16-year-old who checks himself into a mental hospital after contemplating suicide.
It’s also almost completely wrong.
“Cuckoo’s Nest” has many things missing in “Funny Story” such as the cruel staff member—remember the sadistic Nurse Ratched?—a wild rebellious spirit and a compelling dramatic structure.
The two movies do share a basketball scene and some good performances but that’s about it. The movie’s nice moments—usually involving Zack Galafinakis, who plays Craig’s lovable but disturbed mentor, or Emma Roberts who takes a giant step forward, career wise, as the ward’s troubled hottie Noelle—are blunted by a story that veers into schmaltzy sentimentality too often for its own good.
