It's Kind of a Funny Story
Actors: Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis and Emma Roberts
Writers: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck, & Ned Nizzini
Directors: Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck
Studio: Focus Features
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Interest Age: 15-adult
Annotation:
Craig is clinically depressed and having a hard time. He checks himself into a psychiatric ward and his life changes forever.
Plot Summary:
When the audience meets Craig, he is depressed and having suicidal thoughts. He decides he needs to go get some help so he checks himself into a psychiatric ward of a hospital thinking he can take some time to think and get better then leave when he is ready. What he does not realize, is once he checks himself in, he cannot leave until the doctors think he is stable which is a minimum of 5 days. This makes Craig feel trapped and like he does not belong in the hospital. The pediatric ward is closed so Craig is placed in the adult ward where he meets Bobby. Bobby is a patient at the hospital and becomes friends with Craig right away. Bobby gets into trouble often and plays a lot of jokes on the others in the ward.
Craig also meets Noelle. She is also a teen placed in the adult ward. She is mysterious and is very intriguing to Craig who has only had eyes for a popular girl in school for years. As the days progress, Craig learns a lot about himself, others and what it means to be a friend.
Critical Evaluation:
This movie has a serious premise and yet it is very light-hearted and funny. This movie is based on a novel written by Ned Nizzini. The casting was perfect in this movie. Craig was just a quirky enough person to be likely to put himself in the hospital, Noelle was beautiful but had troubled eyes and Bobby had an outlandish personality, but had a deep pain in him as well.
The plot of this story was not drawn out or over played. The movie spans the five days Craig spends in the ward and it feels to the audience a lot longer than five days because of all that happens. The love story was good because although it was foreseeable, the depth in which the characters created their emotions was breathtaking.
About the Studio:
Focus Features and Focus Features International try to push the envelop of film. They strive to create films worldwide that reflect something different than the mainstream of movies. Both names are used to describe the same company. In North America, they are known as Focus Features and everywhere else in the world they are Focus Features International. They are owned by NBCUniversal which is one of the leading companies in networks and productions.
Focus Features films can be seen across the world and they plan to continue to grow any way they can. Visit them at www,focusfeatures.com
Curriculum Ties:
N/A
When the audience meets Craig, he is depressed and having suicidal thoughts. He decides he needs to go get some help so he checks himself into a psychiatric ward of a hospital thinking he can take some time to think and get better then leave when he is ready. What he does not realize, is once he checks himself in, he cannot leave until the doctors think he is stable which is a minimum of 5 days. This makes Craig feel trapped and like he does not belong in the hospital. The pediatric ward is closed so Craig is placed in the adult ward where he meets Bobby. Bobby is a patient at the hospital and becomes friends with Craig right away. Bobby gets into trouble often and plays a lot of jokes on the others in the ward.
Craig also meets Noelle. She is also a teen placed in the adult ward. She is mysterious and is very intriguing to Craig who has only had eyes for a popular girl in school for years. As the days progress, Craig learns a lot about himself, others and what it means to be a friend.
Critical Evaluation:
This movie has a serious premise and yet it is very light-hearted and funny. This movie is based on a novel written by Ned Nizzini. The casting was perfect in this movie. Craig was just a quirky enough person to be likely to put himself in the hospital, Noelle was beautiful but had troubled eyes and Bobby had an outlandish personality, but had a deep pain in him as well.
The plot of this story was not drawn out or over played. The movie spans the five days Craig spends in the ward and it feels to the audience a lot longer than five days because of all that happens. The love story was good because although it was foreseeable, the depth in which the characters created their emotions was breathtaking.
About the Studio:
Focus Features and Focus Features International try to push the envelop of film. They strive to create films worldwide that reflect something different than the mainstream of movies. Both names are used to describe the same company. In North America, they are known as Focus Features and everywhere else in the world they are Focus Features International. They are owned by NBCUniversal which is one of the leading companies in networks and productions.
Focus Features films can be seen across the world and they plan to continue to grow any way they can. Visit them at www,focusfeatures.com
Curriculum Ties:
N/A
Book Talking:
N/A
Challenging Issues:
If this movie were to be challenged, I would go through the selection process with the challenger as well as explain the rationale for the movie. There are many good qualities in this film that could be reason to have it in a collection.
Why Watch this Movie:
This movie is a romantic comedy at its finest. The teens find love in a completely unexpected place, but they feel it fully because they understand each other. There are many laughs but also many moments of sadness and understanding that humor is used to cover sadness.
N/A
Challenging Issues:
If this movie were to be challenged, I would go through the selection process with the challenger as well as explain the rationale for the movie. There are many good qualities in this film that could be reason to have it in a collection.
Why Watch this Movie:
This movie is a romantic comedy at its finest. The teens find love in a completely unexpected place, but they feel it fully because they understand each other. There are many laughs but also many moments of sadness and understanding that humor is used to cover sadness.
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