Based on the young adult novel by Ned Vizzini, It’s Kind of a Funny Story is about a teen put into an adult psychiatric hospital. Craig lives in New York with his high achieving family and his father is putting a lot of pressure on him to be successful, but he is not reacting to it well. In a night of desperation he goes to the ER and says he wants to kill himself. He is admitted to a hospital for several days, which is much longer than he expected. He meets a colorful cast of characters who are in crisis. One of them is the quirky but desperate Bobby (played by Zach Galifianakis). There’s also a love interest, Noelle, to whom Craig relates well.  But he also has a crush on a girl from his school, and he gains extra credibility among his cool friends for being in a mental hospital. It’s entertaining and there are parts that are really touching and funny.  There are some nice scenes set in NYC too, and the soundtrack is hip. The outtakes on the DVD are hilarious.

However, as a representation of mental illness, or mental hospitals, it is weak. Although there are indications of the extreme mental states that go to make up psychiatric disorders, it is mostly japes and quirkiness and there’s very little sign of the pain that people in locked wards feel. Zach Galifianakis tones down his usual comedy, and he has a few moments of anger and hurt, but his presence gives the whole movie a feeling of hilarity just bubbling under the surface. There are a few characters who are meant to be schizophrenic, but we just see them acting a bit weirdly.  There’s almost no talk of medication, and everyone gets a lot better.   It is all too simple and easy.  It is a compassionate view of a psychiatric ward, but it gives only the vaguest idea of what those places are really like.

© 2014 Christian Perring

Christian Perring, Professor of Philosophy, Dowling College, New York