With "It's Kind of a Funny Story," Fleck and Boden's first film based on a novel, it's a different story, capped — rightly or wrongly — by an extremely happy ending the filmmakers do their best to earn. They've adapted Ned Vizzini's young-adult best-seller about a teenage boy's five days spent in a Brooklyn psychiatric hospital. The point of view belongs to Craig ( Keir Gilchrist), a 16-year-old under persistent pressure from his parents ( Jim Gaffigan and Lauren Graham) to produce a crackerjack entrance essay for a schmantzy summer school program. Depressed and off his Zoloft, Craig considers suicide but calls a hot line instead.
This is the third feature from the writing-directing team of Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden. Their first film,
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Some films are at once disappointing and successful,
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" Fleck and Boden's first film based on a novel
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