just watch it!

Captivating movie !

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

First time filmmaker Andrew Bujalski's extremely low-budget feature "Funny Ha Ha" has many of the hallmarks of an early John Cassavetes film: grainy camera-work, minimalist storytelling, and naturalistic, ad lib performances. Bujalski's cast of characters is made up entirely of white urban youth in their early to mid 20's - that awkward period in life after an individual has finished college yet before he has moved on to building his own career and family. Given what appears to be their first real taste of freedom and independence, the characters do little but sit around, get drunk, and talk about their romantic relationships, but Bujalski observes all this without hysteria and judgment, thereby lending the film the aura of real life being caught on film. The focal point is an attractive young woman named Marnie (Kate Dollenmayer) who drinks a bit too much, seems vaguely directionless and lacking in energy, and is somewhat inexperienced in the ways of love, but who, nevertheless, seems reasonably well grounded and knows her own limits as a person. "Funny Ha Ha," despite its occasional raggedness and self-indulgence, is blessedly free of contrivance and melodramatics. These may not be the most goal-oriented or socially-conscious youth we've ever encountered in the movies, but neither are they the most troubled or self-destructive. They seem like pretty ordinary kids living in the moment and only vaguely aware that there's a world outside of themselves that they are destined to become a part of in the very near future.The beauty of the dialogue rests in its ability to capture with uncanny accuracy the way people in the real world actually speak. The characters interact in ways that are genuine and believable, and life just seems to be unfolding as we watch it on screen. This is due in small measure to the fine performances from a cast of virtual unknowns who know how to appear relaxed, honest and natural in front of the camera. With its improvisational and off-the-cuff film-making style and its abrupt, the-camera-just-ran-out-of-film ending, "Funny Ha Ha" makes us feel as if we are eavesdropping on the daily lives of a handful of relative strangers. Lucky for us, they turn out to be people in whom we can see something of ourselves reflected, and with whom we enjoy spending our time.

This was a god awful film. I'm struggling to come up with the words to explain how much I hated this film, I'm struggling as much as the characters did to come up with anything remotely interesting to say. You might think "life is like that, life is all about awkward pauses and situations and apologies", and you're right... but we don't put them on film for chrissake! it was as though the most interesting and thoughtful parts of their conversations were removed and we only got to see what remained. The acting is appalling, the direction is disgraceful, there was no evidence of a script and it appeared that each scene was only shot once, no second takes. I saw it the Melbourne International Film Festival and for the record, no less than 30-40 people walked out 2/3 of the way through. I honestly felt like I'd been taken for a ride, this movie is so bad it feels like one big practical joke on the viewer.

This was the worst movie I've seen in a long time. Fair enough it was filmed on a tiny budget which explains the lack of polish and style. But a little substance, a good story would have made up for the rough edges. Unfortunately this 90 minute movie dragged on for 60 minutes too long. It's a story about Marnie and her friends. How relationships change after people leave college. But these people don't have any chemistry. They look like they're straining to remember their lines rather than a group of friends who are comfortable with each other. I guess thats the point. All the characters are awkward and unsure of themselves. Maybe the writer/director/actor Andrew Bujalski was trying to make a story that would resonate with other 20-somethings just out of college, trying to figure themselves out. I'm sorry but he failed miserably. I didn't feel any empathy for these characters. If I met these losers I'd run in the opposite direction.

I'm not a big fan of the low-budget talkies. The shoe string budget films by Linklater and Kevin Smith that have 20 somethings discussing philosophy or working dead end jobs, and are filmed with static 16mm cameras usually kill me. As a result, I was not looking forward to FUNNY HA HA when it came in through NetFlix. Nonetheless, I have to say Andy threw me for quite a loop - this movie got me. I actually didn't find the Casavettes style that irritating. But, I think that's because of casting. Kate Dollenmayer is wonderful - she has a face that you can look at for hours. And the other non-pro players do a wonderful job. Andy's improv style works extremely well, and keeps one's interest. Kudos, brother. This one stands out. Ha.