everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Brilliant and touching

Awesome Movie

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

I just...this movie confuses me. It's Kind of a Funny Story tells the story of Craig Gilman, a depressed sixteen year old. Craig decides to check himself into a psychiatric ward because he's suicidal. He realizes that he does not really want to die, but he can't help feeling that suicide is the only way to escape the immense pressure brought on by his parents, prep school, and high-achieving peers.At the hospital, Craig learns to cope with the help of a psychiatrist and some new, relatable friends. He even meets a love interest in the form of a sweet, quirky girl named Noelle. A truly heart-warming story. He stays about a week, and then he feels ready to resume taking anti-depressants and return to home and school. Good for Craig, right?It's a familiar story - a stressed kid struggling with depression during some of the most difficult years of a person's life. I find Craig's character to be authentic and relatable. He's confused, afraid, and initially unwilling to accept the fact that he is no better than any other individual in the psychiatric ward. As a former stressed high schooler (and a current college student in a very competitive environment), Craig makes sense to me. I hope everything worked out for him after he returned to his seemingly suffocating prep school.However, I can't help but feel irritated by the portrayal of the other characters in the psychiatric ward. Aside from Craig's closest friends Bobby and Noelle, the other patients are largely devoid of substance. They serve as mere tropes in Craig's story. Initially, Craig is clearly put off by his fellow residents. Fortunately, he eventually realizes his ignorance and comes to accept them for who they are, but as viewers, we never discover who these people really are beyond their various disabilities.Yes, the movie is a comedy, and the characters are designed to make people laugh. However, the only source of "humor" is in the various manifestations of disability and/or illness. There's something seriously wrong (and very un-funny) about this exploitation of struggles that are very real for an entire population of people, and truthfully, Craig's character is never fully integrated with these other individuals. The viewer always gets the sense that he is being portrayed as superior to them. In other words, the entire movie seems to be saying "Sure, Craig's got problems - he's depressed. But at least he's normal."I see no need to further elaborate on the many issues with this type of representation - it's self-explanatory. Making a clear attempt to hold Craig in a higher regard than his fellow patients is a disservice to the entire disabled community. It somehow suggests that perhaps if you're a teenager, or if you're white, or if you're male, then your mental disability or illness is less alienating than it is for others. I'm sure those involved in this production did not intend to send such a exclusionary message, but the subtext is impossible to miss. Craig is relatable if you come from a similar background, but if you're not like Craig? If you happen to identify more with one of the other characters? This movie has the clear potential to make you feel like your identity is little more than a spectacle for obnoxious ableist audiences.

this film trivializes depression to be little more than an illness which can be dealt with within the space of 5 days. this had so much potential and yet explored almost none of it. disappointing.the acting is clunky and Zach Galifianakis does not suit the role he plays at all.there are several clumsy attempts to make depression an 'everyday illness' by having the main character's friends allude to struggling with it which also detract from the legitimacy of the illness.overall, a very poor attempt to raise awareness about mental health - especially as many of the other mental health issues seen within the film are left largely unaddressed.

Well if you aren't really the type who lives life in the moment and take it too seriously, this is a must for you. The story is of a teen (Craig) in an psychiatric ward. The movie makes you happy and grateful for the things you have and the story is well written. The end is way too special. The movie is quite engaging even though the plot or the story isn't high on content and quite a bit predictable. Though at the start it manages to generate curiosity. The actors have done a fairly good job. Especially Zach Galifianakis who is seen in a something else character than his usual clichéd roles.Also Keir Gilchrist convincingly plays an nervous and talented teenager. I think overall it is worth watching. Good Short term effects: makes you want to do a lot of things being procrastinated by you.

From the opening scene of this movie I was enveloped in the story being told, I've had many high peaks and subsequently many low valleys during the years I've been alive and the self-doubting, socially awkward personality of the main character was in so many ways like looking in the mirror for me. The supporting characters were perfectly performed especially Zack Galifianakis and Emma Roberts. This movie is poorly categorized as a comedy in my opinion, it's more of an inspirational movie with occasional moments of light-hearted, almost cynical views of mental illness, the struggles people endure and the effects those struggles can have on people. So while I'm sure there's many people that completely disagree with this review for me personally this movie was everything I could've hoped for and so much more.