Moving Toward Movies

        This is just a new idea that has popped into my head. I like movies. I like to write. I can write movie reviews.
        And that is precisely why I related to the main character in "It's Kind of a Funny Story." His thoughts were so simple, yet they led to such great inquiries. He is me. This is the movie that I would recommend to any kid who, like me, feels or has felt too much pressure "in the system."
        Keir Gilchrist plays Craig, a stressed out and suicidal teen. But what's the first thing he does after having intense dreams that are too tough to handle any longer? Goes to the hospital to bluntly say, "I want to kill myself." A quick response apart from the front desk worker's cell phone conversation is, "Fill this out," as she plops a clipboard and papers on the counter. The humor is so stereotypical that it leads us to question society as a whole.
        Craig's family consists of a businessman father, a stay at home mother, and a child prodigy little sister. As a boy that grew up in New York City, he understands what it's like to be able to go to any school he wants (or any school that his father expects him to) instead of the closest one to his home. He's already gone through the college application process, except with high school, and as he realizes he doesn't fit into the world of yuppies, he starts to spin out. Luckily, the hospital admits him. But what Craig doesn't know is that "admit" actually means "commit." He soon realizes that he is having a five-day vacation in his new psych ward home. He doesn't realize it yet, but he'll be happy that he is forced to not go to school or finish an application for a program that will look good on his college resume.
        Throughout the stay, he meets very interesting characters, including Zach Galifianakis, playing "Bobby," a man who Craig does not understand at first but will come to have a lasting impact on his life. The audience gets to understand the personhood within each "crazy" and perhaps understand the craziness of their own lives as well. And of course there is some puppy love (with a bughouse beauty named Noelle, portrayed by Emma Roberts) along with a hint of drama from Craig's prior life to complete this teenage coming-of-age story.
        This is a must see for any young person who has begun to fall down the rabbit hole or perhaps current freethinkers/spirits who have a longing for nostalgia. It is relatable and lighthearted.