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Funny Story

kdk May 24, 2019
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Read Time:2 Minute, 27 Second

No matter what movies and sitcoms may suggest, no family is perfect. Every family has its issues, its drama, its battles, and its black sheep. But if you think your family is a mess, you might change your mind after seeing Funny Story.



Funny Story reconnects with a father and his daughter during a weekend getaway. While attempting to break up with his much-younger girlfriend, former TV star Walter (Matthew Glave) finds out that he’s going to be a dad again. He’s not sure how to break it to his daughter, Nic (Jana Winternitz), but he knows that he has to do it in person. Walter decides to join Nic and her friends on a trip to Big Sur—but when Nic asks him to give Kim (Emily Bett Rickards) a ride, everything starts to go wrong.



In his attempt to connect with his daughter while delivering some difficult news, Walter stumbles into a weekend with Nic and her girl friends and inadvertently makes a mess of everything. And, really, from the opening scene, it’s no surprise. Walter’s life is its own kind of chaos: his cheating led to divorce, and now he has a child on the way with a self-absorbed girlfriend that he doesn’t even like.



Kim’s life, meanwhile, is just as messy. She’s traveling to Big Sur from her estranged mother’s funeral, and her car breaks down on the way. And because she knows all about Walter’s history before she even climbs into his car, the reception is chilly at best. And things just get more complicated from there.



Neither of these characters is especially likable—in fact, they can be pretty infuriating—and that can make for a difficult start to the movie. But once they arrive in Big Sur, everything changes. Walter is faced with all kinds of big surprises, starting when his daughter comes out to him in a big way. And he meets a bunch of eccentric personalities (like zoned-out hippie Moon, played by Lily Holleman). Fortunately, though, there’s Nic, the one stable character at the center of it all. She’s the film’s ray of sunshine—the one character who truly deserves the happiness that the people around her keep messing up.



In the midst of the ups and downs of these tricky relationships, Funny Story isn’t as funny as the title suggests, and the writing often feels somewhat clunky. But that’s the idea: that life is awkward and painful and difficult and sometimes, yes, funny, too.



Funny Story is far from a flawless dramedy. The characters can be frustrating, and their story is a mess of their own making. But if you enjoy movies about the untidiness of real life—of the journey to understand ourselves and others—you may enjoy getting to know these complicated characters.





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About Post Author

kdk

Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it. Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course. As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com). Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
kdk@nightsandweekends.com
http://www.NightsAndWeekends.com
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kdk

Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.

Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.

As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).

Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.

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