This is the fifth review in a mountingly disappointing attempt to find movies to relieve my post-adolescent angst about having to be a grown-up. Check the bottom for links to the rest.
Attempt 5: “Funny Ha Ha” (2002)
Basic plot: Marnie is in love with her best friend, Alex, but it’s not reciprocated. Also, she just finished college and is trying to figure out her life.
Actual plot: Meandering long-ass conversations stretch out an otherwise ten-minute story.
What I thought: This was genuinely terrible. There were like three good moments in the movie, tops. One of them was the lap-sitter scene, which is pictured above. It was with an extremely minor character, who would have been more interesting to follow than basically everyone else they did follow. All the dialogue sounded like an after-school special and it was shot terribly. The music was OK, but one of the guys from Bishop Allen, Christian Rudder played Alex, so it should have been. Rudder probably studied at the Michael Showalter school of acting, which is unfortunate, since they kind of look alike, and it made him seem horribly and terribly derivative. In fact, this movie would be a 100 times better and less derivative if it had been written by someone that understood absurdist comedy. Or writing. Because as it is, yuck.
“Yes, but how did it make you feel?”: At least my life isn’t that bad.
Character I most relate to: If I ever discover myself identifying with anyone in this movie, I will seriously consider entering a convent.
What I learned: I better figure my life out before college ends. And/or I should start habit shopping now.
Rating: 0.5/5
Next up: “Metropolitan”
Previously: “Reality Bites”
Also: “Slacker”
And: “Kicking and Screaming”
More: “The Last Days of Disco”
