Ed's Review Dot Com

Focus Features, Wayfare Entertainment, Misher Films

Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis, Emma Roberts, Viola Davis, Lauren Graham, Jim Gaffigan, Zoë Kravitz, Aasif Mandvi

Craig (Keir Gilchrist) is an overachieving teenager in the gifted program at a special high school. He’s in love with his best friend’s girl, and under a lot of pressure. He keeps dreaming of committing suicide. He calls the suicide hotline and they recommend he admit himself to the mental hospital. He somehow thinks they’ll give him a pill and send him home so he can go to school the following day, but they admit him for a week at least, instead. To top it off, the youth ward is closed and he’s put in the adult ward. His biggest job now is to make sure his friends from school never find out where his is until he works this out.

This is an odd little movie. It’s pretty decent, but it’s hard to tell why. Craig thinks his life sucks because he has so many decisions and so many deadlines and so many expectations of others to fulfill. He is about to apply to a special college and the deadline is approaching, and he’s not sure he wants to go there. But Dad has been assisting, and if for some reason he doesn’t get in, he knows his Dad will be disappointed. So this is the main challenge that put him over the edge. He’s looking at going to the hospital to talk to someone to be relief from the deadline for a little while, but it gets out of hand. In the process he finds out that all the other kids pretty much feel the same. But he also learns a little compassion for the others have much bigger problems than he does.

This is the most understated role I’ve ever seen Zach Galifianakis take on as one of Craig’s fellow crazy people Bobby. As time goes by Craig learns to help him as well. Craig also is looking at the unobtainable girl who is his best friends girl, only to pass up Noelle (Emma Roberts) who is also in the hospital and obviously really likes him. During the film we learn a lot of the pressures and stress of being a teen. It’s a hard time. It’s also obvious that Craig thinks he’s the only one, when all the other kids have the same pressures and problems.

So the bottom line is that it’s a small indie type film, but it’s got good characters and a lot of heart. It wasn’t outstanding, but it was a very solid little film and well worth taking the time to watch it.

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