Books to Movies: It’s Kind of a Funny Story

It’s Kind of a Funny Story came to theaters last Friday. I actually saw it on Sunday. But I fell in love with the book around a year ago, I guess. My friend recommended it to me, I found it in the library, and I thought it was a fun, quirky read. I didn’t know they were making it into a movie until the trailers hit theaters, and then I couldn’t wait to see it!

 

Like many ambitious New York City teenagers, Craig Gilner sees entry into Manhattan’s Executive Pre-Professional High School as the ticket to his future. Determined to succeed at life — getting into the right high school to get into the right college to get the right job — Craig studies night and day to ace the entrance exam, and does. That’s when things start to get crazy.

At his new school, Craig realizes that he’s just average, and maybe not even that. He soon sees his once-perfect future crumbling away. The stress becomes unbearable and Craig stops eating and sleeping — until, one night, he nearly kills himself.

Craig’s suicidal episode gets him checked into a mental hospital, where his new neighbors include a transsexual sex addict, a girl who has scarred her own face with scissors, and the self-elected President Armelio. There, isolated from the crushing pressures of school and friends, Craig is finally able to confront the sources of his anxiety.

With a book summary like that, and an awesome cover to accompany it, who wouldn’t want to read this?

Usually,  a movie can never compare to the book. Maybe it’s just because I read the book so long ago, or maybe the movie was just fabulous, because the movie was pretty true to the novel in my opinion. It had the quirky characters (with a few sadly left out), the great imagery, and the brain maps. Which were my favorite part of both book and movie.

Overall, I’d recommend checking out the book before the movie (heck, I’d say that with anything) but the movie is awesome on its own. With a great cast and easy to follow plot, I’d say to see it in theaters while you can.