Craig (Keir Gilchrist) seems to be a normal teen in America
-surrounded by typical clueless parents and struggling with the pressures of
impending adulthood- only the stresses in his teen life seem to me more than
he can take. Instead of deciding not to kill himself, Craig checks into
a mental health clinic to find some help. The problem: the youth wing is
closed. and he will therefore now be admitted to the adult psychiatric unit where he will
have to stay a minimum of five days.
Between stressing over friends, girls, and applications for his future,
Craig meets Bobby (Zach Galifianakis) and Noelle (Emma Roberts) in the psych
ward along with a whole entourage of colorful characters to add to the random
hilarity and, through them, he learns a lot about life.
In this creatively thought out comedic drama, we get to see
an ensemble of young and new talent climbing the ladder of success. Zach Galifianakis,
with his one"“of-a-kind humor, is as great as you would expect him to be in this
role, and Keir Gilchrist (from 'The United States of Tara') plays off of his
humor perfectly "“solidifying any doubt you may have had regarding his weight as
an up-and-coming big screen actor. The story is original, which is impressive in
its own right because the actual events are ever-so ordinary. The emotions
played out are all too typical of today's youth, competitive society, and
terrible economy, and it was interesting to watch someone else deal with life
in a unique and positive way.
I have no need to pretend like the movie was outstanding. It
was original, well-written, and well casted. I enjoyed it, and there were
plenty of laugh-out-loud moments for me. I will watch it again one day on DVD
with friends, but that's about it for me. It's a solid film, definitely worth
your time, but by no means will this one be your new favorite.
