Movie Review: “Funny Ha Ha”
Austinist remembers those awkward years just after college; you know, the ones that find you drinking too much, underemployed and looking for love in all the wrong places. The years seemed to represent some sort of way station between adolescence and the alleged “adulthood” about which we had heard and read so much. In his debut feature film, Funny Ha Ha, writer-director Andrew Bujalski explores these testing times through the eyes of thumb-twiddling beauty Marnie, played to great effect by cute newcomer Kate Dollenmayer.
Although set in Boston, these post-collegians and their stories of temporary employment and self-involvement could very well take place in Austin or any other college town. Marnie, a recent college grad, is mired in a world where boys she doesn’t like fall all too easily for her while she runs around professing love for a boy she apparently can not have. She drags her feet along in the post-college haze, lacking direction and fumbling over ways to express her feelings or feel some sort of connection with her peers. After having a few too many beers one night, Marnie decides to profess her romantic interests to Alex (Christian Rudder), a decision that backfires horribly in a scene that will undoubtedly make you both uncomfortable and sympathetic towards the fumbling protagonist.
The pain of not having the one you want always seems to be compounded by something else - in this case, the irony of having to deflect unwanted advances, making the questions from nerdy boys such as, “How is it possible you do not have a boyfriend?” only sting that much more. Timing’s a bitch, and Marnie's half-hearted efforts to find stability and direction seem destined for failure. Upon realizing that she can not let the fate of her emotional well-being lie in the hands of unpredictable friends or would-be-lovers, Marnie, in one of the sweetest and saddest scenes of the film, decides to make a list of ways to improve her life. Her litany includes: quit drinking for a month, learn to play chess, go to more museums and the hilarious ‘fitness initiative.’ We cringed and laughed at this part of the movie, as it was all-too-familiar. It is one of those lists that appear when we find ourselves at the end of the proverbial rope, and command of ourselves, “Now it is time to really commit to picking myself up by the bootstraps.” These lists usually make it about a week or two.
The film, obviously inspired by Cassavetes, one of Bujalski’s cinematic heroes, features dialogue that stammers from the mouths of its characters, who speak over one another clumsily and nervously. The pauses, hesitations and awkwardness may seem the product of an unrehearsed script or, worse, of the pretentious overacting that occurs when actors try to seem too “real." However, we get the sense that all of the dialogue was carefully scripted and rehearsed, with each pause and nuance coming not from amateurish improvisation or affectation but from the actors' genuine sense of empathy with their characters.
As with so many people of similar age, these characters are “wandering the earth,” in the words of Marnie, oftentimes confusing the lack of direction in one another as a sense of spontaneity. They are unformed adults adrift in a sea of confused sexuality, insecurity and self-involvement. It is a touching and understated first effort from Bujalski, from whom we are sure to hear again. All ennui and cheap beer, it is a film we recommend and believe will resonate with anyone who has lived through his/her early 20s. (And did we mention that Kate Dollenmayer is more than a little cute?)
*Writer/Director Andrew Bujalski will take part in a Q&A on Friday at the 7:10 and 9:30pm screenings and on Saturday and Sunday at the 4:20 and 7:10pm screenings. Check the comments section for information about an interesting chance to win some money with your creativity at the Q&A.
“Funny Ha Ha”
Written and Directed by Andrew Bujalski
Starring: Kate Dollenmayer, Christian Rudder, Andrew Bujalski, Jennifer Schaper and Myles Paige
Premieres this Friday @ Landmark Dobie Theatres
Showtimes and Tickets
