Funny Pages – Fun Coming-Of-Age Dark Comedy (Early Review)

A common subgenre of film is coming-of-age stories. Despite countless films over the years, the best ones find a way to resonate with audiences. When it comes to Funny Pages, its oddball sensibilities are likely to be a challenge for some audiences. Many of these films tend to be inspirational or aspirational but this film arguably finds itself somewhere in between. Though perhaps things get gratuitously tropey establishing its outsider underdog story, it is still a short yet fun watch, clocking in at under 90 minutes. That being said, it is not without its issues. Delivering a grounded and gritty indie feel, the feature written and directorial debut from Owen Kline definitely shows some vision and promise. Ultimately an aspirational film about being blinded by the pursuit of one’s dreams, it’s a compelling tale that may be a little thin at times and miss the landing. Nevertheless, lead Daniel Zolghadri more than carries the emotional weight of the film on his shoulders while delivering a star-making performance. Although he may not be perfect by any means, many will easily relate to that ambition and his youthful naivety. 

Funny Pages follows a high school senior and aspiring cartoonist named Robert (Zolghadri) who in spite of his comfortable middle class upbringing, chooses to set it all aside and chase a different life in the footsteps of his heroes. Dropping out of high school and setting out on his own, he survived on ambition and determination even if it didn’t always match with reality. From there, things get crazy as Robert found himself in precarious situations and met plenty of eccentric characters along the way as he tried to make the best out of his new circumstances. The odds were certainly against him, however, one can’t help but root for him. Though those circumstances may veer too much into oddball territory to the point of unbelievability, most of the fun of the film is watching Robert navigating his way through those situations. But none of that matters if that connection with him is not there as the film will live or die on that alone.

The story and Robert’s story changed upon meeting an unstable man named Wallace (Maher) for whom he would befriend. A former artist for an infamous comic book publisher, his infatuation for him took over as he begrudgingly became a teacher though perhaps Robert rekindled Wallace’s passion for a career he had left behind. A definite wildcard, the dynamic between Robert and Wallace was a blast to watch whenever the film tapped into that which wasn’t much as the latter failed to see much in the way of development beyond occasional flashes. However, that friendship was never going to end well. The same could be said with his relationship with his best friend Miles (Emanuel). A fellow cartoonist, he wasn’t nearly far along in comparison to the more talented Robert. As he rose, the gap between them grew as he appeared to lose sight of their friendship.

Meanwhile on a technical level, Funny Pages boasts a distinctive look thanks to some beautifully-crisp cinematography and great camerawork, creating a grounded, retro look by shooting on film. In the end, the film is about the lessons Robert learned along the way. This worked more often than not thanks to the aforementioned star-making performance from Zolghadri as Robert. His likability and relatability along with his youthful energy that some may call naivety resulted in a compelling watch as he maneuvered through uncomfortable situations. It may be too much for some but he made it work. Maher was an occasional scene-stealer, making the most out of the underwritten Wallace who felt like an afterthought. The biggest scene-stealer, however, was Stephen Adly Guirgis in a quick appearance at the beginning of the film as Robert’s art teacher, Mr. Katano.

Funny Pages is a hilarious yet imperfect coming-of-age story that won’t be for everyone but Owen Kline is a name to keep an eye on.

still courtesy of A24

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.