Review of Funny Ha Ha (2003) by Alex D — 22 Aug 2007

An entirely disarming, almost otherworldly US indie flick that bears absolutely no relation to any other film yet made in this century. Shot on bewitching 16mm and starring nervous, charisma-free non-actors who appear to be improvising all of their dialogue (and badly, to boot) this is a film that had to graft slavishly for my affections.

But it won me over in no time; what was initially so irritating about all this unfettered idiosyncrasy was that it appeared, early on, to be nothing more than an amateur's brattish convention trashing.

But when shrewdly drawn characters slowly emerged and I found myself gripped by the barely visible anti-plot, I realised that this was the work of a truly singular talent. The director (new critic's darling and the 'Mumblecore' movement's patriarch Andrew Bujalski) also appears in the film, and his utterly astonishing performance more than deserves a citation.

Needless to say, this flick certainly isn't for everyone, but if a Cassevettes and early Linklater collaboration sounds like your bag, then seek out this offbeat one-off immediately. Its incomparable.