Too Twisted to be Anything But a Comedy — ‘Funny Pages’ review

tl;dr: 4 out of 5 stars

There is nothing funny about “Funny Pages.” Too serious to be a comedy, too twisted to be anything but a comedy, and too dark to be a feel-good.

“Funny Pages” is this dark, twisted comedy film and it is a coming-of-age story that follows Robert, a troubled teenage cartoonist who abandons his New Jersey middle-class life in search of something else. Something we don't know and something we were given the impression even he doesn't seem to know.

The movie is one slow—too slow, sometimes—ride from nothing to nothing. At the beginning, it seemed as though Robert was nowhere, and at the end, it still feels the same, making not just the protagonist's adventure, but also the film itself, a pointless sail across the river of artistic indifference.

Dedicated fans of comic books and cartoons might appreciate this one as it delves into the world of comics, even if it was just barely scratching the surface. In a way, the movie tries to capture what it feels like to be a comic fan in this day and age and the obsession with old ‘classic’ stuff. Is there a deep connection to the art that is supposed to transcend just entertainment, or does that connection not exist at all?

“Funny Pages” feels inspired, you can tell, and I wouldn't be surprised if I heard it was loosely based on someone's experiences. For the most part, it's dark, but it's real. It's the real kind of dark. It's very simple too. Robert is this pretty boy living in a world that's not so pretty. A world that's too ugly. And, that's about it.

The casual mentions of mid-twentieth century elements like the work of Robert Wagner and the Tijuana bibles (pornographic comic books produced in the United States from the 1920s to the early 1960s) is also something that's rare in movies today.

What is the point of “Funny Pages”? I have no idea. Is there a message? Does it mean anything? Should it mean anything? I feel like it does and it should, but I don't know. That is something whoever sees the movie will have to decide for themselves, I think.

Still, it is a good film and what it lacks in substance at least it makes up for in length, since it's less than 90 minutes and can make for a casual watch anytime. I do suspect that it is not for everyone, though.

**** (4 out of 5 stars)