The Upcoming
  • Cinema & Tv
    • Movie reviews
    • Show reviews
    • Interviews
    • Film festivals
      • Berlin
      • Cannes
      • Sundance London
      • Venice
      • London
  • Music
    • Live music
    • Album reviews
    • Interviews
  • Food & Drinks
    • News & Features
    • Restaurant & bar reviews
    • Interviews & Recipes
  • Theatre
    • Fringe
    • Vault Festival
    • Interviews
  • Art
  • Travel & Lifestyle
  • Interviews
  • Fashion & Beauty
    • Accessories
    • Beauty
    • News & Features
    • Shopping & Trends
    • Tips & How-tos
    • Fashion weeks
      • London Fashion Week
      • London Fashion Week Men’s
      • New York Fashion Week
      • Milan Fashion Week
      • Paris Fashion Week
      • Haute Couture
  • Join the team
    • Editorial unit
    • Our writers
    • Join the team
    • Join the mailing list
    • Support us
    • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Facebook

  • Twitter

  • Instagram

  • YouTube

  • RSS

Culture Cinema & Tv Movie reviews

Funny Pages

Funny Pages | Movie review
12th September 2022
Avatar photo
Selina Sondermann
Avatar
Selina Sondermann
12 September 2022

Movie and show review

Selina Sondermann

Funny Pages

★★★★★

Release date

16th September 2022

Special event

Cannes Film Festival 2022

16th to 28th May 2022

Child actor Owen Kline’s directorial feature debut screened in the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes Film Festival and allowed audiences to experience the antidote to The Big Bang Theory’s comic book obsession. This week it is released it the UK.

Robert is a geeky teenager, his love for comics and cartoons fervently supported by his art teacher, Mr Katano. His mentor’s sudden death inspires Robert to be more courageous, believe in himself and take risks. The 17-year-old leaves the comforts of his bourgeois family home to find a place of his own – a room in a creepy cellar compartment that he has to share with a stranger – and support himself while he attempts to break through as an artist. When, on one of his jobs, he meets Wallace, who used to work as a colour separator for comic books, he feels vindicated in his quest and hopes to be taken under the grouchy man’s wing.

Daniel Zolghadri stars as the passionate and somewhat uncomfortable protagonist and masters the gullible hubris of youth. Matthew Maher’s performance as Wallace is a wonderful balance between sympathy-inducing oddball and choleric antagonist. Josh Pais, Maria Dizzia and even Ron Rifkin have brief appearances as Robert’s family. 

Just as Robert draws caricatures, the film’s protagonists are all very exaggerated forms of characters: the prim parents, who naturally want their son to go to college; the pervy landlord; Robert’s best friend Miles (who is the acne-prone love child of Jay and Silent Bob). Despite its almost stereotypical depiction of these lonesome figures on the margins of society, the script manages to subvert expectations and actually shock audiences in a rude awakening to this teenage dream of life as an artist.

Funny Pages is, in fact, funny on the page, but leaves the viewer with a bittersweet aftertaste due to its decidedly de-romanticised outlook on coming-of-age and trying to find one’s place in the world.

★★★★★

Selina Sondermann

Funny Pages is released in select cinemas on 16th September 2022.

Watch the trailer for Funny Pages here:

Related Itemscomedyfilmreview

More in Movie reviews

Eileen

★★★★★
Selina Sondermann
Read More

Wish

★★★★★
Guy Lambert
Read More

Girl

★★★★★
Umar Ali
Read More

Maestro

★★★★★
Filippo L'Astorina, the Editor
Read More

The Eternal Daughter

★★★★★
Selina Sondermann
Read More

Ronnie O’Sullivan: The Edge of Everything

★★★★★
Umar Ali
Read More

Rustin

★★★★★
Matthew McMillan
Read More

Napoleon

★★★★★
Musanna Ahmed
Read More

Is There Anybody Out There?

★★★★★
Matthew McMillan
Read More
Scroll for more
Tap

Movie and show review

Selina Sondermann

Funny Pages

★★★★★

Release date

16th September 2022

Special event

Cannes Film Festival 2022

16th to 28th May 2022

  • Popular

  • Latest

  • TOP PICKS

  • The House of Bernarda Alba at the National Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Eileen
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • The House of Bernarda Alba at the National Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Eileen
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Wish
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • Girl
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • The House of Bernarda Alba at the National Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Wish
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
  • A Christmas Carol at the Old Vic
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Feeling Afraid As If Something Terrible Is Going to Happen at Bush Theatre
    ★★★★★
    Theatre
  • Girl
    ★★★★★
    Movie review
The Upcoming
  • Contact us
  • Join the team
  • Subscribe to the mailing list
  • Support us
  • Writing for The Upcoming

Copyright © 2011-2023 FL Media