![]() Many will relate to the specific brand of suburban angst Robert experiences. Zolghadri finds the perfect balance between a contemptible rich kid and a genuine dream-chaser. His main problem is that he is not a radical and does not really understand what it means to be one. Robert considers himself and his work to be radical, just like his heroes. Kline shows both sides of the nerd: the mean snob and the insightful connoisseur, revealing the beauty of the comic strip through the eyes of those who revere it above all else. The comic shop brings some of Funny Pages‘ best moments. The film leans into this messiness, leading to moments that elicit cringe, empathy, and a laugh all at once. A traumatic event at the film’s outset explains some of his behavior, but he can be a real jerk too. One of the most refreshing things about Funny Pages is how the film avoids getting lost in the genius (imagined or otherwise) of its protagonist. When Robert sees Miles’ own drawings, he becomes territorial and mean. There is also his best friend Miles ( Miles Emanuel), who is more subdued but just as passionate about comics. He keeps his job at the local comic bookstore, where he banters with the shop’s regulars, shows off his own skills, and soaks in that which came before him. Robert does not leave everything from his Princeton life behind. Through the new gig, he meets Wallace ( Matthew Maher), a man with a short fuse who allegedly assaulted a Rite Aid pharmacist and once worked in the comic book industry. After all, how else is he to obtain the edge he feels he needs? Once there, he takes a job as an assistant to a public defender, Cheryl ( Marcia DeBonis). Best funny pages how to#He has no idea how to do this, but he figures his raw talent is enough to justify leaving his cushy family home in Princeton, New Jersey, for a shared boiler room apartment in the state’s capitol, Trenton. The film stars Daniel Zolghadri as Robert, a cartoonist who drops out of high school to pursue his alt-comic dreams. The narrative is wanting at times, but just like the funny pages of your local paper, everyone will find something to enjoy in this 90-minute tale about a passionate, entitled young artist trying to make something happen. There is the obligatory, over-the-top humor, the kind that sometimes feels like too much but is to be expected in a film about two young boys trying to break their way into the comic industry. It is hilarious and silly in all the best ways, but sincerity sneaks its way into a few key scenes. Writer-director Owen Kline’s debut feature, Funny Pages, is a lot like the comics to which the film’s title refers. ![]()
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