Main Cast: Kate Dollenmayer, Christian Rudder, Myles Paige, Jennifer L. Schaper, Lissa Patton Rudder
Release Year: 2003
Country: US
Run Time: 89 minutes
Plot
American independent filmmaker Andrew Bujalski makes his feature debut as a writer/director with the microbudgeted Funny Ha Ha. Shot on-location in Boston on 16 mm film, the movie is predominately cast with unprofessional actors engaging in realistic discourse. Main character Marnie is played by first-time actress Kate Dollenmayer, a student at CalArts who previously worked on Richard Linklater's Waking Life. Marnie goes about her everyday life with a conflicted love for her friend Alex (Christian Rudder) and a dispassionate attitude toward her job as a temp office worker. While at work she meets the nervous Mitchell, played by the director. Funny Ha Ha was shown at the 2003 IFP Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Review
Even with the homemade look and feel of a student film, Andrew Bujalski's Funny Ha Ha manages to be a fairly engaging romantic comedy despite its obviously low production values. Kate Dollenmayer makes a pleasant protagonist as Marnie, a twentysomething college graduate with a sincere smile and regular problems. Her cycle of drinking, eating, and working is a comfortable background for the main romantic plot. The rest of the unknown cast of nonactors stammer through their improvised dialogue, but at least the bad acting is low key. The off-the-cuff comic moments feel natural and the painfully awkward moments are lightly developed. For instance, when Marnie runs into Alex and his new wife at the grocery store, the nervous energy is all too familiar. Similarly, Mitchell's problematic courting of Marnie is full of the tense, talky banter of real life. Bujalski seems to have a knack for observing friendly meandering conversation while not deviating from the story too far. Other than the slow pace, lack of musical score, and abrupt ending, Funny Ha Ha is a smart and unassuming little independent film that doesn't insult its audience by trying to be anything else. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Cast
Kate Dollenmayer - Marnie
Christian Rudder - Alex
Myles Paige - Dave
Jennifer L. Schaper - Rachel
Lissa Patton Rudder - Susan
Marshall Lewy - Wyatt; Andrew Bujalski - Mitchell
Credit
Morgan Faust - Associate Producer, Hagai Shaham - Associate Producer, Andrew Bujalski - Director, Andrew Bujalski - Editor, Matthias Grunsky - Cinematographer, Ethan Vogt - Producer, Jason Cho - Sound/Sound Designer, Kyle Gilman - Sound/Sound Designer, John Koczera - Sound/Sound Designer, Valery Lyman - Sound/Sound Designer, Myles Paige - Sound/Sound Designer, Justin Rice - Sound/Sound Designer, Andrew Bujalski - Screenwriter
Funny Ha Ha, considered the first mumblecore film, follows the exploits of recently graduated protagonist Marnie as she tries to find a temporary job and win the attention of a college friend named Alex (who is already in a relationship), while trying to cut down on her beer consumption. Shot on 16 mm film on a very low budget, the film provides a glimpse into the lives of people in their twenties as they try to come to terms with life after college. It also deals with how they intend to confront the responsibilities of adulthood, if only to put them off for as long as possible. The film's events take place around the Allston neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts.
The movie was largely successful with critics, who praised it for its realism. It received an 89% freshness score on Rotten Tomatoes[1] and a rating of 78 on Metacritic, indicating "generally favorable reviews."[2]
Wesley Morris of the The Boston Globe called the film a "smartly observed, unpretentious, and unconventional comedy of manners."[3]Daily Variety's Robert Koehler said the movie was "beautifully observant and wholly unpretentious."[4]
