Funny Ha Ha
I bought Funny Ha Ha using a well tried and tested method of my teenage years. In fact, it's something I've begun to utilise more now I'm older, especially with wine - I judged on the label.
I'd just like to point out that I am fully aware that this technique has its flaws, in fact it's provided me with some absolute stinkers; Brand New's Deja Entendu, Spike Lee's Summer of Sam. Funny Ha Ha, however, definitely falls into the favoured category, with My Bloody Valentine's Loveless and my favourite bottle of plonk.
Funny Ha Ha (2002) is the debut feature from Andrew Bujalski, an American director, currently working on his third film. If you pay any attention to the message boards on IMDb, you'd probably come out with the opinion that this was the most offensive film since Pasolini's Salò. This is definitely not the case. At the core of the schism between forumers is a very simple slice-of-life piece.
Marnie (Kate Dollenmayer) is a young twenty-something post-grad, waltzing her way from one temp job to another. In between these dull employments, she hangs out with her more grounded friends; Rachel (Jennifer L. Schaper), Dave (Myles Paige) and Alex (Christian Rudder) - the boy who she is harbouring a crush on. Alex has a girlfriend, but oh wait, they've broken up, he needs a shoulder to cry on - cue Marnie. Yes, I'm aware that this sounds like a very plain and mundane rom-com, however, upon viewing the first scene, it is very easy to see that things are not so clear cut.
Primarily, Funny Ha Ha, is not very funny, well, unless you enjoy laughing at the unfortunate emotional situations that some people find themselves in. In addition, it is a very distinctive film, shot on 16mm and synced with mono sound, which can challenge the more conventional viewer. Thanks to the efforts of Bujalski and Dollenmayer specifically, this is a wonderfully engrossing drama about the aimlessness of young adult life in our generation, each character stuttering and stammering their way through it. We know that each character is well educated and we never look down on them as idiots or as the butt of a joke, yet we can witness and sympathise with their lack of direction and interest in the world around them. An obvious comparison is to Woody Allen's Manhattan (1979). Whereas, in Manhattan, each character is jumping over themselves to deliver the next witty reference, here we are presented a far more realistic world. A world where not everyone is an expert on Bergmann. Here we directly see a generation that knew that their future security and, allegedly, happiness was dependent on them securing a place at college, however, they simply had no interest in it.
Andrew Bujalski skillfully directs his cast of non-actors headlong into the plights of emotional and professional ambiguity and, although you never feel like you're watching a grand thespian performance, the impact is definitely greater than watching a friend's home movies. The script itself (yes, there was a script and despite all the stutters, it is alleged that it was quite strict) does well to subvert standard Hollywood templates, first through Marnie's relationship with Alex and then later with her colleague/would-be boyfriend Mitchell (Bujalski himself). That isn't to say that the film feels like a wry, Godard-esque exercise, winking knowingly at the audience at each deviation from the road more travelled. A huge part of the film's appeal lies in how unpretentious it is.
Visually, the film is successful too. As mentioned previously, it is shot on 16mm, thereby lacking the sheen of larger budget films, but it is also missing the precise look of the similarly priced Primer. Bujalski plays this to his advantage, using the high saturation colouring to present the film in a similar manner to Scorsese's Mean Streets. We hope, almost knowingly that Marnie will end up on her feet, but the really drama lies in how she'll manage this.
The film is almost a feminist parable, Marnie's quest towards control in her love life. Throughout the film, she is taken advantage of by the men in her life, first Alex, then David and finally Mitchell. She isn't even in control of the brief fling she has at a party. Alex consistently takes her out with dubious purposes and even towards the end of the film, it is clear that he has strong romantic feelings towards her. Despite his newly married statues, he still turns up to her flat in the middle of the night and utters such stupid sentimental drivel as 'I think the world of you Marnie...' and she allows herself to taken along this ride. Dave kisses her at a party despite his enviably secure relationship with Rachel. From the framing of the scene, Dave is completely the dominate character, taking up most of the screen and it is clear that Marnie allows her self to be kissed without resistance, though that is not to say that she wants to kiss Dave. It is almost like we are watching a girl with so little self-respect that she simply kisses Dave because he wants to kiss her. Never before or after this shot is there anything that could remotely be described as sexual tension between the two characters, save for some leering glances from Dave.
Finally, the final act with Mitchell is also rather telling in this fashion. His obvious attraction to Marnie stems only from her 'beauty', which he comments in his own mumbling fashion throughout each of the scenes he takes part in. It is also clear that Marnie has no interest in him, but she either naively misunderstands his intentions or just puts very little effort up to stop him. Finally, during the blink-and-you-miss-it finale, Marnie stands up to Alex and lets him know that she won't tolerated that sort of ambiguous behaviour from him anymore ('No dice...'). Part of the greatness of Dollenmayer's performance and the overall pacing of this film is that this moment isn't delivered in a Network-style explosion. Instead it feels like a natural progression for the cool, yet timid character in a similarly cool, yet timid film.
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