Ryan Fleck and Anna Boden are, in this reviewer's opinion, the best writer / director team working in film today. Both Half Nelson and Sugar (Which made my top 5 for 2008) were good and here they go more mainstream and produce a simple yet vibrant low-fi comedy. If you go expecting the Hangover, a full on comedy, then this might take some adjusting to - it is more than that. It reminded us most of the same vibe Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist had.

Craig (Keir Gilchrist) is an angsty teen and checks himself into a psych ward for 5 days. He is excellent, like a cross between Justin Long and Michael Cera and should get good work off the back of this. Here Craig meets the wizened Bobby (Zack Galifianakis), who has a complete emotional range here, his hangdog is perfect and watched closely you'll see every thought and facial gesture with real pleasure, and a teenage girl his age, Noelle (Emma Roberts). The supporting cast have groupworked this really well and it all just gels nicely. The film is a journey of self- discovery.

What lifts this is it doesn't have a mean bone in its body yet delivers beautifully - this film is firstly, optimistic about pessimism and abounds with humor, laughter, and originality, and secondly, Fleck again coxes the the actors to simply act, without excess.

It does a wonderful balancing act of making us see the world afresh too. In addition to all this it is totally refreshing to see a teen movie that is about teens and their world and not just another slapstick sex comedy.

I could only wish for 20 films a year like this, rather than the cookie cutter production values that govern Hollywood. The common trait in all three films are honesty, struggle, and eventually, something more. That's three in a row for Fleck / Boden - and I, for one, can't wait to see the fourth...

Craig (Keir Gilchrist) checks himself into the psych ward for his suicidal thought. At least he thinks that he's having suicidal thoughts. The children's ward is under renovation, and he's been put in with the adults for at least 5 days. He was hoping to just be given new meds. He's in love with his friend, but she's already with someone else. In the ward, he meets some real cases like Bobby (Zach Galifianakis), and quirky fellow patient Noelle (Emma Roberts).

It's a very light and fluffy look at the psych ward. It's definitely not 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'. Keir Gilchrist is adorable. Zach Galifianakis is zany without his usual crazy wildness. Keir and Emma make for a cute couple. The movie is like the lead Craig. It thinks it's more serious than it actually is. But it works as an adorable rom-com for emotionally fragile kids. It's cute. It's likable. Sometimes, it's even funny.

Directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck also adapted this screenplay from Ned Vizzini's novel about a teenager with suicidal thoughts who checks himself into a hospital ward for disturbed patients, hoping for a 24-hour cure; instead, he's held for observation and learns about institution life from on the inside. This hospital floor, overflowing as it is with colorful personalities, doubles-up the adult patients (some with apparently serious issues) with teens who can't cope with school problems or their parents. It's an even slicker version of the standard Hollywood version of the kind of mental asylum movies we usually get, one wherein the self-indulgent protagonist becomes aware he's been self-indulgent simply by relating to his mental patient companions (including one pretty girl his own age, natch). Zach Galifianakis gives this dishonest scenario some bounce in a co-starring role as a long-term patient with an emotional hair-trigger. Galifianakis' scenes, however (particularly a role-playing sequence geared for an easy laugh), stick out as small-scaled showcases for the actor. One is immediately drawn to Galifianakis because of his warmly-joshing personality, but there is nothing embraceable about young leading actor Keir Gilchrist, who begins nearly every line of dialogue with, "Well, it's like, I mean..." The picture has a quirky edge that passes for modern, but is really just a happy-ending-story for one individual character--and, arguably, the least-likable person in the group. ** from ****