2022 Edinburgh Film Festival Review

Comic book movies are big business these days. Summer blockbusters complete with lavish budgets, A List stars and huge amounts of CGI. Funny Pages is NOT that kind of comic book movie. There are no heroes and villains here. Only freaks and geeks.

Written and directed by Owen Kline, He might be the son of Kevin Kline and Phoebe Cates but this is certainly no nepotism project. There are no luxuries here. Only hustle and talent. It is a lo-fi film with a budget that would not have even covered a day of craft services on the last Thor movie.

Stunned by his art teacher’s sudden death in a tragic accident, Robert decides to follow his advice and try to make it as an artist. He quits school and moves out of his parent’s house into, literally, the worst apartment in the world. Following an altercation with the police, he charms his public defender into giving him a job in her office where he types notes and amuses her with his sketches of her fellow employees.One day he discovers that one of her clients worked for Image Comics. Not as an artist, he is forceful to stress, as a colour assistant. Still, Robert sees this strange, odd man as his “in” into the business and sets out to befriend him before ultimately using him for his own gain.

The marketing heralds Robert as “New Jersey’s next big comic book artist and biggest dick” and it is hard to argue with that description. The movie is full of dicks, mostly drawn, but Robert is certainly the biggest. He is a dick to his family, his friends and his customers. Pretty much anyone he meets. It is a credit to Daniel Zohlgardi that you are completely drawn into his journey and want to see if he will succeed, in spite of him being an unlikeable young man.

Matt Maher (a veteran of the works of Noah Baumbach, Gerwig and Kevin Smith) gets a welcome breakout role as Wallace. Proving to be the perfect foil for Zohlgardi to create a hilarious odd couple dynamic. In fact, praise must be given to the casting directors. Every single face, no matter the size of the part, feels plucked from the pages of a Robert Crumb or Harvey Pekar.

Artists will often look to combine different styles to create something that feels fresh and new but pays tribute to those that paved the way. Kline draws upon the likes of Kevin Smith, Terry Zwighoff and The Safdie Brothers. Josh & Benny Safdie are in fact producers on the film through their company Elara Pictures and it is clear they have unearthed another uncut gem.

Drawing on the same energy prevalent in their movies, Kline generates the cinematic equivalent of watching a car crash in slow motion. You know that this is not going to end well but you cannot turn yourself away from the impending carnage. Also you will be physically unable to move because your body will hurt and exhausted from laughing so hard. Similar to the portfolio Robert is building at the beginning of the film, Funny Pages is a calling card for Owen Kline. One that announces the arrival of an exciting new voice. An incredibly lewd, crude and rude voice but a voice that demands to be listened to all the same.