"Funny Ha-Ha", written/directed by Andrew Bujalski (2002)

So there's this guy Bujalski. He's this young guy who decides to make a movie about his life -- post college, temp jobs, that horrible yet exciting "cusp of the rest of your life" time, searching for "the one" or, realistically, any one. And he gets a camera and a bunch of his friends from school and makes the goddamned movie.

FUNNY HA-HA is a perfect example of personal, from-the-gut filmmaking. It was made on the cheap with non-actors, including Bujalski himself as Mitchell, the moonyeyed nerd who earns your love with his earnestness and honesy and vulnerability in the face of a beautiful woman. Kate Dollenmayer as Marnie is beautiful, not in an overprocessed movie starlet way, but in a "damn, the more I see of her, the more I love her" way. She impresses you because she isn't trying to impress you at all, and too few actresses are allowed to do that in movies and television because they are supposed to represent something more intense or flavorful than the rest of us, instead of representing plain old us.

The movie starts out slow and still and kind of precious and you get the terrible sinking feeling of Indie Movie, Pretentious Shit, Your Thoughts Aren't As Interesting or Unique as You Think They Are (IMPSYTAAIUYTTA). But hold your indie horses (they dye their manes the color of quirkiness!). Let Marnie's seemingly uneventful life wander ahead of you, and follow it like a kid sister. You'll find moments of honesty and embarrassment and courage in this movie that are so true you want to sqry (squirm and cry), but also call your best friend and reminisce about when you were stupid together.

Especially if you vividly remember the confusing and awkward years of your early twenties and are thrilled that this movie so accurately recorded the feeling.

Sorry, Douglas Coupland, this movie Generation X'd you ten years later. It's less, oh, Canadian. I kid because I love.

One more note: this film is very similar in tone and feel to AMERICAN JOB and other Chris Smith films. Modest filmmakers making sneakily powerful movies about regular people that nobody else cares about.

You are the shit, Bujalski!