How to Sleep

Starring: Robert Benchley
Directed by: Nick Grinde
Rating: Passed
Genre: Comedy, Short
Length: 11 minutes
1935

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A man (Robert Benchley) gives a lecture on how to fall asleep effectively.

Review:

Tim: This is the second of Robert Benchley's How to short films I've seen (after the enjoyable How to Be a Detective). This one was earlier and certainly even more well-received- it won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Comedy.

Benchley is an accomplished humorist and he brings his impeccable comedic timing to this film. It's fun to see him as both the lecturer and then as the sleep subject. He delivers a strong performance in both arenas. He's intellectual enough to be believable as the lecturer, but he also brings his charismatic brand of comedy so that you never take him too seriously. It's entertaining to watch him hit this balance- he appears both intelligent and bumbling simultaneously. He's equally as good as the wannabe sleeper. His comedic performance is so strong here- his frustrations, his body language and facial expressions- he uses them all to tell the story he wants to tell.

I really appreciated how relatable this film was. For anyone who has ever struggled to fall asleep (or stay asleep), this movie does a terrific job of portraying those frustrations and the feeble attempts made to get to slumber. That's perhaps the best part of the movie- it's a comedy and it's funny, but it's so relatable. I think that's a big reason why it was so well-received. It helps that a Mellon Institute Study inspired the film (I read that they weren't pleased that this movie lampooned their important sleep study) and it helps the movie to be grounded in reality.

How to Sleep is an entertaining short film and it deserves its Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Comedy. It's a funny movie that resonates. I've only watched it once, but I'd gladly sit down and see it again.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- N/A


If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: How to Be a Detective, How to Train a Dog