Sleepwalk With Me

Starring: Mike Birbiglia, Lauren Ambrose, James Rebhorn, Carol Kane, Cristin Milioti
Directed by: Mike Birbiglia, Seth Barrish
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
2012
Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A stand-up comedian (Mike Birbiglia) struggles with his relationship, trying to jump start his career, and a potentially dangerous sleepwalking habit.

Review:

Tim: I am huge, huge fan of Mike Birbiglia. When I was in college, we (really, I) brought him to our school, and I got to meet him before he performed. He was incredibly nice, and is one of the funniest people I've ever seen. I had no idea he was directing and starring in Sleepwalk With Me, an autobiographical film about his early days in stand-up comedy. This little independent film is actually quite good. It's funny, entertaining, and short enough that it leaves you wanting more.

The main draw of this film is definitely Birbiglia. There's just something that is so likable about him. That's why he is such a great comedian, and that is one big reason I liked this film so much. My favorite scenes are when he talked directly to the camera. His timing is just perfect, and he is so engaging and likable. He's a really, really funny guy, and that showed through on screen. I love that he was willing to make himself look bad on occasion (but remember, we're on his side) to tell this based-on-a-true-story.

I will say that in creating a mostly autobiographical film, Birbiglia does recycle quite a few jokes from his stand-up routine. This is somewhat expected, because those were the jokes he actually told as he was trying to make it big. For real fans of his comedy, it was great to laugh and remember some of the hilarious jokes he told in his routines. However, it did feel a little redundant. Yes, I laughed again, but I'd heard many of the jokes before.

I loved that this film gave us a behind-the-scenes look at a struggling comic. In some ways, this is one of the better stand-up comedy movies ever made. It was especially interesting to see his struggles, including driving very long distances for almost no money at all, bombing on stage, and the challenges of dealing with a potentially dangerous sleepwalking disorder. I loved that inside look at his life.

Now, I do have to admit that while this film was good, it was a bit too lightweight. I don't mean regarding the subject matter, but it felt like it was coming from two first-time directors. Those directors have some talent, but they are pretty inexperienced as well. I felt like Birbiglia was the right guy to direct this movie because it was based on his life, but I'm not sure that he has a huge career as a director. Now, I certainly could be wrong, but this film was so close to his own heart that it was hard to get a sense for his talent outside of autobiographical stories.

From a little film that could have easily escaped my radar, I really enjoyed Sleepwalk With Me. For two people making their directorial debuts, this film is impressive. While the story could have been better and the movie could have been a bit funnier, this is still an entertaining, enjoyable film. It is absolutely worth checking out.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 7



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