Rich Man’s Comet: Both cover ground about relationships and both are sort of funny. However, Sleepwalk With Me did make me want to watch Birbiglia’s stand-up, which is a plus, I guess.
★★☆☆☆
This week I watched Sleepwalk with Me, Mike Birbiglia’s first foray into writing/directing. The film is basically a film adaptation of his one-man show, based on some of Mike’s true-life events formed the basis of his stand-up routine. My overall problem with this film isn’t that it isn’t well acted. It is. Nor is my problem that it’s not well crafted. It is. My problem is that it doesn’t seem to say much more than what many other films before it have said: Relationships are hard, and require one to understand themselves. They require commitment and communication, and they require that both parties know why they are in the relationship in the first place.
The premise is this: Mike Birbiglia plays Matt Pandamiglio, a struggling stand-up comic/bartender. He’s been dating the same girl for 8 years, but hasn’t been able to commit to her. All at the same time, three things happen: 1) Matt’s stand-up career begins to blossom with gigs all around the east coast 2) Matt’s girlfriend wants more from their relationship 3) Matt’s stress begins to outwardly manifest itself in strange sleepwalking episodes. The original one-man show was a combination of stand-up and storytelling, which was critically acclaimed. I think I would like this show, because it’s a combination of two different media in a unique way. Unfortunately, the movie version doesn’t really do this. It ends up being a pretty straightforward comedy about a man who’s not sure what he wants to do with his life or why he’s in a relationship. Men just can’t commit! And what’s the deal with these airline peanuts!?!
I will say this: the film is well crafted. Every minute in the film is well-used, there isn’t any scene that could be completely cut out of the movie. Matt’s parents are played by James Rebhorn and Carol Kane. They do a great job of playing overbearing and awkward parents. His girlfriend is played by Lauren Ambrose, who also does a good job of playing a girl who loves her boyfriend, wants settle down, and generally has her life together. The are also some great cameos from other stand-up comedians, including Wyatt Cenac and Kristen Schaal.
In the end, there’s not much to say about this movie, the message doesn’t really break any new ground. The acting is good, but there’s no one that really stands out. The movie is just fine, but there is one very bright spot. Near the conclusion of the film, there is a scene showing how everything that’s happened to Birbiglia has become part of his routine and the audience loves it. There is a short montage showing him telling jokes onstage. While watching this, I realized that what I really wanted to watch was Mike Birbiglia’s stand-up. Throughout the film there are brief comedy bits, I really wanted to see them all strung together. So, while writing this review, I watched one of Mike Birbiglia’s stand-up specials My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend. Birbiglia is hilarious. He is great at crafting jokes and weaving the jokes into the stories and observations of his life. He can keep the room rapt while telling a story about how he fell in love with his wife, then instantly bring the room to its knees laughing. I was crying, it’s fantastic.
Sleepwalk with Me is available on Netflix. So is My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend. Watch the second one.
Next week Josh is watching Eyes Wide Shut. I did not like this movie. Also, Josh and I don’t like many of Kubrick’s films. This one has Tom Cruise, so maybe Josh will have better luck than me.
cinemateur 