sol-
Keen on becoming a stand-up comedian, a US bartender's quest for success is hindered by his increasingly dangerous sleepwalking habits in this semiautobiographical drama written, directed by and starring Mike Birbiglia. The film offers a decent insight into the behind-the-scenes of stand-up comedy (though Nora Ephron's 'This Is My Life' is still arguably the go-to film for that) and many of the sleepwalking incidents are amusing. Unfortunately, however, Birbiglia's sleepwalking is never central to the film. The majority of screen time is spent on him experiencing cold feet after he is pressured into committing to his longtime girlfriend, and while this is obviously important as a possible cause of his sleepwalking, all of the related domestic drama is very much by the books. Carol Kane and James Rebhorn certainly have their bright moments as Birbiglia's at-times suffocating parents, but the film is more dynamic in the precious few scenes in which Birbiglia is asleep. These sections come particularly well edited as they fluidly bounce between his dreams and the actual actions he is performing, such as balancing dangerously on the edge of a box and taking a shower fully clothed. It would be interesting to learn what actual sleepwalkers make of the film. While inspired by true events, quite a lot of here has clearly been exaggerated, and yet the film also manages to offer some curious insights into the researched causes of unusual sleep habits. Is it all a matter of not eating big meals, using technology or listening to the news before bed? We might never know for sure.
gavin6942
A burgeoning stand-up comedian (Mike Birbiglia) struggles with the stress of a stalled career, a stale relationship, and the wild spurts of severe sleepwalking he is desperate to ignore.The story of a rising comic is a story that has been told a few times, and it generally is not all that different from the others. Getting the big break, driving long miles for little pay... it is a hard job, one which rarely pays off. This story, in many ways, is no different.But what works out here is we not only have a relationship crumbling while a career grows (the typical story), but we also have the journey of a man with a very rare, very dangerous sleep disorder. He could kill himself or his neighbors at any time... which makes for a much more interesting story.
Dan Murphy (uwdan)
Oh the trials and tribulations of an up-and-coming comedian. I listen to This American Life and find Birbiglia somewhat boring already, but this story goes too far. Only in America do we celebrate an out of shape and cowardly white guy because he's trying to hone his craft on stage. His beautiful, successful, and goal-driven girlfriend is left in his wake, and his well-meaning parents are treated like jerks. This movie was bad. Do yourself a favor and avoid it. I am really surprised that WBEZ/Ira Glass/This American Life greenlighted this project because it's so narrow-minded and boring. One highlight, though; I don't want to be a total negative nancy: the long follow shot of "Matt" as he checks into La Quinta is quite clever.
p_imdb-238-926380
I apologize for the low quality review which follows, I have no time but in regard to the reviews found here, I thought we need something more honest before people go out and watch it.So, this is nothing you would watch in cinema.This is more like a movie to watch on a Sunday morning when everybody is lazy and there is nothing of value to do. The story is a bit boring, and the main character is boring too which comes surprisingly because he actually plays a comedian. This film is listed as comedy, but we didn't have a single laugh while watching it. The whole movie is really flat, no climax or variation whatsoever. Nobody even tried to follow up to the film after we were done with it. I am already having a tough time writing something here, as I can't remember something worth mentioning. So overall I think this says enough.
AD
