Movie: Sleepwalk With Me (2012)

Life is hard when you’re a struggling comedian, have relationship issues, and are trying to find meaning in your existence.  It gets harder when you start sleepwalking and things begin to take a strange turn towards the bizarre.

Based on the stage show by Mike Birbiglia, this quasi-autobiographical tale recounts a period in the life of ‘Matt’ (played by Birbiglia himself), a struggling comedian, who has yet to find any material that works and who is mostly surviving on his bartending job.  The one constant in his life is his long term girlfriend ‘Abby’ (Lauren Ambrose), who he has been dating for 8 years and who has been supportive of his career choice throughout.  This couple, however, seem to be on a plateau in their relationship and both are unsure of where it is going.  When ‘Matt’ starts to have episodes of sleepwalking, he initially dismisses it and refuses to go see the doctor, but as tensions within the relationship build and the pressure mounts, it all begins to spiral out of control.

Not having heard of Mike Birbiglia before, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect and didn’t know whether he was inherently funny or not.  A quality cast list including Lauren Ambrose, James Rebhorn, Carol Kane, Marc Maron, and Kristin Schaal put aside any doubts though, not that I should have had any based on his performance. Birbiglia does a fine job and portrays the development from hapless newbie to relatively slick & confident comedian very well, adding some nuances that I wasn’t expecting.  At the beginning of the film, you really get the impression that he isn’t any good and some scenes are really quite awkward, leaving you unsure whether to like or hate the character.  The fact that he wins you over and is charmingly flawed is a testament to the good job he did.  The supporting cast is excellent, especially Lauren Ambrose, James Rebhorn and Carol Kane, who provide great performances that really help the situation come alive. Both grounding it in reality and providing some of the best bits of humour.

At various stages during the film, you’re not entirely sure of where it could possibly go or if it is really based on fact and this is part of its charm, leading you one way or another and making you change your opinion of ‘Matt’ constantly.   The script does a good job of making him both the hero and the villain while never painting him as a two-dimensional character and at times showing just how complex people or situations can be.  As it’s based on Birbiglia’s one man show and book of the same name, as well as on his life, obviously he has an intimate knowledge of the material. Even with this advantage, he and his fellow writers (Ira Glass, Joe Birbiglia, & Seth Barrish) have done an excellent job of crafting a well paced, believable tale that isn’t just a shallow, cheap comedy.  You will leave this film with a new appreciation of life and possibly make some of your own life choices as a consequence however unlikely you might think this is.

While the film generally is a great success, there were a couple of minor problems. For instance, I did find myself slightly disbelieving that ‘Abby’ and ‘Matt’ would have lasted 8 years as a couple and I kept on thinking ‘just marry her already’ a few times.  I suspect that the disbelief in their relationship is in part down to how well Birbiglia portrayed ‘Matt’ as the struggling ‘loser’ artist and the disbelief that he wouldn’t marry her is down to the general appeal of Lauren Ambrose.  Despite this issue, this situation does make sense by the end of the film and it pulls all the threads together in a convincing manner.

This is not a film that I can imagine would be at the top of most people’s lists when they are looking for something to watch, but it really should be.  Filled with charm, humour, and a great deal of melancholy, it is a hidden gem and a treat for fans of both comedy and more relationship based fare.  It’s a keeper.