Sleepwalk With Me

Sleepwalk With Me is a film based on Mike Birbiglia’s one man show of the same name. The story is narrated by Birbiglia (who directs as well as writing the screenplay with Ira Glass) on his way to a gig, which allows him to directly transfer a fair amount of material, albeit with the names changed. As someone hugely familiar with the show, it’s difficult not to compare and contrast the two. The darker elements (life threatening illnesses and potential bear attacks) are removed from the narrative and what we’re left with is the story of his relationship with his college sweetheart, his attempts to establish a stand-up comedy career and his eventual diagnosis with REM Sleep Disorder.

Carol Kane is reliably entertaining as Birbiglia’s mother and the late James Rebhorn brings the role of his father to life, well characterised from Birbiglia’s descriptions of him in the show. Quotes like “You’ve got to zig or zag” demonstrate the ambiguous nature of the advice he hands down to his son, much to his chagrin.

The film excels in its depiction of stand-up as Birbiglia’s character makes his first awkward steps into open mic comedy. You have to know how to do something well before you can do it badly and Birbiglia demonstrates that to great effect here. Comedy afficianados will get a kick out of cameos from the likes of Marc Maron, Wyatt Cenac and Kristen Schall and a section detailing bizzare gigs will strike a chord with anyone who has taken the stage. In my more bitter moments, I will find myself agreeing with his agent’s assertion that “This business has nothing to do with funny”.

The moments of tension in the story are executed well, with Lauren Ambrose putting in a fine performance as Abby (Birbiglia’s girlfriend) particularly in demonstrating her quiet devastation as their relationship falls apart. Sleepwalk With Me isn’t as laugh a minute funny as the source material, but a solidly entertaining piece of work nonetheless.