Don’t Think Twice, 2016.
Written and Directed by Mike Birbiglia.
Starring Keegan-Michael Key, Gillian Jacobs, Mike Birbiglia, Chris Gethard, Tami Sagher, and Kate Micucci.
SYNOPSIS:
Just when the theater they regularly perform at is about to close down, two members of an improv group are given the chance to be on an SNL-like variety show.
If “don’t think twice” is the motto of improv, and the title of writer-director-actor Mike Birbiglia’s new movie, my motto is “Tell yourself you’ll stop thinking at twice. Allow one more think. Then think again anyway.”
Birbiglia drives in on the opposite impulse, with a film that lovingly and specifically portraits the improv community of NYC. Centered on a fictional group called the Commune, most of the cast come from comedy backgrounds and the characters they play frequently merge with real life, adding to the authenticity. Keegan-Michael Key’s Obama impression, for example, and Kate Micucci’s drawings, both make appearances.
The film starts with a brief history lesson but improv’s group mind is best seen in action, during numerous live skits (the return of an adult’s imaginary friends, and a scrapped idea for a dating show with Abraham Lincoln, are personal favorites). The riffing continues off stage, as well. Even during a carpool, to visit a group member’s father in the hospital, passengers jump from one “too soon?” joke to the next. Sometimes the difficulty in turning off bits for conversation seems overpowering. Other times it seems like a great coping mechanism. Regardless, the film comes from a place of respect for performers, and the commitment and passion they show for their craft, without promise of material reward.
Lack of reward leads to the central conflict. While improv is presented as the starting point of many a comedian’s career, it’s not where you stay if you want to profit and have “success.” With their theater shutting down, the Commune are unable to afford being satisfied doing what they’re doing. Instead, competition brews to get on, or write for, a television show none in the group are actually certain they like. This dilemma plays out directly with dating group members Sam (Gillian Jacobs, Community), and Jack (Key, Key & Peele). Both get auditions for the thinly veiled SNL, Weekly Live. Jack goes to the audition and Sam doesn’t. Jack gets accepted.
At first his success seems like the Commune’s chance to infiltrate the inner circle and have a voice on the inside. Really, as his boss likes to remind him, his continued position on the show is forever precarious, his rising popularity a growing sore spot for the friends he leaves behind.
Rather than vilify Jack, for “selling out,” the film packages his decision as a choice. It’s the less glorified option, certainly, to prioritize making a living, and Sam’s choice, to stick with the group because it makes her happy, is much more likable. Incomes are necessary, though, and the film is equally fair with Sam, avoiding too easy shots at her goals for being “unrealistic” for her age. The field is rigged against them both. Either way there’s a price.
Towards the end of the movie, an uncooperative audience leads to a skit turning personal for Sam. Reality and art blend until you can’t tell the difference. Is she really in front of an audience, or is the staging actually symbolic? Where the rest of the film is more straightforward, it’s a powerful sequence. As a character study, and especially for anyone interested in commentary on the possible backstage drama of SNL, Don’t Think Twice is a film to watch.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Rachel Bellwoar
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https://youtu.be/b7Ozs5mj5ao?list=PL18yMRIfoszEaHYNDTy5C-cH9Oa2gN5ng
Originally published August 27, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
