Sleepwalk with Me, 2012
Directed by Mike Birbiglia and Seth Barrish
Written by Mike Birbiglia, Ira Glass, Joe Birbiglia and Seth Barrish
Starring Mike Birbiglia, Lauren Ambrose, JamesRebhorn and Carol Kane
SYNOPSIS:
A burgeoning stand-up comedian struggles with the stress of a stalled career, a stale relationship, and the wild spurts of severe sleepwalking he is desperate to ignore.
As someone who suffers from a mild version of REM Sleep Disorder, the idea of Sleepwalk with Me appealed. It tells the story of struggling stand-up comedian Matt Pandamiglio (writer/director Mike Birbiglia, who based the character on himself) who doesn’t have the confidence or material to make it big with his dream profession. Not only that, but he’s unsure about his relationship with long-time girlfriend Abby and he has started acting out his dreams.
Some people will tell you that using narration is a lazy form of script writing but I don’t always agree. If used in a creative manner that works for the story (Kiss Kiss Bang Bang or Election for example) it can be a great way to move the story forward while never distancing itself from its audience. Sleepwalk with Me is a narrated movie, but Birbiglia chooses to do this narration in the form of Matt telling the audience while driving his car as if it was being recorded for a documentary. It may seem simple, but it’s a really effective way to progress the story as well as add in foreshadowing humour.
Much like In A World… (read my review here), Sleepwalk with Me is sold on the charisma and charm of Birbiglia as well as his co-stars. He has this natural gift (as one would expect from a stand-up comedian) for keeping his audience’s attention and never letting them become disengaged. His likeable personality only makes his ‘rise to the big time’ story arc all the more fun to watch because you want to see him succeed. Lauren Ambrose is superb as girlfriend Abby as they both tussle with the prospect of no longer being together while his parents (played by James Rebhorn and Carol Kane) add in some nice ‘wacky parent’ humour. The performances are rounded up perfectly by a good supporting and there is even a great cameo from Kristen Schaal.
From a visual side of things, Birbiglia’s dream landscapes are nothing particularly new or inventive but he does do a great job of blurring the lines between what is real and what could be a dream. And while they might not be fresh, they are never boring and he also uses the fairly sporadically so they never outstay their welcome.
What I also really loved about Sleepwalk with Me is that it doesn’t bow down to film standards. Not everything gets resolved in a ‘Hollywood’ manner which gives the film a real-life edge and it only makes the film more engaging. Some people may find the film’s ending to be slightly unsatisfying, but I really enjoyed it.
Sleepwalk with Me is a really, really great movie. It’s a clever movie with some great laughs, charming performances and witty dialogue. Mike Birbiglia’s brand of stand-up is fantastic and his direction here is note perfect. It could be argued that his dream sequences aren’t creative enough and the ending leaves something to be desired, but I don’t think they hamper the movie in any way.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
Luke Owen is one of Flickering Myth’s co-editors and the host of the Month in Review show for Flickering Myth’s Podcast Network. You can follow him on Twitter @LukeWritesStuff.
Originally published April 29, 2013. Updated November 6, 2019.
