Mike Birbiglia, 2012
4/5
I really enjoyed this film. Good direction, good acting and a good soundtrack. You watch as a not-so-good comedian (a character loosely based on Birbiglia) works on his chops and refuses to turn down a gig with the fear of not getting another offer from a manipulative, mid-tier manager. Lauren Ambrose's performance was particularly good as the love interest. Ambrose, who I haven't seen in a while, was probably the best actor on HBO's Six Feet Under and was clearly the best actor in this film. I am usually not a fan of actors breaking down the fourth wall, but Birbiglia's character did it in a way that was reminiscent of Woody Allen in Annie Hall. Like Annie Hall, the film follows the struggles of two people in a relationship who aren't necessarily looking for the same things, and are distracted by other factors in their lives. Oh, and the lead has a sleep disorder that causes him to sleepwalk - which added a nice comedic element to the film that I did not get tired of (no pun intended).
The whole time I was thinking how much fun it must have been for him to pretend he was bad again. I loved the movie and recommended it to others a few times already.
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