"SLEEPWALK WITH ME"
Screenplay Written by Mike Birbiglia & Ira Glass & Joe Birbiglia & Seth Barrish
Directed by Mike Birbiglia*** (three stars)
Many years ago, as I was driving around Madison performing one Sunday errand after another, I stumbled across something extremely special on the radio as I flipped the dial from one station to the next. Contrary to what some of you may be thinking, it was not a piece of music that made me pause at all. It was simply a story. I immediately became engulfed in the tale of an endurance competition in Texas where contestants placed one hand upon a pickup truck and the one whose hand remained on the truck for the longest period of time, without leaning on the truck or squatting, was declared the winner and would receive the truck as the grand prize. It was a story simply told yet brilliantly executed as it delved into the psychological complexities of such a competition while also being enormously entertaining. So much so, that I pulled my car into a parking lot and just sat for nearly twenty minutes, unable to turn the radio off and entirely captivated through the art and artistry of fine storytelling.
By now, dear readers, I am certain many of you have deduced that I had been listening to an installment of NPR's "This American Life," the weekly radio program hosted by the engagingly wry Ira Glass. While the brilliance of that program definitely lies within the discovery, support and promotion of world class writers and essayists like Sarah Vowell, David Sedaris and the recently deceased David Rakoff, what I found especially brilliant about the program was the incredible ability of these first person narratives to pull the listener into an audio world so complete that by the story's conclusion you feel as if you have travelled within someone else's shoes, minds, hearts and souls. It is a testament to the magic contained within "mere" words and the power they create when combined together so effectively.
Within the last 15 years, Glass has decided to occasionally branch outwards into the visual medium through a short run Showtime cable series as well as "Hands On A Hardbody," a 1997 documentary based upon the radio episode I described at this review's outset. And now, we arrive with "Sleepwalk With Me," a film co-written and co-produced by Glass and featuring the semi-autobiographical tale of comedian Mike Birbiglia and his struggles with R.E.M. behavior disorder in which Birbiglia experiences vivid and sometimes frightening dreams that he dangerously acts out while in the throes of slumber. In my negative review of "Margaret" last month, I facetiously blamed NPR "Fresh Air" radio hostess Terry Gross for greatly intriguing me to view that film, much to my extreme disappointment. This time around, I am more than happy to thank Terry Gross for greatly intriguing me to view this new movie, which, like the radio program from which it was introduced, pulled me into its world with great appeal, laugh out loud comedy, and a healthy amount of storytelling grace. If this film arrives in your town, it is more than worth seeking out.
Based upon Birbiglia's original monologue, one-man off Broadway performance and best selling book, Sleepwalk With Me & Other Painfully True Tales, "Sleepwalk With Me" stars Birbiglia as Matt Pandamiglio, an aspiring comedian yet professional bartender who has spent eight years in a relationship with his girlfriend Abby (the lovely Lauren Ambrose). As Matt views the world where his friends have advanced into the new life stages of marriage and parenthood as well as professional careers, he unfortunately feels as if his life has stalled. Feeling disappointment from his cranky Father (James Rebhorn) as well as harboring the painful fears of being a potentially uncommitted boyfriend and the failure of achieving this dreams of being a working stand up comic, Matt eventually begin to spiral downwards into a stressful dreamworld where he ends up sleepwalking to sometimes comic and eventually life threatening effects.
In regards to the film's actual plot, this is all you really need to know as the magic of "Sleepwalk With Me" lies completely in how Birbiglia engages us into his life, world, dreams, and overall story. Throughout the film, Birbiglia breaks the fourth wall and addresses the audience by talking directly into the camera and from his very first words, he is a fully engaging presence and such a gifted storyteller that you are more than willing to spend nearly 90 minutes with him. And frankly, I could have easily spent yet another hour listening to him and viewing this highly unusual aspect to his life.
What impressed me most about the film was that "Sleepwalk With Me" was not just a series of ironic observances and dream sequences (a visual storytelling tactic that Ira Glass reportedly cannot stand whatsoever). In some ways, the dreams are (almost) the least important element of "Sleepwalk With Me" as the film really seems to be about how anxiety, mounting stress, extreme arrested development, and near debilitating fears of failure from others as well as yourself can negatively affect one's life, where even in your dream life, there is no escape from the continuous pressure.
"Sleepwalk With Me" also serves confidently as a "coming-of-age" film, even though our hero is well into his thirties. Birbiglia and his writing team deftly give us extended glimpses into the unforgiving and lucratively meager world of comedy clubs and the grind one takes in order to climb the ladder of that particular industry's success. Matt is a not-so-young man who is essentially sleepwalking through the most important elements of his life, who finds himself at a professional crossroads and eventually decides to fully take the leap. Yet even as Matt fully engages himself in the punishing amount of travel, low rent dives and endless public humiliation as he nurtures his comedy act, we can see that his professional self-discovery as a comedian may come at the complete expense of his relationship with Abby, the most crucial element of his life he is sleepwalking through. And it is here where the film achieves its greatest strength.
"Sleepwalk With Me" functions very well, and quite sadly, as a very perceptive and poignant love story that ponders what happens when a couple remains together partially out of love but mostly out of niceness. There is no question that Matt loves Abby, especially as he describes the feeling of that love as "pizza flavored ice cream." Yet, as he views the precarious state of marriage as a whole, as well as viewing his parent's constant bickering after 40 years of marriage, Matt fears might not be someone who can spend the remainder of his life with anyone, let alone the wonderful Abby. And if he does remain with Abby, would that unique feeling of pizza flavored ice cream will begin to fade? Birbiglia and Ambrose make for a very convincing couple that you enjoy spending time with, as well as root for, especially when their future seems to be in jeopardy. These are good, relatable, recognizable people for whom you wish happiness, and watching these two navigate their relationship gave "Sleepwalk With Me" a most resonant sense of aching romantic honesty.
While I have absolutely no idea of the kind of budget "This American Life" works with, the visual presentation of "Sleepwalk With Me" made me wonder if the film's budget was made for perhaps no more than $10 above the radio show's budget. Yet, this quality does indeed work to the film's favor and makes it a more than worthy visual link to the radio program. Birbiglia, in his directorial debut, utilizes every single cent of his obviously tiny budget to great effect, ensuring that any spell the film is able to weave arrives through the story, the characters and the language they use. In fact, this is yet another film that should put the major studios on notice as "Sleepwalk With Me" proves very well that you do not need $300 million dollars just to tell an effective story. That said, I hope that Birbiglia is able to direct more films in the future and I have to admit that I am curious to see how he would work with a budget that gave him a little more money to work with.
Now that the major releases of the summer movie season have come and gone, this is a wonderful time to head out and see a strong film that would otherwise get extremely lost in the shuffle of new releases. I feel that when it comes to films like "Sleepwalk With Me," it is truly my duty to shine some light upon them and urge you to give them a try.
If you are a fan of "This American Life," I am certain that you will enjoy this film as much as I did, if not even more. For those of you who have never heard the program, you are indeed in for a special treat in "Sleepwalk With Me," as Mike Birbiglia has provided all of us with a unique, entertaining, often hilarious and subtly moving tale that above all else, celebrates the art that comes with expert storytelling.
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