Improv is a much better experience live than it is pre-recorded. It doesn’t translate well to screen as the energy of being part of the show in the audience plays into the enjoyment. There are exceptions, such as the uproarious “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” and sketch shows such as “Key & Peele” & “Mr. Show.” Another exception would be Mike Birbiglia’s newest film, “Don’t Think Twice.”
“Don’t Think Twice” works so well because it’s focused on the characters and not the improv. Just as Birbiglia’s first film, the excellent “Sleepwalk with Me,” was about the personal life of a stand-up comedian, this film is about the personal lives of an improv troupe. They would be The Communes, made up of Miles (Mike Birbiglia), Jack (Keegan-Michael Key), Samantha (Gillian Jacobs), Allison (Kate Micucci), Lindsay (Tami Sagher), and Bill (Chris Gethard), all 30-somethings clinging onto their hopes and dreams of hitting it big. A mid-life crisis is hitting them all as actual crises surround them, with Bill putting it best: “Your 20s are all about hope, and your 30s are all about how dumb it was to hope.”
One of them, Jack, has finally hit it big, landing a cast position on a “Saturday Night Live” spoof entitled “Weekend Live.” This causes a mixture of joy and anger within the group, the latter so much so because Jack betrayed the rule of teamwork and showboated during one of their acts in order to land an audition. His girlfriend, Samantha, also landed an audition, but flaked out unbeknownst to him due to anxiety of shifting gears. This causes a rift between the two, with Jack too caught up in his new gig to pay attention to her wants.
The angriest of them all is Miles, jealous that his protégé has gotten the position over a decade after he “came within inches” of becoming a cast member. At thirty-six he’s hit a midlife crisis, teaching improv while his career goes nowhere. He lives in a small room more akin to a dorm (which is fine considering he’s small) and only finds affection from his students. When his new girlfriend, Alicia (Kati Rediger), discovers she’s pregnant from a one night stand a few weeks prior, he jumps at the opportunity to play father to prove himself and get direction.
Bill is hit the hardest by Jack’s success seeing as how he wasn’t present the night the executives were in the audience. His father was involved in a fatal accident, preventing him from performing. He too was already suffering from a midlife crisis, feeling he has failed his father by not amounting to much (improv’s going nowhere, making him give out free samples of hummus for income). His last chance to land a gig on “Weekend Live” is as a writer alongside Allison, whose midlife crisis is centered around her inability to publish a graphic novel nearly a decade in the making.
Finally, there’s Lindsay, the daughter of wealthy parents who’s dealing with depression over the feeling of inadequacy. Everything she’s had has been handed to her, or so it seems, as everyone piles this on her in the face of her current unemployment. Whenever she seizes an opportunity, people discredit her for being given a chance due to her upbringing. Improv is the only thing giving her life purpose.
It’s quite the juggling act for Birbiglia, and I feared going in he’d fumble in this department. While certain characters fall by the wayside, that’s intentional and serves a purpose. Allison is the quietest in the group, spending her free time doodling and spouting off intelligent factoids (earning her the nickname “Data,” taken from the “Star Trek” character). It makes sense for her to slide into the background as, while loved, that seems to be her position in the group. Same goes for Lindsay, who feels she must act more boisterous than the rest just to have her own image. If not, the shadow of her parents is always cast over her. Everyone else is given their time to shine, with Jack’s newfound fame and Miles’ self-centeredness getting the most attention. Some could see Miles’ heavy screen time as being self-centered on Birbiglia’s part, as well as him getting the best jokes pointing to this, but I don’t feel that’s the case. He gets the best lines because he is the funniest of the group, but doesn’t have the confidence or stage presence to be the most endearing. His selfishness gets the better of him, which is why he hogs up the screen time. Even so, time is distributed fairly and Miles takes a back seat to everyone else’s happy endings (and gets lower billing than most).
While funny, the film isn’t a laugh riot. That’s actually its best quality, as it was in “Sleepwalk with Me.” Both films were about funny people’s personal lives, which are expectedly not as funny. We see what drives each person to utilize comedy as a defense mechanism, seeing our own doubts and fears in theirs. What sets this apart from other dramedies is the crumbling of a group. Yes, this has been done before in films such as “The Big Chill,” but films such as that are focused on nostalgia, not the here and now. An improv troupe is reliant on the group as a whole to succeed, with everyone working together as opposed to looking out for themselves. When one leaves for greener pastures, it throws the entire dynamic off, destroying not just the group, but the individuals themselves. It’s the collective animal behavior theory being applied to humans. If one leaves the pack, the rest are directionless.
There is comedy to be had, with the film getting funnier the more comfortable the audience becomes with the characters. The initial improv skits are mildly amusing at best, falling to the trap of it not translating well to screen. The skits get funnier the more we learn of their personalities, seeing them shine through their performances. One of my favorite angles of “Sleepwalk with Me” returns here and that’s Birbiglia’s searing portrayal of a bombing act. It’s shown here when the crowd rejects The Communes without Jack, causing an uncomfortable scenario for all in reaction to dead silence. Them being as crafty as they are turn an insult (“We miss Jack!”) into comedy gold, quickly performing a darkly amusing skit taking place at Jack’s funeral (where their true feelings emerge).
What’s so brave of Mike Birbiglia is to create dramedies instead of straight comedies. He’s more concerned with showing the comedic process and breaking down comedy than just being one. His films are character studies first, wonderful ones at that! There’s not-so-subtle commentary on “Saturday Night Live,” criticizing its format and questioning if it was ever good or if they were children and just thought it was good due to their limited knowledge. The film is filled to the brim with strong drama, with one scene during an intimate improv skit causing me to get teary-eyed. A lot of straight dramas wish they could garner this amount of sympathy and empathy.
Mike Birbiglia may be a novice to directing, but he handles himself like an auteur. He focuses on subjects near and dear to his heart, as he should, and the results are extraordinary! His approach is honest and raw, catching those expecting light comedic fare off guard. “Sleepwalk with Me” was a smart and endearing look at standup comedy, and “Don’t Think Twice” is an even smarter and more endearing look at improv! Both, at their core, are wonderful tales of the human spirit!
P.S. Mike Birbiglia has rightfully been protesting the MPAA for giving “Don’t Think Twice” an R rating. The justification is the use of foul language and drug use, both of which are minimal. The real reasoning is because the word fuck was uttered more than once, which is asinine! There are films riddled with violence, drug use, and foul language but curb the R rating and get the highly sought after PG-13 due to studio bartering and only one instance of the word fuck. Oh no, I said fuck more than once just like this film did! That means this review has been slapped with an R rating. What a fucking joke!
Final Rating: A-