Joss Whedon has a message for Mike Birbiglia, This American Life, and IFC:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pj6_020FFXU
That’s right! Because Whedon wants more space for his big, corporate film (you may have heard of it. . . The Avengers? Is that it?), we need to make sure Mike Birbiglia’s Sleepwalk With Me, based on his one-man show and co-written by This American Life‘s Ira Glass, doesn’t get into big corporate theaters. So call your local arthouse cinema and get them to book it instead.
Seems Legit.
In any case, I got a chance to see this film earlier this year at SXSW, and it is well worth your while. One of the funniest films I saw at the festival and also a fun story, it also showcases not only Birbiglia’s standup but also several other comedians.
For those unfamiliar with Birbiglia, he is one of my favorite comedians working today, and you can catch his recent standup special “What I Should Have Said… Was Nothing…” on Netflix Instant Watch.
Look: A synopsis of the movie!
“I’m going to tell you a story and it’s true… I always have to tell people that,” so asserts comedian-turned-playwright-turned-filmmaker Mike Birbiglia directly to the viewer at the outset of his autobiographically inspired, fictional feature debut. Birbiglia wears his incisive wit on his sleeve while portraying a cinematic surrogate. We are thrust into the tale of a burgeoning stand-up comedian struggling with the stress of a stalled career, a stale relationship threatening to race out of his control, and the wild spurts of severe sleepwalking he is desperate to ignore.
Based on the successful one-man show, SLEEPWALK WITH ME engages in the kind of passionate and personal storytelling that transfigures intimate anguish into comic art. Produced and co-written by Ira Glass (NPR’s “This American Life”), SLEEPWALK WITH ME features a stellar supporting cast that includes Lauren Ambrose (“Six Feet Under”), Carol Kane (Taxi), James Rebhorn (Meet the Parents), Cristin Milioti (“30 Rock”), and a sampling from the who’s who of today’s stand-up scene.
Do what Whedon said. Call your local arthouse theater and ask them when they are bringing Sleepwalk With Me to your local cinema screen.