Bonus Presentation at the Ogden 6
DON'T THINK TWICE
Monday, December 19, 7:30 pm
CAST & CREW
Director: Mike Birbiglia.
Featuring Keegan-Michael Key
Gillian Jacobs & Mike Birbiglia
Rated R 94 Mins.
DON'T THINK TWICE
Monday, December 19, 7:30 pm
CAST & CREW
Director: Mike Birbiglia.
Featuring Keegan-Michael Key
Gillian Jacobs & Mike Birbiglia
Rated R 94 Mins.
Reviewed by Bill Goodykoontz / The Arizona Republic
The world of comedy is like its own universe, with its own language and behavior and rules that civilians don’t understand — we just go to stand-up shows and laugh (or don’t).
The world of improv comedy is stranger still, a strange and distant satellite that harbors only the hardiest souls, those willing to step off the high wire and hope — trust — that another member of the group holds a safety net, and will use it. And that we will want to see this, and be entertained by it.
It’s the kind of thing that seems impossible to capture in a movie, but with “Don’t Think Twice” writer, director and star (and stand-up and improv actor) Mike Birbiglia does. He’s also built a heartfelt, moving little comedy around it.
Birbiglia plays Miles, who founded the Commune, an improv troupe. He got passed over for “Weekend Live,” an obvious “Saturday Night Live” stand-in, and the instant celebrity being asked to join the cast guarantees. Now he has a little of that stardom-spoils-the-true-art vibe going, which is, at heart, another version of sour grapes. He consoles himself with sleeping with his (much younger) students and criticizing famous comics in passive-aggressive fashion.
Among the others in the troupe (played perfectly by Chris Gethard, Tami Sagher and Kate Micucci) are Jack (Keegan-Michael Key), the most magnetic of the bunch, and Samantha (Gillian Jacobs), immensely gifted and one of those people who just can’t stand success.
Birbiglia (the director version) really gets the camaraderie of the group — how they simultaneously root for and compete against one another. This is a particularly dicey dynamic in improv, because the performances are interlocked, wholly dependent on each other.
He also offers a fair amount of improv performance. But it doesn’t come off as a movie-length version of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” Instead, the way Birbiglia films the bits, we see the quick thinking, the surprise and sometimes the struggle that even talented improv actors cycle through on stage.
Two events shape the film. The first is when the Commune learns that the building it’s called home for years has been sold and they’ll have to find new digs. Even more disruptive is the call from “Weekend Live” — Jack and Samantha have been asked to audition.
The first problem is simply structural (though potentially dire). The second is more corrosive to the group’s foundation, bringing to the fore the competitive nature of the business, mixed with genuine good will. This is a dangerous cocktail. It is sad to see Miles, for instance, remind Jack that he got him his start in improv. It smacks of listening to someone tell you how they beat out Tom Brady in Pop Warner football. The truth is, some people are better than others, but the situation is uncomfortable for everyone.
Key is tremendous in showing us his delight and his hesitance to crow about the offer, as well as Jack’s immense talent. Jacobs is just as good in the way she portrays Samantha’s reaction, which is best discovered without any prior hints.
All of the performances are terrific, in fact. We feel for each character at some point, really wanting things to work out. “Don’t Think Twice” is too smart for everything to come up roses, yet that realism is what makes it work so well. But it’s not a hipster whine-fest; there are plenty of laughs here (with this cast, how could there not be?).
Birbiglia, whose previous feature was the well-received “Sleepwalk with Me,” has made a tiny gem, a delightful film as surprising as it is satisfying.
DISCUSSION FOLLOWS EVERY FILM!
$6.00 Members / $10.00 Non-Members
BONUS SCREENING
AT THE OGDEN 6 THEATRE
1227 E. Ogden Ave. I Naperville, IL
630.357.5050 I www.classiccinemas.com
The world of comedy is like its own universe, with its own language and behavior and rules that civilians don’t understand — we just go to stand-up shows and laugh (or don’t).
The world of improv comedy is stranger still, a strange and distant satellite that harbors only the hardiest souls, those willing to step off the high wire and hope — trust — that another member of the group holds a safety net, and will use it. And that we will want to see this, and be entertained by it.
It’s the kind of thing that seems impossible to capture in a movie, but with “Don’t Think Twice” writer, director and star (and stand-up and improv actor) Mike Birbiglia does. He’s also built a heartfelt, moving little comedy around it.
Birbiglia plays Miles, who founded the Commune, an improv troupe. He got passed over for “Weekend Live,” an obvious “Saturday Night Live” stand-in, and the instant celebrity being asked to join the cast guarantees. Now he has a little of that stardom-spoils-the-true-art vibe going, which is, at heart, another version of sour grapes. He consoles himself with sleeping with his (much younger) students and criticizing famous comics in passive-aggressive fashion.
Among the others in the troupe (played perfectly by Chris Gethard, Tami Sagher and Kate Micucci) are Jack (Keegan-Michael Key), the most magnetic of the bunch, and Samantha (Gillian Jacobs), immensely gifted and one of those people who just can’t stand success.
Birbiglia (the director version) really gets the camaraderie of the group — how they simultaneously root for and compete against one another. This is a particularly dicey dynamic in improv, because the performances are interlocked, wholly dependent on each other.
He also offers a fair amount of improv performance. But it doesn’t come off as a movie-length version of “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” Instead, the way Birbiglia films the bits, we see the quick thinking, the surprise and sometimes the struggle that even talented improv actors cycle through on stage.
Two events shape the film. The first is when the Commune learns that the building it’s called home for years has been sold and they’ll have to find new digs. Even more disruptive is the call from “Weekend Live” — Jack and Samantha have been asked to audition.
The first problem is simply structural (though potentially dire). The second is more corrosive to the group’s foundation, bringing to the fore the competitive nature of the business, mixed with genuine good will. This is a dangerous cocktail. It is sad to see Miles, for instance, remind Jack that he got him his start in improv. It smacks of listening to someone tell you how they beat out Tom Brady in Pop Warner football. The truth is, some people are better than others, but the situation is uncomfortable for everyone.
Key is tremendous in showing us his delight and his hesitance to crow about the offer, as well as Jack’s immense talent. Jacobs is just as good in the way she portrays Samantha’s reaction, which is best discovered without any prior hints.
All of the performances are terrific, in fact. We feel for each character at some point, really wanting things to work out. “Don’t Think Twice” is too smart for everything to come up roses, yet that realism is what makes it work so well. But it’s not a hipster whine-fest; there are plenty of laughs here (with this cast, how could there not be?).
Birbiglia, whose previous feature was the well-received “Sleepwalk with Me,” has made a tiny gem, a delightful film as surprising as it is satisfying.
DISCUSSION FOLLOWS EVERY FILM!
$6.00 Members / $10.00 Non-Members
BONUS SCREENING
AT THE OGDEN 6 THEATRE
1227 E. Ogden Ave. I Naperville, IL
630.357.5050 I www.classiccinemas.com
