'Sleepwalk With Me' A Review

'Sleepwalk With Me' is an autobiographical film about how Mike Birbiglia started performing his current stand-up act. The movie starts with Mike and his current girlfriend in a boring uninspired life. Mike works at a comedy club and periodically performs using the same lame jokes his done for ten years. His girlfriend seems great but the problem is she wants to get married and he doesn't know if he's ready. After 8 years of dating its come to the breaking point. As the movie progresses Mike starts doing jokes about his relationship and family and gains success. At the same time he begins having sleep walking episodes where he acts out his dreams putting him in danger from time to time.

The movie doesn't seem to know what it wants to be. Is it about his relationship or relationships in general or is it about being a comedian? Is it about dreams and how they effect us? The movie spends equal time with all three ideas but doesn't focus on one. The result is an entertaining movie with no point. We never get a full picture as to Mike's life or what is going on. We don't get a real sense of how he writes we just see him doing stand-up a couple times and are left to intuit how or why he wrote his material.

It comes off as a 'feel good' 'heartfelt' movie, or at least that's what its trying to be, but there is little heart in it. The film doesn't show much emotionality. It never goes deeper than Birbiglia is willing to go in his act.

Rent It.