Check out the new artwork for Mike Birbiglia’s Sundance NEXT winner “Sleepwalk With Me,” which translates the comedian’s successful 2008 standup routine into a film about a longterm couple who, like a shark, must either keep swimming or die. The full poster is below. Review roundup is below and Birbiglia’s original “Fear of Sleep” audio from “This American Life” is here.
Peter Debruge, Variety:
“Like anyone who stands behind a microphone for a living, Birbiglia has a way with words, and “Sleepwalk With Me” is packed with laugh-out-loud one-liners (e.g. “Having sex for the first time is like eating pizza-flavored ice cream”). The nice surprise of this screen adaptation (which Birbiglia accomplished with the help of “This American Life’s” Ira Glass, his brother Joe Birbiglia and Seth Barrish, director of the original stage production) is that his humor comes across just as strongly in visual terms, with funny observations layered into casting, performance and every aspect of the production.”
Eric Kohn, Indiewire:
“The film’s cheery soundtrack and flat visual compositions bear the mark of a first-time filmmaker who’s more invested in the characters populating his narrative (particularly himself) than any style to sustain them. That could make ‘Sleepwalk With Me’ unbearable if it weren’t for Birbiglia’s sincere, levelheaded voice and a sense of humor that truly comes to life during his inexplicable sleepwalking episodes… As a depiction of oddball adventures in the realm of stand-up comedy, “Sleepwalk With Me” calls to mind Judd Apatow’s “Funny People” for its focus on the eccentric, obsessive nature of the wannabe comic’s mind.”
Duane Byrge, The Hollywood Reporter:
“Birbiglia’s deft, breezy treatment of a serious relationship disorder, as well as a serious neurological sleeping problem, jells wonderfully. The comedy percolates in large part because of the likable lead performances of Birbiglia, whose easy self-deprecating ways overcoats Matt’s character flaws. As his steadfast partner, Ambrose is a zesty antidote, who swallows her pain with perky resolve.”
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