“Don’t Think Twice” may be a little too real. It’s a movie about 30-somethings coming to grips with failing to meet their dreams and ambitions, which, for a 20-something still harboring those dreams, doesn’t exactly sit well. Comedian Mike Birbiglia’s sophomore film will ring true for any artist/creative type who has tried to cut it in New York or LA, even though the improv comedy troupe it depicts is a very specific personality.
Miles (Birbiglia) leads an improv comedy troupe known lovingly as The Commune, and their pre-show rituals, whether embracing a bear statue, chanting vocal warm-ups or impersonating the mousy stage manager, all echo the sensation of a caring support group. Comedy for these ambitious weirdoes needs to come from a place of bonding. In an opening narration, we hear the rules of improv: Always Say Yes, Don’t Think, and It’s All About the Group. They share a hive mind and get through each performance by supporting the other.
Of course this personality type, always being on, never saying no and being unable to turn off the improvisational urge, can quickly get insufferable. Birbiglia’s screenplay highlights the Commune’s narcissism, in which they’re always talking about their own projects and reflecting on missed opportunities. And yet he still allows their chatterbox mouths to run wild. “Don’t Think Twice” is about comedy and has funny moments, but it’s a far more subdued character drama that shows the mind of the improv comic instead of laugh out loud humor. As a result, sitting with them at bars or in their dorm-sized apartment can be like trying to get in on an inside joke.
Miles was “inches” from years ago landing a spot on “Weekend Live,” (essentially “SNL”) but now teaches improv to aspiring actors, even going as far as to sleep with a few of his cute students who feel they can earn a leg up in the industry. His best protégé and friend is Jack (Keegan-Michael Key), who along with his girlfriend Samantha (Gillian Jacobs), land auditions on “Weekend Live.” He nails it, while she panics and doesn’t show up for her spot. Their romance and ability to keep it together serves as “Don’t Think Twice’s” main tension, but it’s likewise a film about how to mentally grapple with not achieving success when one of your own leaves the nest.
“I like it down here in the well. I belong in the well,” Samantha says to Jack. It’s a realization that for some people, it’s just not going to happen. With or without others you care about, you have to find a way to be all right with that. That’s not a Hollywood ending or morale, but the movie’s “say yes” optimism makes it seem that way.
The movie even has an improv sensibility in its storytelling, quickly throwing out story beats and moments of conflicts and seeing what happens. One of the member’s dads is on his death bed…what does he sound like in a coma…Go! And Birbiglia’s writing has a naturalistic feel and quick, comic pacing. In one party scene, the camera works the room and picks up conversations and dreams from the whole supporting cast that give the film much needed depth. It’s as well written and perceptive as his first film “Sleepwalk with Me,” if a little less formally creative.
“Your 20s are all about hope, and your 30s are all about how dumb your hope is.” That’s a cynical sentiment in a movie that certainly doesn’t feel that way, and as someone who still has some hope (however little), I feel a little empty recognizing how okay “Don’t Think Twice” feels about that message. At least we had some laughs.
3 stars