Sleepwalk with Me

Throughout the film adaptation of his one-man show, which has also appeared as a radio piece and a book, stand-up comedian Mike Birbiglia looks right into the camera and addresses the viewer directly. But why did he bother to make a movie out of his story if he wasn't going to thoroughly re-imagine it for the cinema without relying on the techniques of the spoken word format?  Birbiglia is not as engaging a screen presence as he is a live performer, and the characterizations of everyone else in the film, especially his girlfriend, are paper-thin. The one-dimensionality of supporting players is something that's easier to get away with in front of a live audience, but a narrative feature requires more depth. Birbiglia is a talented comic, and his unusual sleep disorder makes for interesting subject matter, but don’t think this story he has been telling in one form or another for ten years merits a feature film.