For lovers of stand-up comedy. If you have suffered from sleep disorder you will relate to the main character's dilemma. And then there is the angst he experiences within his long-term relationship. The movie makes you really feel from both sides. I guess what wasn't resolved for me was how his girlfriend in particular came to see his use of his private life in his comedy act. But a movie that gets away with talk-to-camera as well as voice-over narration, neither of which I normally like, is a winner. It's the pathos. (viewed 10/16)

I saw this movie because I heard about it from Joss Whedon's "boycott." Before I sat down to watch it I glanced at the IMDb rate of 6.7, so I figured take it in on my day off while at home on netflix with nothing else to do. It turned out I loved it. The film follows Matt as he attempts to break into stand up comedy and juggle a relationship with his girlfriend of 8 years, as well as cope with some extreme bouts of sleepwalking. Now this is listed as a comedy, but it's not like comedies that other comedians put out, like Will Ferrell, and I wonder if that's part of the reason for the low ranking. Really the story is a serious one but told in a lighthearted but honest way.If there were some downsides they would be first that, visually it's nothing special, it looks good but not great. Second, is not so much a downside for me as it would be for what I assume it was for some of the people who gave it negative reviews, (indeed I did see people cite this very reason in their reviews) and that is the ending. The film follows the typical film plot structure up to a point and then it strays from what most people would see as typical. I won't spoil anything but I will say this, I was surprised but then again it makes you think. And that is where it really knocked it out of the park for me. I was a little miffed at first but, the film then leaves you with a thought, which made me re-think the movie and it all came together.I don't think the average movie goer wants to have a revelation at the end of a movie unless that revelation was "It was all a dream(or was it?)" or "He was dead the whole time."All in all, the movie is an honest, lighthearted look at an event from Mike Birbiglia's life. A movie that will make you laugh at least a little bit, and you might even take something away from it. If you JUST want to laugh, well go watch the latest Will Ferrell movie.

I enjoyed every minute of this small, honest, personal film. It was what I expected it to be, an uncomfortable trip through an uncomfortable man's psyche as he wrestles with inner conflicts, ambition as a comic, and regular human relationship angst. Completely satisfying. Yes, you probably need a fairly dry sense of humor (mine existent, not reflected here). No, it won't slap you in the face with fall down Dick Van Dyke trip over the hassock comedy. But if you pay attention, it's like being with a person being a person for 90 minutes. Being a likable, funny person. Not a bad way to spend an evening. Also, lots of comic talent in supporting roles and cameos, Carol Kane, John Lutz, and Ira Glass (Glass is also one of the writers and a producer).

I've always liked Mike Birbiglia's stand up so I figured this would be hilarious. But it's not. Sorry, Mike. This story works as a routine but transferred poorly to screenplay. Just finished watching so I haven't had a chance to analyze what went wrong, (not that my analysis would matter or even be very good) but outside of a few scenes, which featured his stand up, and a few lines of narration, it was rather boring. Sort of the way that Richard Lewis-type manic self-obsession gets tedious pretty quick. Marc Maron was almost amusing for a second. The opening narration was the best part. The rest is funnier in concept than execution. Anyway, still love Berbiglia... doing stand up, that is.