After torturing us with rave reviews out of Sundance and SXSW, Mike Birbiglia’s directorial debut Sleepwalk with Me will finally hit theaters on August 24, albeit in limited release. Regardless, IFC was wise enough to scoop this treasure up when nobody else would, and those of us who don’t get to attend film festivals because of work and/or lack of money can finally stop hearing from our friends about how awesome this movie was.
Of course, we won’t stop hearing about how cool Austin is – “Bro, you totally need to go, I saw Chris Cornell perform in a phone booth!” – but this will at least be a good start. So what the hell is Sleepwalk with Me about anyway?
Based on Birbiglia’s one-man off-Broadway show of the same name (which has spawned an award-winning book and comedy album), “Sleepwalk With Me” follows Matt Pandamiglio (Birbiglia), a struggling Brooklyn-based comic in the throes of twin life-crisises: after eight years together, his girlfriend Abby (Lauren Ambrose) wants to get married, and — in a perhaps-related twist — he’s developed an REM behavior disorder that makes him prone to very active bouts of sleepwalking. Naturally, neither issue fits into Matt’s schedule: he jokes that he doesn’t want to marry Abby until he’s sure “nothing else good could happen in [his] life,” and he won’t go to the doctor for his sleepwalking because his growing stand-up career has him traveling from Vermont to Ohio for low-paying gigs on the regular. (Via Moviefone)
If you’re unfamiliar with Birbiglia’s comedy, I strongly recommend you check out his special, “What I Should Have Said Was Nothing” because he’s a very charming and naturally funny guy. In fact, his bit about his summer job and Joey Bag-o-donuts just makes me laugh with delight every time.
Anyway, we finally have a trailer for Sleepwalk with Me, which is great news for people who are too lazy to read plot summaries. *points to self*
(H/T to Laughspin.)