Review of Don't Think Twice (2016) by Glenn G — 06 Aug 2016

ON STAGE, NO ONE CAN HEAR YOU SQUIRM - My Review of DON'T THINK TWICE (4 Stars).

Funny yet painfully honest, Mike Birbiglia's DON'T THINK TWICE, for which he wrote, directed, and co-stars, manages to enter the ephemeral world of improv comedy and make a lasting impression, becoming one of the best films of 2016 in the process. Too often, films about a group of friends turn smug and overly satisfied with themselves. THE BIG CHILL, for example, kept me away from reunions for years for fear I'd have to dance around a kitchen island whilst preparing spa salads. Birbiglia, a veteran standup comic and TRAINWRECK scene stealer, seems to understand this and opens up a can of real on this story about an improv troupe who cope with success and failure in deliciously uncomfortable ways.

The group known as the Commune and comprised of six thirtysomethibng comics (Birbiglia, Gillian Jacobs, Keegan-Michael Key, Kate Micucci, Chris Gethard, and Tami Sagher), have tooled around Manhattan for years and face extinction when they learn of their theatre's closing. Ostensibly an all-for-one/one-for-all team, their loyalties get put to the test when one of their own (Key) lands a coveted spot on WEEKEND LIVE, an SNL-type sketch comedy show. It's everyone's reaction to his success that puts their friendships to the test and forces them to own up to their own talent or lack thereof.

Personally, I'm not a fan of improv comedy. I much prefer a well-crafted joke to something made up on the spot. Wisely, DON'T THINK TWICE acknowledges this by teaching the audience about its inner workings and by never demanding we laugh at the routines they present. Almost every scene in this wonderful film zags when you expect it to zig. These friends/competitors rarely let each other off the hook, calling out flaws and testing limits. That frisson necessary to create comic moments becomes a double-edged sword which can slay another person when long-suppressed conflicts boil over.

Birbiglia has a talent for creating a believable world where friends may be simultaneously supportive and undermining each other, making for some highly awkward dynamics. Birbiglia treats failure and success with equal weight here, giving each character a cold hard look at both. Key's character could have easily been painted as a self-centered villain, yet we come to understand the pressures he faces with his sudden ascent. Likewise, Jacobs' Samantha makes some fairly self-destructive decisions that could come across as flighty but make total sense by the film's end. Throughout the film, she opens every improv session by asking the audience, "Has anyone had a particularly bad day?" It's a lovely framing device and gets a terrific payoff due to her character's surprising arc. Just when you think this is a film about Key or Birbiglia, Jacobs slyly takes over the film as the protagonist and delivers a star making performance.

Make no mistake, this film about comedy will make you squirm more frequently than laugh. It digs for hard truths and socks you in the gut. The movie goes there in such scenes like the one where Key tries to impress some WEEKEND LIVE talent and gets interrupted by his gang, or watch everyone's reaction to Ben Stiller's presence for a taste of the excruciating. I've never seen a moment quite like the one where everyone inappropriately makes fun of Gethard's injured father as a way of showing their solidarity. Sagher's Lindsay, a rich girl who can afford therapy and doesn't need a day job like the rest of her brethren, bites back hard when backed into a corner. She delivers the biggest takedown of the film, an unexpected moment in a sea of them.

For a film that tries very hard to pull no punches, Birbiglia loses his nerve a little in the final moments, presented as an 8 month flash forward. Without spoiling anything, what happened prior to this scene felt so shattering that I didn't quite buy the transition, especially with Lindsay. I get that he wants to show how friendships can overcome life's speed bumps, but sometimes the cold, hard truth is that they can't. Birbiglia clearly understands that, as evidenced by everything that comes before, but his conclusion could have used a little more bitter with the sweet. Regardless, this charming yet tough film, highly reminiscent of prime Woody Allen without feeling at all like a ripoff, deserves high praise. It's a mostly unblinking look at finding success in one's failures and vice versa and somehow made me appreciate improv. Now that's what I call noteworthy!