Pun Salad

I watched Mike Birbiglia's hilarious stand-up routine ("What I Should Have Said Was Nothing") a few years back on Comedy Central. It really stood out amid the standard dreck: he's gifted at telling as-far-as-I-know true stories about his life and activities. ("Chalk up another save for the Eck!")

Since then, he's put on some big-boy pants, writing and starring in this actual movie. Well sort of. It has real actors (e.g., James Rebhorn and Carol Kane as his parents. Yes, Carol Kane.) It's based on a play, which (in turn) is based on his stand-up. Mike plays a character named "Matt Pandamiglio", who, at the beginning of the film, is a dreadfully unfunny and unsuccessful comedian, making do by tending bar at the same club at which he performs. He also has an eight-year relationship with Abby, who's beginning to chafe at the lack of long-term commitment.

Matt accidentally discovers a key to professional success: to talk honestly, but amusingly, about his personal life. (His first big laugh comes when he blurts out "I'm not going to get married until I am 100% sure nothing good can happen in my life anymore." Oh oh.) Professional success dovetails with personal turmoil, as he develops a nasty sleep disorder (see title) and gets stampeded into a marriage engagement.

Now there's a lot of funny stuff here, but the funniest stuff is when Birbiglia talks directly to the camera. This leads me to suspect I would have laughed more at his stand-up routine.