“I’m going to tell you a story, and it’s true … I always have to tell peopl
e that.” So asserts comedian-turned-playwright-turned-filmmaker Mike Birbiglia directly to the viewer at the outset of his autobiographically inspired, fictional feature debut, SLEEPWALK WITH ME. The witty and incisive comedy-drama comes to high-definition Blu-ray and DVD from IFC Films on December 18, 2012, with SRPs, respectively, of $29.98 and $24.98.
Bartender and aspiring stand-up comic Matt (Birbiglia, HBO’s Girls, Your Sister’s Sister) is at an impasse in his career and relationship. Feeling pressure from his family and girlfriend Abby (Lauren Ambrose, Six Feet Under, Wanderlust) to get married after dating for eight years, Matt takes his modest act on the road to clear his head and jumpstart his career. He steadily improves his set, but the new material only increases his doubts about his future with Abby.
Adding to his distress is a potentially dangerous sleep disorder that leads him to act out his dreams – fleeing jackals, winning an Olympic medal for Dustbustering, avoiding a missile strike, the usual things.
Birbiglia and Ira Glass (This American Life) co-directed this charming, insightful and very funny adaptation of Birbiglia’s book and one-man show.
Winner of the Best of Next Audience Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, SLEEPWALK WITH ME was a top-grossing theatrical release for IFC Films. It also stars Carol Kane (Taxi, Annie Hall), James Rebhorn (Meet the Parents) and
Cristin Milioti (30 Rock, Tony nominee for Once), as well as a who’s who of today’s stand-up scene.
“SLEEPWALK WITH ME sticks the landing,” praised Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly. Time magazine’s Richard Corliss called it “oddly soothing, like a cup of camomile tea before bedtime.” The New York Post’s Sara Stewart said it’s “a thoughtful adaptation of Birbiglia’s hit one-man, Off-Broadway show.” The Chicago Reader’s J.R. Jones called it a “sharp romantic comedy.” Gary Thompson of the Philadelphia Daily News said the movie “puts a laudably offbeat new spin on the familiar story of the slacker guy with the commitment problem.”
