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When a member of a popular New York City improv troupe gets a huge break, the rest of the group – all best friends – start to realize that not everyone is going to make it after all.
Director Mike Birbiglia stood in front of an appreciative audience in Dallas last month and said, “Gillian Jacobs can do anything.” He’s right, she can. Jacobs stands out among a group of talented comedians and actors that make up a New York City improv comedy troupe in writer/director Mike Birbiglia’s film “Don’t Think Twice.” It’s a heartfelt and hilarious journey which examines the change in relationship dynamics as one troupe member hits it big on TV, leaving the others behind.
Primary stars Keegan-Michael Key and Jacobs, play Jack and Samantha, a couple of aspiring comedians whose lives revolve around their local comedy troupe. It chronicles the struggles of what is essential a community theater group, though an extraordinarily talented one. Included in the group are Birbiglia, as the over 40 Mike, Kate Micucci as Allison, Tami Sagher as Lindsay and Chris Gethard as Bill. Each of these is an accomplished comic on his or her own, but together, they make magic. Key is excellent as Jack, whose ambitions seem to be getting in the way of his friendships and his love life. He’s affable and funny, but ably communicates emotions such as disappointment and frustration while maintaining audience sympathy. Each of the performances rings true, with Birbiglia finding himself as comfortable in front of the camera as he is behind it. Gethard and Micucci gain dramatic chemistry as the group begins to realize nothing is forever. Even Sagher’s pot-smoking rich girl on welfare finds her way into the center of the fun. One particularly moving role encompasses the end of life decisions surrounding Bill’s elderly father.
Jacobs’ performance holds everything together, however. She shines in every frame of screen time Samantha gives her. Whether she’s delivering potent comedic lines or lamenting a fading relationship, she grabs the spotlight and holds on. It’s a powerfully effective turn which should lead to many more roles for the “Community” veteran and Pittsburgh native.
Birbiglia once again shows himself to be one of the most talented writer/directors on the scene. He’s written a story which is deceptively complex but which connects easily with the audience. I laughed often as I watched these characters navigate both broken dreams and fulfilled wishes. But not everything is fun and games. Some of the films funniest moments are also its most poignant and heartfelt, such as a surprise guest appearance at the improv show by Jack. The way the two characters have changed their relationship is painfully apparent on screen, even while they’re deftly creating laughs. Birbiglia keeps a strong mixture of jokes and tears throughout the film’s duration, falling into sentimentality only toward the end. Even his ending, which drips with saccharin, is satisfying because of the way he develops such strong characters. He continues to demonstrate a deep understanding of the trials of growing older in the entertainment industry. But his observations are poignantly spot on when applied to everyday life. He takes this group of entertainers and transforms them into regular, relatable people.
Even in its grimmest moments, “Don’t Think Twice” brings on joyful laughter. The juxtaposition of these two seemingly incompatible emotions, grief and laughter, pervades it movingly from start to finish. Few films have been able to accomplish this feet as effectively as this one.
In select theaters including the Angelika Film Center in Plano Friday, August 5th
