For a film about supposedly funny members of an improvisation group, “Don’t Think Twice” has very few laughs. There are chuckles earned here and there, but the movie written and directed by Mike Birbiglia is basically a sad tale of struggling comics in New York who have a rough time getting ahead. It is also a vehicle for Birbiglia in his capacity as actor playing the chief struggler on whom the film primarily focuses.
The name of the group is the Commune, and we see examples of its members trying to be funny in the tradition of the famed Second City. But many in that troupe emerged as extraordinarily talented, with a number of them becoming famous and inspiring other groups.
Two of the more interesting Commune members are Samantha (Gillian Jacobs) and Jack (Keegan-Michael Key), a couple living together and trying to keep their romantic life going amid the tensions of performing and seeking a big break. Samantha shows sparks of charm and comedic talent. Jack, hogging the improv spotlight to focus more on himself, is hired to perform on a “Saturday Night Live”-type program, which immediately sets him apart and spawns intense jealousy among the others. He is pressured to using his new-found stardom to opening the program’s doors to them, but he is unable to deliver and pressing too hard would endanger his own status.
Birbiglia plays Miles, who becomes especially frustrated and lives in a cramped apartment dubbed a college dorm by Liz (Maggie Kemper), a former high school classmate who visits him and on whom he develops a crush. She’s much more mature and worldly. Others in the Commune are Bill (Chris Gethard), Lindsay (Tami Sagher) and Allison (Kate Micucci). Ben Stiller makes a cameo appearance as a celebrity attending one of the performances and underscoring the thirst for success on the part of the others.
Birbiglia nails the hard climb for those who attempt to make it in the improve comedy category, a struggle which can be applied to comics in general. In this group the challenge grows more intense as members look at where they are and where they are not and are compelled to take stock of their lives. Unfortunately, when we see them perform, what they do doesn’t leave the feeling of tragically unrecognized talent. They are not all that funny. Perhaps that is part of the film’s point in delineating the sadness of aspirations unfulfilled. A Film Arcade release. Reviewed July 22, 2016.