Sleepwalk With Me

This is a fictionalized autobiography of a stand up comedian named Mike Burbiglia. In the film, his name is Matt Pandamiglio, indicating that this movie really isn't more than a step away from reality. In short, this is story of Matt's attempt to discover himself and his purpose, set against the backdrop of the relationship with his girlfriend.

At the outset, this relationship is what defines him; at one point, he says "Everyone thinks the best thing about me is my girlfriend." After eight years of dating, he begins to feel pressure to propose though he feels ill-prepared and lost. As his comedy career starts to thrive, he becomes more enamored of that life; he enjoys the long drives, the motels and the people he meets along the way. On the road, he builds a sense of community with the other comedians and starts to find his place there. Meanwhile, he's discovering that he doesn't want to marry Abby, and he must find a way to tell her this, in spite of loving her. He simply realizes that he is not meant to marry her.

This movie has a predictably large number of laughs and Burbiglia's narration throughout the movie has a distinct charm and humor. It would be easy to overlook some of the deeper meaning of this movie. This movie is really about finding meaning, purpose and calling. Matt doesn't know who he is and feels the need to discover this before he inexorably links his life to someone else. 

Maybe my favorite moment of "Sleepwalk With Me" is the narrator's explanation of love. He says that everyone has a secret special skill and that love is when someone else recognizes that and brings it out in you. While a simplistic analysis, I find it very appealing. When someone knows you well and deeply enough to see that uniqueness about you, and they make that stronger, that is love.

It's a great movie, but not one to see in a theater. You'll enjoy it much more if you rent it with a large group of friends.