This film may belong to the category of “little films that could”. You can tell the people behind this film shot it on a minuscule budget. And even though I can see how this could be an insult for almost any other movie, it is not for this one, as they have managed to put together something funny, interesting and oddly relatable. What do I mean by that? About 99% of people who will watch this film will never become a stand-up comedian, let alone attempt to become one. And yet, we can sympathize with the trials and tribulations of one of our heroes, who finally “makes it”, only for him to see how making it isn’t the hard part. The hard part is staying at the top.
You may think a movie about such a niche profession could become a bit too “inside baseball” to appeal to anyone outside the show business. And in another universe, or maybe with somebody else at the helm, it could have happened to this film. But Mike Birbiglia must have realised it and made sure this movie was, above all, funny and never too “inside baseball”. I don’t know that much about stand-up comedy; I have heard of certain comedy groups, but on a very surface level, so I am no expert, and yet, I never felt I wasn’t in on any joke or reference. Everything was tailored to the mainstream audience without seeming desperate or wanting to be relatable. And that goes back to the “captain” of this ship and the cast, and here, we have some of the funniest people available.
Keegan-Michael Key is probably the most known actor out of this bunch, and the movie plays into that smartly. In a film with no apparent lead, he is the one you will remember the most, but mostly because he is the best-known one. Who surprised me was Gillian Jacobs. I will be honest; she probably only surprised me because I still haven’t seen Community (2009 – 2015), so I don’t have much to go by for her, but she was the stood out performance for me. Especially; because her character seems to go one way, and then something happens, and she makes a different decision. And Gillian plays her character so earnestly; you are rooting for her, no matter what and understand her decision. Then we have Mike (yep, not only he wrote and directed this film, but he also stars in it), Kate Micucci, Tami Sagher and Chris Gethard and they all play their parts perfectly. That is probably this film’s biggest advantage, not having an obvious lead and instead having six people who are unique and yet, work so well together. And despite the fact you can tell where most of them are coming from within minutes (this person is wealthy, this one has this chip on their shoulder etc.), they play these archetypes well enough that you don’t care about that, and you are there to enjoy the show.
What may hit the hardest for some people is this film is layered and honest. The film is not shy to show us; how just because you are passionate about this one thing, it doesn’t mean you will be successful. I think this goes back to the relatability of this topic and how, even though it’s “just about stand-up”, it’s not just about that. In a very weird; and clever way, this film is more about life, growing up and realising some people can dream and achieve those dreams and some… will never manage to achieve them. No matter how many hours per day they spend doing the thing they love, how much they sacrifice, eventually, you have to face the music. That layer is something that makes the end of this film so bittersweet, where you see our heroes, and almost everyone is at a different place than they were when the movie started. Don’t Think Twice shows lifelike character growth, what it takes to succeed and what it takes to admit to yourself you “just don’t have it”. Whatever that “it” is.
I wouldn’t be surprised if, on future rewatch, this film climbs up even higher in my ranking, as it missed the “full” 5/5 by a smidge. I believe this film will give you as much as you are willing to “take in”; at the moment. If you watch Don’t Think Twice when you are around 20 years old, you may not enjoy it as much. But I would be willing to bet that if you watch it when you turn 30 years old (or around then), you will suddenly see it through different lenses, as by that time, many people have had their dreams crushed, hearts broken, hope lost, or they actually managed to succeed. But only they know how much they had to sacrifice. Again, this film is about stand-up comedy, but it’s hardly “just” about stand-up comedy.
Overall, Don’t Think Twice is an underseen and underappreciated gem of a funny, relatable and earnest movie. It is filled with great performances and believable characters and has this bittersweet ending that makes you realise how layered this movie is because, at its core, it’s about a group of friends going through life. The stand-up comedy part is just a bonus to keep us entertained. Also, I have to watch more films with Gillian Jacobs.
That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think about it? Let me know!
Until next time,
Luke