Comedian and director has been contributing to this life since 2008. Some critics Belmondo spoke with him last month when he was in San Diego for his new film don't think twice about an improv group suffering growing pains. Don't think twice the new film In terms of standup there is a rivalry between the two. Some people hate standup the other actors on stage Everything you see will be improvised. The show is all about you guys. We want to know has anybody had a particularly hard day. Not something like a remake eight your yogurt. You live and die by your relationships with other people on stage and that is thrilling. There's a scene in the bar were Sam is talking to her students and she said if you are going to fail I want you to fail. I want you to crash and burn. It's one of my -- that was the line that Chris gathered pointed out when he and I were on tour I was writing this movie and we would point out truisms about improv and one of them was that you failed together. When you fail you failed together. Is trust a key factor? Trust is a magic -- massive factor. So much of improv is about listening to what your partner is saying and building on that. That is how improv scenes are built is with one person says one thing and another persons is another or agrees with that thing and add something to it and eventually your in this universe that did not exist before. [Captioners Transitioning] That is how the idea for the movie was conceived. My wife came to see -- she is a consulting producer on the film. She came to see our group one night. And a lot of people who are in the movie -- movie play regularly. She made this observation. She center stand up phentermine to each other. I said it's more complicated than that the meanness is bubbling under the surface. And I thought, that could be a movie. The other thing my wife said, she is a very wise person. In improv the principle is everyone is equal. It is a very different type of movie then what is in Cineplex is right now. You walk in, it is this franchise or the superhero thing, or a toy that is now a movie. Somehow, that is the thing. And I feel like these movies, the ones that I love that I grew up on in the 70s and 80s, movies like broadcast news -- news in the big chill. Movies that make you laugh and cry. And I feel like they are very rare. I crave those movies. I'm almost making this movie because I wanted -- I want it to exist. I would love to see five of those movies a year. The way it is promoted in some of the trailers and stuff, I am wondering if people will be surprised how serious -- I don't know if that is the right word. As opposed to it being an all out movie. We tried to get across that it is a dramatic comedy. Is a drama about a group of friends. But that it is funny. My favorite movies are movies that have all of the elements of life in them. When ever I see a movie that is so dramatic that there is no air for there to be human, I always say, that is not what life is like pure life is funny. It is not constantly funny but it is sometimes funny. When something has no humor, I say I don't believe that. And when something has all humor and no tragedy or drama, and I say that's not realistic either. Is a good have brilliant at yours ? How do you get the right chemistry for a group like that ? We spent a few weeks together in advance. I had to convince all of the actors to come to New York. I told them, guys, this movie will live or die based on the chemistry of the group. If we feel like friends, people will like the movie. If we do not feel like France, people will say, what is this movie ? That is what the movie is about. Friendship. I convince them to come to town, and then a goober him -- a good room improv teacher, she had is feeling like we were up bunch of test friends. I feel like I will always have a bond with this group of people. There's always this thing about improv is that it happens in the moment and then it disappears. And now, I spent three weeks rehearsing with these five other actors and we spent a ton of time together. We will always be friends but we will not have that intense -- like summer camp. I feel very lucky. Who would you say your influences were in terms of comedy quite I grew up on Saturday Night Live. I grew up on David Letterman. When I got into college, I started writing films. And taking screenwriting classes. And that is when I got into James L Brooks and Woody Allen's. And filmmakers who were making films that merge comedy and drama in a way that made me feel something. And I thought, if I could make films that make people feel the way I feel when I see these films, it would be a dream come true. Thank you very much for your time. Thank you it's fun. [ music ] Don't think twice opens tomorrow for a two week run.
Mike Birbiglia's "Don't Think Twice" opened in New York last month and now expands to more cities, including San Diego for a two-week run at Landmark's Ken Cinema beginning Friday.
Writer-director-comedian Mike Birbiglia has been contributing to "This American Life" since 2008. He made his feature film debut in 2012 with "Sleepwalk With Me."
Last month, Birbiglia came to San Diego to hold a preview screening of his new film, "Don't Think Twice," and to meet with the folks at Finest City Improv.
Birbiglia performs stand up and improv comedy. He said both find "humor in truth," but they are very different beasts. Stand up is a solitary profession, whereas improv is all about working as a team. But the team of comedians at the center of "Don't Think Twice" are suffering from some growing pains as two members of the group get auditions for a Saturday Night Live sketch comedy show.
The film serves up a bit of a history lesson about improv and lays out some rules. Key to making improv work is "don't think." It's all about going with your instincts and building on what your fellow comedians give you.
While the ads for the film emphasize the comedy, Birbiglia insisted that it is a drama with comedy in it. What audiences may be most surprised by is how much you will come to care for the characters he creates and how real and truthful the relationships are.
You can hear more of my interview with Birbiglia on the KPBS Cinema Junkie Podcast Episode 85.
