‘Sleepwalk With Me’ Director & Star Mike Birbiglia Writing A New Movie Based On His Stand Up Act ‘My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend’

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by Tess Hofmann
February 19, 2013 10:22 AM
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Last year was a big one for comedian Mike Birbiglia, who won an Audience Award at Sundance for his film “Sleepwalk With Me,” an autobiographical story starring himself and based on his stand-up comedy act by the same title that had also spawned a "This American Life" radio segment and a book. The purportedly unembellished story about Birbiglia’s stagnant comedy career, his ailing relationship, and his worsening sleepwalking problems charmed critics and earned him a name in the world of indie filmmaking, and now it looks like he’s about to apply the same comedy routine-to-screen formula again.

In an interview with THR, Birbiglia announced that he's planning to bring his newest stand-up act, “My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend,” to the big screen as well. "I’m writing a screen adaptation of 'My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend.' Which will have a different name, but that was the jumping-off point. I’m working on that right now, and I’m shooting a concert special of 'My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend' in about a month from now, and that should come out in the fall," he said. In the interview, Birbiglia said that he plans to star again, and expressed a desire to maintain the integrity of the material as he did in 'Sleepwalk,' which was co-produced by radio icon Ira Glass.

Reviews of the new tour indicate themes of romantic failure similar to some of those in the last film, and while turning the personal into the relatable has been perfected in recent times by folks like Jerry Seinfeld and Louis C.K., Birbiglia has proven to have a voice distinct, hilarious and all his own. It’s clear that audiences and critics are really responding to both his stand-up and film work, so it’ll be no surprise if this next film gains him a wider audience.

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