‘Don’t Think Twice’ gets it right the first time

Being part of an improv group is funny — until it isn’t in the endearingly bittersweet indie comedy Don’t Think Twice.

That realization is the situation the members of a struggling New York City troupe called The Commune find themselves in thanks to two things: They’re aging 30-somethings who are waking up to the sad fact that their big break may never come, and the theater in which they’ve been performing is going to be sold.

Written and directed by comedian Mike Birbiglia (who plays Danny Pearson on Orange Is the New Black and first came to fame with the 2012 one-man show Sleepwalk With Me), this sketch of a group of co-workers coming together and potentially falling apart is at once a knowing glimpse into dashed dreams and a skillful portrait of fraying adult friendships.

Birbiglia is Miles, The Commune’s leader and a performer whose big claim to fame is that years ago he was mere inches away from being cast on Weekend Live, the film’s not-so-subtle riff on Saturday Night Live.

His group includes ambitious Jack (Keegan-Michael Key of Key & Peele), who is desperate to get on Weekend Live; Jack’s girlfriend, Samantha (Gillian Jacobs, Community), who’s conflicted over her talents; frustrated writer Bill (Chris Gethard); quiet cartoonist Allison (Kate Micucci), who’s working on a graphic novel; and Lindsay (Tami Sagher), who is supported by her well-off parents, something that becomes a source of tension within the group as most struggle with soul-deadening day jobs.

And when one of them actually gets the call to join the Weekend Live cast, it drives division within The Commune and could be filed under the category of “be careful what you wish for.”

Like those in the fictional Commune, the actors in Don’t Think Twice show off an easy chemistry, as if they have indeed been playing together for years. The scenes on stage radiate with the controlled yet whimsical chaos that the best improv creates.

Obviously, Birbiglia, who came up from the underground comedy scene, is a man who knows what he’s talking about. (A couple of celebrity cameos also add to the sense of verisimilitude.)

But you don’t need to have been involved in the world of improv to appreciate the film’s message that while life is no laughing matter, a few real friends can make you crack a smile.

Exclusive: Landmark Magnolia, Dallas; Angelika Plano; opens Aug. 19 at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth

This story was originally published August 4, 2016 at 7:41 AM with the headline "‘Don’t Think Twice’ gets it right the first time."