Has Anybody Had A Particularly Hard Day? Don’t Think Twice.
Empty chairs. Empty stage.
If you know me well enough, you know that in my head I’m happily singing a song from Les Miserables right now.
I have a thing for word association.
I digress…
Chairs set the empty stage to open Don’t Think Twice, a film about an improv troupe aptly named, “The Commune.” The group of 6 “30-somethings” lives in NYC, most working dead-end day jobs that enable them to spend their free time pursuing their true passion — improv, of course !
The magic happens at a small theatre in Midtown Manhattan called Improv for America, an iconic theatre about to close its doors. My opinion as a relatively novice player on the improv scene? Brilliant!! The shenanigans in this film felt familiar. It was virtually impossible to tell which parts of the film were scripted and which were truly improvised. There was a certain magic to the way it all came together.
Every show begins with a familiar question:
Has anybody had a particularly hard day?
Early in the film, Birbiglia sets the viewer up with a brief history of improv and lays out the three most important rules:
Rule #1: Say Yes . . . And
Agree and add something. Accept all ideas that are offered and build upon them. Listen, remember what’s been said, and revisit these ideas later. This establishes trust within the group. “Yes ... And” allows us to let go of egocentricity and be open to the perspectives of others, to reevaluate our reflexive “NOs,” and to see the possibility inherent in every moment.
“Yes…And” rings through loud and clear in this film as the characters riff off of each other seamlessly, and create group “bits” inspired by their daily lives, in the moment. Roger Ebert says it best,
“Yes, and … “ makes sure that a scene continues, creating the environment of acceptance that makes all good improv possible. “Yes, and … “ is how Birbiglia and his ensemble approach every scene in the film.
Rule #2: It’s All About The Group
The group is always more important than the individual. In improv, your goal is to make the group look good. If you follow this simple rule, you will look good in turn. It doesn’t work in reverse. There is no star. Do not aim to outshine your teammates. Everyone is a supporting actor. Save your fellow actor, even at the peril of the scene. Trust the group. Serve the group. Commit to the group. Be subservient to the group. It’s all about the group.
Until it’s not.
All for one, one for all sounds like an amazing way to live and work. We look out for one another and no one gets left behind. But what happens when one member of the group shines a little more brightly than the rest? What happens when one member is elevated and the others left behind?
This is one of the beautiful, truly human revelations of this film. Yes, we want to be deliriously happy for a friend’s success — and I believe we genuinely are — but at the same time, his or her success might awaken some of our own insecurities about success and whether or not we have what it takes. Another’s success might simultaneously inspire delight, but also envy. That’s a difficult emotional duo with which we wrestle when we work with people we consider our friends.
Even more, we can’t always depend on our friends to take us along on their success journey. Perhaps they can’t. Perhaps they don’t want to. Either way, relationships will shift and change, seeking an equilibrium and feelings will be hurt along the way, even when we have an unwavering commitment to preserving the relationship. Some relationships will weather the storm and find a new normal, some will not. Only time will tell.
This struggle is captured beautifully in this film. The authenticity is, at times, heart wrenching as one of the six players get their big break that ultimately serves as the catalyst to potentially fracture the tight-knit group.
Rule #3: Don’t Think
Thinking makes us rigid, anxious, and self-conscious. Thinking often leads to overthinking. Overthinking often leads to “I got nothin” on the stage. Don’t Think reminds us to be present, stay in the moment, trust ourselves and the group — and just go with it. It sounds like . . . freedom. “The Commune” made improv look effortless and authentic. They made me want to be there — to watch, to play. That is truly the magic of a movie for me.
The “rules” are the minutiae that guide the improv life and Birbiglia is spot on in his communication of that minutiae through the lives of the characters he creates. The characters are real, endearing, and sometimes a little trope: The extrovert talent with a big ego and a need to make it big; The quiet talent with a radically different definition of success; the disillusioned, somewhat bitter can’t-do-so-teach improv teacher who never really had what it takes to make it in comedy (but thinks he does); the anxious self-saboteur, so afraid of failure she never actually finishes anything; the introvert with badass on-stage flair and a boat-load of daddy issues; and the talented but psychologically paralyzed rich, white girl, self-medicating and struggling with issues of privilege. All this said, I grew to love every single one of them, in all of their imperfections, by the end of the film.
How can you see the rules of improv play out in your life and work?
After the show, I wanted to know what others thought — how their opinions compared to mine. I really enjoyed Roger Ebert’s stellar review of Don’t Think Twice. It captured what I saw to be true in the film beautifully.
Check it out!
I found the review’s conclusion to be somewhat profound. Ebert ended his review with impact stating,
“Improv is a great model for society, which explains why people devoted to improv talk about it with an evangelical gleam in their eyes. What would it be like if we all listened to one another like that? What would it be like if we accepted one another’s contributions with generosity and openness? What if we approached every interaction not with “No, but … “ but with “Yes, and … “. Birbiglia’s beautiful, sneakily profound film shows a world where “Yes, and … “ is the default. “
Is improv a great model for society? And if it is, what if we followed that model?
What if? What would the world be like if we all approached it with an Improviser’s Mindset? (*She asks with an evangelical gleam in her eyes*)
If you have the chance to see this film — do. You won’t be disappointed!
