Independent comedies normally tend to be very much hit-and-miss, but they normally err towards being relatively entertaining, even when they aren’t all that original. As someone who rarely encounters a quirky comedy I didn’t like, it takes a lot for me to be disappointed with a film that tries to deviate from mainstream comedy – there aren’t many films along this vein that I haven’t outright adored in some way, and so many of them are worth defending on their own merits. Unfortunately, Don’t Think Twice is an enormous exception, a film that had all the elements needed to make a brilliant comedy, but unfortunately fails to deliver anything even remotely likable or endearing in any way throughout its exorbitant running time, where the audience is subjected to a sextet of the most unbearable characters ever portrayed in film, performed by comedians who clearly didn’t have any interest in conveying anything close to a realistic human emotion, and a story that is so derivative and uninspiring, you’d be forgiven for wanting to retreat with great haste from this film, which really only works when it isn’t trying so hard. The very definition of a bundle of missed opportunities, as well as a piece that squanders absolutely every bit of potential it had to the point where it becomes too unbearable. I can’t recall the last time I felt so relieved to see closing credits, delivering a merciful to bring an end to this extraordinarily dull excuse for a comedy film.

The Commune is an improvisational comedy troupe that has been operating out of New York City for over a decade. They’re led by Miles (Mike Birbiglia), a veteran of the improv industry who also works as an instructor for newcomers hoping to enter into the world of comedy. His friends and fellow performers include Jack (Keegan-Michael Key), his girlfriend Sam (Gillian Jacobs), Allison (Kate Micucci), Lindsay (Tami Sagher) and Bill (Chris Gethard), all of which bring a new dynamic to their artistic coterie. Together they spend their evenings engaged in their comedic shenanigans, which they enjoy and which audiences seem to respond very well towards. Unfortunately, there’s trouble brewing: their longtime theatre is closing down, and they’re soon going to be left without a venue, which might signal an end to their livelihood. Even worse, Jack manages to wrangle an audition for Weekend Live, a highly-acclaimed sketch show that everyone in the industry yearns to be involved with, most particularly Miles, whose greatest ambition is to be noticed enough to get a chance to be on the show. When Jack manages to get hired, a disparity in the group forms, with the others looking at this as an opportunity to get their own work in through the person they believe to be their friend, but who actually turns out to be too self-serving to ever give others a chance, which manifests in his sycophantic behaviour and his eventual separation from the group. His career moves forward and his dreams flourish, but the result is his friends and collaborators being left behind, indicating the fame and success sometimes gets in the way of the more meaningful parts of life.

Don’t Think Twice is such a chore of a film. There’s so little to praise here (if anything at all), and it isn’t even bad enough to warrant a detailed dismantling of all its flaws. It is a film that serves no other purpose than being an opportunity for Mike Birbiglia, who had previously made a very promising debut with Sleepwalk with Me, the chance to make something that pandered not only to his own ego (has there ever been a film character quite as lazily unlikeable as Miles?) but to the performers he populated the film with. There is a sub-genre of films which we can refer to as “in-industry” films – made by certain people in a faction of the film or entertainment industry that focuses entirely on that area – they’re very often insightful and meaningful excursions into the world of entertainment, but they do tend to occasionally be misguided and somewhat pretentious when they lack self-awareness. Don’t Think Twice finds itself facing the exact same problem, whereby it genuinely believes itself to be moving and authentic, but rather just becomes unbearable through its dependency on a set of niche ideas that only those who have experience in this field can really appreciate it, as well as its awful writing and performances that serve to be collectively the lowest points of nearly everyone involved.

The fact that Don’t Think Twice is composed of a set of pretty dreadful performances is really disheartening, because I have admired so many of the people in this cast for a very long time. They represent a side of the comedy industry that is diverse and unique, and perpetually original in how it approaches the changing world. Unfortunately, Birbiglia (who obviously casts himself in the main role, despite not having the charm to even bring an iota of personality into a character likes Miles, who should be a lovable everyman, but just comes across as a spoiled, immature brat who has a tantrum when he realizes he isn’t going to get what he wants) never quite manages to give any of his co-stars anything to do, other than a few small moments that show that there was more to offer in terms of the cast. The only two people in this film that genuinely do put in any effort are Gillian Jacobs, who does her very best with a character who should be interesting, but never quite reaches a discernible point of being anything close to reality. Jacobs is relatively good in the role (even if her impressions of Katharine Hepburn and Gena Rowlands were so poorly-executed, they incited a frustration in me that is normally reserved for actual real-world inconveniences), but struggles to stay afloat in a film that is perpetually pulling her under – she deserved a much better role in a far superior film. Chris Gethard gets some tender moments as well, and mostly plays a man dealing with a traumatic situation, and thus serves as the emotional core of the film – which obviously means he is too left by the wayside when it comes to getting anything interesting to do. The rest of the cast ranges from insufferable to too insignificant to even make an impact, which seems to be something close to a travesty. Having six very talented comedians collaborating seems like a great opportunity, even if the story has flaws. Yet, the film fails to give them anything worthwhile, wasting their talents in a truly tragic way.

Perhaps what is most frustrating about Don’t Think Twice is that it wasn’t a difficult film to execute. There was nothing complex to this story, and everyone involved had some experience in the industry, at least enough to convincingly put together a relatively good film. Unfortunately, while we can speak to the underlying message of friendship, ambition and staying true to your convictions, the primary focus of this film is the area in which it fails the most – it constructs itself as a comedy about comedy, yet seems to forget to be funny. There’s even a point towards the end of the film where one of the characters remarks how a sketchy they’re watching looks and sounds like comedy, but just isn’t funny – initially seeming like a moment of self-awareness on behalf of the film, where it realized how bad it actually was, it became clear that it just seriously didn’t understand that it doesn’t work. Don’t Think Twice is a film that resembles a comedy, but just never reaches the point where it can incite even a slight chuckle. Comedy is supposed to be a cohesive force, something that brings us together and allows us to just be entertained for a while if nothing else. Yet, Don’t Think Twice is just too insufferable to be taken seriously, and its exclusionary nature, where it always feels as if the performers are the only ones in on the joke, creates a distance that is both unnecessary and entirely unpleasant. This is not a good film, and it doesn’t do any favours to the cast, nor to the writer and director, who proved himself to be woefully incompetent at crafting anything remotely close to a compelling comedy, rather choosing an avenue of storytelling that is equal parts bewildering and uncomfortable, and for a film like this, that becomes a problem. In all honesty, if you’re considering skipping this film, don’t think twice.