As the general principle of filmmaking goes, sometimes the projects you deserve are the ones you make yourself. There are certain artists – particularly actors – who find themselves typecast in parts that feel very limiting and one-dimensional, and it’s only through setting out to write their own material and get it produced that they can expand their repertoire and be seen as more versatile. This is the case for Jeff Garlin, one of the most recognisable figures in contemporary comedy, albeit someone who has also consistently been cast in roles that may make good use of his inherent comedic gifts, but rarely view him as being a particularly complex actor. In an effort to show himself as being more than just the lovable supporting player he had been for years, Garlin set out to write and direct his own starring vehicle, which took the form of I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With, an irreverent and delightful story of a struggling actor doing his best to make a living in Chicago, but who feels weighed down by his personal circumstances – he’s on the precipice of turning forty and still lives with his mother, he struggles with his weight and as a result lacks any semblance of confidence, and therefore can’t find a romantic partner, resigning himself to being perpetually lonely, despite wanting to live a more fruitful life. The film follows the protagonist as he gradually sets out to change his life, focusing on his encounters with various characters that offer him guidance and advice (sometimes indirectly doing so merely through their actions and how they treat him), and ultimately, he begins to see some hope for a future in which his happiness can finally emerge. Garlin was a seasoned actor and comedian, so it’s not surprising that I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With is a strong effort, despite being his first theatrical directorial outing, an aspect of this film that becomes increasingly clearer the further we venture inwards and see the fascinating details that ultimately drive this delightfully offbeat story.

By the time I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With went into production (a lengthy process, as evidenced by the elongated filming schedule that took several years), Garlin was already quite established in both film and television and had more than enough credibility as a comedic performer. However, as entertaining as he may have been in Curb Your Enthusiasm and a range of other great projects that made good use of his gifts, there was clearly more to him that he was intent on showcasing by any means necessary, which resulted in this film being made. Sadly, much of Garlin’s roles have been built around the persona of a middle-aged lout with a heart of gold and a sense of familiarity, and he very rarely managed to escape that persona. It was clear that he wanted to do something more diverse – but unlike others who have taken a similar approach to giving themselves the roles they believe they deserve, Garlin didn’t attempt to radically change his personality, but rather cultivates it in a very smart, daring manner. He’s got immense screen presence, and his salt-of-the-earth personality has proven to be very effective when done well – and as a result, I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With becomes an act of riffing on his own persona in creative and compelling ways, forming this delightful character that is not too far removed from the previous roles that he played, but still well-crafted enough to be seen as a more ambitious undertaking. He populates the supporting cast with a roster of recognisable actors – Sarah Silverman, Bonnie Hunt, Amy Sedaris, David Pasquesi, Richard Kind and countless other familiar performers drawn from the world of comedy were brought in to play various roles, and make the film an even richer and more captivating affair through their small but delightfully charming performances that are both entertaining and heartfelt.

Once we look beneath the surface and detach it from being merely an opportunity for Garlin to give himself a leading role where his comedic gifts are on full display, we discover that I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With is an unexpectedly lovely film, particularly in the themes that are being explored throughout the narrative. At its foundation, the film is a quietly moving story about a lonely man who is reaching middle age and is desperate to find some kind of joy that will help pull him out of this humdrum existence. He tries to make connections with people who decide on his value from the first moment, proving that it is often impossible to win someone over once that first impression has been made and they have decided how much value to ascribe to a particular individual. More than anything else, Garlin is focused on looking at how challenging life can be for those who don’t fit into the ideal standards of what makes a functional member of society – not only physically, but also in terms of personality and social status. An overweight, unsuccessful actor who lives with his mother and hasn’t had a meaningful relationship in years is quite far down on the social ladder, and Garlin very cleverly finds ways to look at these ideas without it becoming too heavy-handed, which is an important aspect that keeps this film from being too one-dimensional, even at its most predictable. There isn’t much structure to the story – it’s a series of vignettes centred around the protagonist’s efforts to make a living and find some sense of self-confidence, connected by a very clear pattern of following his journey of self-discovery. The film is layered with a sense of lovable charm that we would expect from someone who has been working in comedy for decades, which gives it a very particular kind of authenticity, one that Garlin and his cohorts manage to beautifully examine throughout this very compelling comedy.

I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With is a film that has to navigate quite challenging commentary, much of it being drawn from a place of genuine empathy and compassion, but also filtered through the lens of constant humour. There was very little room for anything explicitly overwrought or entirely melodramatic, which meant that Garlin not only needed to find a way to tell such a poignant story, but to do so in a way that was constantly funny, rather than heading towards the more intensely emotional. The results speak for themselves – it’s a very small film, and one that arguably doesn’t have too much going on beneath the surface (at least not any more than we can see at a cursory glance), but it still intends to strike a chord. Garlin gave himself the challenge of doing something that is simultaneously very simple, but also a step away from the kind of comedy he was used to peddling, which was much broader and more focused on the wackiness of a premise, rather than more meaningful emotions. There is a subtle humanity to I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With that gives it such a distinct charm, and which helps it avoid being too flippant about some slightly more serious subject matter, as outlined above. The structure may be quite simple, with the relative lack of a traditional story structure clearly being a remnant of Garlin’s time in sketch comedy, but it does compensate for these elements through an engaging approach to its material, as well as highlighting the underlying tenderness that persists throughout. The director is clearly not interested in making it too intense or downbeat, especially since the ending is slightly more sombre (although it can be seen as having something of a happy ending, depending on how you view it), but he does infuse it with a genuine sense of emotion that feels honest and realistic, while still having more than enough room for the offbeat humour that was as integral to the story as the emotional aspects, the balance of which is the reason for it having such a distinct charm.

At a cursory glance, I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With doesn’t seem to be anything particularly daring or unique – if anything, our first perception is that it’s a mildly amusing vanity project that we seem to encounter with just about every comedian, who believes that they deserve a starring vehicle of their own. For the most part, this is the impetus for the film, but it has much more depth, and we slowly begin to see the intricacies that are carefully woven throughout the fabric of the film, which in turn proves to be a more captivating affair than we initially expected. Garlin is a very gifted comedian, but he delivers a performance here that shows his capabilities with more dramatic material. It is obvious that he is highly inspired by Marty, and rather than attempting to do a straight remake of an already exceptional film, he chose to instead use that as the inspiration for a more original work, one that does have clear correlations with Paddy Chayefsky’s wonderfully human drama, without being a direct facsimile and instead focusing on the underlying themes of loneliness, self-confidence and identity. A truly charming and well-developed comedy with as much heart as it has humour, I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With is a delight, and proves that Garlin can not only write and direct a solid film (which he followed up with two similarly compelling works in later years), but that he can deliver a strong performance that proves his mettle as an actor, showing that some of the most poetic works of art are those that spring from a comedic mind.