Welcome to Part VII of Theatre in Film, our weekly feature on a film that depicts a life in the theatre. In Part VII, we examine films with biting humor, fantastical plots, and theatre family values. This week, we feature the recent 2016 comedy film Don’t Think Twice about an up-and-coming improv troupe on the brink of success…and collapse from within.

Don’t Think Twice (2016)

Director: Mike Birbiglia
Starring: Keegan-Michael Key, Gillian Jacobs, Mike Birbiglia, Kate Micucci, Chris Gethard, and Tami Sagher

What happens:

There are three basic rules to improv. One: Say yes. Two: It’s not about you, it’s about the group. Three: Don’t think.

The Commune, a group of six improv performers and best friends, perform a weekly improv show in their New York City theatre while also trying to make it big. They all hope to score auditions with directors and producers from Weekend LIVE, a weekend sketch comedy show. On the night that two producers attend the show, Jack (Keegan-Michael Key) “showboats”, a serious improv taboo. Later, Jack and his girlfriend Sam (Gillian Jacobs) earn audition slots; Jack attends, but Sam does not, fearing a world without the troupe. After Jack tells everyone that he’s been cast in Weekend LIVE, every member begins to question the solidity of the group.

While Jack tries to get Weekend LIVE showrunners to read scripts from Bill (Chris Gethard), Allison (Kate Micucci), Miles (Mike Birbiglia), and Lindsay (Tami Sagher), he encounters pushback from other actors and the producer, solidifying his fears that he can’t help his friends after he’s earned success. The group finds that their friendships are only held together when the second rule of improv is applied to real life, and as each member encounters new opportunities outside of performing, they must choose whether to pursue them, or hang on to a dream expired.

Why it matters:

Comedic improv is, predominantly, an American art form. From John Dewey’s use of improv in 1916 as acting exercises for children to the popular American series Whose Line is it Anyway?, improv has become the type of theatre that audiences associate with clever stories, interesting characters, and humorous outcomes — all having been created spontaneously by a group of people attempting to achieve a common goal. If you’ve ever seen an improv performance, you’ll remember the anticipation and excitement you felt while watching a handful of actors working together to create something out of nothing in real time.

Don’t Think Twice focuses on one of the most vital aspects of improvisational theatre: making decisions that benefit the group, not the self. “Showboating”, a term that refers to an actor stealing focus from others in order to showcase their individual talent, is a huge party foul in every improv scenario, and it makes it very difficult for the actors involved to achieve their goal of creating a collaborative scene. Keegan-Michael Key said in an interview with Stephen Colbert, “Every rule of improv is the opposite of show business. Every rule of improv — got your back, I’m there for my partner, serve the other person, you’re more important than I am — the opposite of show business.” In show business, you must make your own way, pushing ahead of others instead of marching on together.

Jack not only showboats the performance that Weekend LIVE producers attend, he showboats his friendship with Sam, Miles, Allison, Bill, and Lindsay, putting his own dreams ahead of those of the group; he forgets where he comes from and who helped him get there. Even though Sam, Miles, Bill, Allison, and Lindsay have their own struggles (Allison’s unfinished children’s book, Bill’s struggle to gain the approval of his dying father), Jack’s decision to leave causes an irreparable schism between him and everyone else, making the magnitude of each person’s individual strife increase ten fold.

What’s worse, the theatre where The Commune performs is in the middle of shutting down. During an afternoon of cleaning out closets and packing up boxes, Bill lounges in an old armchair while the girls rummage through old costumes and props. “Without improv, I’m a loser,” says Bill. Perspectives begin to shift toward fear, inadequacy, and defeat. During the funeral of Bill’s father, we see friendly exchanges and smiles, and though the troupe remains close after Jack’s jump to Weekend LIVE, things are different, maybe even good, but are they better? Don’t Think Twice is a film about improv, but it’s also a film that examines how the decisions of one affect the lives of many.

Below is a scene from Don’t Think Twice where The Commune performs an improv scene based on an audience suggestion, working together to create a scene and characters. Its success lies in its collaborative nature.

This film is the third film in Part VII. See below for the other films in Part VII.

• Synecdoche, New York (2008)
• Hamlet 2 (2008)
• The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (2009)
• Phoebe in Wonderland (2009)

Want to start with Part I? Begin with 42nd Street (1933).
Miss Part II? Check out The Band Wagon (1953).
Need a refresh for Part III? Start with our feature on All That Jazz (1979).
How about a recap from Part IV? Jump into A Chorus of Disapproval (1989).
Check out Part V, and start with An Awfully Big Adventure (1995).
Start reading Part VI with Camp (2003).