Mike Birbiglia is a droll, often very funny comedian whose best moments frequently involve his own life – or his own life as he sees it.

Birbiglia used his personal humor, honed in clubs and on "This American Life" appearances, as the basis of a one-man show. Now, with "Sleepwalk With Me," he goes a step further, morphing it into a feature film – in which he stars, co-directs and co-writes (along with Ira Glass of "This American Life," among others). If the transition isn't completely successful, it has enough smart humor and honest emotion to be a winning small film.

Matt Pandamiglio, the main character, is basically a thinly disguised (very thinly disguised) version of Birbiglia. He is a struggling comedian who has to plead for chances onstage, then usually bombs (the jokes are truly groan-inducing). The best part of his life is his girlfriend, Abby (the always-watchable Lauren Ambrose, best known for "Six Feet Under"), who is way too good for him. She is always there to support him and rarely pushes him to make something more of his life.

She doesn't even complain that it's been eight long years, and he hasn't put a ring on it. But his friends and family (notably James Rebhorn and a very funny Carol Kane as his parents) are putting on pressure, which finally pushes Matt to pop the question.

The stress of the proposal and the prospect of marriage have an unexpected effect. One night, Matt starts to turn his relationship with Abby and his parents and friends into stand-up material; all of a sudden, he's getting laughs.

But there's still one problem: Matt has a serious sleep disorder. He acts out weird dreams to the point where he actually hurts himself jumping from a second-story window. The dream sequences, which have a nicely surreal quality, not only give some weight to the story, but also illustrate just how debilitating such disorders can be.

There are all kinds of reasons not to particularly like Matt, one of which is his failure to see how good he has it with Abby. But thanks to the sharp writing, you never feel alienated by this character or his breezy, direct-to-the-camera narration. It holds the film together and allows a strong measure of connection between character and audience.

Birbiglia is not just a great storyteller; he is also terrific in the context of his stand-up routine. As an actor, however, he has limits, even playing himself. It might have helped if he had cast a younger, more trained actor in the role. But he brings enough to the screen to make things work much of the time.

In addition, he surrounds himself with more seasoned actors – most notably Ambrose, who is completely believable even when the audience is wondering what the heck Abby sees in Matt.

For a debut film, "Sleepwalk With Me" is surprisingly self- assured, without any of the self-indulgence you might expect in a movie written and directed by its star. It is a likable, warm film that brings a welcome reassurance: Even if you fail spectacularly as a comedian or as a human being, it really can turn out OK in the end.

SLEEPWALK WITH ME

Two 1/2 Stars

Cast: Mike Birbiglia, Lauren Ambrose, Carol Kane and James Rebhorn

Co-directors: Mike Birbiglia and Seth Barrish

90 minutes

Not rated

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