If you listen to ‘This American Life’, or follow alternative stand-up comedy, you already know what to expect from this movie. The good news is it’s pretty much exactly like that.

Birbiglia has told this story a lot. He’s told it on stage, he’s told it in print, and he’s even told it on a very memorable episode of ‘This American Life’. The thing is, it’s a good story, and Birbiglia is a charming storyteller. The fact that I knew most of the particulars of the plot didn’t stop me from enjoying the film.

There are a lot of delightful cameos by other comedians, and a touching story about the process of becoming a comic.

It’s worth a watch, even if you know what happens in the La Quinta in Walla Walla.