Opposed to other comedians who have played man children in their careers (Will Ferrell or Jason Segal for example), Mooney’s performance as James is far more superior to others by far. James' immaturity is excused due to his tragic upbringing based on his introduction. The only thing anyone can do is to sympathize with him as he just wants to get Brigsby's story completed his way. Mooney's performance is never obnoxious, or over the top to a point he becomes annoying. His performance keeps James grounded as both a dimensional character and a likable human being. This is an example of a comedian showing off his dramatic acting ability, and doing a damn great job doing so. In fact, the majority of the cast are comedic actors with comedic backgrounds such as Matt Walsh of Veep, Michaela Watkins of Casual, and Beck Bennett of SNL and they all deliver stupendous performances. It is as if they all took a break from being comedic actors to just being, actors. Shoot, Andy Samberg shows up in the movie, and he is very calm and reserved opposed to the Andy Samberg we see in nearly everything.

What makes the film, so special more than the other films released this year is likability and the humanity of all the characters. Because of this taking place in such a small town, nobody is condescending towards James since everyone knows him from the news. When James goes to a party with his sister, nobody treats him awkwardly. He even makes friends with one of her friends who tries to help him come out of his comfort zone and becomes his best friend throughout the entire process of filming his Brigsby movie. Dynamics like that are not seen that much in movies nowadays too, so it's refreshing to see the friendliness of people willing to help one person achieve their dream.