Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party

Think of Ewan McGregor/Albert Finney in Big Fish. Now take away the excessive fantasy element, but keep the pantomiming and underlying morals. That pretty much encompasses the tales of relatively unknown actor Stephen Tobolowsky.

The stories of his life are entertaining, to say the least. I went from hysterical laughter to choking back tears in a matter of seconds, how many storytellers can accomplish that without being cheesy or using false tactics?

I will admit that even i, who have been studying film and theatre for some time, did not recognize the name when i saw it in my SXSW brochure. I saw a poster on the wall of the Alamo draft house and thought "hey! i know that guy! it's Ned Ryerson!" So i thought i'd give it a chance.

The second the movie started i knew it would be fantastic, one of those that can possibly alter your view of the world or something. And by the time i left, i knew this movie would be one of those that i talk about to anyone willing to listen for weeks.

So in the words of Stephen Tobolowsky himself: "it's better than Spiderman 2!"

Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party is another of the rare series of opportunities to listen to a master storyteller. Director, cameraman, and friend of Stephen's, Robert Brinkmann, knows that this will be a tough sell to distributors. Yet it shouldn't.

Imagine attending a party where there is one guy who's had such an unusual life and been thrown into amazing life situations (such as having a gun to his head in a 7-11 for close to an hour while SWAT teams gathered outside). Not only that, the guy can tell the story and move his body as if he's back there. You become privileged to be a listener. That's what happens in ST's Birthday Party. The most fun is when he tells about the list he faxed in to Buzz magazine to demonstrate why he is one of the 100 "coolest people," such as being honored by monks in Thailand by being beaten with sticks.

There are a few liberties taken with the party itself. It took several days to film. Some of the younger friends attending are Robert's, not Steven's friends. Several takes were filmed a few times, but the first take always was the one used. And, well, it wasn't actually Steven's birthday. But the stories are all true. And the dolphins that showed up while they filmed at the beach actually did show up then.

Unfortunately for me, there was one young blonde guest whom I could not take my eyes off. I guess that comes with the territory of being at a very good party. You won't want to miss this one.

Discovered this film yesterday at SXSW. It's funny, it's poignant, and very engaging. Reminiscent of MY DINNER WITH ANDRE and some of Spalding Grey's work, it's basically a series of unscripted monologues, stories form his life, delivered by this great character actor, as we follow him around on his birthday. It's not so much movie business memoir as it is the life story of an interesting guy with an interesting job.

Quietly, it's a film about mortality and the fragility of our place in the world. Stephen is a very accomplished storyteller, unpretentious and engaging. I left surprised at how affected I was. I hope this film gets a release... see it if it's near you.

I remember ordering the DVD for this back in the oughts, and Stephen Tobolowsky has an underrated storytelling style that can entertain most folk around a dinner table. He almost stole Groundhog Day from Bill Murray and came incredibly close to stealing Basic Instinct from Michael Douglas.

I thought this doc was really good. Parts of it were funny, some made you think on a more serious plateau. I hate using heartwarming, but it really was a good film. The film kind of let you into the stories surrounding his life, certain things that have molded him into who he is. I think anybody that gets a chance to go see it should. Granted, there are times that it gets kind of tedious, it brings you back in fairly quickly. ANyone who is a fan of his works, or just would like some insight into a good actor and an equally great person, they should watch this. The greatest thing about this movie is that it's setting is so intimate, you feel like he is just talking to you. Anyone that sees that will agree.