Stephen Tobolowsky's Birthday Party (2004)

3 1/2 Stars (out of 4)

One-Man Story Machine

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Like a one-man My Dinner with Andre, this 2004 film, directed by Robert Brinkmann, records character actor Stephen Tobolowsky telling various amazing stories over the course of his birthday. According to Brinkmann, Tobolowsky is the greatest storyteller he's ever heard, and after watching this film, that statement is hard to dispute. He begins with a story about dolphins, and moves on to a list of the coolest things that ever happened to him, stories from the sets of Bird on a Wire and Mississippi Burning, and finally a heartbreaking story about Bob, the biggest jerk he ever knew. It's not so much that Tobolowsky is funny or that he effortlessly conjures up images while he talks, but that he's just mesmerizing; you never know if the tale is going to turn out amusing, poignant or even life-changing. Even if you try to resist, you'll wind up succumbing. Among the guests at the party are Mena Suvari and Amy Adams.

You may not recognize Tobolowsky's name, or even his face, but once he starts talking, you'll remember him from the more than 150 films and TV shows he has logged since the early 1980s, including: Spaceballs, The Grifters, Thelma and Louise, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Basic Instinct, Groundhog Day, An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn, The Insider, Memento, Love Liza, A View from the Top, Freaky Friday, Garfield: The Movie, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! and many more.

DVD Details: So far this DVD is only available through the official website, but I will keep you posted if this changes.