Set in West Hollywood, California, the film follows struggling young filmmaker Frankie (Hawke) who achieves success after meeting up with Link (Garfield), a strange and bold man living off the grid.

Having dropped out of school to pursue her dreams of making art, she is working a thankless job bartending with her friend Jake and has no clear vision of her goals other than creating a struggling YouTube channel.

Together, the team makes a video called "No One Special" starring Link as a satire of a stereotypical loud, offensive, narcissistic social media influencer.

The trio garner attention from a social media manager who persuades them that there is real money to be made from in-video product endorsements.

Meanwhile, at a late-night party hosted at a graveyard, Jake privately witnesses Link arguing with someone who claims to be his brother, but does not bring it up to Frankie.

During the livestream, which includes a memorial for Isabelle, Link gives his condolences but then veers off-script into a manic, vulgar monologue, refusing to accept blame for her death and instead ranting against the toxicity of social media and its oppressive hold over its audience.

In October 2018, it was announced Andrew Garfield, Maya Hawke, Nat Wolff and Jason Schwartzman had joined the cast of the film, with Gia Coppola directing from a screenplay she wrote alongside Tom Stuart.

[5] In May 2019, Johnny Knoxville, Chris Messina, Alexa Demie and Colleen Camp joined the cast of the film, with Coppola, Zac Weinstein, Lauren Bratman, Enrico Saraiva, Francisco Rebelo de Andrade and Jack Heller would serve as producers under their American Zoetrope, Tugawood, Assemble Media and Dynasty Pictures banners.

The site's critics consensus reads: "Mainstream makes a vain attempt to satirize viral fame, settling instead for obvious commentary that feels painfully dated.