The film opens on a beach in Malibu, where Tobolowsky recounts a miraculous swim he took on an earlier birthday.

It continues in the kitchen of his home, as he boils sausages for his guests and recounts stories about his early auditions in Los Angeles.

Then Stephen entertains his guests with stories about being nominated as one of 100 coolest people in LA, being in a rock 'n' roll band, and working on such films as Bird on a Wire and Mississippi Burning.

The film ends in the dark of night with a few leftover guests in his candlelit backyard and a tribute to his close friend Bob Darnell.

Among the guests at the party are the actors Mena Suvari, Amy Adams, and his wife, Ann Hearn.