Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

The acting in this movie is really good.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

I must admit I'm a sucker for a great raconteur. I truly enjoyed listening to Garrison Keillor and Jean Shepherd; they could hold my attention for days. But Stephen Tobolowsky's performance of his everyday stories in "Birthday Party" goes to the top my list.The film creatively transitions from one true life tale to another, and you can't look away. Each narrative is more fascinating then its predecessor and makes you feel like you're sitting right there; at the party and Tobolowsky is telling the story just for you. It's the kind of movie you want to keep watching.Be sure you see this film. I guarantee it'll make you laugh - and it might just also make you cry. That's the magic of an actor of Tobolowsky's stature. He can tell a great story; but best of all - he can make you feel.Two thumbs up, Stephen. Fine Work!

This film was my personal favorite at the Jacksonville Film Festival. While it doesn't hit you with action or effects, the mental images painted through the words of Tobolowsky had me laughing one minute and with tears in my eyes the next.Tobolowsky may be the best story-teller of which I've had the privilege of listening. We're invited into a dinner party on his birthday where he entertains us by sharing some of the things that he's encountered during his life. I'd find it hard to believe that there isn't a little something for everyone in this film. I really hope it gets picked up and released. This is one I would love to have in my collection.

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.