Phonearl Good start, but then it gets ruined

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Aiden Melton The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Dames Fogarty If you have an interest in Hollywood: see this movie. More over, if you have an interest in life: see this movie! A small and intimate gathering with a man ( spoiler alert) who has changed favorite beers from Budweiser to Heineken.S.T. believes in birthday magic. He just happens to be an accomplished actor who tells a story with panache, who can make it happen himself. He's obviously gregarious and a listener as much as a speaker; but we get a night at home with Steven Tobolowsky, his wife, and friends, edited to show his skill as a master story teller. Seriously, Homer would have had a run for his money asked to compete against S.T. A master storyteller he is indeed. The eponymous birthday boy regales us, as his guests , with not a moment of mean spirit, not a scintilla of bitchiness, and keeps us riveted for the entire film. It's just a relaxed affair, with the family house as the set, yet you've not seen anything quite like this before. Watch out for appearances by WC Field's least favored co-stars in some delightful moments, too.In all: a delight.

brendastarr 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!

markQUEUE 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.

NJtoTX 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.