Aunt Stella Binford finds her deceased dance partner’s son, Eric Binford, asleep while an old movie blares on the television. As she wakes him, she complains that he wastes his time watching movies. Stella is full of regrets that Eric’s father broke up her dance team, and that her career was cut short by a car accident that left her legs paralyzed when Eric’s babysitter called her away from a party to care for the sickly four-year-old. As they eat breakfast, Stella pushes a stack of Eric’s movies off the table, and rages that he should fill his mind with knowledge instead of entertainment. Impersonating James Cagney, Eric tells Stella she talks too much and that someday she is going to eat her words. At Continental Film Services, a film rental company, Morty Berger, the boss, yells at Eric for being late, and asks him to make a delivery. At a city police station, Capt. Gallagher is skeptical that Dr. Moriarity’s program to rehabilitate juvenile offenders will work, and reminds Moriarity that he has six months to produce results. Anna, another officer, shows Moriarity to the basement, where a former drunk tank is his new office. As he leaves to make a delivery, Eric bets his coworkers, Richie and Bart, twenty dollars each that they cannot figure out Rick’s full name in the movie Casablanca. Eric says if he loses the bet, he will pay them fifty dollars. Then Eric stops at a diner, and becomes fascinated by an aspiring platinum blonde model named Marilyn O’Connor, sitting in a booth with her friend, Stacy. Eric imagines Marilyn O’ Connor made up to look like Marilyn Monroe, singing “Happy Birthday.” He tries to impress her with his knowledge of movie trivia, and Marilyn asks him to give her a ride back to work. He leaves her at a skate shop in Venice, California, and they make plans to see a picture at a Westwood movie theater. Later, Stella is impressed when Eric cleans his room and dresses smartly for his date. In his best “Cary Grant” voice, Eric tells Stella his date’s name is “Marilyn Monroe,” and he asks her for some movie money. She agrees in exchange for a backrub after his return. Eric waits in front of Ships diner and then moves on to the theater but Marilyn never shows. At dinner, Marilyn remembers her date and races off to meet Eric at Ships. Tired of waiting, Eric returns home, and screens a print of Kiss Of Death in the study. Stella knocks on the door, but he ignores her. However, she then opens the door with her key, and delivers an ultimatum. If he does not find something to do besides wasting his time watching movies, he can find himself another place to live. When he tells her she is missing the best part of the film, where actor Richard Widmark pushes an invalid in a wheelchair down the stairs, she knocks the projector to the floor. Then, Stella apologizes, but complains that Eric’s bedroom is a mess. He replies that she has ruined his film like she ruins everything, and reenacts the scene from the movie, pushing Stella in her wheelchair down the outdoor staircase. Afterward, Eric sinks to the bathroom floor, vomiting. Later, he attends Stella’s funeral, and burns her health food books in the fireplace. He applies theatrical makeup and dresses as Bela Lugosi in Dracula and watches a horror film at a theater. Later, he chases after a prostitute, who becomes impaled on a fence. At work, Eric tries to collect on the Casablanca bet, but Richie reneges and bullies him. Later, dressed as Hopalong Cassidy, Eric confronts Richie at a carnival, shooting and killing him. At the police station, Gallagher orders Moriarity not to interfere with his criminal investigation of the cowboy and Dracula killings. On the street, Eric gets a ride with an important producer named Gary Bially. As they share a marijuana cigarette, Eric pitches a movie idea, and Gary’s enthusiasm causes Eric to go home to tell Stella that they will never have to worry about money again as soon as Gary buys his screenplay. Then, he remembers that Stella is dead. Later, Eric spends his time buying movie stills, taking photographs at Grauman’s Chinese Theater, and watching movies at home. He masturbates to images of Marilyn Monroe and then apologizes to her. Soon, Morty fires Eric for insubordination and stealing the company scooter. When Eric wants to retrieve his rare posters, Morty refuses to let him in the building. At night, Eric returns dressed as "The Mummy," and frightens Morty into having a fatal heart attack. Later, Eric hears Gary take credit for his movie idea during a television interview. When Eric calls Gary to remind him that the idea came from him, Gary denies knowing Eric, and claims not to accept outside material. Eric dresses as James Cagney, playing “Cody Jarrett” in White Heat, tracks down Gary at a hair salon and sprays him with machine gun bullets. Meanwhile, at the Venice boardwalk, Marilyn sees an advertisement posted by a photographer looking for a “Marilyn Monroe” lookalike, and pursues the job. Later, police think Eric is a suspect and search his home, while Gallagher argues with Moriarity that Eric is dangerous. Although Eric has moved out, police confiscate his Polaroid instant snapshots and other items he has left behind. When Stacy drops Marilyn at the photography studio, Eric is the photographer, dressed as “Laurence Olivier” from The Prince and the Showgirl. Marilyn changes into the showgirl costume, and they drink champagne and dance on an elaborate set. Marilyn says she knows Eric’s true identity. Meanwhile, Moriarity and Anna answer a radio call, and discover Eric’s photography studio. Eric shoots Moriarity in the leg, denying he is Eric. Soon, Eric and Marilyn head to Hollywood’s Chinese Theater. Moriarity follows them inside the theater and urges Eric to release Marilyn, but doing his “Cagney” impression Eric refuses to surrender her. While Eric and Marilyn climb to the roof and lock the door behind them, a SWAT team surrounds the theatre. A marksman ignores the captain’s orders and shoots Eric in the chest. Eric pushes Marilyn down the stairs and locks the roof door. He climbs the awning, takes a bow, and snipers shoot him. With the little strength he has left, he reenacts Cagney dying at the end of White Heat. As more shots ring out, Eric plummets to the pavement below.