In a desperate attempt to boost ratings, a cable channel decides to document the life of someone on a daily basis and air the footage as a show. That lucky someone turns out to be Ed Pekurny (Matthew McConaughey), a laid-back video-store clerk. While the TV series makes Ed an overnight celebrity, it also begins to wreak havoc on his personal life, complicating his relationship with his new girlfriend, Shari (Jenna Elfman), and causing tension with his brother, Ray (Woody Harrelson).