The joke is on the filmmakers: the disarmingly smarmy Nealon gets the most laughs, possibly because his droll depiction of simmering boredom reflects the feelings of the audience.

NEWYORKER: All I Want for Christmas

Allison tries to feature people like comedians Sarah Silverman, Janeane Garofalo and Kevin Nealon, as well as actors like Lili Taylor of Six Feet Under, to expose lesser-known sides of themselves.

BBC: New York stories

Mr. Nealon, 66 years old, works with handful of long-term partners also in their 60s who "have worked hard to get our individual accounts to a point that is near the threshold they're talking about, " he says.

WSJ: Family Value: Will the Government Shrink Your IRA?