At a time when social media has become the national shorthand, it’s especially captivating to hear a good story—if for no other reason than it seems nearly a lost art. No one knows the value of stories better than Mike Rowe, and few have ever delivered them with more skill. In his new movie Something to Stand For, the opera singer turned long- time host of Discovery’s international hit, Dirty Jobs, tips his hat to the legendary Paul Harvey whose, The Rest of the Story, was a national staple for a generation.

Like Harvey, Rowe employs the always engaging technique of sharing interesting but little-known facts about famous people—without revealing their names until then end. As the verbal Polaroid comes into focus, you are left to guess who it is with each passing clue.

Rowe’s feature debut is a rollicking collection of stories that celebrate the little-known background of some of America’s most important figures. Once engaged in Rowe’s clever narrative, it’s sometimes easy to miss the larger themes at play, the why behind the story and Rowe’s motivation.

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