Plot summary

In Palm Desert, California, Alice Klieg is awakened by her alarm. Her TV is already on (it has been on for 11 years, she says later), with a commercial for a pretty fake parakeet. She gets dressed and goes out to walk, carrying an umbrella. She stops at a car dealer and straightens its tube man but then it falls over again so she gives up and goes on. She behaves strangely, according to others.When Alice gets back home, she watches Oprah and practices Oprah's inspirational words. She also watches an infomercial called "Live Alchemy" on cable about healthy eating, hosted by Gabe, who sells a nutritional supplement. She also has numerous VHS tapes on a wide range of topics. And she buys sweepstakes tickets. There are a lot of these. One day, while listening for the winning numbers, she discovers she is a winner. The amount she will receive is $86 million (though there are deductions she becomes aware of later).At a press conference, Alice reads from a prepared statement but then starts talking about personal details that are inappropriate. Later with her best friend Gina, who has stood by her since they were in school together, Alice watches the press conference on TV and gets upset that she was cut off.Alice visits her therapist Dr. Daryl Moffet. She has coped for years by taking Abilify. Now that the state no longer requires her to do so for her disability benefits, she wants to stop seeing him. To announce this, she reads from a prepared statement. Dr. Moffet says he wants to continue seeing her. Later it is revealed she has borderline personality disorder, which was originally diagnosed as manic depression and later as a type of bipolar disorder.When she has a meal with her family and friends, including Ted and his new male companion, she reads from a prepared statement.Alice and Gina move into what is described as a reservation casino. They have a really nice room. Later Alice is by herself as Gina has to go back to her real life working in a gym.Alice joins the audience for her favorite infomercial and she volunteers to come up on stage. She starts making inappropriate comments and Dawn in the booth wants to cut her off, but producer Rich, brother of the host, want to keep her on screen.Afterward Alice buys Gabe's entire inventory and says she wants to host a talk show on the network, which is run by the brothers. Told it costs $150,000 per episode, Alice writes a check for $15 million. Rich takes it, because without the money, the network is in trouble. Asked what the show will be about, Alice says it will be about her. No guests. No discussions of issues, except her own.The first episode of "Welcome to Me" does not go well. Alice records her own theme song and she is a terrible singer. There is an audience which is not too enthusiastic. Alice just talks about herself and later has a cooking segment with a healthy cake. Then she sits and eats it. Later there is a re-enactment of a terrible event in her life, where another girl bullied her.Alice wonders why the show isn't as professional as others she has seen. She is told that costs money, so she spends more on making the show really special. One day she is shown waking up in the dark to her alarm in the same purple and white clothes from the movie's first scene. She is on the set of her show. This scene is repeated several times, as it is the new introduction. The theme song has been recorded by a professional orchestra but still has her lousy vocals.Also, Alice buys a dog, and she begins dating Gabe. She takes Gabe back to her old apartment.As the show improves and Alice gains confidence, she has fans. One is college student Rainer whose class is studying her, and they go out once.There is one segment with a score, Alice vs. Mom, which is brief in the movie but goes viral.Alice continues to see Dr. Moffet, who is considering having her committed because he believes she is a danger to herself.In another re-enactment, Alice and Gina are buying swimsuits. Gina, who is in the audience, is not fat, but the actress playing her is quite overweight. The character Gina refuses to buy a two-piece, but the character Alice explains anyone can wear a two-piece, and both she and the real Alice show off their purple bikinis. Gina is not happy.Another therapy session with Dr. Moffet is remote. He is unaware that he is on the show and the audience can hear everything they say. The next time she tries to see Dr. Moffet, Alice is told that she can't see him any more or even go near him. This is for his protection.While doing a cooking segment, Alice is told to bring what she has cooked closer to the audience. But the pot was plugged in and when the wire won't reach anymore, Alice spills the hot food all over her chest and is hospitalized with second-degree burns. Gina comes to visit but can't offer too much sympathy as she has lost her job because the gym closed and she has to go for interviews, As she later reveals, Alice has been a poor friend, not showing concern for Gina.Alice, who once worked as a veterinary nurse, brings her dogs (there are more now) and neuters them on screen. Rick is fed up at last and threatens to shut the show down. The audience applauds only to be told that wasn't part of the show. Alice stops the broadcast and goes outside. Confused when her limo doesn't show up, Alice just walks her dogs as a train passes.The show is so popular it shows up in the ratings with familiar shows on well-known cable channels. Still, Deb, one of those who works in the booth, has gotten tired of Alice's behavior and quits. Gabe wants to sell his stake in the cable channel as well.People from Alice's life have threatened to sue. And there's more. Ted tells her there is only about $7 million left.Having discontinued her medication, Alice goes into a depression. Her dogs wreck her rooms at the casino. and she is shown in bed several times wearing different clothes.Finally, Alice walks into the casino wearing nothing but a robe. She takes that off, and people are shocked. Security covers her up and removes her, and she is in the hospital again.Alice decides to do one last fantastic show, where numerous scenes from her life are re-enacted using different actresses. Her dogs are offered for adoption, and the episode is treated as a telethon, with operators standing by. More than anything, she wants to reunite with Gina, who will also be portrayed, but Gina doesn't show up for the longest time. When Gina finally does come, they make up and Alice gives her a giant check for $7 million.Gabe takes Gina back to her old apartment where she goes to bed and turns off the TV.