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The Independent

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The Independent (2001)

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60 %
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Reviews Counted: 48

Fresh: 29

Rotten:19

Average Rating: 6/10

Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release: Nov 30, 2001 Limited

Synopsis: Morty Fineman (Jerry Stiller) is an independent schlock film producer-star-director with a problem. He's broke, and he can't finance his new film about a singing serial killer. The bank offers to buy his film library (a whopping 427... Morty Fineman (Jerry Stiller) is an independent schlock film producer-star-director with a problem. He's broke, and he can't finance his new film about a singing serial killer. The bank offers to buy his film library (a whopping 427 films!) but they're only willing to pay him $8 a pound. "We've weighed them," the bankers tell him, "and it's an impressive body of work." Fineman enlists the aid of his estranged daughter, Pamona (Janeane Garofalo) and his long-time assistant Ivan (Max Perlich). They try to rekindle interest in his films by getting Fineman a retrospective at the High Desert Film Festival in the remote town of Chaparral, Nevada, a haven for legal prostitution. Stephen Kessler co-wrote and directed THE INDEPENDENT, a hilarious but affectionate homage to B-movie visionaries like Roger Corman, Russ Meyer, and Herschell Gordon Lewis. The consistently funny film includes appearances by Ben Stiller, Andy Dick, Jonathan Katz, porn star Ginger Lynn Allen, and rock legend John Lydon. There are also cameos by Hollywood luminaries like Ron Howard and Peter Bogdanovich (who sing Morty's praises), but the comedic highlights are the clips of Fineman's hysterically awful films, including such wonders as "The Foxy Chocolate Robot" and "Bald Justice." [More]

Starring: Jerry Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Ben Stiller, Andy Dick

Starring: Jerry Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Ben Stiller, Andy Dick, Ethan Embry, Billy Burke, Jonathan Katz, Fred Dryer, Anne Meara, Max Perlich, Roger Corman, Nick Cassavetes, Ron Howard, Fred Williamson, Peter Bogdanovich, Ted Demme, Karen Black

Director: Stephen Kessler

Director: Stephen Kessler
Screenwriter: Mike Wilkins, Stephen Kessler
Producer: Mike Wilkins
Composer: Ben Vaughn
Studio: Arrow Releasing

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Sep 30, 2003

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • Keep Case
  • Widescreen

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital Stereo - English

Additional Release Material:

  • Morty's 427 Film Catalog

Reviews for The Independent

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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Ratings Image

Stiller should get an Oscar for his performance as Fineman and that's no joke. This is a role of a lifetime and Stiller relishes the opportunity.

Full Review Source: KPBS.org | comment Comment
08/16/08
Beth Accomando
KPBS.org
Ratings Image

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Film Threat
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Ratings Image

No review available.

comment Comment
08/10/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
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Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
05/13/05
Apollo Guide
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Really, truly, one of the funniest movies of the last decade.

comment Comment
11/11/04
Rob Thomas
Capital Times (Madison, WI)
Ratings Image

has enough raw talent to elevate it above the usual mockufare

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
08/03/03
Christopher Null
Filmcritic.com
Ratings Image

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
03/10/03
Marrit Ingman
Austin Chronicle
Ratings Image

Now this is what I'm talking about right here. We need more films like THIS!

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Ron Wells
Film Threat
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
10/21/02
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan
Ratings Image

A lot of fun, thanks in no small part to the wonderfully over the top performance of Jerry Stiller

Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment Comment
09/10/02
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal
Ratings Image

When it's trying to be a more conventional comedy, it's mostly pretty bad.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
07/20/02
Michael Wilmington
Chicago Tribune
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Ratings Image

Hollywood loves to satirize itself, wanting to reassure us it doesn’t take itself too seriously. The Independent is worlds away from The Player (1992), but it’s still one joke hammered over and over, hitting more often than missing.

Full Review Source: Des Moines Register | comment Comment
07/05/02
Jeffrey Bruner
Des Moines Register
Ratings Image

A charming and funny look at the independent filmmaking business and the thin line between a masterpiece and a $9 nap.

Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
06/28/02
Erin Meister
Boston Globe
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Ratings Image

It's cute and amiable, maybe easier to cherish if you don't recall Russ Meyer or Matinee or Ed Wood.

Full Review Source: San Diego Union-Tribune | comment Comment
05/03/02
David Elliott
San Diego Union-Tribune
Ratings Image

Good but not great.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
05/03/02
Melanie McFarland
Seattle Times
Ratings Image

Ranks right up there with Silver, John Waters' Cecil B. Demented and Christopher Guest's The Big Picture as terrific spoofs of the business of moviemaking.

Full Review Source: Planet Sick-Boy | comment Comment
05/02/02
Jon Popick
Planet Sick-Boy
Ratings Image

Despite laughs, the movie only sporadically works.

Full Review Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer | comment Comment
05/02/02
William Arnold
Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Ratings Image

While [Stiller] and everyone else look like they're having a great time working on a shoestring, their movie too often retells the same joke.

Full Review Source: Detroit Free Press | comment Comment
04/26/02
John Monaghan
Detroit Free Press
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Ratings Image

A mockumentary that is as endearing as it is silly.

Full Review Source: Dallas Morning News | comment Comment
04/26/02
Gary Dowell
Dallas Morning News
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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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