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12/06/05
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The Independent (2001)
60
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:48
Fresh:29
Rotten:19
Average Rating:6/10
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... [More]
Starring: Jerry Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Ben Stiller, Andy Dick
Director: Stephen Kessler
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Reviews for The Independent
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.
08/16/08
If you've spent a lot of time watching late-night cable, you'll laugh a lot.
12/14/01
Garofalo, wary but indulgent as the director's estranged daughter, has great comic rapport with Stiller.
04/24/02
Top CriticMorty Fineman ... doesn't really exist. But the cheese whiz with a camera makes for a hilarious subject.
01/24/02
Top CriticThe first half of the film is dead-on brilliant.
01/31/02
has enough raw talent to elevate it above the usual mockufare
08/03/03
This one is cute, and full of amusing cameos but when the clips of Morty's films end, so do the laughs.
01/24/02
Lots of satirical hilarity and characters one grows fond of, and it ultimately touches on truths about the hucksterism at the heart of showbiz.
12/07/01
Top CriticA fitfully amusing valentine to the late-night picture shows of bygone years.
11/27/01
Top CriticA charming and funny look at the independent filmmaking business and the thin line between a masterpiece and a $9 nap.
06/28/02
A mockumentary that is as endearing as it is silly.
04/26/02
Top CriticHollywood 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.
07/05/02
All in all, it's a good omen for Kessler's future career.
04/15/02
An amusing trifle aimed squarely at anyone who fondly recalls the low-budget, high-concept quickies of New World Pictures, American-International and other manufacturers of exploitation fare.
11/28/01
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.
05/02/02
Fake documentary with Jerry Stiller as an exploitation filmmaker resonates with love of the low-budget genre.
12/07/01
Top CriticA lot of fun, thanks in no small part to the wonderfully over the top performance of Jerry Stiller
09/10/02
It's fun to watch Stiller throw fits and reveal some depth and sweetness.
03/01/02
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03/10/03
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