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Actors: Jerry Stiller, Janeane Garofalo, Ron Howard, Peter Bogdanovich
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about The Independent |
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Morty Fineman is the king of independent filmmaking -- at least in terms of longevity and bad taste. He's made 427 features over the past 40 years, most of them with an emphasis on "t & a and bombs." This film, half mockumentary in the spirit of "This is Spinal Tap" and "Best in Show," half narrative of the waning days of Morty, his savvy daughter Paloma's efforts to finance one more film, and his assistant Max's efforts to get Morty featured in a film festival SOMEWHERE (he ends up headlining the brand-new one in the tiny prairie town of Chaparral, Nevada), is often hilarious if a bit labored. There are lots of bogus clips from Fineman's films. Stiller is great as the clueless but ever ebullient Fineman (an Ed Wood for our times), Garofalo bravely assays the somewhat thankless role of straight man to his antics. Stiller's real son Ben cameos as a cop, his daughter Amy as "Foxy Chocolate Robot," and his longtime comedy partner and spouse Anne Meara has a supporting role as Morty's ex-wife who lives on the streets of Beverly Hills in a Rolls. Larry Hankin is perfect as a strait-jacketed serial killer who wants to have songs included in the bio-pic that Morty proposes to make of his life. A big plus is the array of real film directors -- Ron Howard, Roger Corman, Nick Cassavetes, Ted Demme, and especially Peter Bogdanovich -- and "casting couch" actress Karen Black who talk about Morty's greatness. Don't miss the end credits, which list all of Fineman's films.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of The Independent |
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Comedy, primarily
Yes
Time/era of movie:
- 1980's-1999
If a parody... of
- documentaries
Kind of comedy
- adults acting eccentric
Job/Profession/Poverty Story?
Yes
Job:
- filmmaker/producer
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- producer/director
Age:
- 60's-90's
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
- deluded
Events of movie makes character more...
- happy
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair color
- brunette (Brown)
Hair style
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn wavey
How much in movie?
- 60%
Main Adversary
Identity:
- general circumstances
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- California
City?
Yes
City:
- Los Angeles
Misc setting
- prison
- resort/hotel
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- generic/vague references to death/punishment
Movie makes you feel...
- full of laughter
Sex/nudity in movie?
Yes
What kind of sex:
- kissing
- seeing breasts
- seeing nude female butt
Any profanity?
- Some foul language
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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