The Independent

A comedy that consistently amuses, to the point of being laugh-out loud funny - the hilarious inserts of Monty's oeuvre are some of the high-points: The Foxy Chocolate Robot, anyone? Or the Simplex Complex? Or, my fave, the Eco-Angels? Plus, everything comes together for a happy ending. Result! Stick around for the end credits; someone carried out a labour of love in creating 437 film titles for Monty's career.

I actually had the opportunity to see this film in a theatre, and I laughed my ass off from the very beginning. Normally I can't stand Jerry Stiller (or Ben for that matter), but this movie was great. It's spoof on Roger Corman's early works is brilliant. My only question is: When are we going to get a home release of this film??? So far I've only been able to tape if off Comedy Central, and it's pan & scan and loses a lot from being blurred and edited. I want The Independent on DVD!!! It has big names, it just wasn't given a fare shake at all. I don't get it. 10 out of 10...

I saw this at SXSW this year. Absolutely hilarious. Jerry Stiller is possibly at his finest hour playing the lead role in this film. The writing is terrific as is the direction. Garafalo is good, but clearly Jerry Stiller is the laugh-machine here. This could be the Something About Mary of this year, but without as much gross humor (not that I don't like gross humor). Plenty of wacky cameos by: Andy Dick, Ben Stiller, the entire cast of the Ben Stiller Show, Ron Howard, Roger Corman, and Larry Hankin.

For the recently-married reviewer who missed the last 20 minutes: that was my 15 seconds of fame as an extra at the "film festival", dammit! The fictional town of "Chapparal, Nevada" is in fact Colfax, California. The theater interior is that of the old-school Colfax Theater. Never before has the subject of venereal disease been dealt with so classily on the silver screen, army stock or not. Jerry Stiller is a mensch and that Ginger Lynn as the Mayor, well... I don't think dialogue was a strong point in her previous film career, know what i mean? Don't miss this one, especially if you like quirky faux-documentary comedies. Really.

This sleeper has been overlooked. It is frequently funny with many illustrations of real wit. If you're a fan of indie-flicks, then there's much to enjoy here, not least of which are unexpected cameos by industry names.

Plus, despite what others have said, there is a narrative based on the characters' familial relations. That, and quality acting from the leads (especially Jerry Stiller, who'll surprise you with his convincing portrayal) make this satire well-worth watching.

I found this on cable and learned it's not been released on DVD. Let's start lobbying for that!