My Big Fat Independent
Movie (R-rated)
Picture: B-
Sound: B- Extras: C+ Film: C
When will filmmakers and writers figure out how unfunny
they are by simply sending up something without ironic distance or any point
but mockery? Philip Zlotorynski’s My
Big Fat Independent Movie (2005) is far too impressed with itself
scriptwise, though it has some ambition.
However, the bad opening gay joke is a sign of bad things to come and
things never gets better.
Clint Howard, Jason Mewes and “King Of TV” Paul Goebel
(who has done reviews for this site) show up, but the humor is shortsighted and
is already out of date after about a year even within the jokes contained in
the title song. It is miles from being
as funny as Airplane! Part of
the problem is that it tries to treat independent productions as a genre, but
has no idea what to do with that, so you get a mush of sending up films like Pulp
Fiction, Memento, Pi, Swingers and many others all the
way to the obvious swipes at My Big Fat Greek Wedding. A nice idea very badly executed, someone else
is bound to do the same thing better and soon if we are lucky. This one is barely up to a bad TV skit.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image is colorful and
clearer than expected, amusing in the way cinematographer Scott Peck does his
best to imitate the style of the many films sent up. The Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 mixes are noting spectacular,
though the 5.1 is a little better and all have surrounds, but it is sufficient. Extras include postcards inside the DVD
case, a making of featurette, commentary by the writer/producer Gore &
director Zlotorynski and trailers for this and four other Anchor Bay DVDs.
- Nicholas Sheffo
