The Independent (2000)

Director:

Stephen Kessler

Writers:

Mike Wilkins (written by) &
Stephen Kessler (written by)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Morty Fineman. Artist. Visionary. Madman.

Plot:

A notorious B-movie director tries for a comeback by seeking out the film rights to the life story of a serial killer who wants his biography film to be a musical.

Plot Keywords:

Serial Killer | Director | B Movie | Film Festival | Mock Documentary

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Jerry Stiller	...	Morty Fineman
Janeane Garofalo	...	Paloma Fineman
Max Perlich	...	Ivan
Ted Demme	...	Himself
Roger Corman	...	Himself
Ron Howard	...	Himself
Karen Black	...	Herself
Peter Bogdanovich	...	Himself
Fred Williamson	...	Himself
Nick Cassavetes	...	Himself
Paul Logan	...	Son
Stacy Fuson	...	Daughter
Herb Marcus	...	Old Man / Mr. Witz
Julie Strain	...	Ms. Kevorkian
Stephen Kessler	...	Steve
Mike Wilkins	...	Mike
Ethan Embry	...	Bert
James 'Kimo' Wills	...	Rob (as Kimo Wills)
Phil Proctor	...	Rob's Dad
Melinda Peterson	...	Rob's Mom
Louisa Moritz	...	Sally / Receptionist
Priscilla Taylor	...	Iris
Greg Behrendt	...	Redneck
Victoria Silvstedt	...	Blossom
Devon DeMaria	...	Violet
Joseph Dubow	...	Businessman #2
Danielle Ciardi	...	Daisy
Lisa McCullough	...	Leather Girl
Jimmy Briscoe	...	Morty's Actor-Friend
Gary Friedkin	...	Surfer Guy
Debbie Lee Carrington	...	Surfer Girl
Susan Rossitto	...	Morty's Actress-Friend (as Susie Rossitto)
Jonathan Katz	...	Todd
Eric Schaefer	...	R.F. Fineman
Roy Kerry	...	Beardo
David Stifel	...	Hairface
Dennis McCullen	...	President
S.A. Griffin	...	Slate
Omer Mohamed	...	Mr. Singh
Maria Cina	...	Newscaster
Jennifer Elise Cox	...	Telluride Booth Girl
Billy Burke	...	Dwayne
Penelope Pumpkins	...	Actress #1
Brittany Andrews	...	Actress #3
Amy Stiller	...	Dr. Rosaria Mclesh
John Finnegan	...	Guard
Larry Hankin	...	William Henry Ellis
Andy Dick	...	Maitre d'
Joann Richter	...	Tula
Jeffrey Schoeny	...	Boy
Ben Stiller	...	Cop
Ancel Cook	...	Peter Worth
John Lydon	...	Baruce
Ginger Lynn	...	Mayor Kitty Storm (as Ginger Lynn Allen)
Michael Robbins	...	Orthodontist (as Dr. Michael Robbins)
Ken Michelman	...	Prosecutor
Dana Gould	...	Victim
Rob Ingersoll	...	Christ
Judy Herrera	...	Blue Sky
Anne Meara	...	Rita
Fred Dryer	...	Jean Claude
Richard Paul	...	Jeffries
Sam Anderson	...	Ed
Bill Gerber	...	Dennis
Laura Kightlinger	...	Diana
Risa Mickenberg	...	Desk Clerk
Jay Johnston	...	Soldier
Joseph S. Griffo	...	Beach Guy (as Joseph Griffo)
Bob Odenkirk	...	Figure
Melissa Daniels	...	Lover
Owen Bush	...	VFW Old Man
Aki Aleong	...	Mr. Ko
Ramon Sison	...	Mr. Ramos
Maria Ford	...	Poster Model
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michael Berryman	...	Himself
Fantasia	...	Actress #2
Gina Jackson	...	Foxy Chocolate Robot
Elina Madison	...	Fawn
Jill Marie McMurray	...	Film Festival Fan
Stuart Stone	...	Jack Barth
Dennis McMullen	...	President of the United States (uncredited)
Brian Posehn	...	Fan from Casper, WY (uncredited)

Directed by
Stephen Kessler

Writing credits
Mike Wilkins		(written by) &
Stephen Kessler		(written by)

Produced by
Helen Akerly	....	associate producer
Gary DePew	....	line producer
George Paige	....	associate producer
Lesa Lakin Richardson	....	co-executive producer
Jerry Weintraub	....	executive producer
Mike Wilkins	....	producer
Jack Ziga	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Ben Vaughn

Cinematography by
Amir Hamed

Film Editing by
Chris Franklin

Casting by
Nicole Arbusto
Joy Dickson

Production Design by
Russell Christian

Art Direction by
Dan Rucinski

Set Decoration by
Halina Siwolop

Costume Design by
Youna Kwak

Makeup Department
Dan Gates	....	special makeup effects artist

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Andrew Coffing	....	second second assistant director
Michael R. Melamed	....	additional second second assistant director
Daniel R. Suhart	....	second assistant director
Jack Ziga	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Jared Fleury	....	property master
Jennifer Fleury	....	assistant property master
Dylan J. Hay Chapman	....	graphic designer
Dylan J. Hay Chapman	....	lead man
Carisa Rosenthal	....	on-set dresser

Sound Department
Felix Andrew	....	sound mixer
Duff Campbell	....	boom operator
Donavan Dear	....	boom operator
Frank Morrone	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bruce Pross	....	supervising sound editor
Steven Simons	....	sound re-recording mixer

Special Effects by
Wayne Beauchamp	....	special effects coordinator

Visual Effects by
Jennifer Basnyat	....	visual effects

Stunts
Cheryl Lawson	....	stunts
Scott Leva	....	stunt coordinator
Scott Rhodes	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Bryan Delorenzo	....	camera loader
Warren Feldman	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Tim Hubbard	....	camera operator
James M. Sterba	....	first assistant camera: second unit
Ron Veto	....	Steadicam operator

Editorial Department
Chris DeLaGuardia	....	color timer
Valerie Junge	....	assistant editor
Patricia Sztaba	....	negative cutter
Stan Sztaba	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Howard Paar	....	music supervisor
David Tobocman	....	score mixer

Transportation Department
Jorge Velasquez	....	transportation
Greagrey Waldrop	....	transportation coordinator (as Greag Waldrop)
Aliza Washabaugh	....	driver
Alberto Coto	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Marc Andreyko	....	assistant production coordinator
Pascal Goupil	....	accountant
Scott Putman	....	production coordinator
Mike Tristano	....	weapons handler

Production Companies

• United Lotus Group

Distributors

• Allumination Filmworks (2000) (worldwide) (all media)
• Arrow Entertainment
• Arrow Releasing (2001) (USA)
• Epix Media (2009) (Germany) (DVD)
• Mill Creek Entertainment (2011) (USA) (DVD)
• New City Releasing

Other Companies

• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera cranes
• Chapman/Leonard Studio Equipment  camera dollies

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some violence and sexuality

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:R

Company:

United Lotus Group

Trivia:

Richard Paul's last film.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ted Demme:I think Morty is a visionary.
Roger Corman:I think Morty was and is an artist.
Ron Howard:He's an innovator.
Karen Black:Very persistent. And you have to love him for that.
Peter Bogdanovich:Morty would try things, and then 2 years later someone would copy it and win an Oscar for it.
Fred Williamson:This is the only man that I've ever worked with that I feel I can't take.

Movie Connections:

References Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988)

Satire Worth Seeing

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!