I rented this movie expecting, at best, an hour and a half of mindless fun, and the first few minutes seemed to confirm this. Some of the jokes fell flat, the whole thing had a limp, directionless feel. Just goes to show how wrong I can be. This is one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. The satire of 60s/70s exploitation film making is dead on. Jerry Stiller is hilarious. The line-up of cameos is amazing. And Jeannine Garafolo is superb, not underused at all but used with subtlety and humor. She holds the movie together and makes it more than just a bunch of gags, and it's largely thanks to her (and Stiller) that the ending is not only funny but, amazingly enough, touching as well. For fans of bottom of the barrel film-making and for aspiring movie makers everywhere this is a must-see.
Review of The Independent
