The explosion of independent film that dominated the arthouses of the Nineties has long since subsided, as previously marginalized films are taking center stage; a movie like Brokeback Mountain or Capote would've been relegated to small, coastal runs a scant few years ago. Now, they're contending for Oscar gold – what a difference a few years makes. While indie films are more prevalent now, you'd still practically need a scorecard to keep up with all of the lightning fast references in My Big Fat Independent Movie – riffing on everything from Pulp Fiction to Memento, director/editor Philip Zlotorynski, working from a screenplay by Film Threat's Chris Gore (who also served as a producer) and Adam Schwartz, piles on the satire, rarely pausing for a breath.

The movie's Achilles heel, however, isn't that it's not occasionally funny (it is) but rather that taking shots at Pi or El Mariachi feels so dated that any sense of fun is mitigated by the fact that not even the crappy new seasons of "Saturday Night Live" are stooping to this sort of material. The film is competently acted, stylishly filmed and contains a clever moment here and there, but the stale, boring air which permeates the narrative from its first frame to its last saps any comic momentum (although the kicky, Evan Mather-animated opening credits are quite amusing). I couldn't shake the feeling throughout that I was watching a cinematically astute version of the seemingly endless Scary Movie series.

My Big Fat Independent Movie has only the barest semblance of a plot – suffice to say it involves hit men, amnesiacs, petite French women, Fifties-obsessed swingers, knowing lesbians, kidnapped salesgirls, so on and so forth. From deliberately arty camera angles to highly stylized, self-referential dialogue, it's a blinding trip through most of the major arthouse releases of the last decade. One only wishes that this film had been released five or six years earlier, when this material wasn't quite so stale; My Big Fat Independent Movie is worth a glance for those aficionados of the Nineties indie film renaissance, but everyone else would probably be better off renting one of the several dozen films referenced herein.

The Video:

Presented in a very sharp 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer, My Big Fat Independent Movie looks absolutely great with cinematographer Scott Peck's images popping off the screen. Slick and free of any trace of a blemish, this is a sterling visual representation.

A very active Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is included, with an immersive soundfield and clearly heard dialogue. The effects and score don't intrude upon the rapid-fire exchanges, with the occasional gunplay given surprisingly robust life. Dolby 2.0 stereo is also on board.

There's not much in the way of bonus material but it's better than nothing: an engaging, dense commentary with Zlotorynski and Gore is on board, with the guys informing viewers of references, inspiration and behind-the-scenes stories. Also included is a 10 minute making of featurette, a red-band trailer, presented in anamorphic widescreen and seven cheeky postcards, spoofing the posters for My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Clerks, Swingers, Memento, The Good Girl, Amelie and Reservoir Dogs.

My Big Fat Independent Movie is an amusing concept on its surface, but suffers from being too much satire, too late; mile-a-minute comedy isn't a problem here but the subject matter is. Lampooning independent film was funny when arthouses were flooded with the films satirized here were actually playing, not nearly a decade after the fact. Hardcore indie film fans might find this a diverting entertainment, but everyone else would probably be better off renting one of the myriad flicks this film references. Rent it.