The Smith brothers – director Tyson and screenwriter Ian – really, really, really love Clerks. If that's not painfully evident in the first 10 minutes of their cinematic debut The Sexy Chef, you've either slept through the last decade of lightweight indie knock-offs or you have a high tolerance for Smith acolytes crafting slavishly idolatrous "comedies" that grate on your nerves and think over-the-top, ostensibly witty dialogue can make up for any semblance of a plot.

The narrative such as it is, centers on the hapless F.M. (Logan Creighton), who in between shifts at a dead-end warehouse, hangs out with Tank (Todd Robinson) and Paul (Matt Higgins) at the local 24-hour diner, playing cards, bantering and avoiding a loony creep (Aaron Babb). In between living in the same room as his parents and barely tolerating his moronic co-workers, F.M. happens upon a vision; a toque-clad beauty (Phaedra) smoking outside the local culinary institute – the "sexy chef" of the title. Convinced that she's a ray of light in an otherwise dreary existence, F.M. sets out on a road trip, joined by Tank's half-sister, the boorish Winona (Noami Halsey), in search of said "sexy chef."

Billed as an "offbeat comedy," The Sexy Chef is an exercise in endurance, rather than an effortless side-splitter. The Smith brothers, creators of the cult comic "Oddjob" and upcoming graphic novel "Emily and the Intergalactic Lemonade Stand," have surprisingly little visual acuity, preferring to jump-cut between sentences and relying on static mise-en-scene. It makes for tough going, and the schticky screenplay doesn't help – the lead performers do the best they can with what they have, but ultimately, The Sexy Chef is way too much adoration and not nearly enough innovation.

The Video:

A shoestring affair, The Sexy Chef's 1.85:1 non-anamorphic widescreen transfer belies the low-budget origins, with a lot of softness, blow-out and the odd bit of blur marring the image. It's watchable, but far from ideal.

Much like the visuals, the aural end of The Sexy Chef is passable, but only barely. Outfitted with a thin, occasionally tinny Dolby 2.0 stereo soundtrack, music has a tendency to overwhelm dialogue and sound effects often ring hollow (as does the odd bit of dialogue here and there).

Hardly a speck of supplement to be found: brief bio screens for the Smith brothers and the film's trailer and that's it.

I'm sure The Sexy Chef was a project born of good intentions, but the end result is excruciating – unfunny, Clerks-aping comedy that strands its actors with a script so over the top it needs a parachute. Skip it.