There are "independent" films -- those produced by the Weinsteins of the world and packed with A-list actors working for scale. Then there are independent films -- those financed with maxed-out credit cards and completed by sheer force of will.
Jody Hill's comedy gem The Foot Fist Way belongs decidedly in the latter category, and while the film didn't necessarily shatter any box office records in its brief theatrical release, it did manage to net for its Concord, North Carolina-bred writer/director an array of prominent Hollywood admirers, chief among them the Talladega Nights and Step Brothers superduo of Will Ferrell and Adam McKay.
For his first studio release, Observe and Report, Hill managed to nab none other than emerging comedy heavyweight Seth Rogen, star of Knocked Up, Superbad and the upcoming Pineapple Express, to play the lead as a delusional, overzealous mall cop on the trail of an elusive streaker.
With visions of a potential McKay/Ferrell-esque partnership dancing in my head, I traveled to Observe and Report's Albuquerque, New Mexico set on an oppressively hot Tuesday a few weeks ago to get a glimpse of the comedy gold that a collaboration between Rogen and Hill might yield. And I got that -- but I got more. A lot more.
Come back soon for a comprehensive writeup of my Observe and Report set visit, featuring in-depth interviews with Rogen, Hill, producer Donald De Line (who happens to be developing a little flick called Green Lantern), and co-stars Ray Liotta and Michael Pena.
More importantly, I'll furnish a detailed recap of my very own acting debut in the film -- in a short yet memorable cameo as an alternative-lifestyled mall patron shopping for fashionable storage containers with my disheveled life partner.
I'm pretty sure that's how Olivier got started.