Ellie Parker generated substantial buzz during the earlier part of the Sundance this year, so I was quite curious to see what actor turned director Scott Coffey had up his sleeve. As it turns out, not a whole hell of a lot. Don't get me wrong. Ellie Parker isn't worthless, but there have been countless send-ups about the perils of the film world, that were far more effective.

Ellie Parker is actually based on a short that Coffey brought to the festival a few years earlier and features Naomi Watts as working actress Ellie Parker, a talented young woman waiting for her big break. When she isn't out busting her ass trying to impress casting directors, she's busy dealing with a dysfunctional relationship with her burn-out musician of a boyfriend, and spending time with her best friend, who also happens to be an actress.

Ellie Parker is a satiric look at the independent film making world (which is more or less a smaller-scale mirror reflection of the Hollywood system). It was shot on video, and for the most part, is shot hand-held. It reportedly took five years to finish the film. Why, I really couldn't say.

Naomi Watts actually started this film before she became as celebrated as she is today and I get the distinct impression that she would've turned it down had she been asked to do it more recently. But then I suppose that's the attraction of the film. Her performance is lively, and in particular, I loved the sequences in which she's cruising down the street in her car in between screen tests, rehearsing dialogue for her next audition. There are plenty of scenes where this gorgeous actress wildly overplays things, but it's all intentional. Quite frankly, had Watts not appeared in the film, I don't think there would be much to recommend.

Chevy Chase shows up in a brief (and when I say brief, I do mean brief) supporting role as Ellie's philandering agent. His turn is fine I suppose, but there really isn't much to it. It's as if he just showed up because he was excited at the notion of being asked to be in a project again.

As I stated, this is satire but even so, it's incredibly dull. I love movies like The Player and The Big Picture, but Ellie Parker can't hold a candle to those films because it isn't scathing enough. Coffey's targets are much too easy. There are moments I certainly liked including a very funny sequence in which Ellie and her performing buddy argue over the fundamentals of method acting (Lawrence Olivier would have gotten a kick out of this), which culminates in a crying contest. But for every solid moment, there's about five or six that don't work at all. Take, for instance, a pivotal scene in which Ellie tries out for a period piece. The entire time she's doing her monologue, the strange, foreign film team conducting the interview are more interested in acting weird than paying attention to Parker's work. I get what Coffey is going for here, but it comes off a lot more tedious than funny.

I wasn't at all bothered by this film's low-budget look. Hell, I'm a huge fan of The Blair Witch Project (let the trashing begin). The hand held video camera style is just fine. The problem is that there just isn't anything particularly interesting going on. At nearly two hours long, Ellie Parker is far too lengthy and the pace nearly put me to sleep. There just isn't enough to Ellie Parker to sustain such a long running time. Perhaps this picture was better suited as a short.

Following the picture, Scott Coffey and his cast did a Q & A. No one dared asked Watts any questions about he upcoming King Kong remake probably for fear that some smug independent guru in the audience might chastise them. Watts looked every bit as good in person, and as I've already made clear in the review, had it not been for her, the movie would have been dead in the water. Chevy Chase was also there to trumpet his masterful four minutes of screen time. Speaking of smug. No one asked Chase a question, so at one point during the Q & A, he made it known that he was in the movie too. Finally, someone worked up the courage to ask Chase a question. Chase's reply was longer than his appearance in the film. I suppose the SNL vet was trying to be funny, but I thought he came across as smarmy. Scott Coffey is likable enough. The guy certainly doesn't appear to have much of an ego, and he showered much deserved praise on Watts. Still, I think I prefer watching him as an actor (he appeared in several 80's movies including Some Kind of Wonderful). And in fact, his supporting role in Ellie Parker is stronger than his role as director. This is definitely the most disappointing movie I've seen at the festival so far.