The Mother of Invention
Encyclopedia
The Mother of Invention is a 2009 American "mockumentary" style comedy film directed by Joseph M. Petrick
& Andrew Bowser
, the screenplay by Petrick. The film starred Bowser, Jimmi Simpson
, Kevin Corrigan
, Mark Boone Junior
, Dee Wallace, Craig Anton
, Ruby Wendell
, F. Jason Whitaker and Chris Hardwick
. It featured cameos by
Dave Allen, Chris Franjola, Keir O'Donnell
, Martha Madison
and Ron Lynch
. The film premiered at the 2009 Sci-Fi-London
film festival internationally and the Hollywood Film Festival
domestically. The original score was composed and performed by Jim Hanft and the credits feature an original song by the band Copeland
.
The film was released on DVD and digitally on June 14th, 2011 and can be purchased at the iTunes Store
and Amazon.com
. It became available on Netflix
for instant streaming on August 2nd, 2011.
), an aspiring inventor who dreams of winning the Thomas Alva Edison Award for Young Inventors (or "Eddy"). Each year, he enters and each year he humiliates himself with an invention that malfunctions in one way or another. A documentary crew follows Vincent in the last year that he is eligible to compete for the award, at the same time following Martin Wooderson (Jimmi Simpson
), a smug wunderkind with a long history of winning the award with dull but marketable inventions. Through the months leading up to the Eddy's, Vincent mentions (in a clandestine manner) an invention he is working on that he is sure will change his losing streak but refuses to reveal more. We meet Vincent's best friend Gunter (F. Jason Whitaker), his endlessly supportive mother (Dee Wallace), his tweaked out father (Mark Boone Junior
), the object of his affection (Ruby Wendell
) and his hero, a surly junkyard worker (Kevin Corrigan
).
As the story moves along we see Vincent's attempt at perfecting his many inventions and see him emotionally prepare for his last chance to win the coveted award while attempting to win the heart of Jenny (Wendell), a waitress at the local diner he frequents. The film culminates at the award ceremony where Vincent and Martin unveil their final inventions and vie for the prize.
to test Dooly's signature underbite became viral after website eBaum's World
posted the video and many mistook Vincent for a real person.
Joseph M. Petrick
Joseph M. Petrick is an American writer and director best known for his film collaborations with Andrew Bowser, including writing and co-directing the independent comedy The Mother of Invention.-Early life and career:...
& Andrew Bowser
Andrew Bowser
Andrew Bowser is an American actor, writer and director best known for his film collaborations with Joseph M. Petrick, including co-directing and starring in the independent comedy The Mother of Invention. Bowser also wrote, directed and starred in Jimmy Tupper Vs...
, the screenplay by Petrick. The film starred Bowser, Jimmi Simpson
Jimmi Simpson
James Raymond "Jimmi" Simpson is an American actor. He has had recurring roles on the television shows 24, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Psych, My Name Is Earl, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and The Late Show with David Letterman...
, Kevin Corrigan
Kevin Corrigan
Kevin Fitzgerald Corrigan is an American actor who has appeared mostly in independent films and television since the 1990s.-Life and career:Corrigan was born in The Bronx, New York to an Irish-American father and a Puerto Rican mother...
, Mark Boone Junior
Mark Boone Junior
Mark Boone Junior is an American actor perhaps best known for his roles as Bobby Munson in FX's Sons of Anarchy and in two films by Christopher Nolan, Memento and Batman Begins...
, Dee Wallace, Craig Anton
Craig Anton
Craig Ward Anton is an American actor and comedian. Anton is most notable for being one of the original cast of comedians on sketch comedy television series MADtv and for his role as Lloyd Diffy in the Disney Channel Original Series Phil of the Future.-Early life and career:Anton, eldest son of...
, Ruby Wendell
Ruby Wendell
Ruby Wendell is an American actress and comedian. She has appeared on Last Comic Standing and has acted in independent films such as The Mother of Invention, I'm Not Like That No More and Ashes.- Biography :...
, F. Jason Whitaker and Chris Hardwick
Chris Hardwick
Christopher Ryan "Chris" Hardwick is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, musician, podcaster, television personality, and voice artist...
. It featured cameos by
Dave Allen, Chris Franjola, Keir O'Donnell
Keir O'Donnell
Keir O'Donnell is an Australian actor best known for his roles in the comedy films Wedding Crashers and Paul Blart: Mall Cop...
, Martha Madison
Martha Madison
Martha Madison is an American actress.- Life and career :Madison was born in Newport News, Virginia...
and Ron Lynch
Ron Lynch
Ron Lynch is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and writer. He has appeared in a number of movies and television shows. He has worked as a voice actor for several animated shows, including Home Movies and Tom Goes to the Mayor, and has made guest appearances on Dr...
. The film premiered at the 2009 Sci-Fi-London
Sci-Fi-London
SCI-FI-LONDON , is a UK based film festival, dedicated to the science fiction and fantasy genres, which began in 2002.-About the Festival:...
film festival internationally and the Hollywood Film Festival
Hollywood Film Festival
The Hollywood Film Festival is an annual Film festival which is located in Los Angeles, California, USA. The Festival was established in 1997 by Carlos de Abreu and his wife, model Janice Pennington....
domestically. The original score was composed and performed by Jim Hanft and the credits feature an original song by the band Copeland
Copeland (band)
Copeland was an indie rock band, originally formed in 2001 by singer Aaron Marsh with his friend, bassist and backup singer James Likeness, in the city of Lakeland, Florida.-Inception:...
.
The film was released on DVD and digitally on June 14th, 2011 and can be purchased at the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
and Amazon.com
Amazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
. It became available on Netflix
Netflix
Netflix, Inc., is an American provider of on-demand internet streaming media in the United States, Canada, and Latin America and flat rate DVD-by-mail in the United States. The company was established in 1997 and is headquartered in Los Gatos, California...
for instant streaming on August 2nd, 2011.
Plot
The film follows Vincent Dooly (Andrew BowserAndrew Bowser
Andrew Bowser is an American actor, writer and director best known for his film collaborations with Joseph M. Petrick, including co-directing and starring in the independent comedy The Mother of Invention. Bowser also wrote, directed and starred in Jimmy Tupper Vs...
), an aspiring inventor who dreams of winning the Thomas Alva Edison Award for Young Inventors (or "Eddy"). Each year, he enters and each year he humiliates himself with an invention that malfunctions in one way or another. A documentary crew follows Vincent in the last year that he is eligible to compete for the award, at the same time following Martin Wooderson (Jimmi Simpson
Jimmi Simpson
James Raymond "Jimmi" Simpson is an American actor. He has had recurring roles on the television shows 24, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Psych, My Name Is Earl, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and The Late Show with David Letterman...
), a smug wunderkind with a long history of winning the award with dull but marketable inventions. Through the months leading up to the Eddy's, Vincent mentions (in a clandestine manner) an invention he is working on that he is sure will change his losing streak but refuses to reveal more. We meet Vincent's best friend Gunter (F. Jason Whitaker), his endlessly supportive mother (Dee Wallace), his tweaked out father (Mark Boone Junior
Mark Boone Junior
Mark Boone Junior is an American actor perhaps best known for his roles as Bobby Munson in FX's Sons of Anarchy and in two films by Christopher Nolan, Memento and Batman Begins...
), the object of his affection (Ruby Wendell
Ruby Wendell
Ruby Wendell is an American actress and comedian. She has appeared on Last Comic Standing and has acted in independent films such as The Mother of Invention, I'm Not Like That No More and Ashes.- Biography :...
) and his hero, a surly junkyard worker (Kevin Corrigan
Kevin Corrigan
Kevin Fitzgerald Corrigan is an American actor who has appeared mostly in independent films and television since the 1990s.-Life and career:Corrigan was born in The Bronx, New York to an Irish-American father and a Puerto Rican mother...
).
As the story moves along we see Vincent's attempt at perfecting his many inventions and see him emotionally prepare for his last chance to win the coveted award while attempting to win the heart of Jenny (Wendell), a waitress at the local diner he frequents. The film culminates at the award ceremony where Vincent and Martin unveil their final inventions and vie for the prize.
Trivia
The film gained momentum when a clip that had been created for Andrew BowserAndrew Bowser
Andrew Bowser is an American actor, writer and director best known for his film collaborations with Joseph M. Petrick, including co-directing and starring in the independent comedy The Mother of Invention. Bowser also wrote, directed and starred in Jimmy Tupper Vs...
to test Dooly's signature underbite became viral after website eBaum's World
EBaum's World
eBaum's World is a website based in Rochester, New York featuring entertainment media such as videos, Flash cartoons and web games. It is controversial for many reasons, primarily because much of the content on the website is taken from other sources without permission and rebranded with the...
posted the video and many mistook Vincent for a real person.