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Recently, such a film wormed its way into the late throes of August action films: the much-ballyhooed Little Miss Sunshine.

Just the mention of the film likely reminds a would-be theatergoer to make the trip. Take it from me, stick to the blockbusters. They’re smarter than this piece of schlock.

From the outset, I can imagine my readers dismay. After all, how could a film that stars such likeable actors as Toni Collette, Steve Carrell, and Alan Arkin possibly end up being such a waste of time?

It certainly wasn’t easy, but Michael Arndt, the writer of this cliched timewaster, should be given the bulk of the blame.

He fills his taleča fairly routine story of family of misfits who crisscross the country on the way to a child beauty pageant, with hackneyed, tired characters. The motley crew includes a suicidal gay brother (Carrell), a nervous åber-mom (Collette), a self-help guru, a horny drug-addled grandpa (Arkin), a hate-the-system teenager, and a precocious young girl who carries the family through its travails.

Anyone who has seen an independent film in the last ten years knows that these characters are staples of coming-of-age stories, yet Arndt treats them as if he’s just found a riveting new formula for Hollywood. The plotline digresses into a series of “aw shucks” moments, and every twist in the film’s plot is obvious to all audience members about ten minutes before the film turns the next corner.

By the time the film ended, I was left with a bad taste lingering on my cinematic palate: that clever independent marketing scheme, which usually unveils hidden treasures, had instead given me a batch of fool’s gold.

This wasn’t always the case, of course, as evidenced by another film that entered cinematic pantheons six years ago, and started its ride toward cult status at Sundance, the very same festival that brought about Little Miss Sunshine.

You Can Count on Me, a film that starred the incomparable Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo, took on some of the similar cliches that plagued Little Miss Sunshine, but thanks to the genius of writer Kenneth Lonergan, the characters still appeared fresh.

Ruffalo’s portrayal of Linney’s brother, instead of serving as a comic foil, added a depth and a history to his character with every wayward glance and selfish act. Linney’s role as a pot-smoking, overbearing mother is a woman struggling to reach her way out of the world that she’s carved for herself.

The flick, like so many independent films, (including the bland Sunshine) sees few life-altering events, yet everyone is incredibly changed by the intricacies of life as the film closes without the need for kitsch or ambiguity.

Watching a movie like You Can Count on Me, a film that would have slipped into the celluloid dumpster if it weren’t for the festival machine, makes you glad that independent movies have such an outlet.

So don’t go out and investigate the movie du jour; instead traipse over to Blockbuster and enjoy a true modern classic. In this Sundance beauty pageant, there is no runner-up: You Can Count on Me film easily outshines Sunshine.