Supremely silly 'The Napa Boys' requires patience, goodwill and maybe a wine buzz

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The barely-there plot of "The Napa Boys" finds a group of pals and wine aficionados, known as the Napa Boys, gathering in the California valley (Malibu subbed) for a screwball adventure that, among much else, will involve a coveted wine competition at something called the Great Grape Festival. The film's goofy conceit is that this is the fourth installment of a Napa Boys movie series, with the official on-screen title of 'The Napa Boys 4: The Sommelier's Amulet', dropping viewers into the thick of things with little context.

Why it matters

This low-budget comedy presumes the audience's intimacy with a completely fictional franchise, but being left in a stupefied haze is part of the appeal, as the filmmakers seem to be making a meta statement about the nature of sequels and franchises.

The details

Co-writers and co-stars Nick Corirossi and Armen Weitzman (Corirossi also directed) have assembled a series of scenes in search of a story, sending up pivotal moments from a hodgepodge of movies, both real and invented. The hapless group of Napa Boys includes its leader, the crassly horny Jack Jr. (Corirossi), sad-sack widower Miles Jr. (Weitzman), conflicted family man Kevin (Nelson Franklin), underdog vintner Mitch (Mike Mitchell) and a kinder, newer member known as Stifler's Brother (Jamar Neighbors). Meanwhile, a devotee and 'investigative podcaster,' Puck (Sarah Ramos), also joins the guys on their wayward journey.

• The film was reportedly shot in under 10 days.