Gary Coleman Movies
African-American child star Gary Coleman grew up in Zion, IL, where his father worked for a pharmaceutical firm and his mother was a nurse. Before reaching the age of five, Coleman had undergone three operations for a congenital kidney defect known as nephritis. As a result of his medical condition, he would never grow any taller than 4'8". His smallness proved to be a professional advantage when he began appearing in Chicago-area TV commercials; even at the age of nine, he could still pass as a precocious five-year-old. In 1978, Coleman auditioned for a proposed television revival of the old Little Rascals comedy series. Though the project fell through, ABC chief executive Fred Silverman was enchanted by the talented tyke. Silverman cast Coleman as Arnold Jackson on the upcoming sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, which moved to NBC along with Silverman in the fall of 1978. It was this extraordinarily popular series, coupled with the precocious Coleman's spirited TV talk show appearances, that catapulted the ten-year-old to stardom. Within a year of Diff'rent Strokes' debut, Gary Coleman Productions was formed, for the purpose of starring the youngster in theatrical features like On the Right Track (1981) and made-for-TV movies like Scout's Honor (1980) and The Kid With the Broken Halo (1982). This last project was spun off into the Saturday-morning cartoon series The Gary Coleman Show (1983), with Coleman providing his own voice. An instinctive comic performer and extremely quick study, Coleman rapidly grew weary with the rigors of show business. As he grew older, Coleman's spontaneous cuteness faded. After the cancellation of Diff'rent Strokes in 1986, Coleman found the going decidedly rough. Occasionally he'd play a "stunt" part like a villainous gang leader on the TV series 227, but his short stature and ever-diminishing acting range made him difficult to cast. He still remained in the public eye, albeit as the central character in a bitter legal squabble between himself and his parents. Gary Coleman's later TV appearances were largely confined to a series of late-night commercials for a "psychic" telephone service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Ebenezer Scrooge gets the parody treatment from veteran writer/director David Zucker (Airplane!, Scary Movie 4) with this comedy starring Kevin Farley as a derisive documentarian (à la Michael Moore) who's visited by three ghosts intent on instilling the American spirit in the disillusioned filmmaker. Kelsey Grammer, Jon Voight, Leslie Nielsen, James Woods, and Dennis Hopper co-star in the Vivendi Entertainment production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Farley, Kelsey Grammer, (more)
High spiritual ideals don't quite mesh with the spirit of competition in this sports comedy. In the 1920s, the leaders of the Church of Latter Day Saints began encouraging their congregations to form basketball teams and church leagues as a way to promote fitness, wholesome fun, and teamwork among Mormon youth. However, the downside of this plan was the rise of wildly competitive teams who were a lot more interested in winning at all costs than good sportsmanship. In the 1970s, Bishop Linderman (Fred Willard) has been watching his Mud Lake basketball team get trounced in the Church League championships for nearly two decades, which doesn't sit well with him. Linderman used to be Mud Lake's coach before we was banned from the game for fighting, and with the team facing another losing season, he appoints a new man, Dennis Buckstead (Andrew Wilson), to lead Mud Lake on the court. When LDS elders announce that they're putting an end to church ball and the upcoming season will be the last, the pressure is on Buckstead to bring home a championship for Mud Lake's final season. But with a team comprised of myopic clerk Gene (Clint Howard), rotund Don (Chad Long), timid Thurman (Steve Anderson), half-pint car salesman Charles (Gary Coleman), short-tempered Mickey (Ross Brockley), and Borat (Sina Amedson), an immigrant who knows soccer far better than basketball, Buckstead's prospects are not very good. Not wanting to disappoint Linderman, Buckstead tries to recruit a pair of ringers for the Mud Lake team -- Moses Mahoney (Thurl Bailey), a seven-foot-tall prodigy who teaches sports to underprivileged kids, and Jeremiah Jones (Stan Ellsworth), a fierce player who may be just a bit too competitive. Church Ball was directed by Kurt Hale and released through Halestorm Entertainment, a leading producer of LDS-oriented films. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Willard, Andrew Wilson, (more)
Mickey Rooney (B.J. Lang Presents, Curse of the Red Baron) and Gary Coleman (Diff'rent Strokes) co-star in the family-oriented, direct-to-video holiday comedy A Christmas Too Many (2005). This farce concerns an aging Hollywood actress who invites her eccentric and nutty family to stay with her over the Christmas holiday - with chaotic and disastrous consequences. Marla Maples co-stars. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
In 2003, as the state of California found itself in the midst of a fiscal crisis, a group of Republican activists launched a campaign to recall Governor Gray Davis, and a flock of candidates quickly came forward with hopes of taking over the Golden State's highest office in the event Davis was removed from office -- most famous among them actor-turned-first-time candidate Arnold Schwarzenegger. British documentary filmmaker Alex Cooke came to California to cover the recall election, and How Arnold Won the West offers a look at the men and woman vying for office as well as the difference in their campaign styles -- Davis running on issues and his record, and Schwarzenegger playing up his charisma and star power while offering little notion of what he'll do if elected. (The film also deals with the reporters covering the race, most of whom discover it's nearly impossible to directly ask Schwarzenegger a question.) How Arnold Won the West also includes profiles of several of the 133 other candidates who put their names on the ballot, among them actor Gary Coleman, performance artist Trek Thunder Kelly, and adult film star Mary Carey. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger
It's yet another version of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, with a gender-bender twist. Tori Spelling stars as Carol Cummings, a fabulously wealthy and enormously successful TV talk show host -- and a first-class shrew. Caring little for anything but the money and the celebrity that her job accrues, Carol mercilessly bullies and harangues everyone with whom she works, from her ulcerated producer Jimmy Fields (Michael Landes) to her long-suffering personal assistant Roberta Timmons (Nina Siemaszko), a single mom who dares not risk losing her job -- especially with Christmas just a few days away. While feverishly putting together a Yuletide TV special, Carol is visited by the ghost of her Aunt Marla (Dinah Manoff), who in her time was an even more insufferable diva than her niece. Warning Carol to change her ways before it is too late, Aunt Marla further proclaims that Carol will that evening be visited by three spirits who will show her the error of her ways. From this point forward it's the same old story, though it's fun to watch Gary Coleman as the Ghost of Christmas Past (appropriately in the form of a washed-up sitcom star!) and especially William Shatner as a Dr. Phil-style Ghost of Christmas Present. Also, the film represents one of the few times that the Scrooge character has a living love interest -- namely, Jason Brooks as John, a well-known Good Samaritan who continues to pine for Carol even after she has decided that he's the proverbial millstone around her neck. A Carol Christmas was first telecast by cable's Hallmark Channel on December 7, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tori Spelling, Dinah Manoff, (more)
- 2001
A $200,000 prize was originally offered to the viewer(s) who could spot the largest number of deliberate errors in this fourth annual Drew Carey Show "What's Wrong with This Episode?" offerings. The plot revolves around Lewis (Ryan Stiles), who has good reason to worry that he's going to end up in Hell. In an effort to mend his past bad behavior, Lewis turns into a quasi-evangelist, endeavoring to "save" all his friends by mercilessly harrassing them whenever they're on the verge of sinning (or whenever they're not!) As a reward for his good deeds, Lewis is struck by lightning--again and again and again. Meanwhile, Steve (John Carroll Lynch) fills in for Mimi (Kathy Kinney) at the store while she takes care of the baby. (For the record, at least 45 "mistakes" occur in the course of the show, including a wacky vignette in which the main characters are suddenly replaced by African-American TV icons!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The safety of the world hangs in the balance, and it's up to one slightly insane individual to save the day in this offbeat independent comedy. Steven Byzinsky (Morgan Rusler) is an ordinary white guy from California who has a bit of a problem -- he's convinced that he's blaxploitation film icon John Shat. Steven's firmly held delusion has landed him in a mental institution, but when a supervillain hatches a scheme to take over the world, Shat takes over Steve's personality, and he escapes with his psychiatrist, Dr. Foxy Brown (Angelle Brooks), as well as fellow patient Marlene Fujiyama (Hayley Man), a former police officer who imagines herself to be her late brother who was assassinated by the Yakuza. Shafted also features a cameo appearance from one-time child star Gary Coleman as himself. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Morgan Rusler, Angelle Brooks, (more)
- 1998
Having been burned by a traumatic childhood experience, greedy toy tycoon Tyler Madison (Harry Hamlin) is contemptuous of his fellow man, ruthlessly nasty in his business dealings, and callously neglectful of his wife Elyse (Megan Gallegher) and son Danny (Curtis Blanck). Just before Christmas, Madison piles into his private plane and heads for the North Pole, determined to put his chief competitor, Santa Claus (William Hookins), out of business. But upon his arrival, he realizes that he and S.C. have a lot in common--and thus the inevitable epiphany occurs, culminating in the settling of an "Elf strike" and a closer bond between Tyler and his loved ones. Like Father, Like Santa was telecast by cable's Fox Family Channel on December 1, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Hamlin, Megan Gallagher, (more)
Shortly after leaving the "Weekend Update" anchor slot on Saturday Night Live, Norm Macdonald resurfaced in this comedy about smart-aleck Mitch Weaver who teams with buddy Sam McKenna (Artie Lange of Mad TV). They open a revenge-for-hire business (Dirty Work Inc.) in order to raise $50,000 so Sam's father (Jack Warden) can get a heart transplant. After they bring down a dictatorial movie theater manager (Don Rickles), they next hire prostitutes to pose as dead bodies during an auto dealer's live TV commercial. Millionaire real-estate developer Travis Cole (Christopher McDonald) is bothered when Mitch and Sam interfere with his plan to wipe a woman's home out of existence. Cole hires Dirty Work to trash a building, so he can have it condemned. However, Cole doesn't own the building, and problems arise, mainly since the grandmother of Mitch's girlfriend lives in the building. The feud escalates. Cameos by Chevy Chase, the late Chris Farley, former child star Gary Coleman, Adam Sandler, and John Goodman. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Norm MacDonald, Jack Warden, (more)
- 1996
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air brings its six-year run to a close with this first episode in a two-part story (originally telecast back-to-back with the concluding episode). With virtually everyone in the Banks household about to go in separate directions to pursue their dreams, Philip (James Avery) puts the Bel-Air mansion up for sale. But while Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) is bound for Princeton, Hilary (Karyn Parsons and Ashley (Tatyana M. Ali) are headed for New York, Geoffrey (Joseph Marcell) intends to return to London, and Philip and Viv (Daphne Maxwell Reid) will soon relocate to the East, Will (Will Smith) is determined to stay put in Bel-Air--even if he hasn't got a roof over his head. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
It's Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) vs, Jefferson D'Arcy (Ted McGinley) in a no-holds-barred practical joke contest. With this in mind, Al thinks that Jefferson is merely pulling his leg when a woman (Deborah Harmon) claiming to be an old friend of his wife Peg (Katey Sagal) suddenly begins "coming on" to him. As it turns out, however, the "friend" is actually an old enemy who intends to get even with Peg by stealing Al--even if she has to marry him! And can it be that Al's coworker Griff (Harold Sylvester) is doomed to roast in the electric chair? This final episode of Married. . .With Children's tenth season was originally shown in tandem with the previous nstallment, "Torch Song Duet". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
When an apple on the Bundys' tree is seen hanging over the D'Arcy's yard, a battle royal ensues between the two neighboring families. In fine Laurel and Hardy tradition, the hostilities begin with a few small volleys designed to embarrass but not injure. Before long, however, the tit-for-tat warfare gets out of hand, and the results are truly explosive. Highlights in this episode include a pointed reference to Ted Danson's recent embarrassing blackface turn, as well as cameo appearances by sitcom favorites Danny Bonaduce, Dave Madden and Gary Coleman (the latter going ballistic when someone mentions that he looks like himself!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Embracing the supposed nihilism and cynicism of the "slacker" generation, S.F.W. (1995) caused nary a blip on the media-saturated cultural radar screen that it criticized. Stephen Dorff stars as Cliff Spab, an aimless, hard-drinking youth. Spab becomes a national hero when he is one of several people held hostage by gun-toting terrorists in a convenience store. He doesn't care much about his own life or anything else, and his attitude of "So f---ing what?" translates into debates with his terrorist captors and gloomy pronouncements that charm viewers. After a month-long siege, a crisis erupts when the store runs out of beer and junk food, so Cliff finds himself a free man whose celebrity image is emblazoned on t-shirts and whose presence is requested at a rock concert where he is required to do nothing other than appear. In the meantime, Spab's girlfriend Wendy (Reese Witherspoon) becomes a ubiquitous talk show guest. Ostensibly a satire of the celebrity-obsessed culture of the 1990s, the film was withheld from distribution for a year because of thematic similarities to Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers (1994). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Dorff, Reese Witherspoon, (more)
- 1987
Television star Gary Coleman gives the kids a lesson on how to live and play safely in their neighborhoods. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1986
This program instructs both parents and children in basic home safety rules. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1985
In this drama, a disturbed teenager turns to arson in order to vent his anger and frustration over his parent's upcoming divorce. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1984
The made-for-TV Fantastic World of D.C. Collins is curiously not a pilot film, despite the presence of the principal character's name in the title. D. C. Collins (played by Gary Coleman) is the son of a U.S. diplomat. His own life is deadly dull, so D.C. escapes into fantasy. At various junctures, he imagines himself to be space traveller Dwight Cloudclimber and archaeologist Alabama Smith (these character names are a tip-off to the film's level of wit). Collins gets a chance to act out his fantasies when he becomes embroiled in a real-life adventure involving stolen documents. The eclectic supporting cast includes Jason Bateman, Michael Ansara, and George Gobel! Fantastic World of D.C. Collins premiered February 10, 1984. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Nick Newell (Gary Coleman) doesn't like being called a "genius," but the word certainly fits. The 13-year-old is starting as a freshman at Brighton University, and he's excited to be in a class taught by his idol, famous astronomer Jason Mills (Robert Guillaume). He gets along great with his roommate, Steve (Dean Butler), and gains the friendship of a pretty co-ed named Julie (Kari Michaelsen). Unfortunately, Nick's brain power doesn't prepare him for the problems that arise from being younger than everyone else on campus. Anxious to make a good impression on Professor Mills, Nick tries too hard and only embarrassess himself, plus his grades are slipping for the first time in his life. Nick also develops a massive crush on Julie, who considers him more of a younger brother than a love interest. When Julie and Steve become interested in each other and Professor Mills criticizes an extra-credit project, Nick despairs and decides to take a bus back home. He's surprised to find out how much he's loved, though, when his friends follow and beg him to return. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide
- 1982
- PG
Gary Coleman stars as the title character, the bratty son of wealthy parents, who is kidnapped by a pair of bumbling crooks. The experience winds up teaching the pampered boy the realities of childhood. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Coleman, Paul Le Mat, (more)
- 1982
Gary Coleman stars as a teen-age angel who must return to Earth to help out three troubled families in order to earn his wings. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
