Rachel Dratch Movies
Who knew gluing a plastic arm to your head, wearing false teeth, and drooling on yourself to act as the love child of Angelina Jolie and her brother could be so damn funny? That character (even given a name: Kerplixik), along with several others, has led comedian Rachel Dratch through her uproarious tenure on Saturday Night Live. Born February 22, 1966, Dratch grew up in Lexington, MA; her mother was the director of a nonprofit agency and her father, a radiologist. Dratch majored in Drama at Dartmouth College and graduated in 1989. She spent six months doing a children's theater tour and then moved to Chicago, where she signed up for classes at ImprovOlympic and spent years working on her skills. After four years on the main stage of Chicago's Second City troupe -- the fertile comedic ground that sprouted Horatio Sanz, Tina Fey, and several other well-known names in the SNL family tree -- she was ready for prime time.Since her start on Saturday Night Live in 1999, Dratch's versatility has helped her build quite a list of memorable characters. From her Denise to Jimmy Fallon's horny Bostonian boyfriend, Sully, to her wispy little Calista Flockhart impression, Dratch easily goes from nerd (à la Sheldon on "Wake Up Wakefield") to sensuous "luv-uh" Virginia to Will Ferrell's Professor Klarvin. In 2000, she and Fey put on their two-woman show, Dratch & Fey, at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theater in New York. And in 2001, a short film that Dratch wrote, directed, and performed (The Vagina Monologues Monologues, also featuring Fey and SNL performer Amy Poehler) premiered at the New York Comedy Film Festival. She has appeared in the movie Down With Love (with Ewan McGregor and Renée Zellweger) and the independent film The Hebrew Hammer (with Adam Goldberg). Her television appearances include Late Night With Conan O'Brien, CBS' King of Queens, and Third Watch.
Dratch and Fey left SNL after the 2005-2006 season to try their luck on a primetime slot with 30 Rock, a sitcom about a television writer (played by Fey) and her supporting cast. ~ Rachel Sprovtsoff-Mangus, All Movie Guide
A dejected English teacher and a former West Coast Swing dancer attempt to overcome the obstacles in their lives and win the world title in this romantic dance drama starring Amy Smart, Tom Malloy, and Billy Zane. English teacher Jessica has grown bored with her life. She's married to a workaholic who provides all the creature comforts one could want in life, but isn't able to be there for her emotionally. Meanwhile, Jake is doing his best to recover from his rocky relationship with former partner Corinne, who can't seem to decide whether she wants to stay or go. When Jake and Jessica meet, the sparks fly thanks to their mutual love of dance. Now, with the world title on the line, these two dancers will do their best to stay focused on the goal and come out winners despite their personal hardships. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amy Smart, Tom Malloy, (more)
Georgia (Nia Vardalos) came to Greece to follow a man. A few years later, she's been cast aside -- alone and adrift in a foreign land. Eventually, her passion for history leads her to a job as a tour guide. But Georgia is bored, and has lost her "kefi" (Greek for mojo) to boot. When taciturn sasquatch Poupi (Alexis Georgoulis) replaces the regular driver at the last minute, the frazzled tour guide thinks that her luck has just hit rock bottom. Thankfully, Georgia's latest batch of tourists is a more lively bunch than she's anticipated, and in between bouts with rival tour guide Nico (Alistair McGowan), she manages to form a genuine connection with wisecracking widower Irv (Richard Dreyfuss), a solo vacationer who maintains a jovial facade despite the fact that he misses his late wife dearly. With a little help from Irv, Georgia comes to realize that true love may be closer than she thinks -- if she could just recapture her kefi and open her eyes. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nia Vardalos, Richard Dreyfuss, (more)
My Big Fat Greek Wedding co-stars Nia Vardalos and John Corbett re-team for this romantic comedy about a carefree florist who falls for a charming restaurateur. Genevieve (Vardalos) loves romance, though she lives by a strict "five dates" rule. At the end of the fifth date, Genevieve typically calls the relationship off. So far, this method has worked like a charm, but when Genevieve meets Greg (Corbett) everything changes. At the end of their fifth date, Genevieve wants more. If she could only break from tradition long enough to realize she's fallen in love, perhaps she'll find out that some guys are worth keeping around. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, (more)
A 13-year-old boy (Spencer Breslin) suffering from premature male-pattern baldness does his best to adjust to life in a new high school despite becoming the hapless target of every bully and cruel-minded teenager in town. While he's got the high-school janitor (Cuba Gooding Jr.) on his side, the follicly challenged Harold must still endure the merciless teasing of his unsympathetic peers. Rachel Dratch, Fred Willard, and Nikki Blonsky co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Spencer Breslin, Cuba Gooding, Jr., (more)
A trio of thirtysomething friends (Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, and Parker Posey) go vacationing at a popular spring break resort frequented by college coeds in order to prevent a politician's daughter from embarrassing her family. Larry Kennar and Rick Berg produce a script penned by director Ryan Shiraki in collaboration with star Dratch. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch, (more)
A workaholic architect, frustrated in his job but determined to make a better life for his family, is bestowed with a powerful universal remote that allows him more control over his life than he ever knew possible in director Frank Coraci's high-concept fantasy comedy. On the surface, Michael Newman (Adam Sandler) seems to have it all, yet with all the demands forced upon him by his ungrateful boss (David Hasselhoff), Michael finds that setting aside time to spend with his loving wife, Donna (Kate Beckinsale), and two picture-perfect children, Ben (Joseph Castanon) and Samantha (Tatum McCann), has grown increasingly difficult. When a frustrating bout with the television remote leads the overworked husband and father to a nearby Bed, Bath & Beyond in search of a universal remote with the power to control all of his electronic devices, a curious peek into the back room leads Michael into the company of eccentric employee and talented inventor Morty (Christopher Walken). It seems that Morty has created a device that will not only allow Michael complete control over his television and stereo, but his entire life as well. As Michael discovers that the remarkable device has the power to muffle the barks of the family dog, zoom himself past an irritating quarrel with his wife, and even allow him to travel back and forth through time to different points in his life, the rush of being able to skip straight to the good parts in life soon leaves him feeling as if he's missing out on the total experience. Only when Michael begins to realize that the he has lost control of his life and the remote is now programming him does he finally learn that life is as much about the moments he'd rather forget as it is the moments he will always remember. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale, (more)
Can a young man win the hand of the girl of his dreams by convincing her that he prefers the company of men? That's the dilemma facing the protagonist of this independent comedy. Clay (Sam Huntington) was a big man on his high-school campus, but he discovers he's just another nobody when he starts his first year of college, and while he expected to be making time with lots of pretty coeds, most of the girls on campus could care less about him. As Clay hopes to improve his social status by rushing a fraternity after his dorm roommate unexpectedly dies, Amanda (Kaitlin Doubleday), another incoming freshman, is similarly hoping to join a sorority, and as part of her initiation she and the other pledges are each instructed to pick up a certain type of "loser" guy for a party where the boys will be humiliated as part of the evening's entertainment. Amanda is supposed to find a guy who is obviously gay, and her friend Jessica (Heather Matarazzo) mistakenly thinks Clay fits the bill. It doesn't take long for Clay to realize what's going on, but he decides to play along if it means going out with a pretty girl, and he gives himself a crash course in gay behavior in hopes of winning Amanda's heart with some help from amiable queer bartender Rodney (John Goodman). Produced under the title Home of Phobia, Freshman Orientation was the first feature film from writer and director Ryan Shiraki. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Huntington, Marla Sokoloff, (more)
The ongoing war of the sexes soars to new and hilarious heights in this tale of a successful twenty-five-year old professional lusted after by every man in the city after her boyfriend reveals on live television that she is a virgin. Pursued by men who long to be her first and flooded with advice from women who implore her to punish her boyfriend for his public blunder, the one time die-hard romantic soon finds her belief in love quickly fading. Estella Warren, Rachel Dratch, Kathy Griffin, and Victoria Jackson star in a film directed by Charlie Matthau. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Estella Warren, Christian Kane, (more)
- 2004
The grandmother of law student Julie Parlo (Rachel Dratch) is kidnapped, apparently by a long-dormant 1970s radical group called the Lightning Brigade. Though grandma is returned unharmed, Julie asks Monk (Tony Shalhoub) to locate the old woman's abductors, promising to get him reinstated to the plice force as he does so. Monk's investigation leads him to a pair of pretentious antique dealers, Harold and Carol Maloney (Currie Graham, Eden Rountree)--but since their only likely "motive" involves a stolen cat (a fact that sets the highly allergic Monk to sneezing even before he meets the feline!), they hardly seem capable of being kidnappers or even former radicals. As usual, however, there's more to the case the meets the eye. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Money and emotions lead to a difficult reunion between a father and daughter in this drama. Reese Holden (Zooey Deschanel) is a struggling stage actress in New York City whose life has become an uphill struggle -- her career isn't giving her satisfaction, her relationship with would-be rock star Ray (Dallas Roberts) is stuck in neutral, an affair with her friend Rob (Robert Beitzel) brings no excitement, and her colleague Deirdre (Deirdre O'Connell) simply doesn't understand her problems. Reese is also short on money, which is why she's willing to listen to a proposal from a publisher who wants to release a series of love letters that her mother, a well-known author who died years ago, wrote to her father, Don (Ed Harris), another respected novelist who has fallen out of the limelight but is said to be working on a final major work. Having accepted an advance for the collection, Reese pays a visit to Don in Michigan to get his OK for the project and collect the letters, but discovers two strangers have moved in with Don -- Shelly (Amelia Warner), who studied under Don and has installed herself as his business manager, and Corbit (Will Ferrell), a neighborhood sad sack who helps with the housekeeping and runs errands for the reclusive writer. As Reese vies with Shelly for her father's attention, she struggles to come to terms with issues from her childhood and the dissatisfaction with her life. Winter Passing was written and directed by noted playwright Adam Rapp; it was his first feature film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ed Harris, Zooey Deschanel, (more)
UPN's first prime-time CGI-animated comedy series, Game Over dealt with the Smashenberns, a family of computerized video game characters. Mom Raquel Smashenbern (voiced by Lucy Liu) was a dead ringer for Lara Croft, dad Rip Smashenbern (voiced by Patrick Warburton) would not be out of place as a Grand Prix racer, and 13-year-old Billy and 14-year old Alice spent most of their time figuring out just what game they'd be best suited for (you know those teenagers; they never feel like they quite belong). Also in the cast was the family's 300-pound pet, Turbo, one of those amorphous, unrecognizable blobs that tended show up in real video games if the player forgot to defrag. The Smashenburns' nutty neighbors were the Changs, a clan of battling Shaolin Monks. Living in the alternate "afterworld" of Game Over, the main characters struggled to fulfill their strenuous video game duties while trying to maintain a semblance of normality in their private lives. In several instances, genuine video game characters showed up in guest roles. Debuting March 10, 2004, Game Over, produced by the same people responsible for 3rd Rock From the Sun and That '70s Show, lasted a scant six half-hour episodes, only five of which were seen before it was canceled by UPN. The network also briefly maintained an online PC game to be played in conjunction with the program. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- E.G. Daily, Rachel Dratch, (more)
Two guys with different sets of problems find themselves bonding through unexpected circumstances in this independent comedy drama from writer and director Edward Burns. Jack Stanton (Edward Burns) is a former New York City cop who has been trying to establish a new career as a private detective, though his level of success is best indicated by the fact his landlord is about to evict him for not paying the rent. Jack finally lands a paying client when he's referred to Abe Fiannico (David Krumholtz), a high-school baseball coach whose wife, Kitty, has disappeared. The only clue Abe has to her whereabouts is a recent newspaper photo that shows a washed-up rock star hanging out with several women, one of whom is a dead ringer for Kitty. Jack sets out to scour the Big Apple in search of Kitty, and Abe tags along; a friendship grows between the two men, and Jack begins to wonder why regular-guy Abe ever got mixed up with a woman who doesn't seem to have much use for him. Also featuring Rachel Dratch and Chris Parnell, Looking for Kitty premiered at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Burns, David Krumholtz, (more)
Why rent a dirty movie when you can make your own? That's the can-do philosophy embraced by a handful of girl-crazy teens in this comedy. Fred (Tony Denman), Deacon (Erik von Detten), and Matt (Daniel Farber) are three high school kids who, like most teenaged boys, are obsessed with sex. Deacon has a part time job at a video rental shop with a large selection of adult films, and he's been able to sneak porn titles out of the store on a regular basis, to the great enthusiasm of Matt and Fred, who not only enjoy the videos themselves but dub bootleg copies they sell to their classmates to make pocket money. However, when Deacon loses his job, the guys are left high and dry, until one of them gets an idea -- they've seen enough porn movies to know what the average viewer expects from one, so why don't they make one themselves? However, recruiting the performers necessary for such a project turns out to be harder than they expected, with exotic dancer Ashley (Sarah Jane Potts) and neighborhood bully Jake (Riley Smith) rising to the top of a very shallow talent pool. The first production from the guys is an unexpected success, but they soon discover that not everyone is happy with their good fortune, especially sleazy porn kingpin Vic Ramalot (Horatio Sanz), who isn't interested in having more competition. Filmed under the title After School Special, Barely Legal also stars Tom Arnold, Amy Smart, and Dey Young. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Erik Von Detten, Tony Denman, (more)
- 2003
- PG13
- Add Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star to QueueAdd Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star to top of Queue
In keeping with his background in television sitcoms, Sam Weisman directs the cameo-filled comedy Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star. Dickie Roberts (David Spade) was a child actor on the hit TV show "The Glimmer Gang" and remains remembered for a particular catch phrase. Now in his thirties, he finds work as a parking valet and spends time with other nominal child stars (enter cameos by Danny Bonaduce, Corey Feldman, and the like). Wanting to make a comeback, he manages to get an audition with director Rob Reiner. When the role requires him to be normal, he decides to hire a normal family in order to relive the childhood he missed out on. He ends up with sleazy salesman George Finney (Craig Bierko) and his loving wife, Grace (Mary McCormack). Dickie shares a room with their two kids: sunny daughter Sally (Jenna Boyd) and impressionable son Sam (Scott Tessa). Former child star Alyssa Milano appears as Dickie's girlfriend, Cyndi. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Spade, Mary McCormack, (more)
Director Peyton Reed and screenwriters Eve Ahlert and Dennis Drake pay homage to the frothy romantic comedies of the early '60s -- in particular the Doris Day/Rock Hudson vehicles -- in this light-hearted and affectionate spoof. Barbara Novak (Renée Zellweger) is a sweet but savvy small-town librarian who has arrived in New York City with big plans to take on the town. Embracing a feminist philosophy years before it becomes common or fashionable, Novak writes a book called "Down With Love," in which she presents her theory that romantic relationships cause more problems than they solve for women, and urges women to focus instead on what will truly make them happy -- self-reliance, a solid career, and a healthy sex life (or chocolate if the latter is unavailable at the moment). Almost overnight, "Down With Love" becomes a minor scandal and a major bestseller, but not every man is America is happy with the new breed of liberated (and demanding) women spawned by the book's success, and Catcher Block (Ewan McGregor), a lady-killing bachelor who writes for Know Magazine, decides to put Novak to the test. Posing as a shy, retiring type, Block is determined to make Novak fall in love with him, and then share the details with the world through an article in Know. Block's editor Peter MacMannus (David Hyde-Pierce) thinks this is a splendid idea, but to Block's distress, he discovers himself developing real feelings for Novak. Down With Love also features Tony Randall, who significantly appeared in three films with Rock Hudson and Doris Day. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Renée Zellweger, Ewan McGregor, (more)
American independent filmmaker Lawrence Blume makes his feature debut with the absurd dark comedy Martin & Orloff, starring a lot of the folks from the Upright Citizens Brigade. Martin Flam (Ian Roberts) designs mascot costumes for a corporate chain of Chinese restaurants. After a failed suicide attempt, he goes to see the incompetent therapist Dr. Eric Orloff (Matt Walsh). Under the guise of conducting therapy sessions, the quack doctor then drags Martin on a series of seemingly random adventures about town. Dr. Orloff then recruits a gang of oddballs and malcontents (played by Katie Roberts, Sal Graziano, David Cross, and H. Jon Benjamin) to help Martin face his fears. The film also includes cameos from comedians Janeane Garofalo, Tina Fey, Andy Richter, and Amy Poehler. Martin & Orloff was screened at the 2002 South by Southwest Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian Roberts, Matt Walsh, (more)
He's hip, he's fly, and he never mixes meat with dairy -- he's the world's first Jewish private eye, and he's out to save the world in this satiric comedy. Mordechai Jefferson Carver (Adam Goldberg) is a super-cool Jewish detective who takes no mess and is always ready to do the right thing for his Torah-reading brothers. But Carver is a lone wolf, and he isn't so sure he's interested in taking an assignment from Chief Bloomenbergansteinthal (Peter Coyote) of the Jewish Justice League -- or at least not until he meets the Chief's gorgeous daughter, Esther (Judy Greer). It seems a mysterious stranger named Damien (Andy Dick) has made it his business to persuade Jewish children to abandon their faith in favor of celebrating Christmas, and it's Carver's job to put an end to Damien's campaign while urging kids to be proud of their Semitic heritage. The Hebrew Hammer also features Nora Dunn as Carver's kvetching mother, and a cameo appearance by Melvin Van Peebles as outlaw blaxploitation icon Sweetback. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Goldberg, Judy Greer, (more)
