Patricia Kalember Movies

A socially isolated woman still haunted by the disappearance of her three-year-old daughter 15 years ago obsesses over the prospect that a troubled young woman whom she has recently befriended may in fact be her long-lost daughter in The Lake House director/screenwriter David Auburn's affecting psychological drama. Sigourney Weaver stars as the long-grieving mother, and The Devil Wears Prada's Kate Bosworth stars as the mixed-up teen who becomes the object of the dejected woman's hopeful fixation. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The old "wrong person answers the 'object-matrimony' ad" story device was refreshingly brought up to date in this made-for-TV romance. Jilted by her boyfriend, professional photographer Jordan Donovan (Teri Polo) decides that her problem is one of bad location; though a New Yorker for several years, she still feels like a fish out of water. Meanwhile, Jordan's roommate, Laurie (Patricia Kalember), ever searching for a suitable mate, has put an ad in the personals column of a national magazine. When a widowed rancher answers the ad, Jordan (with Laurie's blessing) answers the letter herself and heads to Wyoming. Upon meeting Jordan, taciturn rancher Tyler Ross (Andrew McCarthy) is disappointed, and lashes out with a steady stream of preconceptions about New York girls. Recoiling, Jordan lets Tyler know exactly what she thinks of "cowboys." Naturally, this means that the two lonely people are crazy about each other -- but before a happy ending can transpire, Tyler must overcome a profound feeling of guilt over his first wife's death, fueled by his spiteful father-in-law. Originally slated to debut over the Hallmark Channel on February 14, 2002, Straight from the Heart was curiously held back for nearly a year, finally premiering on February 9, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Following the smash hit The Sixth Sense (1999) and the under-performing follow-up Unbreakable (2000), directing phenom M. Night Shyamalan returns to the summer box office landscape that served as the backdrop for his cinematic breakthrough. In Signs, another paranormal outing for the writer-director, Shyamalan explores the eerie implications of a 500-foot crop circle that mysteriously appears on the Bucks County, PA farm of reverend Graham Hess (Mel Gibson). As Hess and his family (Joaquin Phoenix, Rory Culkin, Abigail Breslin) try to take stock of what the sign means, and how its message incorporates into their faith, they start to get the feeling they are not alone in the fields behind their house. Shyamalan re-teams with producers Frank Marshall, Sam Mercer and Kathleen Kennedy, and produces the project in association with his Blinding Edge Pictures banner and Touchstone Pictures. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide

David (Mark Rosenthal) is standing on the roof ledge of a building in lower Manhattan, threatening to jump. Several of his friends try to convince him to safely get down from the ledge, that suicide is not the answer. But as they speak to him, the audience sees moments from the friends' lives in flashback. It becomes obvious that David's friends have lives every bit as sad and desperate as David's; with people like this as your support group, why shouldn't a man jump? Jump features a strong supporting cast, including James LeGros, Richard Belzer, Harvey Fierstein, and Hal Linden, and was shown at the 1999 Los Angeles Independent Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Housewife Tess McCall (Patricia Kalember) knows that her sister's husband is a philanderer, but she can't prove it. With the help of her policeman husband Craig (Tom Irwin), Tess gleans a variety of surveillance and clue-gathering techniques, the better to trap her brother-in-law in the act. She does this so well that she decides to open up her own private detective agency, "I Spy", dedicated to helping other wives get the goods on their errant hubbies. Ultimately, Tess determines that her own husband is cheating on her--but is this information correct, or is she merely being carried away by the euphoria of detection? Reportedly inspired by a true story, When Husbands Cheat was made for the Lifetime cable channel, where it originally aired on February 2, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This made-for-TV suspense drama gets under way as a medical emergency aircraft en route to Denver crashes in the snowy Rockies. Fortunately, the pilot, the two paramedics, the two-year-old patient and her father all manage to survive the crash. Unfortunately, the little girl's already critical condition is rapidly worsening, her father is growing more hysterical by the minute, the pilot is seriously injured, and the paramedics are not quite sure that they are emotionally equipped for the crisis--especially since the likelihood of the rescue helicopters arriving on time seems slim to none. Inasmuch as the story is narrated by one of the doctors, the viewer knows that someone will pull through the ordeal...but who, and how many? Originally telecast by ABC, Angel Flight Down was first seen on April 29, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The sixth and final season of Sisters opens with the series' 100th episode, in which longtime regular Julianne Phillips is conspicuous by her absence. To compensate for Phillips' departure, the writers explain that her character, Frankie Reed, has left her hometown of Winnetka to pursue new business opportunities in Japan. However, Frankie's siblings, Alex (Swoosie Kurtz), Georgie (Patricia Kalember), and Teddy (Sela Ward), are still very much in evidence -- as is the ladies' half-sister, Dr. Charlotte "Charley" Bennett, played in previous seasons by Jo Anderson and now portrayed by Sheila Kelley. This season marks the first appearance of Noelle Parker as Alex's daughter, Reed, a role previously filled by Kathy Wagner and Ashley Judd. Returning to Winnetka minus her husband and her baby, the restless Reed adds to the already heavy emotional burdens of her family by setting up a local prostitution business! Elsewhere, Alex, who has held down a popular TV show for the last few seasons, endeavors to help her lesbian producer, Norma (Nora Dunn), regain custody of her daughter; she also endures a lengthy menopause, and survives an involuntary on-the-air teaming with compative newspaperman Pug Finnegan (Bruce Weitz).

Meanwhile, the newly divorced Georgie has an affair with Brian Cordovas (Joe Flanigan) and finds time to get a graduate college degree, writing her master's thesis on the lives of herself and her sisters (though she prudently agrees not to publish it). Georgie's son Trevor (Ryan Francis), back home from the army, has a lot of trouble adjusting himself to Brian. Having recovered from her brutal rape two seasons earlier, Teddy's daughter, Cat (Heather McAdam), has decided to become a police officer, ending up as the only woman in her cadet class. Growing close to fellow cadet Billy Griffin (Eric Close), Cat tries to help him with his problems vis-à-vis his ex-convict father. Later, Cat's cousin Reed is arrested and her prostitution business broken up, and Reed bitterly holds Cat responsible for ratting her out -- but changes her mind, and her outlook on life, when she is sentenced to community service. And in another development, Cat personally hunts down the carjacker who attacked and nearly killed her mother, Teddy. It is during her recovery from this attack that Teddy falls in love with Dr. Gabriel Sorenson (Stephen Collins), who saved her life. Although she worries about making a full-term commitment to Sorenson upon learning that his daughter, Melissa (Anne Tremko), has a drinking problem, Teddy marries Sorenson, and later saves his career when he is unfairly accused of malpractice -- and, almost as an afterthought, Teddy becomes pregnant again. In the series' final episode, the sisters' mother, Bea (Elizabeth Hoffman), dies of heart failure -- and is everyone in for a surprise when they find out who has been named executor of Bea's will! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The directorial debut of Academy Award-nominated cinematographer Mikael Salomon (The Abyss), A Far Off Place is based on a pair of books by novelist Laurens Van der Post. Reese Witherspoon stars as Nonnie Parker, a young girl living on an African game preserve with her parents. Ethan Embry is Harry Winslow, the snooty son of a visiting dignitary. When Nonnie and Harry witness the murder of their parents at the hands of ruthless poachers, they suddenly find themselves braving the harsh Kalahari Desert in an attempt to escape the gang. Along the way, the pair encounters a bushman called Xhabbo (Sarel Bok) who shows them how to survive in the barren desert. Forced to work together to survive, Nonnie and Harry learn to overcome their differences and become friends. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Season three of Sisters begins as Alex (Swoosie Kurtz), the oldest of Winnetka's Reed sisters, insists upon micro-managing the marriage between her widowed mom, Bea (Elizabeth Hoffman), and Judge Truman Ventnor (Philip Sterling). Fed up with her daughter's interference, Bea decides to elope with Truman, causing Alex to throw one of her many hissy fits. Another angry outburst results when Alex finds out that her daughter, Reed (Ashley Judd), has quit college to marry Kirby Philby (Paul S. Rudd). Likewise, Alex expresses jealousy over the unexpected business success of her younger sister, Teddy (Sela Ward), leading to a knock-down, drag-out wrestling match between the two siblings! This is the season that Teddy meets eccentric millionaire Simon Bolt (Mark Frankel), who expresses his fondness for Teddy by investing heavily in her undergarment company; he also donates lots of money to the local leukemia fund on behalf of Teddy's nephew Evan (Dustin Berkovitz). But Teddy is too independent -- and too much the loose cannon -- to adapt to Simon's sumptuous lifestyle; nor is she much of a diplomat business-wise, as proven when she throws a pie at a fashion columnist who has given her a bad review. Throughout the rest of the season, Teddy will alternately break up and reconcile with Simon, at one point accepting his marriage proposal...for a while, anyway. Meanwhile, Teddy's troubled daughter, Cat (Heather McAdam), is showing signs of developing into a problem drinker like her mother and grandmother.

On a more upbeat note, Evan and Trevor (Ryan Francis), the sons of Teddy's sister Georgie (Patricia Kalember), have apparently managed to overcome the health and emotional problems that plagued them in the previous season, while Georgie herself has agreed to be surrogate mother for her sister Frankie (Julianne Phillips) and Frankie's husband, Mitch (Ed Marinaro). Unfortunately, Frankie goes into labor while trapped in a wrecked car, when no one is able to come to her aid -- and with the local TV outlets covering the event. Once the baby is delivery as safely as possible under the circumstances, three different Hollywood studios approach Georgie, hoping to make a movie out of her ordeal. The subsequent film epic, "Her Sister's Love," does not meet with her sibling's approval, even though Suzanne Somers agrees to star in it. Later on, Georgie will find work as a real-estate broker, then as a newspaper advice columnist. As for Frankie, she begins cramming for a quick conversion to Judaism so that her child can be bar-mitzvahed for the sake of her husband, Mitch. Despite this, it is clear that the marriage between Frankie and Mitch is in serious trouble as the season draws to a close -- just as it appears that Alex will patch things up with her ex-husband, Wade (David Dukes), even though he has gotten married again. Season three ends with Alex finding out she has breast cancer, and Reed and Kirby leaving Winnetka for a new life in California. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The first "trial" season for Sisters runs seven episodes, beginning with the awkward reunion of the Reed sisters in their hometown of Winnetka, IL, not long after the death of their father. Though Mr. Reed has only been in his grave a short time, his widow, Beatrice (Elizabeth Hoffman), has already begun hitting the bottle more than usual, and is in danger of losing the family home. Beatrice's oldest daughter, Alex (Swoosie Kurtz), has gotten the early warning signs that her 15-year marriage to plastic surgeon Dr. Wade Halsey (David Dukes) is in trouble, and she hires a detective to find out if Wade is fooling around with another woman. Alas, it's worse than she could imagine: Wade is not only a philanderer, but a cross-dresser. All of this bad news has the expected negative effect on Alex's overachieving daughter, Reed, played this season (and this season only) by Kathy Wagner. As for Alex's sister, Georgie (Patricia Kalember), her marital woes are manifested in an unemployed husband named John Whitsig (Garrett M. Brown), who refuses to look for a "real" job while he prepares to make his debut as a lounge singer (and never mind that he hasn't gotten any bookings). Before long, Georgie's recently divorced sister, Teddy (Sela Ward), has moved in with her, bringing along her troubled 15-year-old daughter, Cat (Heather McAdam), who is not exactly a favorite with Georgie's own sons, Trevor (Ryan Francis) and Evan (Dustin Berkovitz). Meanwhile, Teddy has vowed to reclaim the love of her ex-husband, Mitch (Ed Marinaro) -- who in turn is currently the boyfriend of Teddy's other sister, Frankie (Julianne Phillips). Among the season's major crises is the revelation during the one-year observance of death of the sister's father that dear old dad had been carrying on an affair with his nurse -- for 30 years. Later, Frankie marches down the aisle with Mitch, just as Teddy invades the wedding with a shotgun (she thinks it isn't loaded -- but she's wrong). So traumatic is this experience that Frankie and Mitch decide to postpone becoming man and wife for the near future. As the season ends, Georgie's son Evan is diagnosed with leukemia -- and he's the only member of the family who takes the news calmly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Winnetka, IL, was the unlikely setting for the semi-serialized 60-minute drama series Sisters, which made its NBC debut on May 11, 1991. The stories revolved around the endless trials and tribulations of the Reed sisters, four highly individualized women who were brought back together in adulthood by the death of their father. Swoosie Kurtz played Alex Reed, the oldest sister, who in the earliest episodes was the wife of philandering plastic surgeon Dr. Wade Halsey (David Dukes). In the course of the series, Alex would divorce Halsey, survive breast cancer, become a popular local TV talk show host, and wed a second time to her show's main sponsor, store owner (and future mayor of Winnetka!) Big Al Barker (Robert Klein). Alex's troubled daughter, Reed Halsey, was played by three different actresses: Kathy Wagner in season one, Ashley Judd in seasons two, three, and four, and Noelle Parker in the sixth and final season. Patricia Kalember was seen as Georgie Reed, a part-time real-estate agent wed to chronically unemployed nightclub singer John Whitsig (Garrett M. Brown); the couple had two sons, Trevor (Ryan Francis) and Evan (Dustin Berkovitz), the latter a leukemia survivor. Sela Ward co-starred as Teddy Reid, initially the most irresponsible of the sisters and a chronic alcoholic, who pulled herself together long enough to establish a successful career as a fashion designer. Her husbands included Mitch Margolis (Ed Marinaro), the father of Teddy's daughter, Cat (Heather McAdam); police detective James Falconer (George Clooney), who was killed only a few hours after the wedding; and Dr. Gabriel Sorenson (Stephen Collins), who had saved Teddy's life after she was beaten by a carjacker. Julianne Phillips was cast as Frankie Reed, the youngest sister, who began the series as a market analyst and eventually became the owner of the sisters' favorite hangout, the Sweet Sixteen Maltshop.

Early in the series, Frankie married Teddy's ex-husband, Mitch, and when the couple was unable to conceive, Georgie offered to be surrogate mother -- thereby setting up one of several outrageously improbable plot twists that would become a Sisters trademark. After breaking up with Mitch, Frankie had a brief fling with a young boxer named Lucky (John Wesley Shipp), then left Illinois to pursue new career vistas in Japan at the end of season five. Also in the cast was Elizabeth Hoffman as the sisters' widowed mother, Beatrice, who like Teddy suffered occasional bouts with the bottle. Beatrice's second husband was Judge Truman Ventnor (Philip Sterling), who after being diagnosed with Alzheimer's opted to commit suicide -- with the assistance of his stepdaughter, Alex. Later in the series, it was established that the Reed girls had a hitherto unknown half-sister, the product of a lengthy affair between their late father and his loyal nurse. In season five, Jo Anderson joined the cast as the girls' "mystery" sibling Dr. Charlotte "Charley" Bennett, a role taken over in season six by Sheila Kelley. Every so often, the series' main characters would indulge in a "thinkback" sequence, in which they would interact with their younger selves. This was but one of the many quirky dramatic touches that set Sisters apart from the standard "sibling angst" series of the period; other examples included the series' occasional forays into such hot-potato topical issues as racism, homosexuality, the AIDs crisis, and repressed-memory syndrome. After six seasons, Sisters ended with a heavily plotted, surprise-studded final episode on May 4, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A tortured man finds himself caught in a middle-ground between hallucination and reality in this supernatural thriller, scripted by Bruce Joel Rubin of Ghost (1990) and My Life (1993).
Jacob Singer (Tim Robbins) is a soldier stationed in Vietnam who undergoes a traumatic experience on the battlefield - the nature of which is initially unclear. The film then moves into his post-Vietnam experience in 1970s New York, where he feels consistently traumatized, but can never quite remember exactly what happened to him in Southeast Asia or to free himself from his anxieties over the recent tragic death of his young son (Macaulay Culkin). Though well educated, Jacob works as a letter carrier for the U.S. Postal Service and has become romantically involved with one of his co-workers, Jezzie (Elizabeth Pena), after divorcing his wife. Soon, Jacob's tenuous hold on reality starts to slip as horrifying events befall him; he is nearly run over by a subway train, pursued by faceless demons in cars, and spots reptilian tails and horns protruding from the bodies of those he encounters. Jacob also suffers severe panic attacks related to the chaos that may be reality, or may exist only in his mind. He seeks counsel from Louis (Danny Aiello), a kindly chiropractor, as his ex-wife Sarah (Patricia Kalember), fellow Vietnam vet Paul (Pruitt Taylor Vince), and enigmatic stranger Michael (Matt Craven) all try to help the tortured soul. Jason Alexander, Ving Rhames and Eriq LaSalle highlight the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

When a couple tries to adopt a child, they run into red tape because the foster child asserts that her natural father molested her. ~ All Movie Guide