Rick Overton Movies

A highly unlikely crime helps bring together two brothers in this nostalgic comedy drama. Rocky Plumm (Owen Pearce) is a five-year-old boy growing up in a small Montana town in the mid-'60s. In Rocky's eyes, there's no star bigger or brighter than local kid's show host Happy Herb (Henry Winkler), who appears on TV weekday afternoons with his puppet friend Froggy Doo. When the Froggy Doo puppet is stolen, Happy Herb's show goes off the air until the doll can be found, which only adds to Rocky's unease as his folks (William Baldwin and Lisa Guerrero) struggle to salvage their clearly failing marriage. Rocky's big brother, Elliott (Chris J. Kelly), isn't especially concerned about Happy Herb's problems or the forced hiatus of Rocky's favorite show, but when Haley (Morgan Flynn), a pretty girl with a yen for detective stories, moves in next door, he suggests they join forces to help find Froggy Doo. Before long, the youthful sleuths find themselves crossing paths with a pair of federal agents (Peter Scolari and Rick Overton) and a growing list of suspects as they follow the thief's trail. A Plumm Summer was the first feature film from writer and director Caroline Zelder. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

An aspiring astronaut who was forced to forsake his dream of exploring space in order to save the family farm begins building his own personal rocket as a means of reaching the stars in this quirky rural drama starring Billy Bob Thornton. There once was a time when Charlie Farmer (Thornton) seemed like a shoo-in for NASA's esteemed astronaut training program. An Air Force pilot who held a degree in aerospace engineering, Charlie was well on his way to blasting off when a family crisis grounded his celestial aspirations. Of course, Charlie's feet may be firmly planted on terra firma these days, but his thoughts are constantly ascending into the clouds and beyond. It's been ten long years since the man who would navigate the stars began tending to the family farm, and during that time, Charlie has dedicated every moment of his spare time to building the rocket that will one day launch him into space. Though his devoted wife, Audie (Virginia Madsen), the pair's three children, Sunshine, Stanley, and Shepard, and even his father-in-law, Hal (Bruce Dern), all support Charlie in achieving his lifelong goal of becoming the nation's first independent astronaut, a last-minute hitch on the eve before the big launch unexpectedly stalls Charlie's countdown. It seems that Charlie's quest to obtain a substantial amount of high-grade rocket fuel has attracted the attention of not only the FBI, but the CIA, the FAA, and the United States military as well. Now, as the powers that be attempt to ground Charlie, citing concerns for civilian safety, a media frenzy descends upon the once-quiet farm as the reluctant renegade hero vows to show his children just how far one's courage and willingness to pursue one's own ideals can get a person when one refuses to give up hope. Northfork writing/directing duo Mark and Michael Polish team up to tell the tale of a man considered an oddity by his neighbors, a criminal by the government, and an inspiration by the media and the people. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

"A family walks into a talent agent's office..." So begins "The Aristocrats," a joke kept mostly secret by stand-up comedians for decades. An intentionally "bad" joke, the laughs in The Aristocrats aren't in the punch-line (one of the only elements that's the same every time), but in the set-up, made unique by each comedian who tells it in an attempt to fashion the world's dirtiest joke. The cat was finally let out of the bag by Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza, the seasoned funnymen who gathered together a hundred people to tell a hundred different renditions of the bit. Among those presenting their personal take on The Aristocrats in this film of the same name are Jason Alexander, Robin Williams, Gilbert Gottfried, Jon Stewart, Emo Philips, and Chris Rock. The Aristocrats premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Directed by Nick Hurran, Little Black Book follows Stacy (Brittany Murphy), an associate producer of a popular daytime talk show starring Kippie Kann (Kathy Bates), as she tries to figure out the root of her boyfriend's (Ron Livingston) commitment-phobic nature. Rather than continue to fruitlessly question Derek (Livingston) regarding his slew of failed relationships, Stacy sneaks into his Palm Pilot and begins interviewing his ex-girlfriends under the pretense of gathering information for a future show. Though she justifies the deception with her need to find out whether or not Derek can be trusted for a long-term relationship, complications arise when Stacy becomes good friends with one of Derek's former flames. Holly Hunter makes an appearance as Stacy's boss (the show's senior associate producer), while Josie Maran, Julianne Nicholson, Rashida Jones, Sharon Lawrence, and Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale are featured in supporting roles. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Bill Cosby's gang of childhood pals evolve from standup comedy to an animated cartoon series to real life in this family-friendly comedy. Doris (Kyla Pratt) is a teenager who doesn't fit in with most of her classmates at school, has been depressed since the death of her grandfather, and is disturbed by her foster sister's willingness to remake herself in order to be popular. One of Doris' few solaces comes from watching reruns of the animated television series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids, and one day while watching the show she starts to cry, with a tear dropping into her remote. The tear draws big-hearted (and just plain big) Fat Albert (Kenan Thompson) from the animated universe into Doris' real world in hopes of cheering her up and helping her deal with her problems. As Fat Albert and his pals -- Rudy (Shedrack Anderson III), Bucky (Alphonso McAuley), Mushmouth (Jermaine Williams), Weird Harold (Aaron A. Frazier), Dumb Donald (Marques B. Houston), and Bill (Keith D. Robinson) -- adapt to the three-dimensional world and try to teach Doris to believe in herself, they learn that traveling back to the animated world is harder than they thought, which becomes alarming when they start to fade away. The real world also poses some new dilemmas for Fat Albert when he falls in love with Doris' foster sister, Lauri (Dania Ramirez). Bill Cosby co-authored the screenplay for Fat Albert, using his full name, William H. Cosby Jr., and collaborating with Charles Kipps; the project was begun with Forest Whitaker as director, who left midway through shooting, with Joel Zwick taking over in his place. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A child-services caseworker dies under mysterious circumstances, leaving behind a full caseload. The detectives of the 15th sift through the dead woman's notes, trying to determine if one of the persons listed therein might be angry enough to commit murder. Elsewhere, the IAB's investigation of murdered auxiliary officer Heather Peterson continues to cause friction between the uniforms and the plainclothesmen at the precinct. And Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) reluctantly agrees to fulfill the last wishes of fellow cop Paul Dwyer, who wanted half of his ashes to be spread somewhere within the precinct building. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Directed by Robert Mickelson, Off the Lip follows Kat (Marguerite Moreau), equipped with a spanking new journalism degree, on her first big assignment. Though the job sounds ideal at first -- its only requirements are a positive outlook, good instincts, perseverance, and a willingness to travel to Hawaii -- Kat finds that her search for a surfer known only as "The Monk" is much harder than she had initially foreseen. As it becomes increasingly clear that the mysterious surfer has no intention of being found, other problems pop up at an alarming rate; among them are her boyfriend's (Mackenzie Astin) constant meddling, her washed-out guide's (Mark Fite) deteriorating mental health, and her supervisor's unwanted affection. To make matters worse, Kat's efforts land her a spot on the FBI's most wanted list. As the obstacles mount before her eyes, Kat begins to wonder who she's really searching for -- The Monk or herself? ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide

Teenage lust turns deadly in this slightly campy exploitation drama. Debbie Strand (Rose McGowan) is a sexy but troubled teenager with a checkered past who is sent to live with her grandmother after the death of her parents. Grandma attempts to keep Debbie on a short leash, but she's soon sneaking out for not always wholesome fun with her new friends. Debbie, who has never had trouble attracting whatever man she wants, sets her sights on Peter Rinaldi (Alex McArthur), a teacher at her high school. However, Peter has both a fiancée and strong scruples, so he repeatedly rejects Debbie's advances. But Hell hath no fury like a Debbie scorned, and before long Peter finds that his life is ruined and bodies are piling up, as an angry Ms. Strand takes her revenge on her would-be suitor. Also released under the title Dearly Devoted (and not based on the oft-filmed Raymond Radiguet novel), Devil in the Flesh was co-scripted by Kelly Carlin-McCall, daughter of noted comedian George Carlin. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a two-part story, Al (Ed O'Neill) tries to adjust to the fact that the family Dodge has bitten the dust. Leasing a brand new car, Al finds out that he's stuck with. . .well, it's a small yellow fruit with a very sour taste. Meanwhile, Peg (Katey Sagal) digs up the Dodge's corpse in order to sell the engire to a mysterious overseas buyer. This episode marks one of the rare American TV appearances by Fidel Castro (or a reasonable facsimile). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

John Rhys-Davies, Rick Overton and Michael Des Barres star in this science fiction fantasy about a band of British knights at the time of the crusades, who are readying themselves to march on Jerusalem. Suddenly, an alien spacecraft lands outside their camp. The knights impulsively attack and invade the ship, and then command their interstellar hostages to fly them to the Holy Land! However, once airborne the aliens instead head for home with the knights in tow, where they'll have to do battle against an entire planet instead of an entire city. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Robin Williams learns that keeping in touch with his children can be a drag in this hit comedy. Daniel Hillard (Williams) is an eccentric actor who specializes in dubbing voices for cartoon characters. Daniel is a kind man and a loving father, but he's a poor disciplinarian and a shaky role model. After throwing an elaborate and disastrous birthday party for his son, Daniel's wife Miranda (Sally Field) reaches the end of her patience and files for divorce. Daniel is heartbroken when Miranda is given custody of the children, and he's only allowed to visit them once a week. Determined to stay in contact with his kids, Daniel learns that Miranda is looking for a housekeeper, and with help from his brother Frank (Harvey Fierstein), a makeup artist, Daniel gets the job disguised as Mrs. Iphegenia Doubtfire, a stern but caring Scottish nanny. Daniel pulls off the ruse so well that neither his ex-wife nor his children recognize him, and in the process, he learns how to be the good parent he should have been all along. However, Daniel also has to deal with the little matter of Miranda's new boyfriend, Stu (Pierce Brosnan). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide