DeDee Pfeiffer Movies

In this flat attempt at comedy by the director of the Police Academy series, Neal Israel, a brash Dana Cannon (John Murray, brother of Bill) lands in a crooked re-education school for delinquent drivers, run by Deputy Halik (James Keach, brother of Stacey). The objective is to lord it over the miscreant drivers sent to the school (wrongly given citations and tickets by cops out to fill a quota, according to opening sequences) and make some money in the bargain. Deputy Halik has already decided to flunk out anyone in his classes, with the objective of impounding their cars and then auctioning off the vehicles to the highest bidders. Dana, the irrepressible new student, manages to unite the other put-upon drivers at the school into a single, determined faction -- and trouble quickly brews. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Predating the 1990s cycle of vampire-stripper films (From Dusk Till Dawn, Bordello of Blood, etc.) this cynical entry from director Richard Wenk concerns frat boys looking for a go-go girl to perform at their upcoming party. Wandering to the wrong side of town, the randy youths enter a seedy strip joint populated by vampires. Grace Jones is the nasty ringleader, Katrina, who acknowledges the film's debt to Hammer's Vampire Circus by performing an erotic dance painted in zebra-stripes. Among the heroes, co-star Robert Rusler is far more interesting than the bland lead (Chris Makepeace), while Gedde Watanabe manages to be both unfunny and offensive by turning in the most ridiculously stereotyped Asian performance since John Wayne assayed Genghis Khan in The Conqueror. This is the least of the comedic vampire films that came out in the mid-'80s, and although Billy Drago is menacing as the evil Snow and Greg Cannom's special effects are striking, Vamp remains unfunny and not frightening in the least. Famed female bodybuilder Lisa Lyon appears as a stripper named Cinnamon, and Dedee Pfeiffer, Hy Pyke, and Simmy Bow are among the recognizable supporting cast. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi

As a high-school prank, several high-school students unwittingly release an ancient witch and her demons in this made-for-TV comedy-thriller. ~ John Bush, Rovi

Not bad as far as slasher movies go, Brothers in Arms is set-inevitably-in a remote backwoods community. The title refers to a pair of siblings who don't get along (that's putting it mildly). When the brothers inadvertently venture into looney-land, they are besieged by a religious cult which dotes on ritual murders. Forced to work together, our heroes struggle manfully to avoid being chopped, lopped, sliced and diced. Dedee Pfeiffer, Michelle's sister, shows up in a role that might surprise her Cybill fans. Brothers in Arms is more than a little inspired by Deliverance, with elements of The Most Dangerous Game tossed in for good measure. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Tune in Tomorrow is based on Mario Vargas Llosa's novel, Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter. In New Orleans, circa 1951, a news writer for a local radio station, Martin Loader (Keanu Reeves), meets and falls in love with his aunt Julia (Barbara Hershey), a divorced woman who is looking for a new husband. Meanwhile, new-in-town eccentric radio-soap-opera writer, Pedro Carmichael (Peter Falk) has been hired to help boost the station's bad ratings. Pedro begins manipulating Martin and Julia's affair and using it as the basis for his radio show. Director Jon Amiel uses the same story-within-a-story construction from The Singing Detective, the miniseries that he directed for British television. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi

Some of the world's richest men secretly gather at an exclusive casino in order to bid on the recently purloined, priceless Japanese Emperor's Pearl. Unfortunately, few have any idea that by coming to the illegal auction that they have put themselves and their fortunes in grave danger. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Terrence McNally's stage play Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune was a two-character piece, which starred Kathy Bates and F. Murray Abraham on Broadway. Garry Marshall's film version of the McNally play streamlines the title to Frankie and Johnny, expands the dramatis personae to include at least a dozen fascinating characters, and "glamorizes" the decidedly unglamorous Frankie and Johnny in the forms of Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino (their first co-starring stint since Scarface). Purists carped at the changes, but overall the film is likeable enough to transcend these carps. While serving an 18-month sentence on a forgery charge, Johnny (Al Pacino) discovers the joys of cooking and classical literature. Upon his release, he is hired by gruff but good-hearted New York diner owner Nick (played by Garry Marshall "regular" Hector Elizondo). Also working for Nick is a waitress named Frankie (Michelle Pfeiffer). When Johnny expresses interest in Frankie, she keeps him at arm's length, her mistrust of men stemming from an unmentioned but obviously traumatic experience in her past. Eventually, however, Frankie and Johnny do get together, their curious relationship setting the stage for a dramatic denouement wherein both lovers bare their souls. The bulk of the original McNally play is concentrated in the film's final 20 minutes; the rest of the picture is a kaleidoscope of comic and poignant vignettes and quick-sketch character studies. Of the newly minted characters, the standout is Nathan Lane in the traditional "gay best friend/severest critic" role: he plays the character so effectively that one forgets he's essentially a cliché. As for the stars, Al Pacino is ideally cast as Johnny, but Michelle Pfeiffer, superb though she is, seems a bit ill at ease as the emotionally tattered Frankie; she totally wins the audience's hearts, however, in the film's memorable bowling-alley sequence. Smoothing over the rough spots in Frankie and Johnny is the evocative musical score by Marvin Hamlisch. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

When the boss of an illegal gambling ring hires photographer Katie Tracy (DeDee Pfeiffer) to work for him on a high-stakes game, she quickly finds herself in all kinds of trouble. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi

The travails of the long morning commute provide the basis of this comedy drama. Every day Driver and Passenger spend an hour each day together driving to and from their respective jobs at IBM and Apple. For Passenger, the drive is pure hell as he must listen to the incessant, ceaseless prattling of Driver, who when not rambling on and on with theories and half-baked opinions atop his figurative soap box, is denigrating he and Passenger's lots in life. When Passenger speaks, it is about his own break-up with the seen-on-screen-but-never-heard Girl. As time passes, Passenger suggests they chronicle their commuting musings on film, and thus the prior action is actually seen to be part of the result. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

How many films combine an environmentalist theme with rowdy cycle gang stuff? Not many, but this film does and it works. In Running Cool, two motorcycle guys help their friend save his wetlands wildlife property from being spoiled by an unscrupulous land developer. There's plenty of action as the heroes combat the developer's hired thugs and fall for some swinging motorcycle girls. ~ Rovi

In the 100th episode of Wings, Brian (Steven Weber) has finally gotten over Alex and has plunged back into the dating pool. Acting upon the advice of friends, Brian chooses not to seek out a stranger for romance, but instead turns to a longtime friend named Joan (Dedee Pfeiffer). Unfortunately, Brian doesn't feel the same "spark" for Joan that he did for Alex -- or at least, no sparks fly until it is too late. And while all this is going on, both Casey (Amy Yasbeck, now a series regular) and Lowell (Thomas Haden Church) face curious crises of their own. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A story about a career television journalist who eclipses her mentor, this drama's plot resembles that of A Star Is Born, and it shares the same screenwriters as those who penned the 1976 version of that film, John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion. It's based loosely on the real-life story of newscaster Jessica Savitch. Sally Atwater (Michelle Pfieffer) gets a job at a Miami TV station based on a demo tape from her hometown of Reno, Nevada. The station's news director is Warren Justice (Robert Redford), a former high-profile Washington newsman whose career has suffered from his insistence on integrity. He makes Sally his gofer and criticizes her clothes and appearance while she begs him for a chance to go on-air. She becomes the station's weathercaster and Warren gives her the stage name of Tally. With Warren's constant advice, she breaks into news reporting and her star rises quickly as the two become romantically involved. She takes a better job in Philadelphia, with Warren's blessing, and there she soon eclipses the anchorwoman Marcia McGrath (Stockard Channing). From there, Tally's career continues to flourish, while her relationship with Warren takes some strange twists and turns. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi