Jon Polito Movies
Typically cast as a criminal or a cop, beefy, bald, American character actor Jon Polito has appeared on stage, television, and in feature films, notably the Coen brothers' Miller's Crossing (1990) and Barton Fink (1991). Polito can be recognized for his pencil-thin moustache. He launched his career on Broadway in 1977. In 1981, Polito debuted in the feature film The Killing Hour and then portrayed mobster Tommy Lucchese on the television series The Gangster Chronicles. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie GuideBart got a room -- a hotel room -- and he's booked it for senior prom night. Though the title character of Bart Got a Room only appears in one brief scene towards the end of the film, it's his uber-geek specter that hangs over writer-director Brian Hecker's comedy, a semi-autobiographical ode to teenage angst. The plot is centered on the hopelessly dateless Danny (Steven Kaplan), a gawky band nerd who must decide between taking his best friend, Camille (Alia Shawkat), to the prom, and attempting to woo the date of his dreams, a pretty blonde cheerleader. Along the way he endures derision and peer pressure from friends, as well as uncomfortably frank advice from his divorced parents, played by Cheryl Hines and William H. Macy. Set in the geriatric environs of terminally sunny south Florida, Danny's world offers constant reminders of the road he's headed down should he not solidify this one life-defining event: Macy's Ernie grapples with loneliness by seeking women in chat rooms, while Hines's Beth sees relationships as a shortcut to financial security. ~ David Shim, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William H. Macy, Cheryl Hines, (more)
Two brothers dutifully working the days away at the family carpet business attempt to assert their independence by going to work for the king of Long Island wedding videographers, only to find their new careers floundering when they are forced to move into a cramped studio apartment. It's been five years, three months, and 26 days since Anthony and Carmine Marconi went to work at their father's carpet store, and now both brothers are beginning to fear that their lives have hit a standstill. When he's not slaving away full-time amidst endless yards of carpet, Anthony is attempting to balance a full load of classes at the local community college. Meanwhile, brother Carmine is hoping to strike it rich by playing the tables in Atlantic City and buying scratch-off cards. One day, during a routine carpet installation, the brothers' fate takes an unexpected turn when they cross paths with Maurice "Mo" Brown -- a fast-talking wedding-video producer with some flashy toys and sexy "secretaries." Though Anthony and Carmine miraculously manage to land positions as Mo's new assistants, their father doesn't take the news too well; he immediately slaps them each with a 500-dollar-a-month boarding fee.
Now, for the first time in their lives, Anthony and Carmine are on their own, and they're working for a certifiable lunatic who calls wedding shots like he's Cecil B. DeMille and flies into an uncontrollable rage at the sight of his alcoholic ex-partner and wife, Sonya -- the in-house wedding photographer. To make matters even worse, Anthony has started an affair with Sonya's assistant and Carmine has just screwed up the audio on the wedding vows. With time running out before Mo catches wind of the latest disaster, Anthony and Carmine will have to work overtime if they hope to keep their jobs and save their necks. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Now, for the first time in their lives, Anthony and Carmine are on their own, and they're working for a certifiable lunatic who calls wedding shots like he's Cecil B. DeMille and flies into an uncontrollable rage at the sight of his alcoholic ex-partner and wife, Sonya -- the in-house wedding photographer. To make matters even worse, Anthony has started an affair with Sonya's assistant and Carmine has just screwed up the audio on the wedding vows. With time running out before Mo catches wind of the latest disaster, Anthony and Carmine will have to work overtime if they hope to keep their jobs and save their necks. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Fogler, Brendan Sexton III, (more)
A wannabe superhero joins a team of bumbling heroes-in-training on a time-traveling mission to thwart an evil plot in this high-flying comedy featuring Clint Howard, Adam West, Tom Sizemore, and Doug Jones. Ed Gruberman (Justin Whalin) may not possess any actual superpowers, but his passion for fighting crime rivals that of even the greatest comic-book do-gooders. When Ed becomes a member of The Super Capers, an oddball team of aspiring superheroes, it seems as if his dream of fighting crime for real is about to come true. Upon discovering evidence of an evil plot involving gold bullion, an alluring femme fatale, and a powerful criminal mastermind, Ed travels back in time to prevent a disaster the likes of which the world has never seen. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Justin Whalin, Adam West, (more)
Two recent college graduates hatch an ingenuous scheme to increase their income while having a bit of naughty fun on the side in this sexy comedy that proves just how wild lonely housewives can be when left unattended. For Spence and Hogan, the carefree days of college come crashing to an end when they are forced to go to work for a group of heartless divorce lawyers who seem to take great joy in tormenting the dejected young slackers. Subsequently presented the opportunity to start a club in which older women can discreetly experience the joys of being with a younger man, these two put-upon legal workers set about rounding up a group of their most libidinous young men to launch a successful start-up business that thrives on pleasure. Faye Dunaway, Carrie Fisher, Izabella Scorupco, and Joanie Lauer star in a scorching age-disparity comedy from cinematographer and special effects artist-turned-director Christopher Duddy. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Jurman, Warren Kole, (more)
Director Ridley Scott spins this yarn concerning a Harlem drug kingpin (Denzel Washington) who smuggles heroin into the country by hiding it in the bodies of U.S. soldiers killed during battle in Vietnam. There was a time when no one noticed reserved driver Frank Lucas (Washington), but when the criminal kingpin he was charged with transporting through the city streets suddenly dies, Lucas seizes the opportunity to build his own criminal empire. In the following months, Lucas solidifies his status as Harlem's most innovative drug dealer by delivering a product that is purer than the competitors' and cheaper, as well. When innovative businessman Lukas attempts to go semi-legit by becoming one of the Manhattan borough's biggest civil supporters, however, street-savvy outcast cop Ritchie Roberts (Russell Crowe) begins to sense a sizable shift in the hierarchy of the drug underworld. But Roberts is one of the few honest detectives operating within a corrupt system, and as he sets out to investigate the case, crooked detective Trupo (Josh Brolin) does everything in his power to compromise the integrity of his idealistic counterpart. Upon clearing all of the usual Mafia-connected suspects, Roberts begins to believe that a previously unknown black power player has come out of the woodwork to dominate the local drug trade. While Roberts and Lucas may be operating on opposite sides of the law, the one thing that both men have in common is a strict code of ethics that separates them from their opportunistic colleagues. Now, as a confrontation between the two men becomes inevitable and the fate of each becomes inexorably tied to the other, it gradually becomes apparent that only one of them will emerge from the conflict victorious. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, (more)
Director Jean-Baptiste Andrea's wicked, jet-black comic thriller Big Nothing stars Friends mainstay David Schwimmer as Charlie Wood, a onetime American professor now married to a policewoman, Penelope (Natascha McElhone) and living in Oregon. As the story opens, Charlie takes a job as a telephone operator at an Information Technology call support center, but is promptly fired for making offensive comments to a customer. One of Charlie's shadier co-workers, Gus Dickinson (Simon Pegg) wheedles him into his plan to blackmail a priest, Rev. Smalls (Mitchell Mullen) by using "inside" information from the company that demonstrates the minister's obsession with internet porn. Thus begins an endless series of Mametian twists and turns involving double-cross, mistaken identity, forced drownings, poisonings, infidelities and cold-blooded mariticide, as the men attempt to collect on the money but run head-first into one outrageous conflict after another. Alice Eve, Mimi Rogers and Jon Polito co-star; Andrea and William Asher co-authored the script. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Schwimmer, Simon Pegg, (more)
Clint Eastwood's adaptation of the non-fiction book Flags of Our Fathers concerns the lives of the men in the famous picture of soldiers raising the American flag over Iwo Jima during that historic WWII battle. Battle scenes are intercut with footage of three of the soldiers - played by Ryan Phillipe, Jesse Bradford, and Adam Beach -- who survived the battle going on a goodwill tour of the United States in order to sell war bonds. Many evening they are forced to reenact their famous pose, something each of them finds more and more difficult to do as they suffer from survivor's guilt. Eastwood frames the story by having one of the men's grown son (Tom McCarthy) interview his father's old comrades in order to find out more about what happened to his father. Eastwood followed this film with Letters from Iwo Jima, a second film about the battle of Iwo Jima, but told from the Japanese perspective. Flags of Our Fathers was produced by Eastwood and Steven Spielberg. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, (more)
Filmmaking duo Frank and Joe Ciota follow up 1997's The North End and 2001's Ciao America with this black comedy about an Italian-American funeral home struggling to remain afloat as an influx of young, healthy bodies into the neighborhood finds business slowing. Ragucci's the nation's oldest Italian-American funeral home, and owner Felix Ragucci (Joe Sicari) is determined to stay in business. At the heart of Frank's business is Frank Tramontana (Danny Aiello), a former public relations executive who now drives a hearse for a living. Frank is a handsome man who prides himself on both his spotless reputation and his remarkable ability to seduce young women like statuesque beauty Lauren (Heather Tom). Ragussi's holds a special place in Frank's heart, not only because so many people he knows received their final farewells there but also because it serves as a community center for the close-knit family that works there. When Frank learns that Ragucci's may finally be closing their doors, he recruits fellow employees John "The Prince" Monaco (Jon Polito) and Nino Degeneroso (Louis Vanaria) in concocting a scheme to keep the funeral home afloat. But Frank is about to find out that it isn't easy to save the day while attempting to keep up with a much younger girlfriend and negotiate your son's tuition with your demanding ex-wife, and when the gang's shady scheme draws the attention of local gossip writer Sid Buford (Frank Bongiorno), all three will be begging to bury the past. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Aiello, Jon Polito, (more)
Two down-on-their-luck meat salesmen struggling to make a buck find that sometimes you have to grill your clients to secure the sale in this rib-tickling comedy that teams King of Queens star Kevin James with Everybody Loves Raymond star Ray Romano. Maurice (Romano) and Dave (James) have been issued an ultimatum by their frustrated boss: move some meat or hit the street. Now forced to make the sale of a lifetime or face a grim fate working behind the counter of the local butcher, the two hapless meat-slingers set their sights on a foolproof prospect that promises to provide just the funds needed to keep them afloat. Unfortunately for Maurice and Dave, their perfect plan leads them into the company of some very bad men, and now with their jobs on the line and their lives hanging in the balance, these two scheming salesmen must finalize the big deal and get the money back to the boss before they end up in the freezer with the rest of the dead meat. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Ian Truitner's horror film The Cutting Room stars Mark Elias as an inexperienced moviemaker attempting to complete a horror film. The production gets complicated when a real serial killer begins to take out members of the cast and crew. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
As Valentine's Day dawns, Susan (Teri Hatcher) eagerly awaits her date with Mike Delfino (James Denton) -- or at least she does until a new plot development rears its ugly head. Elsewhere, Bree (Marcia Cross) doesn't know as much about her husband, Rex (Steven Culp), as she thought she did. Lynette (Felicity Huffman) has kid and neighbor trouble again. And Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) finds a job uniquely suited to her special talents when she is hired to model mattresses. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
One of television's most beloved sitcoms gets an overhaul for the big screen in this comedy. Ralph Kramden (Cedric the Entertainer) is a New York City bus driver who has great ambitions and plans to make something of himself one day. However, Ralph's big ideas usually take the form of half-baked get-rich-quick schemes which invariably fail, much to the chagrin of his long-suffering wife, Alice (Gabrielle Union). But Ralph always has a loyal ally in his best friend and upstairs neighbor, Ed Norton (Mike Epps), a sewer worker who also has a wife who is weary of his antics, Trixie (Regina Hall). Alice and Trixie have a plan to come up with the down payment for a dream house: a suburban duplex that's being eyed by a shady developer (Eric Stoltz). But when Ralph and Ed decide to spend their savings on training a stray mutt for the New Jersey dog races, they threaten both couples' futures. Based on the classic Jackie Gleason and Art Carney series, The Honeymooners also stars John Leguizamo. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cedric the Entertainer, Mike Epps, (more)
The made-for-cable The Family Plan will probably seem a breath of fresh air to anyone who hasn't seen such movies as Picture Perfect and Good Neighbor Sam, or who can't remember the mid-1960s TV sitcom Occasional Wife. A longtime employee at Sugar Dot Bakeries, Ms. Charlie McKenzie (Tori Spelling) faces dismissal when the company is taken over by a conglomerate. It seems that new CEO Walcott (Greg Germann) is a staunch advocate of Family Values, and prefers to employ people who are married and with children. Since Charlie cannot meet either one of these requirements, she hastily concocts a job-saving hoax, "borrowing" her best friend's daughter (Kali Rocha) to pose as her own child, then hiring unemployed actor Buck Maddox (Jordan Bridges) to impersonate Charlie's nonexistent dental-hygienist husband. The you-know-what threatens to hit the fan when Germann moves next door to Charlie and her "family". The Family Plan originally aired over the Hallmark channel on February 17, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tori Spelling, Greg Germann, (more)
From director Keith Gordon (Mother Night, A Midnight Clear) comes this American feature adaptation of the 1986 BBC miniseries, The Singing Detective. Robert Downey Jr. returns to the big-screen for the first time since 2000's Wonder Boys as Dan Dark, a novelist who is hospitalized with a severe case of psoriasis. As he lays in bed, Dark hallucinates that he is actually a World War II-era private dick embroiled in an oddball web of mystery, intrigue, and musical numbers. Written by the late Dennis Potter (Pennies From Heaven, Gorky Park) and co-starring Mel Gibson, Robin Wright Penn, Katie Holmes, and Adrien Brody, The Singing Detective premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Downey, Jr., Robin Wright Penn, (more)
As Lorelai (Lauren Graham) repairs the fire damage at the Inn, daughter Rory (Alexis Bledel) begins planning her mom's 35th birthday party by commissioning the world's largest pizza (well, almost the largest, anyway). Meanwhile, Luke (Scott Patterson) agrees to meet the family of current amour Nicole (Tricia O'Kelley) -- a major blunder, as it turns out; the web of lies spun by Jess finally catches up with him; and Paris (Liza Weil) returns to school with a mysterious bandage on her nose. Also, Richard (Edward Herrmann) continues trying to get back in daughter Lorelai's good graces -- but buying her affections has never worked in the past, and probably won't work now. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
On the verge of a job interview with Procter & Gamble, Drew (Drew Carey) refuses to return to Winfred-Louder, which is crashing and burning under the less than stellar leadership of Mr. Wick (Craig Ferguson). In a desperate effort to lure Drew back, Wick's muscular and masculine mother (played by Richard Chamberlain! offers her body to our hapless hero--and when Wick finds out what his mom is up to, he goes crazy and disappears from sight. This already weird episode gets even weirder with a climactic reversal of fortune for Drew and his ex-boss. And elsewhere, Lewis (Ryan Stiles) and Oswald (Diedrich Bader) try to impress girls with a "personals" video directed by Kate (Christa Miller). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
No sooner have Drew (Drew Carey) and Mr. Wick (Craig Ferguson) assumed their duties as co-managers of Winfred-Louder than they find that the store is about to go out of business. Seeking a new buyer, Drew and Wick approach the fabulously wealthy Lord Mercer (Jim Piddock in his first series appearance). As it turns out, the only person capable of "selling" Winfred-Louder to Lord Mercer's board of directors is Mr. Wick, and only when he is drunk out of his mind--obliging Drew to become an "enabler" until the deal is finalized. Meanwhile, Oswald (Diedrich Bader) hits on a nurse named Colleen (played by Bader's real-life wife Dulcy Rogers), but she is unimpressed until he literally performs a miracle! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Brazilian filmmaker Bruno Barreto directs this comic look at the world of flight attendants starring Gwyneth Paltrow as Donna, a small town Nevada woman who dreams of seeing the world by becoming a first class international stewardess. Lacking the requisite poise and class, Donna finds a mentor in retired trade veteran Sally (Candice Bergen), a wealthy, best-selling author who assists with advice and her considerable influence. Despite Sally's help, Donna finds the process of fulfilling her career ambitions more difficult than she imagined when she’s betrayed by a trusted friend (Christina Applegate) during flight training, a daunting course taught by the bitter John Whitney (Mike Myers), a once-aspiring steward whose eye condition kept him forever out of the friendly skies. Donna also faces a romantic crisis when she falls for a handsome law student (Mark Ruffalo) whose education consigns him to Ohio, far away from the major urban hubs Donna dreams of working. A View from the Top (2002) costars Rob Lowe, Josh Malina, Kelly Preston and Jon Polito. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gwyneth Paltrow, Mark Ruffalo, (more)
Network television's first "interactive" mystery-suspense series, Push, Nevada got under way somewhat in the manner of the 1945 theatrical feature Murder, He Says, with stalwart IRS agent Jim Prufrock (Derek Cecil) venturing into the hinterlands in search of a huge cache of stolen money. Prufrock followed the trail of evidence to the cloistered community of Push, NV, which seemed to be populated exclusively by weirdos with deep, dark secrets. Each time that Prufrock thought he'd figured out what was going on, a new riddle or enigma was added to the mixture, such as a motel which looked like a dump on the outside but was luxurious on the inside, or a bizarre casino where everyone was forced to speak in lousy French accents. As Jim tried to piece things together, the viewers at home were invited to interpret the clues right along with the protagonist. If the viewer was able to solve the mystery before the first 13 episodes had played out, he or she would win one million dollars. Co-created by actor Ben Affleck and boasting a production staff gleaned from Affleck's popular cable-TV documentary series Project Greenlight, Push, Nevada debuted on September 17, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Derek Cecil, Scarlett Chorvat, (more)
The Black Mask (Andy On replacing Jet Li) faces-off against a series of gruesome mutants while frantically searching for a cure for his ability not to feel pain in this flashy sequel to the 1996 original. When the Black Mask learns that genetic scientists worldwide are falling victim to an unknown assassin, he races to save the life of the next on the list. Arriving a bit to late, Black Mask learns that the mutants who have carried out the killings were created by the same sentient computer had which created him. Later rushing to the rescue upon learning that a professional wrestler has turned mutant and kidnapped a child, Black Mask makes the horrific discovery that terrorists plan to detonate a mutant bomb that will turn the population into hideous creatures. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy On
Leonardo Ricagni, director of the 1998 Uruguayan comedy El Chevrolé, helmed this straight-to-video ensemble crime thriller, in which the main character is a bag of money. Initially belonging to a casino on an Indian reservation, The Chief (Russell Means) hires The Hitman (Chris O'Donnell) to track the bag down when it turns up missing. As The Hitman gets closer and closer to finding it, the bag of dough passes through the hands of several other nameless characters, including The Waitress, played by Rachael Leigh Cook, The Drifter, played by Jeremy Davies, and The Sheriff, played by Keith David. Before hitting American video-store shelves in 2003, 29 Palms screened at the München Fantasy Filmfest and the Cologne Fantasy Film Festival, both in Germany. The film should not be confused with the 2004 Bruno Dumont picture of the same name. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris O'Donnell
Richard Benjamin directs the straight-to-video romantic comedy The Shrink Is In. Courteney Cox plays Samantha Crumb, a travel writer who suffers from a long list of phobias and disorders. When her psychiatrist, Dr. Louise Rosenberg (Carol Kane), suffers a mental breakdown, Samantha gets an idea to catch herself a man. She sets out to pose as a psychiatrist in order to win over the affections of her neighbor Michael (David James Elliott). Meanwhile, she inevitably meets and falls in love with shy Henry Popopolis (her real-life husband David Arquette). The Shrink Is In also stars Kimberley Davies and Viola Davis. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Courteney Cox Arquette, David Arquette, (more)
Set in a sleepy Northern California town in the 1940s, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen's The Man Who Wasn't There stars Billy Bob Thornton as Ed Crane, a humble barber who suspects his hard-hearted and hard-drinking wife Doris (Frances McDormand) of having an affair with her boss (James Gandolfini). When a jocular stranger (Jon Polito) breezes into town hinting at the fortune to be made investing in an outlandish-sounding new invention called dry cleaning, Ed hatches a blackmail scheme he hopes will make him rich and get him some revenge at the same time. His plan goes horribly awry when he accidentally commits a murder for which Doris ends up being blamed, landing her in the slammer and Ed at the mercy of blowhard big-city lawyer Freddy Riedenschneider (Tony Shalhoub). Filmed in black-and-white by three-time Oscar-nominated cinematographer Roger Deakins, The Man Who Wasn't There was inspired by the seedy crime novels of James M. Cain, putting a distinctly Coen brothers' spin on the film noir tradition. Though spiked with their characteristic humor, its moody atmosphere hearkens back to the darker moments of Blood Simple and Fargo -- a marked departure from the high-spirited slapstick of O Brother Where Art Thou. ~ Tom Vick, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, (more)
After three men are discovered hideously mutilated -- their faces have been removed -- and strung up among New York City's high-tension wires, Detective Klaski (Bruno Campos) stumbles upon a link: Each of the men knew entomologist Remy (Alix Koromzay), a teacher at an inner-city high school. Klaski considers Remy a prime, albeit unlikely suspect, in the killings until he witnesses for himself the shape-shifting creature that has been stalking Remy -- an intelligent six-foot-tall insect with the face of its previous victim. And it wants to mate with Remy. It's off to the races as Remy, Klaski, and a pair of her students are trapped inside the school as the creature hunts them down. Meanwhile, a military unit of bug busters gets ready to fumigate the school with poison gas. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alix Koromzay, Bruno Campos, (more)
In the conclusion of a three-part story, a comatose Drew (Drew Carey) is taken off life support, and his soul ascends to Heaven. En route to the Pearly Gates, Drew meets his future nephew (voice provided by Jon Polito), who is heading earthward to be born to Mimi (Kathy Kinney) and Steve (John Carroll Lynch). Thanks to Drew's snide comments about Mimi, the kid changes his mind about being born, forcing Drew to undo the damage by having his soul briefly inhabit the baby's body--and letting the real baby observe his future mother from the vantage point of Heaven. Will Mimi pass the "mommy test", or will the baby reject the whole deal and go back to where he feels safe? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide






























