Teri Polo Movies
After toiling for a decade in low-grade films and a host of TV shows, Teri Polo finally earned a helping of recognition, topped off with a dollop of critical appreciation, for her portrayal of Ben Stiller's would-be fiancée in Jay Roach's 2000 autumn blockbuster Meet the Parents. The casting of Polo as the daughter of über-WASP suburban gentry (Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner) capitalized on her Pepsident-blond, all-American looks, and the film's success effectively provided the actress with the exposure that would allow her to move beyond the confines of weeknight television spots.The daughter of a stereo systems designer and a homemaker, Polo was born in Dover, DE, and raised there in the company of two older brothers. A ballet student from the age of five, she spent most of her childhood and adolescence in a dance studio, but after being rejected by a performing arts school at 17, Polo re-evaluated what she wanted to do with her life; her subsequent win in a Seventeen magazine modeling contest led to her decision to drop out of school and pursue an acting career in New York.
Roles on TV shows ranging from the ABC soap opera Loving to Northern Exposure followed, as did starring work as the object of Ethan Hawke's affections in the thankless, straight-to-video comedy Mystery Date (1991). After moving to Los Angeles in 1995 to better pursue her career, Polo found more work on television, guest-starring on such shows as Felicity and Sports Night. With Meet the Parents in 2000, the actress' years of hard work seemed finally to have paid off, as she enjoyed mention in the national media and a crop of studio offers.
She followed up that big success with Domestic Disturbance and Beyond Borders, but was back on board for the sequel Meet the Fockers in 2004. She was away from screens for three years after that, returning in Full of It, and the short-lived TV series The Wedding Bells. She appeared in The Hole, and in 2010 returned to her career defining role in Little Fockers. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
A birthday party for the twins gives Greg an opportunity to redeem himself after he takes a job that raises the suspicions of his overbearing father-in-law, Jack (Robert De Niro), in this installment of the hit comedy series. Greg (Ben Stiller) and Pam (Teri Polo) have been together for ten years, and now they're the proud parents of two adorable twins. But money is tight, and in order to keep his family afloat, devoted nurse Greg takes a second job working for a drug company. But that development doesn't sit well with Jack, whose previous suspicions regarding his hapless son-in-law soon come back in full force after learning of this development. With the twins' birthday fast approaching, the proud parents invite the entire clan over to celebrate in style, including Kevin (Owen Wilson), who still carries a torch for his pretty ex Pam. As the festivities get under way, Greg takes every opportunity available to prove to Jack that he's fully capable of providing for his family. Now Greg has one last chance to prove that he's trustworthy. Should he fail, the circle of trust will be broken for good. Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Laura Dern, and Jessica Alba co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, (more)
Paul (David Rees Snell) and Bryn Shaw (Teri Polo) attempt to recover from the pain of losing their young son by moving in to a new apartment, only to encounter the ghost of another child who was taken before his time, and who may hold the key to solving a supernatural mystery. Shortly after moving into the new tenement building, Bryn catches a glimpse of a diminutive specter floating through the hallways. After contacting a local professor and a grizzled cop and learning about the boy's grim fate, Bryn attempts to use the spirit to deliver a message to her son on the other side. But now the harder Bryn tries to communicate with the wayward spirit, the more apparent it becomes that it has fallen under the spell of another entity with a malevolent plan of its own. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Teri Polo, David Rees Snell, (more)
Genre legend Joe Dante (The Howling, Gremlins) delivers hair-raising 3D chills with this visually immersive shocker about a pair of young siblings who discover a mysterious bottomless pit in their typical suburban basement. Shortly after moving from New York City to the quiet community of Bensonville with their single mother (Teri Polo), 17-year-old Dane (Chris Massoglia) and his ten-year-old brother, Lucas (Nathan Gamble), stumble across a locked trap door on their basement floor. Together with their new neighbor Julie (Haley Bennett), the two curious boys conduct a sequence of experiments in hopes of finding out exactly how deep the hole is, and what lies at the bottom. Later, just as the three youngsters begin to suspect that the hole reaches directly into infinity, a series of bizarre occurrences leave them convinced that something in the darkness has been waiting to escape, and that in order to defeat it they will have to face their greatest fears. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Chris Massoglia, Haley Bennett, (more)
A troubled young couple discovers that sometimes you must endure great hardship to discover where you really need to be in life after heading for Mexico on vacation, and finding themselves hopelessly stranded in the dessert. Pete (Jason Priestly) and Donna (Teri Polo) were eager to start a family when their fertility tests revealed they could never have a child of their own. Devastated, the couple accepts an invitation by one of Pete's colleagues to spend some time at his vacation home south of the border. Shortly after crossing into Mexico, however, they take a wrong turn down a rough road, and their SUV breaks down. Thankfully, a road sign indicates that the town of Dommatina is within walking distance, and before long Pete and Donna are safe in the company of kind strangers. Though they'd planned on getting their vehicle repaired as quickly as possible in order to reach their intended destination, a chance encounter with a benevolent priest (Cheech Marin) and a young boy leaves the wayward couple wondering if their true family had been waiting for them in Dommatina all along. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Teri Polo, Jason Priestley, (more)
- 2007
Reportedly based on an actual Long Island business concern called "Leonard's", the Fox dramedy The Wedding Bells was the saga of a family-owned wedding planning business, the Wedding Palace (one of the original titles for this series--along with "The Wedding Album", "The Wedding Planners" and "The Wedding Store"!) Having inherited the establishment from their divorced parents, the three Bell sisters struggled to keep their heads above water, financially and otherwise, with mixed results. KaDee Strickland headed the cast as Annie Bell, the most sensible of the sisters, whose former lover David Conlon (Michael Landes) was The Wedding Palace's chief photographer. Teri Polo played Jane Bell, who was none-too-happily married to Russell Hawkins, the company's chief operating officer. And Sarah Jones was Sarah Bell, the youngest of the siblings and an unpentant party animal who tended to salivate over handsome bridegrooms and Best Men. Also seen was Chris Williams as Ralph Snow, a versatile and eternally frustrated wedding singer. Produced by David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal, Boston Legal), The Wedding Bells premiered March 6, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- KaDee Strickland, Teri Polo, (more)
A teenager with a penchant for tall tales becomes tangled in his own complex web of deceit upon transferring to a new school in this cautionary comedy of little white lies starring Craig Kilborn, Carmen Electra, Teri Polo, and Ryan Pinkston. Sam Leonard (Pinkston) is the new kid at Bridgeport High. A few inches shorter and a little less athletic than his new classmates, Sam is sent knocking on the door of high-school guidance counselor after a particularly embarrassing locker room mishap. Upon determining that the only way to win over his skeptical new classmates is to convince them just how cool he truly is, the scheming student quickly begins to concoct a series of outlandish lies about his background. In Sam's new world, his father is a rock star and his mother a successful avant-garde artist. When Sam wakes up the following morning to discover that his vivid exaggerations have seemingly manifested themselves in reality, his priorities begin to shift as he discovers that there's much more to life than just being popular. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Ryan Pinkston, Kate Mara, (more)
After suffering the humiliation of being given the third degree by his girlfriend's father, one man now faces the even more embarrassing task of introducing his own mother and father in this star-studded sequel to the box-office smash Meet the Parents. After getting off on the wrong foot (to put it mildly) with his prospective in-laws, Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) has finally won the grudging approval of Jack and Dina Byrnes (Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner) to marry their daughter Pam (Teri Polo). But after clearing the first hurdle, now Greg has to face an even bigger challenge -- introducing the straight-laced Byrnes family to his folks, free-spirited sex therapist Roz (Barbra Streisand) and eccentrically open-minded Bernie, who blend with Pam's parents not quite as well as oil and water. Meet the Fockers was directed by Jay Roach, who handled the same chores for Meet the Parents. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, (more)
- 2003
Based on the real-life romance between series co-creator Chris Henchy and film favorite Brooke Shields, this ABC sitcom starred David Sutcliffe as high school English teacher Patrick Owen and Teri Polo as gorgeous movie star Alex Young. "Meeting cute" when Patrick was attacked by Alex's dog, the couple began dating; Alex, it seemed, was immensely impressed by the fact that Patrick was immensely unimpressed by her celebrity, while Patrick was swept off his feet by Alex's unexpected unpretentiousness. The rest of the series followed a predictable path, with both Patrick's students and Alex's Tinseltown buddies offering sidelines commentary. I'm With Her first aired September 23, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Teri Polo, David Sutcliffe, (more)
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, Rovi
- Starring:
- Teri Polo, Andrew McCarthy, (more)
Martin Campbell directs the romantic adventure Beyond Borders. Angelina Jolie stars as Sarah Jordan, a American living with her wealthy British husband, Henry Bauford (Linus Roache), in London during the early '80s. At a charity benefit, she meets passionate relief worker Nick Callahan (Clive Owen), who chastises the rich people for not helping out the needy in war-torn countries. Sarah is quickly compelled to join his humanitarian cause to fight the famine in Ethopia. She then follows him to Cambodia, where they start up a love affair and Nick gets involved in an arms-smuggling operation before they finally end up in Chechnya. Teri Polo appears as Sarah's international journalist sister, Charlotte. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Angelina Jolie, Clive Owen, (more)
This made-for-cable "feel good" picture begins with a "feel-bad" moment, as the entire first-string offensive squad of the Buffalo Bills football team falls victim to food poisoning. With no other option, the Bills' ulcerated coach Ditcher (Jon Voight) must rely upon the team's second-string benchwarmers. Among these also-rans are aging reserve quarterback Dan Heller (Gil Bellows), a longtime thorn in Ditcher's side, and overeager but undertalented wide receiver Gerry Fuller (Richard T. Jones). Miraculously, Heller, Fuller and the rest of the misfits pull themselves together to the extent of qualifying for the playoffs--and, eventually, the Super Bowl. A veritable feast of sports-movie cliches and strenuous overacting, Second String first aired December 18, 2002, over the TNT cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gil Bellows, Jon Voight, (more)
Tom McLoughlin directs the downbeat psychological thriller The Unsaid, released straight-to-video in the U.S. Andy Garcia stars as Kansas psychologist Dr. Michael Hunter who quits his practice following the suicide of his teenage son Kyle (Trevor Blumas). Disturbed by the death, separated from his wife, and lacking the Shelley (Linda Cardellini), Michael is soon approached by social worker Barbara (Teri Polo). She needs him to evaluate her client, Thomas Caffey (Vincent Kartheiser), a traumatised teenage boy who is due for release from a juvenile center. Feeling somewhat compelled to offer his services, Michael discovers the boy's horrible past involving his father, Joseph (Sam Bottoms), who is in prison for murder . ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Andy Garcia, Vincent Kartheiser, (more)
John Travolta stars in this thriller as divorced husband and father Frank Morrison, a boat builder concerned about his son Danny (Matthew O'Leary), a troubled 11-year-old who has shown a tendency to lie since his parents broke up. When his ex-wife Susan (Teri Polo) announces that she's getting remarried to Rick Barnes (Vince Vaughn), a recent arrival in town and a popular, wealthy philanthropist, Frank struggles with jealousy but feels that Rick might be a stabilizing influence for his son. When Danny begins relating unsettling stories about Rick, Frank at first chalks it up to youthful rebellion, but when Danny stridently claims to have witnessed his new stepfather committing murder, Frank's instincts tell him the story is true. As he investigates the new man in his family's life, Frank uncovers alarming facts about Rick, who's not the man he appears to be. Domestic Disturbance (2001) made headlines six months before its release when co-star Steve Buscemi, accompanied by Vaughn and screenwriter Scott Rosenberg, was stabbed and seriously injured in an after-hours bar brawl with locals near the film's North Carolina set. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- John Travolta, Vince Vaughn, (more)
- 2000
Relentless attorney Donny Douglas (Saul Rubinek) continues to press his lawsuit against Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) and Daphne (Jane Leeves), accusing Frasier of encouraging Daphne to run out on her wedding to Donny. Hoping to fight fire with fire, Frasier hires an attorney named Abby (Teri Polo), who has a reputation for being even more "down and dirty" than Donny. The fun (?) begins when Frasier starts dating the estimable -- and none too ethical -- Abby. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
In this comedy from Austin Powers director Jay Roach, Ben Stiller plays a young man who endures a disastrous weekend at the home of his girlfriend's parents. Greg Focker (Stiller) is completely in love with Pam Byrnes (Teri Polo), and views their upcoming trip to her parents' house on Long Island (where her sister is to be married during the weekend) as a perfect opportunity to ask her to marry him. Once Greg is introduced to Pam's parents, however, things stampede steadily downhill. Pam's father, Jack (Robert De Niro), takes an instant and obvious dislike to his daughter's boyfriend, lambasting him for his job as a nurse and generally making Greg painfully aware of the differences between him and Pam's family. Where Greg is grubby, relatively unambitious, and Jewish, Pam comes from a long line of well-mannered, blue-blooded WASPs. Things go from bad to worse in less time than it takes to spin a dreidel, with Greg incurring the wrath of both Pam's father -- who, it turns out, worked for the CIA for 34 years -- and the rest of her family, and almost single-handedly destroying their house and the wedding in the process. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, (more)
- 1999
The rumors continue to fly about Isaac's (Robert Guillaume) possible firing, which comes to a head when Isaac announces that tomorrow's Wall Street Journal will be featuring a story about his and CEO Luther Sach's ongoing feud. While the crew speculates what this will mean for Sports Night, Dan (Josh Charles) describes to Casey (Peter Krause) the beautiful woman named Rebecca (Teri Polo) he met on the elevator this morning and how Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd) said Rebecca thought he was nice and that he should call her. After accidentally running into Rebecca some time later, Dan learns Natalie was lying as Rebecca barely even remembers him -- while his ego takes a hit at the realization that he's not as much of a lady's man as he likes to think he is. After the article comes out the following morning, Isaac takes a meeting with network representative J.J. (Robert Mailhouse), who denies Mr. Sachs had any involvement with the story -- which leads Isaac to believe that perhaps J.J. may be complicit in this mess. Meanwhile, Dana (Felicity Huffman) begins to fret over her suspicions that Gordon is on the verge of dumping her, and Natalie suggests she go talk to Casey about her fears. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi
- 1999
Still smarting over being rejected by Rebecca (Teri Polo) -- the beautiful woman who works in the same building as the Sports Night crew -- Dan (Josh Charles) continues his relentless quest to get the mysteriously distant woman to go on a date with him. Since Casey (Peter Krause) has refused numerous times to speak to Rebecca on his behalf, Dan talks Jeremy (Joshua Malina) into doing it -- and Jeremy learns that Rebecca is the former wife of another popular TV sportscaster. After distinguishing the differences between her ex and him, Dan finally convinces Rebecca to go on a date. As Dana (Felicity Huffman) still fears that Gordon wants to break up with her, she very reluctantly agrees to go on a snorkeling trip with him -- despite her fear of being in close proximity to fish and any other type of marine life. While struggling to come to terms with her fear, Gordon calls and cancels the trip -- prompting Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd) to push Casey into reaching out to Dana. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi
- 1999
Dan (Josh Charles) is starting to sense that something bad is about to happen. First of all, Bobbi Bernstein (Lisa Edelstein) is back on the set for expanded coverage of the college basketball tournament and still maintains her story about having slept with Dan several years ago. Additionally, Dan ran downstairs to talk to Rebecca (Teri Polo), only to find her ex-husband Steve Sisko in the office with her. The rest of the crew has been half-heartedly working on a little welcome back party for Isaac's (Robert Guillaume) return from his extended vacation. While deciding on cakes, decorations, and whatnot, Casey (Peter Krause) and Dana (Felicity Huffman) continuously nitpick each other until they are forced to step outside and have the long overdue blow-up everyone has been waiting for. As Rebecca finally comes up to talk with Dan and reveal the true status of her marriage with Steve, the Sports Night crew begins to wonder why Isaac hasn't shown up on time. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi
- 1999
The Sports Night crew returns to the studio from a bomb scare 15 minutes before the show goes on-air and naturally everyone is a little worked up. Casey (Peter Krause) and Dan (Josh Charles), however, can't seem to get over the fact that someone would try to blow up their building and they proceed to obsess about their near-death experience for some time to come. Dana (Felicity Huffman) has bigger issues to deal with, since Isaac's (Robert Guillaume) stroke has left her in charge of running the operations of the show in addition to her production responsibilities. The network sends J.J. (Robert Mailhouse) to talk with Dana about how to run the show and convinces her that Sally (Brenda Strong) is CEO Luther Sach's choice in assisting Dana, and not Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd). Still freaked out about his parents' divorce, Jeremy (Joshua Malina) makes the bizarre decision to break up with Natalie -- only Natalie calmly refuses to let him. Meanwhile, Rebecca (Teri Polo) tracks Dan down and accuses him of hiding from her and demands to know why. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi
- 1999
Still yammering about the recent bomb threat, Casey (Peter Krause) has now gotten to the point that every time he opens his mouth, the rest of the Sports Night crew feels like punching him. Since it has come out that Christian extremists were responsible for the hoax, Casey has started taking pot shots at the Rev. Jerry Falwell on air in his misguided effort to blame someone. Jeremy (Joshua Malina) has just learned that something extraordinary has happened in a cricket match, but since he has no idea what it means he can't prepare a report on it. While steadfastly holding to his story of having broken up with Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd) -- who just as steadfastly replies that he has not -- Jeremy and Natalie begin trying to figure out why ten wickets in one inning of cricket is monumental, which then leads Jeremy to rethink his desire to be single. On the other side of the studio, Dana (Felicity Huffman) orders Casey to cut the Falwell sniping, leading to the two having another showdown that ends with Dana's revelation that Gordon plans to propose to her and she intends to accept the proposal. And just before the show goes on, Rebecca (Teri Polo) shows up and finally tells Dan (Josh Charles) that she is going to try to patch things up with her husband -- a development Dan had hoped might not come about but expected nonetheless. Crushed, Dan and Casey each reflect on the last couple of days as they plot their next moves. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi
- 1999
Due to a tennis match running very late, the Sports Night show has been put on hold pending the match's conclusion. For Dana (Felicity Huffman), this holds greater significance as she is supposed to meet Gordon (Ted McGinley) later in the evening -- after the show was supposed to air. Dan (Josh Charles), in the meantime, begins to sense that Casey (Peter Krause) is aggravated over something, but Casey refuses to come clean. Soon Dan is working on his own problems when Rebecca (Teri Polo) -- while waiting in Dan's office -- takes a call from a woman that Dan had supposedly broken up with some time ago. When Gordon shows up, he learns the show hasn't even started yet and promptly issues Dana an ultimatum: Hand the show off to someone else or the relationship is over. As Casey sees Gordon being introduced to Sally by Dana, he shuts the office door and reveals his knowledge of Gordon's affair with Sally to Dan -- and that he is powerless to do anything about it, since Dana would also learn of Casey's dalliance with Sally in the process. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi
- 1999
Dan's (Peter Krause) nonstop wooing of Rebecca (Teri Polo) appears to be going nowhere, in spite of the fact that he is getting to know everyone she works with as he continues his quest to get her to go out with him. His most recent proposal is watching a tape of a baseball game with him -- which Rebecca finds to be pretty unappealing, considering her total lack of interest. Returning from a vacation spent with his parents, Jeremy (Joshua Malina) makes a segment proposal about a sailing yacht that was lost at sea during a race it was favored to win. After winning approval, Jeremy sinks himself totally into the story -- much to the chagrin of his girlfriend Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd), who senses that something happened on his vacation. As Natalie traps Jeremy in his office and forces him to come clean, Rebecca traps Dan in his office -- but she is the one making the revelations about herself and her persistent denials of Dan's affections. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi
Former Brat Packer Andrew McCarthy stars in this emotional drama about a widowed man's fight for the child he loves. When Keith (McCarthy) and Kim (Teri Polo) made plans to adopt a baby, they never expected Kim to suddenly die of cancer, leaving Keith with the tasks of both grieving for his loss and battling with a system that is resistant to make the adoption final. Based on a true story, Change of Heart also stars Michael Learned. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
- 1998
Adapted by Richard Vetere from his own play, the made-for-TV The Marriage Fool served to reunite Walter Matthau and Carol Burnett, the stars of the 1972 theatrical feature Pete 'n Tillie. Matthau is cast as widowed septuagenarian Frank Walsh, whose sedentary lifestyle is shifted into third gear by the arrival in his life of flamboyant, sixtyish widow Florence (Carol Burnett). Falling in love, Frank and Florence try to convince Frank's son Robert (John Stamos) to tie the knot with his own girlfriend, Susan (Teri Polo). Robert not only resists the entreaties of his father, but he also refuses to give his consent to Frank and Florence's planned marriage. Charles Matthau, son of star Walter, directed the film and has a cute cameo role. First telecast on CBS on September 20, 1998, The Marriage Fool has since been released on cable and video as Love After Death. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Walter Matthau, Carol Burnett, (more)
- 1998
Childless couple Keith and Kim Lussier (Andrew McCarthy and Teri Polo) have seemingly had their prayers answered when they are placed in charge of 3-month old foster child Brittany. When the couple decides to adopt the child, it is Kim who seems most enthusiastic about her prospective parenthood, while the noncommittal Keith assumes a "whatever" posture. And then, disaster strikes: Kim is diagnosed with cancer. When it seems as though she'll recover, the adoption agency elects to allow the couple to continue caring for Brittany--and in the process Keith, who has had to take full responsibility during Kim's convalescence and treatment, grows to dearly love Brittany and proves to be an ideal apart. Alas, Kim goes into remission and dies, whereupon the agency falls back on its long-standing policy that no single parent be permitted to adopt. Keith long, agonizing legal battle to win full custody of Brittany serves as the climax to the fact-based TV movie A Father for Brittany (home video title:Change of Heart, which originally aired March 15, 1998, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Andrew McCarthy, Michael Learned, (more)
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