Paul Reiser Movies
One of the salutary byproducts of the TV series Seinfeld is that it created a market in the '90s for sitcoms built around the comedy routines of young, hip New York comics. One of the best of these programs was Mad About You, created by and starring Manhattan-born Paul Reiser. Reiser and Seinfeld share more than a similarity of sitcoms; together with comedians Larry Miller and Mark Schiff, they comprise what has been unofficially dubbed the Four Funniest Men in the World Club, which has met for lunch each New Year's Day for the past several years. Reiser's credentials include a degree from S.U.N.Y.-Binghamton, a short stint as a health food distributor, and a 1982 film debut in Diner. Most of his film roles have been in comedies, though he was effectively cast as a greedy space traveler (who comes to a well-deserved bad end) in 1986's Aliens. Reiser has noted that his weekly series Mad About You, in which he co-starred with Helen Hunt, was based on his relationship with his wife, Paula. In 1995, Paul Reiser took a brief respite from Mad About You to star in the "single dad" comedy Bye Bye Love, which despite a strong promotional tie-in with McDonald's restaurants, was not popular enough to encourage Reiser to give up his day job. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Judd Apatow casts his former real-life roommate Adam Sandler as George Simmons, a comic superstar who learns in the movie's opening scene that he suffers from a rare blood disorder that will likely kill him within a year. This news gives him the impulse to go back out and work on his standup, something he hasn't done in years thanks to the massive success of his movie career. At a club, he meets struggling standup Ira Wright (Seth Rogen), takes a shine to him, and hires the young man both to write jokes and to be his personal assistant. Ira, who's been sleeping on a friend's pull-out couch and working a day job at a deli, enjoys the glimpse into the superstar lifestyle, but soon the protégé discovers how selfish and egocentric his mentor really is. Jason Schwartzman and Jonah Hill, and a host of famous standup comics make cameo appearances as themselves. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, (more)
A middle-aged man finds himself dealing with the divorce of his elderly parents as well as many years of emotional baggage in this poignant comedy drama. Ben (Paul Reiser) is a writer who is enjoying a quiet evening at home with his wife, Rachel (Elizabeth Perkins), when they receive an unexpected visitor, Ben's father, Sam (Peter Falk). As it happens, Sam has some surprising news -- his wife, Muriel (Olympia Dukakis), has left him, leaving behind a note saying she wants some time alone. While Ben gets in touch with his sisters, who immediately set out to track down Muriel, he is left to deal with Sam while he tries to figure out what has gone wrong. Eager to spend some time with his dad to talk things out, Ben invites Sam along for a trip upstate to look at some property he's interested in buying, and as the two men hit the road, they get a chance to get to know one another in a way Sam, a busy salesman, was unable to do when Ben was a boy. The Thing About My Folks was a pet project for Paul Reiser, who wrote the screenplay as well as playing the lead; he'd had the script in the works for 20 years, and always intended for Peter Falk to play the role of Sam. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Falk, Paul Reiser, (more)
"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
- 2004
- Add Popeye's Voyage: The Quest For Pappy to QueueAdd Popeye's Voyage: The Quest For Pappy to top of Queue
Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy is a new adventure featuring the famous spinach-slurping sailor. The story involves Popeye attempting to save his father from the evil Sea Hag. Mad About You star Paul Reiser co-wrote this story, and it contains new music by Devo member Mark Mothersbaugh. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy West
After his wife Dana (Christine Lahti) walks out on him, Michael (Joe Mantegna) is visited by his friend, Bruce (Paul Reiser). The two discuss the logistics of the fight, and the state of things between men and women in general. Michael had just given Dana a new Cadillac, and Bruce tells him that Brita (Glenne Headly), his wife and Dana's best friend, and a mental health professional, told him Dana left because, with his cigars and the Caddy, Michael started reminding her of her father. Bruce talks about his own marital problems. Brita recently woke him up in the middle of the night to complain about the hair growing out of his ears. Their friend Nick (Robert Pastorelli) had an epiphany and confessed to his wife that he'd cheated on her, and she left him. After a game of pool, Michael and Bruce decide to go to Motions, a strip club. Dana returns home and sees them driving away, and decides to follow them. She tracks them to the club, and she's appalled as she watches them get lap dances. She leaves the club and calls Brita to tell her all about it. When Michael and Bruce get back to Michael's place, they find the two women waiting there, angry. Dana throws Michael out, and Brita goes along with it. The four of them spend the rest of the evening strategizing with each other, coming together momentarily only to split again, and discussing gender differences. Michael and Bruce visit Nick, who's become a world-class womanizer, while Shelly (Jennifer Coolidge) shows up at the house, and complains about single life to Dana and Brita. Things only get more heated between the two couples as the evening wears on. Women vs. Men was directed by actor Chazz Palminteri. It originally aired on Showtime. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
Originally filmed in 2001 under the title "My Beautiful Son," the made-for-cable Strange Relations stars comedian Paul Reiser in the largely noncomic role of 39-year-old Manhattan psychiatrist Dr. Jerry Lipman. Diagnosed with leukemia, Lipman desperately seeks out a close relative -- any close relative -- for a crucial bone marrow transplant. The news from his mother, Esther Lipman (Olympia Dukakis), is both dispiriting and shocking; Jerry, it seems, was adopted as an infant, and his real family is in far-off England. Flying to Liverpool in search of that all-important donor, Jerry is reunited with his birth mother, an earthy Liverpudlian named Sheila Fizpatrick (Julie Walters). The ensuing rapport between stars Reiser and Walters is ample compensation for the film's weaker passages and unbelievable plot contrivances. Lensed on-location in New York City and London, Strange Relations made its Showtime network bow on March 31, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Reiser, Julie Walters, (more)
An Internet entrepreneur looking to revolutionize the way the world wide web is utilized finds out that there's more to the saying "the road to hell is paved with good intentions" than he ever imagined in this tale of innovation soured, helmed by greedy dot-com cynic Alan Ari Lazar. As the personal home-computer revolution reaches a fever pitch, visionary tech innovator John Elias dreams of shattering national borders and changing the way computer users communicate with the outside world; and with Robert Jennings closing the deal, it appears as if Elias may finally have the opportunity to make his dreams a reality. As fast as the money starts rolling in though, Elias quickly loses himself to the intoxicating effects of success, isolating himself from his business partners and girlfriend and losing site of his original goals. Despite the fact that Elias let fame go to his head, where there's a will to succeed there's a chance for redemption, and before the book on his success story reaches the final chapter, the well-intending dot-com king may finally make amends for the pain his greed has caused to those he cared for most. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
The debut project from co-star Michael Douglas' production company Further Films, this comic crime caper uses the narrative devices of multiple points of view and flashbacks, à la Rashomon (1951) and that classic film's many imitators. A late-night slaying at a bar called McCool's is the point of departure as Detective Dehling (John Goodman), bartender Randy (Matt Dillon), and Randy's lawyer-cousin Carl (Paul Reiser) project their fantasies onto the sexy Jewel (Liv Tyler), whose boyfriend (Andrew Dice Clay) is the corpse in question. As each man spills his guts -- Dehling to his priest, Randy to an aging hit man (Douglas), and Carl to his therapist (Reba McEntire) -- it becomes clear that the femme fatale Jewel has been manipulating the smitten men for her own purposes, namely a house full of cutting-edge electronic gadgets. One Night at McCool's is the debut American film from Norwegian commercial and music video director Harald Zwart. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liv Tyler, Matt Dillon, (more)
One of Hollywood's most acclaimed directors, Barry Levinson has brought such hits as Diner, Good Morning Vietnam, and Liberty Heights to screens everywhere. This video profile highlights his career, featuring interviews with Annette Bening, Dustin Hoffman, and Kevin Pollak. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1999
This final episode of Mad About You is set approximately 22 years in the future. Mabel Buchman (Janeane Garafolo), grown-up daughter of Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt), follows in her dad's footsteps by producing a documentary film about her family. Several former series regulars and guest stars make cameo appearances as Mabel tries to trace the progress of her parents' marriage after a startling discovery made by Paul's sister Debbie (Robin Bartlett). Series star Helen Hunt directed this one-hour closer, which since its original network telecast has been divided into two half-hour episodes for syndication. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1999
Part one of Mad About You's series finale is set approximately 22 years in the future. Mabel Buchman (Janeane Garafolo), grown-up daughter of Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt), follows in her dad's footsteps by producing a documentary film about her family. The starting point is the startling revelation that, thanks to a genealogical snafu, Paul and Jamie were never really married. Originally telecast as an hour-long special, this episode has since been divided into two half hours for syndication. ~ All Movie Guide
Bruce Willis and Michelle Pfeiffer star in this romantic comedy as Ben and Katie Jordan, a couple who have been married for fifteen years. They have two great kids, a nice home, and a comfortable life, but somewhere down the line, the spark went out of their marriage, and they find that they don't really love each other anymore. With their relationship at a crossroads, Ben and Katie, two different people who have never felt more different, have to decide if they want to try to salvage their marriage, or if it's time to move on. The Story of Us was directed by Rob Reiner, and features Julie Hagerty, Tim Matheson, Paul Reiser, Tom Poston, Rita Wilson, and Jayne Meadows. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Willis, Michelle Pfeiffer, (more)
- 1998
The sixth season of Mad About You was marked by flagging ratings and ever-increasing audience dissatisfaction over the self-indulgences perpetrated by the series' creators and stars, which reached a summit (or nadir) with the single-take, "real-time" episode, "The Conversation." Nonetheless, NBC wanted to hold on to the Emmy-winning sitcom, especially since the demise of Seinfeld had passed the cudgel of offbeat comedy to Mad About You. So eager was the network to keep the series on its schedule that it offered both Paul Reiser (Paul Buchman) and Helen Hunt (Jamie Buchman) a daunting 1,000,000 dollars per episode -- a salary increase that, astonishingly enough, neither actor had requested. Once Reiser and Hunt had acquiesced, Mad About You was a firm go for a seventh season, remaining in its familiar Tuesday-night berth (albeit one hour later). While John Pankow, Louis Zorich, and Cynthia Harris were back as, respectively, Paul Buchman's cousin Ira and Paul's parents, Burt and Sylvia, several other longtime regulars were conspicuous by their absence, notably Leila Kenzle (Fran Devanow), who had joined the cast of the new UPN sitcom DiResta. Anne Ramsay -- now billed as Anne Elizabeth Ramsey -- made only guest appearances as Jamie Buchman's sister, Lisa; ditto Robin Bartlett as Paul's gay sibling Debbie. The emphasis of the series was weaned away from the Buchmans' baby daughter, Mabel, refocusing on the relationship between Paul and Jamie -- a relationship that proved to be far more fragile than in previous seasons. Despite the efforts to return to its roots by concentrating on Paul and Jamie's romantic travails, Mad About You continued its precipitous ratings plunge, prompting NBC to move the series from Tuesday to Monday evenings. Thanks to constant pre-emptions, the series was barely seen at all during March and April of 1999, and when it finally returned with new episodes, it was greeted with almost universal indifference. The program briefly rallied with its one-hour finale, a futuristic episode wherein the grown-up Mabel Buchman (Janeane Garofalo) looked back upon the lives of her parents (and their friends) during the first two decades of the 21st century. Perhaps because everyone knew that the series was on its last legs, Mad About You received no Emmy awards for its 1998-1999 output, though guest star Mel Brooks was honored at the American Comedy Awards ceremony. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt, (more)
- 1998
Paul (Paul Reiser) takes a tumble in the shower, and in that split second his whole life flashes before his eyes. Highlights (or lowlights) include Paul's first kiss, and his mother Sylvia's (Cynthia Harris) outraged reaction; the sage advice of Paul's dad, Burt (Louis Zorich), specifically "you ain't ever going to win"; and the testimony of wife Jamie (Helen Hunt) regarding Paul's ability (or lack of same) to tell a lie. Gordon Hunt, frequent Mad About You director and the father of series star Helen Hunt, has a cameo role. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1997
Mel Brooks makes another unbearably funny appearance as Uncle Phil, here about to face trial for coupon fraud. Meanwhile, three-week-old Mabel is placed on a long waiting list for preschool, and Jamie (Helen Hunt) and Ira (John Pankow) have a strange adventure. Listen carefully for the Grand Great-Uncle Lullaby. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Not surprisingly, most of Mad About You's sixth season was built around little Mabel Buchman, newborn daughter of leading players Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt). Many longtime fans of the series felt that the introduction of Mabel was the "jump the shark" moment, in which the quality of the writing began sliding downhill. Conversely, the series garnered a whole new crop of fans, else why would NBC cease its "football" treatment of the property, uncharacteristically allowing Mad About You to remain in the same (Tuesday night) time slot for two consecutive seasons? (For the record, its competition included CBS' JAG, ABC's Soul Man, FOX's Tuesday-evening movie package, and UPN's Clueless.) The series "new" regulars this year out were not all that new. Graduating from recurring character status, Robin Bartlett was now seen on a weekly basis as Paul's gay sister, Debbie; likewise, Louis Zorich's and Cynthia Harris' appearances as Paul's parents, Burt and Sylvia, became more frequent. Also, Paxton Whitehead, who had played the Buchmans' snooty British neighbor, Hal Conway, during season one, returned to the role, which for the last several years had been essayed by Jim Piddock. Still an Emmy Award "magnet," Mad About You earned Helen Hunt her third Emmy as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and Mel Brooks his second statuette for his recurring guest appearances as Paul Buchman's philosophical Uncle Phil. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt, (more)
- 1997
In their efforts to elude Jamie's (Helen Hunt) baby shower, Paul (Paul Reiser) and Ira (John Pankow) pile into the van owned by Ira's right-hand man, Marvin (Jeff Garlin), and drive off for parts unknown. At first, it seems as if the fugitive trio will be able to get in some good old-fashioned male bonding. Alas, Paul's quirky sense of humor lands everyone in big, big trouble. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Ten of America's most famous stand-up comics gather to let comedy fans take a peek behind the curtains as they discuss their experiences, influences, and how they got their big break in this release featuring Paul Reiser, Bill Mahr, Carol Liefer, Larry Miller, George Wallace, and more. Early performances by comics Andy Kauffman, George Carlin, Joan Rivers, Robert Klein, Jackie Vernon, and Richard Pryor are included to offer a look at stand up history in the making. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1996
In the final installment of Mad About You's three-part fourth season finale, Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt) have ruefully decided to separate. As Paul's cousin Ira (John Pankow) and Jamie's sister Lisa (Anne Ramsay) to bring them back together, Lisa finds herself stuck on the horns of a schedule conflict involving her parents' 45th wedding anniversary. Originally broadcast as a single hour-long "special," this episode has since been divided into two parts for syndication purposes. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1996
In the second installment of Mad About You's three-part fourth season finale, Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt) have ruefully decided to separate. It is up to Paul's cousin Ira (John Pankow) and Jamie's sister Lisa (Anne Ramsay) to bring them back together. Originally broadcast as a single hour-long "special," this episode has since been divided into two parts for syndication purposes. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1996
Mad About You launched its fifth season with yet another time slot change, moving to Tuesday evenings opposite ABC's top-rated Roseanne, CBS's new The Promised Land, FOX's package of first-run films, and Moesha from the upstart UPN. Picking up where season four left off, the fifth season began with the temporarily separated Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt) enjoying a tender reconciliation with Jamie's announcement of her long-awaited (and much-delayed) pregnancy. It was therefore inevitable that this season would end with the birth of the Buchman baby, an adventure that all but required a one-hour finale episode. In between, the stories involved Jamie's search for a decent obstetrician, a choice which was narrowed down to the colorfully yclept Dr. Von Derphal (John O'Hurley) and Joan Golfinos (Suzie Plakson), the girlfriend of Paul's out-of-the-closet sister, Debbie (Robin Bartlett, still one season away from her matriculation from recurring to regular character). Meanwhile, Jamie's filmmaker husband, Paul, busied himself with a documentary about his own family, bringing a whole new array of colorful characters into the Mad About You fold, chief among them the great Mel Brooks as philosophical Uncle Phil. Other new fifth season characters included Marvin (Jeff Garvin), handyman to Paul's cousin Ira (John Pankow) and tough-talking therapist Sheila Kleinman (Mo Gaffney). Elsewhere, Harry Groener replaced Alan Ruck as Jamie's politician boss, Lance Brockwell, while the revolving-door casting of Jamie's parents, Theresa and Gus Stemple, briefly settled upon TV icons Carol Burnett and Carroll O'Connor. Finally, Anne Ramsay, previously a series regular in the role of Jamie's sister, Lisa Stemple, was now seen merely on a recurring basis. This year, Emmy awards went (again) to Helen Hunt as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and to Mel Brooks and Carol Burnett for their sporadic guest appearances. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt, (more)
- 1995
Season four of Mad About You opens on a supremely upbeat note, as Jamie (Helen Hunt) happily declares that she and husband Paul (Paul Reiser) have just had the best sex, ever. Paul would like to agree -- except that he slept through the whole experience. Gates McFadden makes her first series appearance as Allison Rourke, Paul's new boss at the Explorer Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
After enjoying a year's worth of high ratings by virtue of its "Must See TV" Thursday night time slot, Mad About You entered its fourth season in a new prime-time berth on Sunday evening, opposite CBS's Cybil and ABC's Lois and Clark. The move neither helped nor hurt the series, which resurfaced on Tuesdays when season five rolled around. Beyond the addition of a few new recurring characters -- among Gates McFadden as Paul Buchman's new boss, Allison Rourke; Alan Ruck as Jamie's new employer, Lance Brockwell; and Hank Azaria (the then boyfriend of series star Helen Hunt) as Nat the dogwalker, Mad About You embarked on some fresh story tangents as well. Paul Buchman (Paul Reiser) was hired as a documentary filmmaker for the Explorer Channel cable service, Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt) and her friend Fran Devanow (Leila Kenzle) opened their own PR firm, and so forth. The biggest new development was the pregnancy of Jamie Buchman -- or rather, the non-pregnancy, since actual conception was held off as long as the scriptwriters (and the audience) were able to endure the weight. Having scored excellent ratings in past seasons by offering such pop-icon guest stars as Carl Reiner and John Astin, the series continued in this vein throughout season four, most memorably in the episodes featuring Yoko Ono and several former regulars of the 1960s variety show Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. In addition to maintaining its loyal viewership during its fourth year on the air, Mad About You also garnered another Emmy award, this one for series regular Helen Hunt as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt, (more)
- 1995
Imagine a world in which Yoko Ono (playing herself) wants to make a film for the Explorer Channel. Hired to direct the film, Paul (Paul Reiser) ends up on a five-day fast, with nary an idea in his head on how to accomplish Ono's goal of filming the wind. David Strickland makes his first series appearance as Hollis Pavelle, here billed onscreen as Sycophant #1. This episode is capped by a classic final shot invoking sweet memories of the "Ballad of John and Yoko." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
This 1995 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Paul Reiser and features musical guest Annie Lennox. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Reiser, Annie Lennox, (more)
