Ben Savage Movies

Four college freshman who have returned home for Thanksgiving break find that the old adage about absence making the heart grow fonder rings true in director Brad Leong's nostalgic comedy drama. Back home for the first time since they set out for college, a small group of lifelong friends realize just how much their small hometown really means to them as they reminisce about the days gone by, and make a few more memories before heading back to school. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The seventh and final season of Boy Meets World opens on a less than lighthearted note, with Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) and Topanga Lawrence (Danielle Fishel) having broken off their engagement, and Cory's pal Shawn Hunter (Rider Strong) splitting up with his sweetie Angela Moore (Trina McGee-Davis). Eventually however, at least one of the couples patches things up, and Cory and Topanga are married in the appropriately titled episode "It's About Time." Later on, the newlyweds move to New York, where Topanga has accepted an internship. Back in Philadelphia, Cory's brother Eric (Will Friedle) exhibits a heretofore carefully hidden streak of responsibility as he and his roomie Jack (Matthew Lawrence) take over management of the student union at Penbrook College. In many ways, this turn of events is even more unbelievable than season seven's obligatory fantasy episode "As Time Goes By," in which the series regulars are recast as the characters from the 1942 film classic Casablanca. Without giving away too many details regarding the series finale, it can be noted that Angela moves to Europe to be nearer to her father; Shawn and Jack join the Peace Corps; and Cory's longtime friendly enemy, school principal George Feeny (William Daniels), delivers the poignant curtain speech. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When Boy Meets World began its ABC run in 1993, hero Cory Matthews (Ben Savage) and his friends Shawn (Rider Strong) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel) were all 11-year-old sixth graders. But as the series launched its fifth season in the fall of 1997, Cory, Shawn, and Topanga had all miraculously aged to the point that they were high school seniors! As Cory prepares to culminate his high school career, his older brother Eric (Will Friedle) heads off to Penbrook College, there to be introduced to his new roommate Jack Newman (Matthew Lawrence) -- who happened to be the long-lost half brother of Cory's best pal Shawn Hunter. At first hostile towards Jack, Shawn ends up moving in with his brother and with Eric. In the episode "Boy Meets Real World," the notoriously fickle and faithless Shawn finds true and lasting love in the form of Angela Moore (Trina McGee-Davis). In other developments, irascible high school principal Feeny (William Daniels) falls in love with Penbrook's Dean of Admissions, Ms. Bolander (played by Daniels' real life wife Bonnie Bartlett). And after innumerable roadblocks and setbacks, the romance between Cory and Topanga seems destined for a happy ending when, in the season finale, Topanga proposes to Cory at their high school graduation ceremony. Among the highlights during season five are a brace of crossover episodes: "The Witches of Penbrook" finds Melissa Joan Hart reprising the title character of her own series, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and "No Guts, No Cory" represents Boy Meets World's contribution to an experiment conducted by ABC, in which all of the network's Friday night TGIF sitcoms were linked together for one memorable evening by a single theme. And on a more serious note, the episode "If You Can't Be With the One You Love..." addresses the issue of teen drinking, with series star Ben Savage appearing as himself at the end of the episode, delivering a public service announcement for the National Clearinghouse of Alcohol and Drug Information. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Callie (Alexondra Lee) is nearly the victim of date rape, a harrowing experience which profoundly alters her relationships with Bailey (Scott Wolf) and Sarah (Jennifer Love Hewitt). Meanwhile, Grace (Tamara Taylor) decides that as long as everyone thinks that she and Charlie (Matthew Fox) are an item, there's no harm in stealing a kiss from Charlie--but his mind and heart are elsewhere. In another romantic development, Julia (Neve Campbell) continues her pursuit of handsome contractor Sam (Ben Browder). Finally, while seeking material for her school-paper advice column, Claudia (Lacey Chabert) comes to the literally sobering conclusion that Bailey's drinking has gone far beyond the recreational stage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Just as seasons one and two of Boy Meets World were seemingly separated by a two year time lapse, so too does season three apparently begin two years after the previous season. How else can one explain how Cory Matthews (Ben Savage), Shawn Hunter (Rider Strong), and Topanga Lawrence (Danielle Fishel) have suddenly surged ahead in age from 13 to 15 years old? Most of the familiar faces are back in their familiar roles this season, with one noteworthy exception. Lily Nicksay, who had played Cory's kid sister Morgan during the first two seasons, has been replaced by Lindsay Ridgeway, who makes her debut as Morgan in the episode "A Kiss Is More Than a Kiss." In other developments, Cory is cold shouldered by Topanga after impulsively telling her he loves her, whereupon he begins dating Melissa (Anndi McAfee) on the rebound. Shawn has moved in with high school teacher Mr. Turner (Anthony Tyler Quinn), who has become his legal guardian. School bully Harley Keiner (Danny McNulty), written out of the series at the end of season two, returns (ostensibly from reform school) for one last appearance in "He Said, She Said." And Cory's school chum Joey (Blake Soper) drops out of sight, not to appear again until the fifth season finale episode "Graduation." Season three's many highlights include another of the series' pure fantasy episodes, "I Was a Teenage Spy," in which Cory is electronically transported back to the '50s -- where he meets former Happy Days regulars Tom Bosley, Anson Williams, and Pat Morita! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Versatile Canadian comedian Martin Short plays a 10-year old boy in this comedy aimed at younger audiences. The tale is told in flashback to another little boy. Clifford is a manipulative brat. Clifford really wants to visit Dinosaur World in Los Angeles. Clifford wants to go so badly that he manages to force the Hawaii bound plane he and his parents are on to land in L.A. His parents need to attend a convention in Hawaii so they leave him with his Uncle Martin who despises children. Martin's fiance adores kids, so he pretends to be ecstatic about Clifford's visit. He must also pretend that Clifford is the angel child he isn't. Because Martin reneges on a promise to take him to Dinosaur World, Clifford begins an elaborate plot for revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Just after the turn of the 21st century in L.A., Harry (Belushi) works for a television station that uses a revolutionary technology, virtual reality projected for at-home viewers with 3-D holographic programs. A sinister group known as the Fathers, headed by Senator Kreutzer (Loggia), has a scheme to use it for mind-control. ~ All Movie Guide

Joan Micklin Silver tries her mighty best to wring something substantial out of Frank Mugavero's banal sit-com screenplay concerning the effect of divorce on the divorced parents' off-spring. Hillary Wolf stars as Laura Chartoff, a lonely thirteen-year-old girl who is the victim of multiple parental divorces and remarriages. She lives with her current stepfather Keith Powers (David Strathairn), a cool businessman, and her flighty, self-absorbed mother Melinda (Margaret Whitton). Her biological father David (Griffin Dunne) is a struggling artist separated from his second wife Barb (Patricia Kalember) and is now living with a younger woman Stephanie (Adrienne Shelley), who is pregnant with twins. After a fight with her mother and stepfather, Laura runs away to a rustic cabin in the woods being built by her older stepbrother Josh (Dan Futterman). When she spots Keith and Melinda walking up the road to the cabin, Laura dashes off into the forest. Reported missing, all of the members of Laura's extended family converge at the cabin to try to find her. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

This comic fantasy stars Howie Mandell as a monster who lives under a little boy's bed. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide