Mitchell Whitfield Movies
The stars have aligned in an ominous sign, and as a legion of malevolent monsters descends upon New York City to wage war against humanity, the only thing that stands between humankind and certain destruction are four wisecracking turtles with a flair for martial arts and a hearty appetite for pizza. Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's "heroes in a half-shell" return to defend the world against an interstellar threat that comes just once every 3,000 years in a computer-animated action comedy that marked the final film role of Japanese screen legend Mako -- here providing the voice of the eternally wise Master Splinter. Buffy the Vampire Slayer star Sarah Michelle Gellar lends her voice to the role of the turtles' technical-services worker, April; Fantastic Four's Chris Evans assumes the role of hockey-loving crimefighter Casey Jones; Memoirs of a Geisha star Zhang Ziyi steps in as villainous Foot Ninjas leader Karai; and Star Trek: The Next Generation captain Patrick Stewart voices malevolent tech industrialist Max Winters -- a mortal man whose hunger for profit and power may spell doom for all humanity. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Evans, Sarah Michelle Gellar, (more)
- 2001
A playground sandbox unexpectedly yields the nude body of a woman covered with whip and restraint marks. The ensuing investigation leads a slightly embarrassed Grissom (William L. Petersen) and Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) to an underground fetish club. And in another case, Warrick (Gary Dourdan) and Sara (Jorja Fox) must determine if a fatal shooting occurred during or after a robbery. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A woman who gives advice on relationships for a living is trying to make sense of her own problems with the opposite sex in this independent romantic comedy. Amy (Julie Davis) is a single woman in her mid-twenties who has recently published a self-help book called Why Love Doesn't Work, in which she discusses why a woman doesn't need a husband or a boyfriend to feel fulfilled. But Amy isn't so sure she believes her own advice, and after four years without a steady relationship, she wants a man in her life. Feeling conflicted, Amy isn't sure where to turn or with whom she can discuss her relationship issues; she ends up sharing her problems with a priest (Jeff Cesario) who mans the confessional at a nearby Catholic church, even though Amy is Jewish. As Amy's book hits the stores, Janet (Caroline Aaron), a friend who works as a publicist for her publisher, snags Amy an appearance on a radio show hosted by Matthew Starr (Nick Chinlund), a popular but foul-mouthed "shock jock." Matthew is exactly the sort of man Amy warns her readers to stay away from, so she isn't sure why she finds herself attracted to him -- or why he seems to be interested in her. Amy's Orgasm was written and directed by Julie Davis, who also stars as Amy; the film was enthusiastically received in its screening at the 2001 Santa Barbara Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Davis, Nick Chinlund, (more)
Just how low will a guy sink in order to impress the woman of his dreams? How does stealing her dog sound? In Lost and Found, David Spade plays Dylan, who is about to open an new restaurant and has finally found the perfect apartment. The apartment just gets better when he meets his new neighbor, Lila (Sophie Marceau), a very beautiful women who has recently come to the United States from France. However, Lila has just gotten out of a bad relationship with René (Patrick Bruel), who doesn't want to leave her alone, so she has little interest in romance, preferring to devote herself to her cello and her dog Jack. One day, Jack runs away and Dylan finds him; when he returns the pooch to Lila, it's the first time she's been willing to speak in full sentences to him, though not for very long. Faster than you can say "That idea is so crazy it just might work!", Dylan decides to kidnap Jack; when Lila thinks the dog is lost, Dylan will generously volunteer to help look for him, which will give Dylan a chance to impress Lila when he's able to find Jack so quickly. Sure enough, Dylan swipes the dog, but from that point on the plan hardly goes the way he had hoped. Star David Spade also co-wrote the screenplay with J.B. Cook and Marc Meeks; the supporting cast includes Martin Sheen, Mitchell Whitfield, Artie Lang and Jon Lovitz. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Spade, Sophie Marceau, (more)
Former music-video director Tamra Davis (Guncrazy) created strong characters in this bank-robbery tale, a crime/comedy/drama somewhat reminiscent of the anti-establishment attitudes seen in early '70s films. After three years in a California prison, Jesse (Luke Wilson) is ready to marry his girlfriend Hope (Drew Barrymore) in the town of Independence (the original working title of this film). Joining Jesse is a odd assortment -- the buzzcut ex-Green-Beret Buzz (Dean Cain); ex-lawyer Sol (Mitchell Whitfield); geeky Teddy (Andy Dick); and Shakespeare-quoting Billy (Sean Patrick Flanery), aka Hamlet on the FBI's most-wanted list. Then they're off to the wedding. Billy, however, asks to be dropped off at a nearby bank, and after it's evident that Billy is pulling off another Hamlet heist, the others join him inside. Billy's father, Sheriff Phillips (Fred Ward), up for re-election, begins hostage negotiations, but the media arrives, along with psycho FBI agent Hoover (Raymond J. Barry) and his partner Carter (Art Edler Brown). Wearing her wedding dress, Hope goes inside the bank. Soon various friends and locals gather outside to offer support as the hostages take the side of their captors. In addition to portraying agent Carter, Art Edler Brown is the film's co-producer and co-scripter. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- 1997
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In this independent comedy about the pitfalls of romance in the 1990s, Katie (Marla Schaffel) is a 25-year-old aspiring songwriter living in Los Angeles. Katie is also a virgin; she's been saving herself for the perfect man, but with the passage of time, she's becoming more firmly convinced that he doesn't actually exist. Katie frequently commiserates about the sad state of her love life with her friend Janet (Meredith Scott Lynn), who left her virginity behind a long time ago in the pursuit of a good orgasm but isn't having any more luck in landing her dream man. Katie is good friends with Ben (Mitchell Whitfield), a sweet but nebbishy guy who is crazy about Katie and wants to move their relationship from the platonic to the romantic. Katie, however, doesn't think he's the right man, and she prefers to keep him at arms length; she's shocked (but probably shouldn't be) when Ben ends up sleeping with Janet. When Katie meets Richard Webber (Michael Harris), a successful British songwriter, she thinks that she may have finally found the handsome prince she's been waiting for, but she soon discovers that he's merely a charming frog with a lot of empty promises. Julie Davis, who wrote, produced, directed, and edited I Love You . . . Don't Touch Me!, also appears in a supporting role as Lisa. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1996
The long-delayed wedding between Rachel's friend Mindy (Jana Marie Hupp) and her ex-fiancé, Barry (Mitchell Whitfield), promises to be quite an occasion, especially since Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) is to be maid of honor (Egad! That wedding outfit!). Other developments: Joey (Matt LeBlanc) lands a role that requires kissing -- but not the kind that Joey is looking forward to. Monica (Courteney Cox) and Richard (Tom Selleck) have a showdown. And Chandler (Matthew Perry) finds the girl of his dreams on the Internet, or at least he thinks so until he meets her in person. This was the final episode of Friends' second season. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The classic 1955-59 sitcom The Phil Silvers Show (also known as "You'll Never Get Rich" in its first few episodes) became this high concept comedy with an all-star cast. Steve Martin stars as U.S. Army Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko, a conniving motor pool supervisor who uses his position to finance various get-rich-quick schemes, including illegal gambling, at a Kansas military base. His commanding officer, Colonel Hall (Dan Aykroyd) is mostly oblivious to Bilko's antics. Trouble arrives when the master sergeant's old rival, Major Thorn (Phil Hartman), appears. It seems that Thorn, the butt of several past Bilko capers, is eager to settle the score by spearheading a review of Bilko's records and stealing away his fiancée Rita (Glenne Headley), who may have been left at the altar one too many times. At the same time, military engineer Major Ebersole (Austin Pendleton) is testing a new high-tech "hover tank" that may not be quite ready for deployment. Directed by light comedy specialist ($Jonathan Lynn, who brought a similar touch to My Cousin Vinny (1992) and Greedy (1994), the updated Sgt. Bilko costarred Cathy Silvers, daughter of the TV show's late star, as Lieutenant Monday. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd, (more)
- 1995
Mindy (Jennifer Grey) asks Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) to be maid of honor at her wedding -- to Rachel's erstwhile fiancé Barry (Mitchell Whitfield). Eventually, the two girls have a heart to heart talk, and Barry gets the worst of it. Elsewhere on the romantic scene, Chandler (Matthew Perry) wants to go out with Danielle (Lynn Clark) again, but doesn't want to come across as too "needy." And what's the lowdown on Mr. Peanut? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) volunteers to monkey-sit Marcel -- who promptly escapes. The thrill of chasing Marcel down arouses something in Ross (David Schwimmer), who makes his move on Rachel. Alas, this cozy tête-à-tête is ruined by the untimely arrival of Rachel's ex-fiancé, the former Mr. Potato Head (aka Barry Farber [Mitchell Whitfield]). The denouement hinges on a tense showdown with the eccentric Mr. Heckles (Larry Hankin) and trigger-happy animal catcher Luisa (Megan Cavanagh). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Ross (David Schwimmer) feels left out of his ex-wife Carol's baby-making process in more ways than one. Monica (Courteney Cox) tries to impress her parents with the world's cleanest apartment. Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) learns the fate of Barry (Mitchell Whitfield), whom she left in the lurch at the altar (and who doesn't seem too distressed over the humiliation). And Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) reveals that she has a twin sister, a "high-powered, driven, career type" (thereby "explaining" Kudrow's recurring role as Ursula the waitress on Mad About You). Watch for the first appearance of Gunther (James Michael Tyler) at the Central Perk. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
The set of a popular daytime drama proves to be rife with intrigues that go far beyond the script. At the center is the show's temperamental star Joanna Rollins (a pre-Star Trek: Voyager Kate Mulgrew), whose millionaire husband turns up murdered. In her efforts to solve the case, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) receives assistance from a surprising source: Joanna's former costar and ex-lover, whom she had fired from the show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
When sweet Northern college kid Bill (Ralph Macchio) and his buddy Stan (Mitchell Whitfield) are picked up and thrown into the slammer in a hick Southern town, at first it looks like no big deal. Then they are informed that they are accused of murder. Penniless and without a single friend in the area, Bill decides to call his goofy cousin Vinny (Joe Pesci), who has somehow recently become a lawyer. Full of family feeling and bravado, Vinny, who has never tried a criminal case in his short life as a lawyer, rides south to defend his trusting relative. He's an expert motormouth and street-level logician from the wilder reaches of metropolitan New York, complete with a thick accent and the attitude to go with it. Otherwise, he's much less well qualified than your average public defender. When he arrives on the scene with his equally brassy girlfriend Lisa (Marisa Tomei), Bill is fairly sure he's going to be sentenced to death. His buddy Stan is even less confident of his legal representative, if that's possible, and the first thing Vinny has to do is to regain the consent of his clients to represent them. The local judge doesn't seem any too sympathetic to Vinny's verbal shenanigans either, and even the most optimistic supporter of the boys would begin to have doubts at this point -- and Vinny's no exception. With the insistent moral encouragement of his girlfriend, Vinny somehow accomplishes the impossible and wins grudging (if very irritated) respect from all concerned, for once studying as if his life depended on it. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Pesci, Ralph Macchio, (more)
River Phoenix stars in this period drama about a young man, naive in some ways and worldly in others, who learns an important lesson about the nature of beauty. In the fall of 1963, Eddie Birdlace (River Phoenix) is an 18-year-old Marine Corps volunteer who is about to ship out with three of his buddies for a tour of duty in Viet Nam. Planning a massive blowout for their last night in San Francisco, Eddie, his buddies, and a number of other Marines set up a contest they call a "dog fight." Each man contributes $50 to the pot, and whoever can bring the ugliest date for their meeting that night at the bar wins the prize. Not having much luck finding a suitable contestant, Eddie finds a plain and slightly zaftig woman named Rose Feeney (Lili Taylor), who works in a coffeeshop and dreams of a career as a folk singer. Rose agrees to go out with Eddie, partly because she feels sorry for him, but as the evening wears on, Eddie finds himself growing fond of Rose and tries to worm his way out of taking her to the "party" he's told her so much about. When Rose learns the true nature of the contest, she is furious, not just for herself but for the other women who were cruelly and pointlessly humiliated; Eddie, severely chagrined, asks her out to dinner, hoping to somehow earn her forgiveness. Noted folk singer Holly Near appears as Rose's mother. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- River Phoenix, Lili Taylor, (more)
This film is a darkly humorous, determinedly ambiguous adaptation of Alan Dershowitz's book about his successful legal appeal of Claus von Bulow's conviction for the attempted murder of his wife, Martha "Sunny" von Bulow. Sunny (Glenn Close) -- who remains in a "persistent vegetative state" resulting from a suspicious injection of insulin -- narrates the film, summarizing the first murder trial, which ended with Claus (Jeremy Irons) convicted and released on bail pending appeal. Claus approaches Harvard Law professor Dershowitz (Ron Silver) to handle the case. Working with a small group of law students recruited from his classes, Dershowitz presents sufficient new evidence to cast doubt as to Claus' guilt and the veracity of the star witness, her maid. Jeremy Irons' extraordinary, Oscar-winning performance dominates the film. He plays the role of Claus with a alternatively pompous, aloof snobbishness and an engagingly enigmatic, kinky, sly humor. Barbet Schroeder was also nominated for an Academy Award for his extraordinary, off-beat, direction of this sophisticated, exceptionally intelligent legal drama. Reversal of Fortune with its sharp, witty, Oscar-nominated screenplay by Nicholas Kazan is unusual in its understanding that legal guilt and moral culpability are not the same thing -- making for an unusually provocative tragicomedy of bad manners and bad behavior among the rich. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Close, Jeremy Irons, (more)
In this standard story of sex at summer camp, four campers are trapped for awhile in a cave and begin to fabricate supposedly true tales of their past sexual exploits -- giving rise to several flashbacks as their imaginary adventures unfold one by one. Even the nature-studies counselor who is trapped with them gets in on the act and relates a bizarre story when it is her turn to contribute. As time goes by and no help seems to be on the way, the group -- virginal to the core -- begins to wonder if their lives will end in that unwanted state. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Georgia Harrell, Michael Sanville, (more)
