Dennis Bowen Movies
Three divorced fathers, played by Paul Reiser, Matthew Modine, and Randy Quaid, experience the joys and hardships of their former marriages, their relationships with their kids, and getting back into the dating scene in this whimsical comedy. Dave (Modine) is diligently playing the field, while Vic (Quaid) is enraged over his ex-wife's spending problem and Donny (Reiser) is struggling with the love he still feels for his ex and his own feelings of rejection. However, what develops over the weekend changes each man's life forever. Vic goes on a nightmare date with a neurotic woman (Janeane Garofalo), Dave loses control of his female interests when they all show up at the house simultaneously, and Donny finds himself literally out on a limb in order to communicate with his teenage daughter. Though it deals with serious subject matter, Bye Bye Love is a lighthearted look at modern American divorce and the often humorous ways in which people adjust to a new life. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi
- Starring:
- Matthew Modine, Randy Quaid, (more)
- 1990
- PG13
As directed by Gary Sherman, this thriller tells the story of a young girl who makes telephone calls to a man who she later finds out is a serial killer. Lisa (Stacy Keanan) is a 14-year-old girl whose mother Katherine (Cheryl Ladd), having been herself an unwed mother, forbids her to have dates until she is 16 years old. Katherine has raised Lisa alone and has a good business as a florist, but due to her own past trauma, never dates. Lisa retreats into a fantasy world and finds men, follows them, and begins making enticing telephone calls to them. One of the men turns out to be a handsome restaurant owner, who also likes to kill women, tracking them down very much the same way that Lisa does. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi
- Starring:
- Cheryl Ladd, D.W. Moffett, (more)
- 1990
- PG13
In the film adapted from a book by Frederic Brown, a music composer (Randy Quaid) receives an invitation to score an upcoming science-fiction film. When the piece is accidentally broadcast on the radio, it encourages a rather pedestrian invasion force from Mars. The legion of green men instead cause havoc around the globe just by having fun, and it is the composer's duty to send them packing. ~ John Bush, Rovi
- Starring:
- Randy Quaid, Margaret Colin, (more)
- 1989
Alexandra Maynard's (Jill Clayburgh) nightmare begins when her wallet is stolen by a psycho. In possession of Alexandra's identification and credit cards, her tormentor is able to follow her all over town, anticipating her every move. Adding to Alexandra's agony are those mocking phone calls from her ubiquitous stalker. But then...then Alexandra's friends and family form a united front, and the stalker finds himself the stalkee. Made for television, Fear Stalk debuted December 17, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
This comedy returns to the exclusive but crazy country club golf course seen in the original Caddyshack. This time its the blue-bloods against the blue collars as a loud, vulgar self-made millionaire tries to join the stuffy upper-crust club after his daughter falls in love with the son of one of the members. Naturally, the boisterous millionaire is rejected by the genteel jerks. He retaliates by buying the golf course and turning it into an ultra-tacky amusement park. Merry mayhem ensues, but in the end, the snobs learn a valuable lesson, the millionaire gets to join, and his daughter and her lover are finally united. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jackie Mason, Dyan Cannon, (more)
- 1986
Hunter (Fred Dryer) recognizes a murder victim as the mistress of crooked international financier Michael Varn (Jack Colvin)--the man suspected of killing Hunter's former partner three years ago. Making it his personal mission to bring Varn to justice, Hunter winds up falling into a well-laid trap and is framed for a brutal assault. It is up to McCall (Stepfanie Kramer) to clear Hunter, put the existing clues together, and capture Varn--assuming, of course, that she can stay alive long enough to finish the job! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1979
- R
A guy who lives for cars and girls find both on Los Angeles's main drag for cruising in this teen-oriented comedy from the '70s. Bobby (Bill Adler) is a kid from middle-of-nowhere California who is crazy for cars. Bobby's girlfriend Jo (Susanne Severeid) is more interested in settling down than racing, so when he hears about Van Nuys Boulevard in Los Angeles, the number-one place for hot rodders to cruise in California, he hops in his souped-up van and hits the highway. Arriving in L.A. Bobby hits Van Nuys and soon meets a handful of other gearheads, including Chooch (David Hayward), who has been king of the strip for years and lives with his car in his garage; Greg (Dennis Bowen), a nice guy chasing his dream girl; Zass (Dana Gladstone), a hard-nosed cop trying to shut down the hot-rodders; and Wanda (Tara Strohmeier), a beautiful carhop who serves up sex along with cheeseburgers. But things really take a turn for Bobby when he crosses paths with Moon (Cynthia Wood), a pretty girl who also digs cars and whose van is a match for his own. Cynthia Wood, who played Moon, was Playboy Magazine's Playmate of the Year in 1974, and later played a model for the magazine visiting troops in Vietnam in Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bill Adler, Cynthia Wood, (more)
- 1979
- R
Not exactly meant for intellectuals or feminists, this juvenile comedy-drama centers around the competition between a decaying, old-fashioned gas station and that of a sleek, modern version across the street. Neither Uncle Joe (Huntz Hall) nor his station are doing well. So niece June (Kirsten Baker) comes to the rescue, enlisting three buxom friends with names like April (Sandy Johnson) and January (Rikki Marin) who help fill out the rest of the calendar year, and occasionally fill up tanks when not disco dancing in the garage. Using the only weapons they have, the young women wear as little as possible to distract the competition, to attract customers, to distract the gangsters sent over to teach them a lesson, and to distract attention away from the script. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kirsten Baker, Dennis Bowen, (more)
- 1978
- PG
This lighthearted, tuneful and youth-oriented comedy is set in a record store and chronicles the zany exploits of its employees. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1976
ABC Afterschool Special's fifth-season opener is the first of the series' episodes to focus on AlaTeen, an organization for the teenaged children of alcoholics. Ever since her father walked out, 15-year-old Francesca James (Carol Jones) has been the unofficial head of her household, not only looking after her troubled younger sister, Jo Lynn (Elizabeth Herbert), but also her hard-drinking mother, Lillian (Melendy Britt). Informed of the existence of AlaTeen, the cynical Francesca laughs off the notion that the organization could possibly help her -- and in fact insists she doesn't need any help. And then comes the terrible night when Francesca's mom, in another drunken stupor, falls asleep while smoking in bed.... ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Carol Jones, Melendy Britt, (more)
This pilot film for a TV series titled Hancock was initially telecast as The Dark Side of Innocence. The Hancocks are a tightly-knit, prosperous California family. Mom and Pop Hancock (John Anderson and Kim Hunter) oversee a thriving lumber business--when they're not refereeing the travails of their five children. The pilot episode concentrates on the oldest daughter (Joanna Pettet), who has decided she's sick of being a society matron and has returned to the Hancock manse with her own kids in tow. The remaining Hancock kids all have problems of their own, especially embittered divorcee Anne Archer. The Hancocks didn't fly as a series, which means that some of the crises presented in the pilot are never resolved. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1973
In the fourth episode of the six-part story "Frontier in Space," Jo Grant (Katy Manning), traveling companion of the Doctor (Jon Pertwee), experiences some strange and disturbing visions. Meanwhile, the commissioner of Sirius 4 reveals himself to be the Doctor's old nemesis, the Master (Roger Delgado), who has been using his hypnotic powers -- and an army of Ogrons -- to foment a war between the planets Earth and Draconia. Written by Malcolm Hulke, "Frontier in Space, Episode 4" originally aired on March 17, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jon Pertwee, Katy Manning, (more)
- 1973
In the third episode of the six-part story "Frontier in Space," the ill will between the planets Earth and Draconia intensifies as the space vessels of both worlds are attacked by space pirates. The Doctor (Jon Pertwee) has been accused of being a Draconian spy, and is thus unable to intervene. Meanwhile, the Doctor's companion Jo (Katy Manning) is placed in the custody of the commissioner of Sirius 4 -- who turns out to be renegade time lord the Master (Roger Delgado). Written by Malcolm Hulke, "Frontier in Space, Episode 3" originally aired on March 10, 1973. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jon Pertwee, Katy Manning, (more)
