Griffin Dunne Movies

Director/screenwriter David Gordon Green adapts Stewart O'Nan's popular novel to the screen in this feature, which tells the parallel tales of a teenager named Arthur (Michael Angarano) and his onetime babysitter Annie (Kate Beckinsale) -- whose turbulent relationship with her estranged husband, Glenn (Sam Rockwell), leads the small-town waitress down a troubled path. Arthur is a high-school student from a dysfunctional family, and does everything in his power to avoid hanging around the house while mom and dad quarrel. When he's not practicing his trombone and performing with the high-school marching band, Arthur can usually be found bussing tables at the local Chinese restaurant and flirting with older waitress Annie. Annie used to be Arthur's babysitter, and is currently struggling to separate from her former high-school sweetheart, Glenn. But being a single mother isn't easy, especially since the troubled Glenn wants nothing more than to clean up his act and reunite his family.

Back at school, Arthur and pretty classmate Lila (Olivia Thirlby) have been bonding over their mutual love for all things geeky. Though the casual friendship shows promise of evolving into something more when Lila expresses her true feelings for Arthur, he can't help but becoming distracted by his chaotic family life: his father is moving out of the family home, and his mother is doing everything in her power to maintain some semblance of normalcy. Realizing that happiness is fleeting as his family becomes shattered and Annie experiences a series of distressing encounters with Glenn, Arthur gradually begins to fall for Lisa despite his growing cynicism concerning long-term relationships. Later, on a cold winter morning, Glenn and Annie's past catches up with them in a blinding flash, and the lives of everyone they know are suddenly and irrevocably changed. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Hell's Kitchen, New York City: In an era when real estate development and gentrification threaten to squeeze low-income residents out of this vibrant, multi-ethnic community, filmmaker Kamal Ahmed turns his camera on the people who walk these streets every day to offer a portrait of the neighborhood that has been immortalized in movies for decades. It's one of the Big Apple's most notorious neighborhoods, and the people who live there are the kind of folks who have to struggle just to get by. In order to pay tribute to Hell's Kitchen, Ahmed speaks with the very people who made it great. These are the laborers, the painters, barbers, tattoo artists, and other working class heroes. After paying tribute to a place many thought would never change, the filmmaker returns to highlight the redevelopment project that made it virtually unrecognizable in 2007. Appearances by such neighborhood fixtures as John Michael Bolger, Charlie Sheen, Lloyd Kaufmann, and Mira Sorvino make this an urban love letter that's sure to strike a chord deep within every nostalgic New Yorker. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The title of this CBS medical drama referred to the average weight of the human brain. Clearly inspired by the success of Fox's House, 3 lbs, like the Fox series, was built around the exploits of a brilliant but arrogant and witheringly sarcastic medico, in this case waspish neurosurgeon Doug Hanson (Stanley Tucci), who headed his own foundation. Wasting no time suffering fools (or at least, people whom he regarded as fools) and periodically plagued by mysterious visions which suggested that he suffered from more than his share of personal demons, Dr. Hanson was both mentor and tormentor of his idealistic new partner Jonathan Seger (Mark Feuerstein), better known to the Hanson Foundation staff as "The Sorceror's Apprentice." Also in the cast were Indira Varma as Hanson's gorgeous associate surgeon Dr. Adrienne Holland and Griffin Dunne as Hanson's equally prickly rival Dr. Cole. The cases at hand were generally "illustrated" with animated sequences, in which the protagonist's description of the brain as "wires in a box" was literalized. Debuting November 14, 2006, 3 lbs was made available to certain markets in both English- and Spanish-language versions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A writer runs an obstacle course of neuroses as he prepares to debut an important new work in this comedy drama. Nicky Rogan (Michael Keaton) is a successful playwright who, after a series of hit comedies, is about to debut a deeply personal drama, and is more than a little nervous about how it will be received. Rogan has learned that notoriously tough critic Steven Schwimmer (Robert Downey Jr.) will be reviewing the opening night performance; a bad notice from Schwimmer sent Nicky's good friend and fellow writer Elliott (Griffin Dunne) into an emotional tailspin from which he's yet to recover. Rogan also has reason to believe that Peter Redmond (Harris Yulin), the play's leading man, may have a serious health problem that could sideline the show. Rogan is being dogged by personal anxieties as well -- his wife, Lillian (Catherine O'Hara), is leaving him, he's having an affair with Joanne (Bebe Neuwirth), who is bankrolling the show, his father (Tom Aldredge) is in failing health, and the life-long Boston Red Sox fan is panicking as his heroes are being trounced by the New York Mets in game six of the World Series. Game Six was the first original screenplay from noted novelist and playwright Don DeLillo; the film premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

First telecast by the Court TV cable service, this largely affectionate documentary profiles movie producer, novelist, investigative reporter, and self-style "injustice collector" Dominick Dunne. Always in the public eye, thanks to his indefatigable coverage of such high-profile cases as the O.J. Simpson and Michael Skakel murder trials, Dunne has been accused in some circles of harboring a "prejudice" against rich-and-famous defendants who are, to his way of thinking, given far more latitude in court than the average person. Others suggest that Dunne's crusade to see that justice will prevail is motivated by the comparative wrist-slap given the man responsible for the death of Dunne's actress daughter, Dominique Dunne. Whatever the case, even such opponents of Dunne's methods as defense attorney Johnnie Cochran cannot help but admire the man's courage, determination, and meticulous research methods. Cochran is among those interviewed for this documentary; others include the author's son, actor Griffin Dunne. Guilty Pleasure: The Extraordinary World of Dominick Dunne was given a public "preview" screening before its TV debut in July 2003; ironically, this preview had to be delayed one week because Dunne was enmeshed in a libel suit brought about by the latest of his "victims," a certain prominent politician whose lady friend had met a violent and mysterious demise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The remarkable life and tragic death of Marilyn Monroe has fascinated film fans for decades, but this two-part TV miniseries, based on a novel by Joyce Carol Oates, takes an unusual approach, using dramatic license (the film announces itself as a work of fiction using the names of real people) to look inside the minds of Monroe and those around her to ponder the circumstances of her rise and fall. Young Norma Jeane Baker (Skye McCole Bartusiak) is raised by single mother Gladys (Patricia Richardson), who is unstable, uncaring, and poorly equipped to deal with the responsibilities of parenthood. As Norma Jeane grows up without a father and with little affection from her mother, she suffers from a poor self-image and craves attention; when she grows into a beautiful young woman who is unusually attractive to men, she falls into a number of romances and a short-lived marriage in search of the approval she needs so desperately. When Norma Jeane (now played by Poppy Montgomery) turns 20, she meets a photographer, Otto (Eric Bogosian), who sees star potential in her beauty. Otto's cheesecake pictures catch the eye of I.E. Shinn (Wallace Shawn), an agent who in turned introduces her to Mr. R (Richard Roxburgh), the head of a movie studio, who offers to make Norma Jeane a star -- if she would be willing to have sex with him. Norma Jeane unenthusiastically agrees, and Mr. R proves good to his word; renamed Marilyn, she becomes an major film star and an international sex symbol. But the adulation proves to be a poor substitute for the love she craves, and as she falls into relationships with any man who treats her with a modicum of respect -- including a famous baseball player (Titus Welliver) and an acclaimed author (Griffin Dunne) -- her life begins to spiral out of control. Blonde also stars Ann-Margret, Kirstie Alley, and Patrick Dempsey; the series first aired May 13 and May 16, 2001, on the CBS television network. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Before he broke out with the J.D. Salinger-esque Tadpole in 2002, producer-turned-director Gary Winick filmed this little-seen relationship drama. Fisher Stevens stars as the title character, a writer with one novel under his belt who can't seem to deliver the follow-up. Instead, he spends his time compulsively cheating on his photographer girlfriend, Cass (Annabella Sciorra); giving the runaround to his agent, Richard (Ron Rifkin); and trying to keep his landlord, Murray (Luis Guzman), at bay. Things take a turn for the worse when the husband of one of Sam's conquests (Maria Bello) confronts him, leaving Sam covered in hard-to-explain injuries. Soon, with the help of his barkeep brother, Lorenzo (Saverio Guerra), Sam is holding down a day job for the first time in years and reexamining every aspect of his life. After the success of Tadpole, the Independent Film Channel picked up Sam the Man for broadcast on cable television. The film's cast, filled with notable and lesser-known New York actors, includes George Plimpton, Griffin Dunne, and Rob Morrow. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

In this slightly dark comedy about romantic obsession, Sam (Matthew Broderick) is an astronomer who likes his life in the small New England town he calls home and loves his fiancée, Linda (Kelly Preston). But one day, Linda tells Sam that she's moving to New York because she has found a new job -- and a new boyfriend. Sam is shocked and doesn't want to give Linda up, so when she moves to Manhattan, Sam follows her. Moving into an empty loft across the street from Linda's new apartment, Sam constructs a camera obscura that allows him to watch what she and her new beau, a French restaurateur named Anton (Tcheky Karyo), are up to. Sam's convinced that Linda is just going through a phase, and when she gets tired of Anton, he'll be there to pick up the pieces. But Sam soon has company in his obsessive watch over Linda's new flat: Anton's former girlfriend, Maggie (Meg Ryan), crashes Sam's hideout and joins him in his spy mission. While Sam just wants Linda back, Maggie is seething with rage against Anton after he dumped her and now she's out for revenge. Addicted to Love was the directorial debut of actor and producer Griffin Dunne; he cast his father, noted author Dominick Dunne, in a small role as a food writer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This film is based on an innovative short film made for MTV about a guy living in a horrible downtown apartment filled with scores of mischievous, smart-alecky roaches. The story chronicles the adventures of Joe (Jerry O'Connell), a hapless rube from the rural Midwest who journeys to the wilds of New York City. Mugged repeatedly on his arrival, his luck seems to turn when he finds an affordable apartment in a very dubious neighborhood. Unfortunately, his landlord (Don Ho) is more interested in evicting or, if need be, murdering his tenants, so that the building can be turned into a (highly profitable) penitentiary. Joe finds the allies he needs in his apartment's cockroaches, who sing and dance their way into his heart. This film should be of interest for fans of 1930s musicals; it makes reference to Busby Berkeley's elaborate dance phantasmagorias and the odd water ballets of Esther Williams. Many of the scenes utilized real roaches who were "choreographed" via tiny filament harnesses and other devices. Animal rights activists will be pleased to note that no roaches were intentionally harmed during filming. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Martin Mirkhein (Griffin Dunne) is a failed entrepreneur trying to figure out how to pay a huge tax bill to the State of Florida when he gets a brainstorm -- Daniel Strong, the inspirational men's movement novel by New Age philosopher Luther Waxling (Dennis Hopper), would make a great film. Never mind that Mirkhein doesn't know a thing about making movies -- he decides that this film is his destiny, and he heads out with his girlfriend/personal assistant/aspiring screenwriter Marie (Illeana Douglas) to visit Waxling's representatives, who don't react with much enthusiasm when Mirkhein suggests that he'd like them to give him the film rights as well as the money to produce the movie. In search of financing, Mirkhein finds himself working with Kim Ulander (Christopher Walken), a businessman who doesn't mind if people think he's a gangster (and boy, is he something at karaoke night!), and Ron (John Turturro), a second-rate hood with a severely impaired fashion sense. The first directorial effort from artist David Salle, Search and Destroy was executive produced by Martin Scorsese, who also plays a small role as a tax agent. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A Hispanic woman unexpectedly discovers a new outlook on life after taking a new job in this heartfelt, observant comedy-drama. Young Bronx mother Lisette (Lauren Velez) has enough to deal with without taking a job, as she is struggling to raise her three young children and keep her marriage to bicycle messenger Chino (Jon Seda) afloat. When Chino is jailed after committing a robbery, however, Lisette turns to the want ads to find a new source of income. Expecting a one-time modeling gig, she stumbles into a position as assistant to Stephen Price (Griffin Dunne), a white music executive handling Latino music. Lisette proves a natural at the job, finding a new sense of purpose and self-assurance. Unfortunately, Chino isn't particularly grateful for her efforts, especially after hearing a rumor that Lisette has been cheating on him with Stephen. Director Darnell Martin populates her debut film with a mosaic of colorful supporting characters, ranging from Lisette's transsexual brother (Jesse Borrego) to Chino's meddling mother (Rita Moreno). Though the film presents a relatively old-fashioned story of self-realization, the knowing presentation of a multi-racial Bronx neighborhood enhances its vital feel. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide