Michael Rotenberg Movies
Executive producer Michael Rotenberg has been behind several feature films and television series. In the latter medium, he has worked closely with Howie Mandell on cable specials and a short-lived series, Grown Ups, on the ABC network. In 1998, Rotenberg began producing a daily talk show for Mandell. During the 1990s, he was a partner in 3 Arts Entertainment, a company that provided representation for performers, writers, and directors. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 2010
The Napoleonic Wars get the comedic treatment with The Adventures of Brigadier Gerard, a Media Rights Capital production starring Steve Carell, written by Blades of Glory's John Altschuler and Dave Krinsky. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2009
- R
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Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, Ben Affleck, Kristen Wiig, Clifton Collins, and J.K. Simmons star in writer/director Mike Judge's comedy about a flower-extract plant owner contending with an ever-growing avalanche of personal and professional disasters. An employee at the factory has just suffered an unfortunate accident on the assembly line, but little does the put-upon owner realize that things are about to get much worse. As the injured employee threatens to sue and it begins to look like his company will be bought out, the frazzled owner attempts to catch the culprit responsible for stealing wallets from the coat room and begins to suspect that his wife is sleeping with the gigolo he hired to seduce her. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Bateman, Mila Kunis, (more)
America's most popular satirical newspaper makes the leap from the printed page to the silver screen in this political comedy that explores what happens when journalistic integrity is compromised by corporate sensibility. Onion News anchorman Norm Archer (Len Cariou) is s principled journalist, so when he's asked to bend to the will of his corporate overlords he decides to strike back with a fury unheard of in the world of network news. Nothing is sacred as the creative force behind The Onion unleash an unrelenting barrage of satire on such subjects as pop stars, prisoners, peace talks, and blockbuster action films. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Len Cariou
Dave Attell: Captain Miserable captures an hour-long performance by the respected stand-up comic familiar to many from his Comedy Central series Insomniac. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dave Attell
A chance run-in with an old college roommate becomes the catalyst for healing in writer/director Mike Binder's tale of friendship and understanding in post-9/11 New York. When the Twin Towers went down on that fateful morning in 2001, Charlie Fineman (Adam Sandler) lost everything that he had to live for. Five years have passed since Charlie lost his family, and now the once-successful and sociable man has become a withdrawn shadow of his former self. When fate brings Charlie and his former college roommate Alan Johnson (Don Cheadle) together once again on a Manhattan street corner, Alan is shocked to see just how far his old friend has fallen. Though on the surface it would appear that Alan has it all, the pressures of his family and career have been weighing heavily on the successful dentist and loving father's shoulders as of late. At that pivotal moment when Charlie and Alan both need a trusted friend to help them work through the seemingly insurmountable challenges they face in life, the restorative power of a rekindled friendship provides just the lifeline needed to move forward into the future with hope and optimism. Jada Pinkett Smith, Liv Tyler, Saffron Burrows, and Donald Sutherland co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, (more)
Chappelle's Show writer/producer/director Neal Brennan makes his feature directorial debut with this retro-minded comedy purported to have been produced in the 1980s but never released until 2006. As the Gunderson family sets out on a cross-country road trip to their new home, boyishly handsome Charlie (Mikey Day), blossoming dancer Lori (Dominique Swain), and highly intelligent Max (Trevor Heins) all have their own ideas of what life will be like in their new town. When Charlie is singled out as the least popular senior on the very first day of school, kindly outcast Billie (Nicki Clyne) amiably agrees to show him the ropes and provide him with an illuminating crash course in the clique system. Meanwhile, Lori is shocked to discover that dancing has been banned in her new town and the only place to cut loose is at the clandestine dance sessions held in the garage of current janitor and former dance instructor Gabriel (Chris Kattan). Immediately forbidden from attending the highly secretive shindigs, Lori stealthily sneaks out to be with the kindly Gabriel as her feelings for the dance instructor grow and the pair set into motion a clever plan to usher in a new era of dancing around town. When Charlie vows to win the heart of popular girl Kimberly (Brittany Daniel) by competing against her athletic boyfriend, Kipp (Joey Kern), in the upcoming school decathlon, lovelorn Billie quietly pines for the clueless newcomer from afar as he begins a rigorous training regiment with Japanese gardener Yamagashi (James Hong). As his family struggles to adjust to their new life, reclusive genius Max continues working on a highly advanced home computer that soon draws the attention of the CIA. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
An unscrupulous Hollywood agent seeks to balance the success of his professional status with the abysmal reality of his personal life in director Miek Binder's existential comedy drama. When it comes to playing the Hollywood game, no one does it better than Jack Giamoro (Ben Affleck). Yet despite having a high-powered job, money to spare, and a beautiful wife, Jack slowly begins to suspect that something is missing from his glitz and glamour life. After enrolling in a journal-writing class in hopes of gaining a deeper understanding of his feelings, the man who has it all is shocked to learn that his wife Nina (Rebecca Romijn) has entered into a heated affair with his biggest client. Though at first Jack takes solace in the fact that he is able to express his inner pain through his writing, his entire future is brought into question when ambitious journalist Barbi (Bai Ling) steals his diary in hopes of landing the year's biggest scoop. Not only does the diary contain sensitive personal information, but crucial information about his high-profile clients as well. Now, as Jack fights against insurmountable odds just to hold his life together, the man who once placed priority on power and material possessions realizes that the only path to true happiness is by spending precious time with family. John Cleese, Kal Penn, Jerry O'Connell, and Adam Goldberg star in a soul-searching comedy that explores the relationship between career success and personal fulfillment. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Affleck, Rebecca Romijn, (more)
- 2005
The most highly anticipated new sitcom of the 2005-2006 season, UPN's Everybody Hates Chris was the brainchild of comedian Chris Rock, who served as executive producer and narrator. Set in the early '80s, the series purported to chronicle the teen years of young Chris Rock (played by youthful Rock lookalike Tyler James Williams) as he used his wits and his razor-sharp sense of humor to survive his hardscrabble existence in the tough Bed-Stuy section of New York. Most of the action occurred at Corleone Junior High, the school to which Chris was bussed every morning in the largely Italian-American community of South Shore. As the only black kid in an all-white school, Chris was an easy target for bullies and louts, but he generally managed to use funny words and fast moves to keep his enemies at bay -- and besides that, he had a staunch ally in his best pal and fellow "outcast," Greg (Vincent Martella). Back at home, Chris was compelled to tow the line for his stern mother, Rochelle (Tichina Arnold), a part-time realtor, and his penny-pinching dad, Julius (Terry Crews), who worked several jobs to make ends meet and made sure that his children knew it! Also on hand were Chris' younger brother, Drew (Tequan Richmond), who was frustratingly taller and more self-confident than our hero, and his spoiled kid sister, Tonya (Imani Hakim). Given the series' premise and the omnipresence of Chris Rock's low-key narration, comparisons between Everybody Hates Chris and the classic The Wonder Years was inevitable, though Chris set its own course early on with such blockbuster comedy lines as "Much like rock & roll, school shootings were invented by blacks and stolen by the white man." Everybody Hates Chris debuted September 22, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
This weekly, half-hour "slacker-com" began life as an independent project cooked up by three experienced Hollywood writers who were tired of scrounging around for jobs and decided to create their own opportunity. With little more than a single digital camera and a budget of 200 dollars, Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day, and Glenn Howerton taped the pilot episode for a series about three overaged slackers, friends since high school, who ran a spectacularly unprofitable Irish bar in Philadelphia. The trio then shopped their pilot around to various networks and cable outlets, finally landing a weekly, half-hour slot on the FX cable service. Most of the humor in It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia arose from the inflated egos and low-watt IQs of the three male protagonists, Mac (McElhenney), Charlie (Day), and Dennis (Howerton), as they endeavored to maintain their blue-collar values and machismo in the face of such sociopolitical challenges as racism, homophobia, abortion, and feminism. Added to the cast for the series proper was Kaitlin Olson as Dennis' sister, Dee, the most sensible of the bunch, albeit perennially unlucky in matters of the heart. Original debuting over FX in tandem with another low-budget sitcom, Starved, on August 4, 2005, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia was given a brief "over-the-air" tryout on FX's sister network Fox in June 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Can a high-attitude African-American politician who says what he thinks stand a chance in a presidential campaign? Mays Gilliam (Chris Rock) is a straight-talking alderman representing a inner-city neighborhood in Washington, D.C. In the midst of a hard-fought race for the White House, the Democratic presidential and vice-presidential candidates are killed in an airline crash, and with little time to prepare a new campaign, the Republican candidate, Vice President Brian Lewis (Nick Searcy), seems all but guaranteed to win. With practically nothing to loose, party head Martin Geller (Dylan Baker) approaches Gilliam and asks him to stand as the Democrat's presidential candidate. While Gilliam is dubious at first, before long his streetwise style and willingness to face the issues head-on earns him surprising figures in the polls, especially after he persuades his short-fused older brother, Mitch Gilliam (Bernie Mac), to join the ticket as vice presidential candidate -- a big jump for a bail bondsman. Gilliam's love life also becomes more complicated as his ex-girlfriend Kim (Robin Givens) decides she wants him back now that he has a shot at the White House, even though Gilliam only has eyes for Lisa (Tamala Jones). Head of State marked the directorial debut for comic and actor Chris Rock, who also co-wrote and co-produced the film. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Rock, Bernie Mac, (more)
This comic spoof is spun off from a character that first appeared on The Chris Rock Show, and is written and directed by Louis C.K., one of that show's producers. Lance Crouther stars as Pootie Tang, a crime fighting superhero and recording artist who speaks in an unintelligible gibberish that seems to be a combination of Ebonics and street slang. Despite his communication problem, Pootie is a hero to children, whom he attempts to protect from the evil Dick Lecter (Robert Vaughn), a corporate fat cat out to corrupt America's youth with alcohol, tobacco, and junk food. Pootie also runs up against an artistic imitator (David Cross) and a sleazy recording executive (Andy Richter) Pootie Tang co-stars Chris Rock, Dave Attell, and Bob Costas and Conan O'Brien as themselves. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lance Crouther, Jennifer Coolidge, (more)
Comic Chris Rock co-scripted and stars in this remake of 1941's Here Comes Mr. Jordan, which was also remade with Warren Beatty in 1978 as Heaven Can Wait. Comedian Lance Barton (Rock) is struggling to get his career off the ground when he dies in an untimely bus accident; arriving at the Pearly Gates, he discovers that he's not supposed to have passed on for another 50 years. Barton is not happy with this turn of events, and eventually the Powers That Be send his spirit back to Earth, but for the time being he has to make do with the body of a middle-aged, closed-minded millionaire, Charles Wellington. Lance falls in love with a young community activist (Regina King), but he soon finds he has bigger problems at home: the millionaire's wife and her lover are both trying to kill him. The supporting cast includes Mark Addy as an actor passing himself off as an English manservant, Chazz Palminteri as Mr. King, Heaven's no-nonsense manager, and Eugene Levy as Mr. Keyes, the angel who accidentally ends Barton's life. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Rock, Regina King, (more)
A man trying to run away from trouble finds it follows him in unexpected ways in this action-packed vehicle for comic actors Eddie Griffin and Orlando Jones. Daryl Chase (Jones) is a successful investment banker who handles international accounts for a major New York firm. Chase discovers to his surprise that one of his biggest clients, a company from Mexico, is actually a front for a cartel of drug smugglers; Chase realizes too late that he's been framed for money laundering, and is now wanted by the FBI. Chase is soon approached by a CIA agent, who thinks Chase's relationship with the Mexican drug kingpins might prove useful, but when his local contact disappears, Chase has to make his way to Mexico in order to save his skin and hopefully clear his name. Needing a new identity to get out of town and across the border, Chase obtains a stolen passport -- and soon learns the man whose name he's using is in even deeper trouble with the law than himself. With nowhere else to turn, Chase asks streetwise hustler Freddie Tiffany (Griffin) to help him get out of town; Chase will pretend to be Freddie, while Tiffany will pose as a businessman like Chase. However, Chase finds out Tiffany isn't the man he thought he was, and that his sticky situation is even more perilous and fraught with secrets than he imagined. Double Take was inspired by the 1957 drama Across The Bridge, which was in turn based on a novel by Graham Greene; the supporting cast includes Edward Herrmann, Gary Grubbs, Garcelle Beauvais, and Daniel Roebuck. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Orlando Jones, Eddie Griffin, (more)
Peter Gibbons (Ron Livingston) is a computer programmer working for Initech in Houston. Every day, he and his friends Samir (Ajay Naidu) and Michael Bolton (David Herman as not THAT Michael Bolton), suffer endless indignities and humiliations in their soulless workspace from their soulless boss, Bill Lumbergh (Gary Cole). For Peter, stuck in his cookie-cutter apartment with paper-thin walls and IKEA furniture, every day is worse than the one before it -- so every day is the worst of his life. To cap it off, Initech has hired a pair of "efficiency experts" to downsize the company. One Friday night, Peter's soon to be ex-girlfriend Anne (Alexandra Wentworth) forces him to go to an occupational hypnotherapist to relieve work stress. While Peter is under hypnosis, the therapist keels over and dies. As he never snaps out of his hypnotic state, Peter has a new outlook on life. If something annoys him, he just ignores it or walks away from it. He is completely relaxed and enjoying life for the first time in a long time. On Monday, Peter skips work and sleeps in. He gets up for lunch and drives down to a restaurant next to his office and asks the waitress he's had a crush on, Joanna (Jennifer Aniston), on a date. When Peter stops into the office to pick up his organizer, he's called in to talk to the efficiency experts. Relaxed and friendly, Peter charms them as he describes everything wrong with the office, including his boss. Even as Peter now appears at work only as the mood strikes him, the experts decide he's management material and give him a promotion even as they lay off the hardworking Samir and Michael. Peter then convinces his friends to exact revenge on Initech based upon an idea from Superman III. Not everything works out quite as planned. Office Space originated from writer/director Mike Judge's first animated short of the same name, created in 1991. The short was about Milton (reproduced in the film by Stephen Root), a damaged office drone whose complaints and threats about his sufferings go unheeded. ~ Ron Wells, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, (more)
- 1998
Stand-up comic D.L. Hughley stars in this TV sitcom, based on his own life, about an African-American family moving into an upscale California suburb. Surrounded by Caucasians, vending machine king Darryl Hughley (Hughley) finds fears surfacing despite his friendly neighbors (Eric Allan Kramer and Marietta DePrima). What's happening? Is he losing his blackness as his buddy Milsap (John Henton) suggests? Premiered September 22, 1998 on ABC. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- D.L. Hughley, Elise Neal, (more)
- 1998
Comedian Howie Mandel joined the ranks of talkshow hosts in the summer of 1998 with a syndicated daytime yakfest. During his daytime debut, Mandel did his opening monologue from a sitting position, fired off several salvos of gags, banter and bits, introduced Steve Goldstein and the Studio One Band ("I never had a band! I only had a CD player!"), was welcomed into the chat-circle by famed talkshow hosts (Arsenio Hall, Jay Leno), received a gift from guest Jennifer Aniston, and performed a bit as a parking attendant telling people that their cars had been driven elsewhere during their absence. Later shows featured Clint Black, Jacqueline Obradors, the Pasadena Cake Museum's curator, R&B performer Usher, Yogi Rameesh, Paul Reiser, Ted Danson, Dennis Miller, and Tyra Banks. Mandel prepared for his debut with a guest-host gig last year on Live with Regis & Kathie Lee. Taped in Burbank, The Howie Mandel Show premiered June 22, 1998 in 170+ markets spanning 95% of U.S. TV households. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Howie Mandel
The "slobs versus snobs" formula of lowbrow comedy gets a twist in this mindless Pauly Shore vehicle that pits slobs against scientists. Shore plays Bud Macintosh, a Tucson, Arizona, slacker and junior college student. Bud and his best pal Doyle Johnson (Stephen Baldwin), have just suffered the humiliation of being dumped by their girlfriends when they stumble into what they think is a new mall. However, the facility is a scientific research laboratory known as a bio-dome, a self-sustaining habitat in which five scientists, led by Dr. Noah Faulkner (William Atherton), are to conduct experiments. The catch is that the bio-dome has just been sealed for a year and cannot be opened. As their twelve months pass, Bud and Doyle with their amorous behavior and toilet humor are a constant source of irritation and annoyance to the legitimate residents, but they find romance and eventually get an unexpected chance to prove themselves. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pauly Shore, Stephen Baldwin, (more)
Comedian Pauly Shore goes to boot camp in this comedy adventure set in Chad. It was filmed on location in the California and Arizona deserts. Shore is cast as Bones, a dreamer who wants to open his own stereo shop with his best friend Jack. To earn the cash, Bones talks Jack into joining the Army reserves. In boot camp, they are trained as water purifiers. While in camp, they meet the feisty Christine who takes no guff from men and Fred who is afraid of everything. The foursome are called to active duty and positioned in the deserts of Chad. Through a great mix up, they find themselves driving a water tanker behind Libyan enemy lines. There they must extricate themselves and eventually save the day. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pauly Shore, Andy Dick, (more)
Meaning to thwart the advances of a hometown boy, a college student takes her California surfer roomie to her Midwestern home for Thanksgiving and passes him off as her husband-to-be. After a few complications, the visiting couple falls for each other, the family finally accepts him and the suitor-hopeful is no longer a threat. Pauly Shore and Carla Gugino star in this light comedy. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pauly Shore, Carla Gugino, (more)
A clueless caveman meets his intellectual match in the form of Pauly Shore in this teen-oriented comedy. Dave Morgan (Sean Astin) is a high school student in Encino, California, where he spends most of his time with his dazed-and-confused buddy Stoney Brown (Shore) and tries to figure out why his girlfriend Robyn (Megan Ward) left him for thick-headed jock Matt (Michael DeLuise). Hoping to boost his low status in the High School pecking order, Dave wants to put in a swimming pool at his family's home for a massive post-prom party. While Dave and Stoney are digging the pit, an earthquake strikes that unearths a frozen caveman (Brendan Fraser). To Dave and Stoney's surprise, the frozen Neanderthal soon comes to life, and after a bath, a shave, and a new set of clothes, the boys are passing off their dim-witted-but-friendly companion "Link" as an exchange student from Estonia. Link soon becomes the most popular guy at school, and Dave is determined to use Link's social success as a way to win back Robyn and foil Matt. Encino Man marked the directorial debut of Les Mayfield, who previously produced the critically acclaimed documentary Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Astin, Pauly Shore, (more)
