David Duchovny Movies
Rocketing from obscure bit player to TV's resident über-sex god thanks to his role as FBI agent Fox Mulder on The X-Files, David Duchovny can claim to have had one of the 1990s' more remarkable career metamorphoses. Although his initial attempts to translate his TV stardom into celluloid success proved less than memorable, the tall, classically handsome actor has continued to enjoy a great deal of popularity, evidenced in particular by the countless estrogen-drenched internet shrines erected in his honor.Born in Manhattan on August 7, 1960, to a Jewish father and a Scottish mother, Duchovny did his undergraduate work at Princeton and then went on to pursue a Master's degree in English Literature at Yale. While working toward his degree, he began commuting to New York to study acting, and he was soon appearing in a few off-Broadway plays. His interest in acting ultimately eclipsed his dedication toward earning his degree, and Duchovny dropped out of Yale to pursue a career as a performer. He got his first break starring in a beer commercial, and in 1988, he made his film debut with a breathtakingly abbreviated appearance as a party guest in Mike Nichols's Working Girl. Work in a number of diverse and usually obscure films, including starring roles in Julia Has Two Lovers (1991), The Rapture (1991), and Kalifornia (1993), followed, but the actor was able to command a more steady paycheck from his TV work. Before The X-Files debuted in 1993, Duchovny was best-known to TV viewers as Dennis/Denise, Twin Peaks' resident transvestite detective.
As The X-Files steadily grew from cult favorite to mainstream success, becoming recognized as one of the most groundbreaking shows of the decade, Duchovny also began to enjoy both industry respect and huge audience popularity. Dubbed as the latest in a long line of thinking women's sex symbols, it was only a matter of time before he returned to the big screen, and with the 1997 thriller Playing God he did just that. Unfortunately, the film, which also starred Timothy Hutton and Angelina Jolie, was a huge flop, and aside from starring in the successful 1998 X-Files movie, Duchovny re-focused his energies on portraying his television alter ego. He returned to the screen in 2000 in the romantic comedy Return to Me, starring as a devastated widower who finds himself falling in love with the woman (Minnie Driver) who received his wife's heart in a transplant. Later that same year, Duchovny announced that he would be greatly diminishing his involvement with The X-Files, dismaying both fans and any number of 20th Century Fox executives; fortunately for all interested parties, he subsequently reached a settlement with Fox and announced he was returning full-time to the show. Lamenting the X-Files departure from storylines based on his popular character and citing respect for his fans, Duchovny vowed never to return to The X-Files in early 2001, though he did not rule out appearing in future features based on the popular series. That same year Duchovny appeared as a humorous varation on his "Spooky" persona in director Ivan Reitman's sci-fi comedy Evolution. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
Two couples demonstrate that breaking up can be just as hard as staying together in this romantic comedy drama. Rebecca (Julianne Moore) and Tom (David Duchovny) are a seemingly happy married couple living in New York City -- she's a successful actress, while he stays home with the kids. However, beneath the surface, things are not going well. Rebecca is no longer amused with her husband's appetite for porn and constant sexual demands, while he's seriously considering having an affair. Rebecca's brother Tobey, (Billy Crudup), is in a more openly dysfunctional relationship; he's been dating Elaine (Maggie Gyllenhaal) for seven years but has no interest in marriage, while she's desperate to settle down and start a family. Tobey and Elaine decide to call it quits, as Tobey hooks up with an old friend from college (Eva Mendes) who is looking to cheat on her husband, and Elaine starts dating a handsome musician (James LeGros) who may be in need of a green card. Meanwhile, Rebecca and Tom go into couples therapy, which creates as many problems as it solves. Trust the Man also features Ellen Barkin, Garry Shandling, and Bob Balaban. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Duchovny, Julianne Moore, (more)
- 1990
Episode 18 of Twin Peaks, "Masked Ball," originally aired on December 15, 1990, and was directed by Duwayne Dunham. Cross-dressing DEA agent Dennis Bryson (David Duchovny) arrives in Twin Peaks to interrogate Agent Cooper, who pleads no defense. Talking with Cooper and Truman, Deputy Hawk reveals important details about White Lodge, the Black Lodge, and what he calls "the Dweller on the Threshold." Meanwhile, James is offered hospitality by Evelyn Marsh (Annette McCarthy) in exchange for fixing her husband's Jaguar. At Twin Peaks High School, the super-powered Nadine takes a fancy to Bobby's friend, Mike Nelson (Gary Hershberger). At the Blue Pine Lodge, Josie reveals secrets to Truman about her past relation to Thomas Eckhardt. In a mysterious association with her brother, Andrew Packard (Dan O'Herlihy), Catherine hires Josie as her maid. Hank comes back from his scheme with Ernie and threatens an unshaven and disheveled Ben Horne with the news that One-Eyed Jacks has been taken over. Cooper gets a message from Windom Earle along with another chess move. That evening, the mayor of Twin Peaks, Duwayne Milford (John Boylan), objects at his brother's wedding. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Episode 19 of Twin Peaks, "The Black Widow," originally aired on January 12, 1991, and was directed by Caleb Deschanel. In this episode, Major Briggs is mysteriously missing and his message "The owls are not what they seem" is revealed to be coming from the woods. Intending to blackmail the frazzled Ben, Bobby ends up becoming a spy. While checking out real estate, Agent Cooper goes to Dead Dog Farm, where he discovers evidence of a secret meeting. At the Great Northern Hotel, Dougie Milford (Tony Jay) is found dead and Duwayne thinks the widowed Lana (Robyn Lively) is to blame. James meets Malcolm Sloan (Nicholas Love), who tells him details about Evelyn Marsh and her husband. Dennis Bryson, now called Denise (David Duchovny), joins Cooper to interrogate Ernie in a scheme to catch Jean Renault. Meanwhile, a little kid terrorizes Dick, Nadine joins the wrestling team, and Josie waits on Catherine and Pete. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Episode 20 of Twin Peaks, "Checkmate," originally aired on January 19, 1991, and was directed by Todd Holland. This episode opens with a sequence of Major Briggs recounting his experiences in the woods. Truman deputizes Cooper and they wire Ernie for a setup at Dead Dog Farm, leading to some dangerous complications. Denise/Dennis and Cooper face off with Jean Renault and the Mountie. At the Double R diner, the love affair between Ed and Norma begins to spark again. When the upset Hank tries to attack Ed, the super-strong Nadine comes home from school and saves him. Meanwhile, Donna wants to help James, who is caught in a trap with the seductive Evelyn Marsh and her lover, Malcolm. At the Great Northern, Catherine visits Ben, whose behavior has prompted Audrey to call Jerry for help. Bobby goes to work for Ben, leaving Shelly in possible danger with Leo. That evening, the power goes out and Cooper makes a discovery that involves his chess game with Windom Earle. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
For sheer abject self-indulgence this side of an Eric Schaeffer movie, one need look no further than the films of Henry Jaglom. Jaglom's vanity productions require an intense Stalin-like loyalty to the filmmaker and his films going in, otherwise a viewer is lost. So when, in Venice/Venice, Henry Jaglom appears as a filmmaker named Dean at the Venice Film Festival, there promoting a film resembling a Henry Jaglom film, a viewer must give himself up to the force or walk out of the theater. Dean is the kind of pretentious Hollywood type who likes to wear his heart and his distribution contract on his sleeve, so when adoring European journalist Jeanne (Nelly Alard) inexplicably smiles at him the right way, filmgoers will come to understand why the film business is so attractive to wimpy film geeks. Jeanne and Dean fall in love and take a walking tour of Venice, but Jeanne pays no attention to the city, since she religiously hangs on every word Dean has to say regarding love, films, and destiny. Since there are more pearls of wisdom to be gloaned from this Bel-Air Gandhi, Jeanne willingly follows Dean back to Venice, California. Realizing that she has already spent too much time basking in the brilliance of Dean's sun, Penny (Melissa Leo), Dean's California girlfriend, obligingly offers to pack up and leave when she sees Dean returning to Southern California with Jeanne in tow. When Henry Jaglom talks, they all listen. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nelly Alard, Henry Jaglom, (more)
Unhappy with her job and her loser boyfriend, Melanie Griffith takes a secretarial post at a major Wall Street firm. Her boss is Sigourney Weaver, an outwardly affable yuppie whose grinning visage hides a wicked and larcenous propensity for exploiting the ideas of her employees. While Weaver is incapacitated, Griffith is compelled by circumstances to pose as her boss. Her inborn business acumen and common sense enable Griffith to rise to the top of New York's financial circles, and along the way she wins the love of executive (Harrison Ford). Things threaten to take a sorry turn when Weaver returns, but it is she who suffers from the consequences of her own past duplicity. Working Girl was Melanie Griffith's breakthrough film, proving than she was more than just the off-and-on "significant other" of Don Johnson. The film was later adapted into a brief TV series, starring a pre-Speed Sandra Bullock. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melanie Griffith, Harrison Ford, (more)
Comic actor Ben Stiller co-wrote, directed, and stars in this spoof of the fashion industry that began as a short skit for the 1996 VH1 Fashion Awards. Stiller is Derek Zoolander, an intellectually challenged but bone structure-blessed male model who's despondent after being eclipsed in popularity by an equally vacuous rival, Hansel (Owen Wilson). Upon his reluctant retirement, Derek is invited to a day spa by previously standoffish fashion designer Jacobim Mugatu (Will Ferrell), where the befuddled model is brainwashed by the mysterious Katinka (Milla Jovovich) into assassinating the prime minister of Malaysia. In addition to Stiller's real-life wife Christine Taylor, Zoolander co-stars his father Jerry Stiller, along with Jon Voight, David Duchovny, Andy Dick, and Fabio. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, (more)
