Hallee Hirsh Movies

Lopez (Lisa Vidal) tries to force Weaver (Laura Innes) out of the closet with a startling public display of affection. Romano (Paul McCrane) rehires Chen (Ming-Na), who has a long memory when it comes to getting even with Weaver. Abby (Maura Tierney) offers help to her new neighbor Joyce (Christina Hendricks), whose husband, Brian (Matthew Settle), is obviously beating her -- and who is in a severe state of denial. Carter (Noah Wyle) is trapped in the middle of his parents' acrimonious divorce. And should Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) attempt to save the life of a death-row inmate? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Abby (Maura Tierney) "celebrates" her birthday with one setback after another, beginning with an ominous run-in with her quarreling new neighbors, Brian (Matthew Settle) and Joyce (Christina Hendricks). Kovac (Goran Visnjic) prepares to go to Bosnia as part of the Doctors Without Borders program. Carter (Noah Wyle) continues to have issues with his estranged mother (Mary McDonnell). Chen (Ming-Na) claims to have evidence of Weaver's negligence, while Sandy (Lisa Vidal) is not happy that Weaver (Laura Innes) is reluctant to "out" herself. And Greene (Anthony Edwards) makes an unpleasant discovery in the room of his daughter Rachel (Hallee Hirsh). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Forced by Romano (Paul McCrane) to work a few shifts in the ER, Elizabeth (Alex Kingston) has a run-in with Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) -- and learns for the first time about Greene's (Anthony Edwards) inoperable tumor. Elsewhere, two girls involved in a campus stabbing incident are brought into the ER. Chen (Ming-Na) handles a victim of severe trauma. And when Weaver (Laura Innes) tries to find out if her girlfriend, Sandy Lopez (Lisa Vidal), has been injured in a fire, she is in for a big surprise. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Sharif Atkins joins the series as Michael Gallant, a new medical student assigned to Carter (Noah Wyle). While making the rounds with Gallant, Carter learns to his chagrin that his grandmother (Frances Sternhagen) is now a "high-risk" patient who may die at any moment; he also helps Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) treat another med student who has been cutting herself. Elsewhere, a mall security guard is driven to desperate measures after accidentally injuring a skateboarder; Elizabeth (Alex Kingston) tries to determine the identity of the person responsible for euthanizing four of her patients in post-op; and, claiming to be Reese's (Matthew Watkins) biological father, Roger (Vondie Curtis-Hall) demands custody of the boy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This episode takes place before the events of the previous episode "The Letter," in which the staff of the ER was informed of the death of Mark Greene (Anthony Edwards). Spending his final days in Hawaii, where he had been brought up, Mark hopes to mend fences with his estranged daughter Rachel (Hallee Hirsh). The unexpected arrival of his wife, Elizabeth (Alex Kingston), and their baby daughter, Ella, provides Mark with the opportunity to make amends to them as well -- but will he ever be able to persuade Elizabeth and Rachel to forget their very serious differences? The now-famous climactic sequence permits Mark to use a four-letter expletive seldom heard on network television -- but this does not in the least detract from the episode's poignancy and pathos. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

No sooner has Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) returned to County General than she clashes with Weaver (Laura Innes) over the treatment of a pregnant teenager in danger of being deported. Elsewhere, Weaver nervously prepares to contact her long-lost birth mother. Elizabeth (Alex Kingston) is investigated after losing a fourth patient to infection in post-op. Benton's (Eriq La Salle) son, Reese (Matthew Watkins), disappears. And Carter's (Noah Wyle) grandmother Millicent (Frances Sternhagen), injured in a fall, is brought into the ER. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the first half of Grey's Anatomy's two-part Season Two finale, Christina (Sandra Oh) is placed in charge of the ER just as several tense situations reach the crisis stage. It looks as if heart-transplant candidate Denny (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) won't survive the night unless George (T.R. Knight) acts quickly; Derek races against time to safe the life of gunshot victim Burke; and Webber (James Pickens Jr.) tries to make a dying girl's dream come true--a particularly poignant moment, in that the girl is his own niece. And on the romantic scene, Callie (Sara Ramirez) demands to know how George really feels about her, while Derek and Addison (Kate Walsh) reach yet another crossroads. In keeping with the "ensemble" feel of this busy episode, the offscreen narration, traditionally the responsibility of Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), is handled by virtually everyone in the cast! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Three loosely interrelated stories of dysfunctional relationships are played for edgy laughs in this dark comedy drama from writer and director Don Roos. An unexpected assignation between stepsiblings Mamie and Charley results in Mamie becoming pregnant, with the child being put up for adoption shortly after birth. Twenty years later, Mamie (Lisa Kudrow) is approached by Nicky (Jesse Bradford), an aspiring filmmaker with an abrasive personality who claims to know where her long-lost son is living. However, there's a catch -- Nicky wants to shoot the reunion for the student film he's working on, and won't tell her about her child unless she agrees, though her lover, Javier (Bobby Cannavale), attempts to work out a compromise. Meanwhile, Charley (Steve Coogan), now out of the closet, has a longstanding relationship with Gil (David Sutcliffe), and the couple are involved in a legal battle over whether or not Gil's donated sperm produced a baby who has been adopted by a lesbian couple they know (Laura Dern and Sarah Clarke). And finally, Jude (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a bohemian malcontent who becomes involved with Otis (Jason Ritter), a sexually ambiguous rock musician. Otis has a difficult relationship with his father, Frank (Tom Arnold), but when Jude meets Frank, she likes him fine -- in fact, she soon falls in love with him and leaves Otis for his dad. Happy Endings had its world premiere at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The victim of a brutal assault refuses to help detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) in their investigation of the crime. This curious incident serves to stymie the efforts by the NYPD to track down the alleged rapist of two women, one of whom was comatose when she was attacked. Is it possible that one of the victims' parents is concealing a horrible secret? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An out-and-proud college student wrestles with revealing his true sexuality to his parents when he comes home for Christmas break and his boyfriend decides to pay him a surprise visit. At school, everyone knows that Olaf "Gunn" Gunnunderson is gay; at home, it's a much different story. Bidding his boyfriend Nathan goodbye, Olaf heads home to find that his parents have fixed him up on a date with his old high school sweetheart Abby. When Nathan comes knocking unannounced, he can't quite believe that Olaf hasn't come out to his parents. Later, as the boys scramble to keep Olaf's sexuality a secret from his parents, the conversations grow increasingly inquisitive and Olaf must decide whether to come out before the truth does. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Based on a true story, My Sister's Keeper stars Kathy Bates as Christine, who since childhood has suffered from a debilitating mental illness. Spending most of her life in and out of various institutions, Christine has long yearned for independence, but is unable to wrest free of her controlling mother, Helen (Lynn Redgrave). Upon Helen's death, her other daughter, Judy (Elizabeth Perkins), a successful, self-absorbed art director who has deliberately distanced herself from her family, is appointed trustee of the troubled Christine. The rest of the film chronicles Judy's frustrated efforts to balance her sister's needs with her own, and Christine's ongoing ambition to stand on her own two feet. Though the filmed studiously avoids false sentiment and pathos, it still manages to touch even the hardest of hearts. Adapted from a book by Margaret Moorman, My Sister's Keeper was first seen as a CBS "Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentation on January 27, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide