Adam Arkin Movies
The oldest of three sons of Broadway star Alan Arkin, American actor Adam Arkin has had stage and movie work, but is best known for his TV assignments. In 1977 Arkin was starred in his first series, the one-season sitcom Bustin' Loose, wherein the 21-year-old actor played a man finally escaping his overprotective parents. Arkin went on to play an inner-city biology teacher in the brief 1982 TV series Teachers Only; a Chicago bookie in the short-lived 1986 weekly Tough Cookies; and an attorney in 1988's A Year in the Life, which lasted eight months of our lives. In 1990, just when it seemed as though Arkin was going to become the King of Cancellation, he made the first of many guest appearances on the quirky CBS series Northern Exposure as Adam, the sociopathic, in-your-face hermit/gourmet chef. The character reappeared sporadically until 1993, sometimes as a welcome touch of anarchy, other times as merely a loud-mouthed royal pain. In 1994, Adam Arkin was given his most recent crack at regular weekly series work, playing a dedicated but mercurial doctor on the TV drama Chicago Hope, where he was matched insult for insult by the equally obstreperous Mandy Patinkin. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 1974
Hard to believe that a rape could be played for laughs, even in a TV movie of the 1970s, but such was precisely the case with It Couldn't Happen to a Nicer Guy. The well-ordered life of stout, middle-aged real estate salesman Harry Walter (Paul Sorvino) is left in shambles when he is sexually assaulted at gunpoint by a beautiful woman. Wandering naked into a nearby town, poor Harry can't get anyone to believe his story -- least of all his wife, Janet (Michael Learned). An indication of the subtlety to be found hereabouts is the fact that the initials of Harry's seducer are "W.O.W." Wow indeed. It Couldn't Happen to a Nicer Guy was presented as an ABC "Movie of the Week" on November 19, 1974. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Ken Burns continues his exploration of massive, sweeping subjects with his 15-hour documentary The War; in this case, the conflict in question is World War II. Yet within the scope of that gargantuan subject, Burns and co-director Lynn Novick narrow their scale of emphasis, honing in on four "average" American towns and charting the experiences of individual young men who enlisted to go overseas and fight against the encroaching shadow of fascism. The film covers each major "region" of the U.S. by transporting audiences to the west coast (Sacramento, California); the south (Mobile, Alabama); the east coast (Waterbury, Connecticut) and the Midwest (the farming community of Luverne, Minnesota). Within that geographic framework, Burns uncovers a series of astonishing tales about bravery in the midst of adversity - from the story of a young man who transported 12 American soldiers from the Normandy beach on D-Day, to the accounts of innumerable young men who falsified their ages and enlisted early. Burns and Novick thus repeatedly emphasize the human side of war - an aspect all too often glossed over when documentarians treat WWII on a broader scale. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Frazier, Sam Hynes, (more)
Teenagers stand up for their rights and take on the woman who wants to scuttle their freedoms in this comedy drama inspired by a true story. Principal Weller (Julie Bowen) is the ambitious but hard-headed leader of Booker High School. Weller plans to run for superintendent of her school district, and believes if she wants to win she needs to project the image of a no-nonsense leader, and with that in mind she begins cracking down on what she sees as discipline problems at Booker High. However, in many cases what she sees as kids out of control are seen by others as kids expressing themselves, including a girl who wants to distribute condoms to recognize National Safe Sex Day, and two boys who are caught kissing in the hallway between classes. Mr. Drucker (Malik Yoba) is a teacher at Booker who tries to champion the students' rights of free expression, but his conflicts with Principal Weller end up costing him his job when he's fired for questioning her authority. Holden Donovan (Gregory Smith) is a student at Booker who is alarmed that the students have lost one of their few allies, and decides to do something about it -- along with his classmates, he sets out to establish and defend the right of free expression for high-school students, and launches a campaign against Weller's bid to become superintendent. Kids in America also stars Stephanie Sherrin, Nicole Richie, Adam Arkin, George Wendt, and Elizabeth Perkins. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gregory Smith, Stephanie Sherrin, (more)
- 1992
Adam Arkin guest stars as George Costas, the Greek-immigrant owner of a New York jewelry business. After killing two intruders in his store, both of whom had long police records, Costas pleads self-defense: "They shoot at me, I shoot back, I killed them." But as all the facts come to light, the D.A.'s office arrives at the conclusion that Costas had appointed himself judge, jury, and executioner long before anyone pulled the trigger. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1971
- PG13
In this semi-autobiographical romantic comedy starring Joseph Bologna and Renee Taylor (who also wrote the script together) two lonely hearts find each other in group therapy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 2005
- PG13
- Add Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School to QueueAdd Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School to top of Queue
Randall Miller's Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School compiles an all-star cast to tell an unabashedly emotional story about life, love, and destiny. Robert Carlyle portrays Frank Keane, a man who has been in a deep depression ever since his wife passed away. One day while driving, Frank sees an accident. He investigates the scene to see if he can help and meets a dying stranger (John Goodman), who tells Frank that he was headed to a dance school in order to reunite with a woman he loved many years before. Frank decides to attend the dance school, and becomes involved with a variety of people. Originally beginning as a short film, Randall Miller's feature-length film was screened at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Carlyle, Marisa Tomei, (more)
When an aspiring East Coast writer becomes enamored with the pulsating energy of San Francisco's Mission District, a special friendship helps him through difficult times in this coming-of-age tale from independent filmmaker Loren Marsh. Though the West Coast lifestyle is taking a bit of getting used to for New York-born writer Marvin Raab (Chris Coburn), the transition is made somewhat more palatable by the support and friendship of his new roommate, Jay (Joshua Leonard). As quickly as Marvin is drawn into the youthful vibrancy of the artistic Mission District, his momentary illusions are soon shattered by the current flood of dotcom entrepreneurs -- whose newfound presence threatens to strip the area of its creative energy and steer the district in a more financially driven direction. When dreams die, there is new hope to be found in the waking moments, and as Marvin and Jay struggle to let go of the past, the strong bond that has formed between them helps to bring understanding and support in a time of increasing uncertainty about the future. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Coburn, Joshua Leonard, (more)
- 2002
Monk (Tony Shalhoub) suspects that 800-pound tycoon Dale "The Whale" Biederbeck (Adam Arkin) is the murderer of one Judge Lavinio. But how can this be? Dale the Whale is so obese that he can't even get out of his bed, much less leave his room. Also, it looks as though Monk is acting on a personal vendetta against Biederbeck, stemming from a devastating lawsuit a few years before. Even so, Monk is obsessed (surprise, surprise!) with proving Biederbeck's guilt, and his nurse-assistant Sharona (Bitty Schram) offers her services to prove Monk right--even if it kills her. With this episode, Max Morrow joins the cast as Sharona's son Benjy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2002
Monk (Tony Shalhoub) has sworn to remain faithful to the memory of his late wife Trudy, but beautiful divorcee Monica Walters (Maria Del Mar)--who so closely resembles Trudy that it is genuinely frightening!--may make him change his mind. But there's a problem: Monica is among the suspects in the murder of attorney Lou Pratt and Pratt's assistant. Despite a preponderance of evidence, Monk is convinced that Monica is not guilty --and nearly gets himself killed in his dogged efforts to prove her innocence. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A young girl learns a difficult lesson about the bonds of family in this drama based on the novel for young adults by Kimberly Willis Holt. Tiger Ann Parker (Kelsey Keel) is a girl growing up in the small rural community of Saitter, LA, and she's not especially happy with her life. Her mother (Amelia Campbell) suffered brain damage after a childhood accident that significantly reduced her IQ, and her father (Chris Owens) is "slow" and has trouble reading and writing, which has made Tiger Ann the subject of a lot of cruel taunting from her classmates at school. When Tiger Ann's Aunt Dorie (Juliette Lewis) offers to let her stay with her in the "big city" of Baton Rouge, the young girl is eager to see what the world has to offer beyond the city limits of Saitter. But Tiger Ann soon discovers that leaving her home and family behind is not as simple as she imagined. My Louisiana Sky also features Shirley Knight; actor Adam Arkin directed, in what was his first feature-length project. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelsey Keel, Shirley Knight, (more)
Teenaged Chris Mills (Mark Paul Gosselaar) is aware that his argumentative parents (Julie Hagerty and Geoff Pierson) are about to divorce. He also catches on that he and younger sister Jenny (Taylor Fry) are going to be pawns in a bitter custody battle. To avoid this, Chris takes legal action to prevent his parents from splitting up. He hires a licensed but unsuccessful attorney (Alan Arkin, who collaborated on the script with his wife Barbara) to press his case. Chris succeeds in delaying the divorce--now he needs a legal precedent to halt it altogether. Necessary Parties was originally presented as the two-part opener for the 5th season of PBS' Wonderworks; the film debuted on November 5 and 12, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Arkin, Barbara Dana, (more)
- 1990
Strange things always happen in Cicely during the Aurora Borealis, and those "things" are even stranger in this final episode of Northern Exposure's first season. Lost in the woods, Joel (Rob Morrow) is rescued by a legendary sasquatch-like creature named Adam -- who turns out to be a human being, a sociopath, and a damned good gourmet cook. Elsewhere, Chris gives up his radio job to construct a towering sculpture and along the way forms a symbiotic relationship with an African-American stranger named Bernard (Richard Cummings Jr.), who has motorcycled into Cicely on a mission...and who is no stranger after all. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Upon graduation from medical school, 27-year-old doctor Joel Fleischman (Rob Morrow) must work off 125,000 dollars worth of student loans by accepting a practice in Anchorage, AK. Having seldom ventured any farther than the boundaries of his native Manhattan, Joel balks at this assignment, only to be told that if he refuses, he faces a 10,000-dollar fine and 18 years in jail. Resigning himself to Anchorage, Joel shows up in the Alaskan metropolis only to be told that his services are not required and that he has been transferred to the remote village of Cicely -- population 815, mostly eccentrics and oddballs. The fish-out-of-water Joel swiftly makes the acquaintance of his new neighbors including his attractive landlady, mail pilot Maggie O'Connell (Janine Turner); Maurice Minnifield (Barry Corbin), the worldly ex-astronaut who owns Cicely; Maurice's ultra-macho best friend, 62-year-old tavern owner Holling Vicoeur (John Cullum); Maurice's 18-year-old beauty-queen fiancée, Shelly (Cynthia Geary); Maurice's assistant, Ed Chigliak (Darren E. Burrows), a laid-back Native American (and aspiring filmmaker) who seems to know everything there is to know; and Chris Danforth (John Corbett), the enigmatic, poetic morning DJ at local radio station KBHR. After several harrowing and mind-numbing experiences both personal and professional, poor Joel throws a tantrum and declares, "I will under no condition, NO condition, spend the best years of my life in the worst place on Earth!" Wanna bet? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
- Add Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony to QueueAdd Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony to top of Queue
Upon finding a written biography of pioneering women's rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, film producers Paul Barnes and Ken Burns (director of "The Civil War") were shocked and outraged that her story -- which is also that of Stanton's longtime friend and political partner Susan B. Anthony -- had been almost entirely omitted from their history courses. So together they began work on Not For Ourselves Alone: the story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, a groundbreaking look at one of the greatest untold chapters in American history. Over a span of more than fifty years, Stanton and Anthony struggled ceaselessly to organize a movement for basic rights that would not be won until after their deaths. Their story is the story of freedom fighters everywhere, complete with tragedies, triumphs, and unconquerable hope -- but it is also the story of two passionate and talented women, whose close friendship sustained them in times of loneliness and despair. An unforgettably personal, inside look at the birth of the modern women's movement, this film is at once a study of where we have been and a profound reflection upon who and where we still are. Ideal for classroom and educational use. ~ Sarah Welsh, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sally Kellerman, Ronnie Gilbert, (more)
- 1997
A wife and mother from Billings, Montana takes a stand against a white supremacist hate group in Not In This Town. Tammy Schnitzer (Kathy Baker) and her husband Brian (Adam Arkin) hope to raise two young children in the quiet town. Henry Whitcomb (Ed Begley Jr.) leads the hate group into distributing their ant-Semitic and racially intolerant ideology through handbills. She becomes a target of the sinister group when she forms the Montana Coalition for Human Rights. Brian, a respected dentist, fears for his wife's safety but backs away from involvement until a brick goes through the window of the children's bedroom. Newly appointed police chief Wayne Inman (Max Gail) is the white man married to a black woman who moved to Montana to escape the big-city problems of racism. Inman helps Tammy in her cause as both families become the target of the hate mongers. The film is based on actual incidents that occurred in Billings, Montana in 1993. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathy Baker, Adam Arkin, (more)
In this made-for-cable comedy-drama, a ten-year-old boy (Rory Culkin), who is still coming to terms with the death of his parents, is sent to spend the summer with his aunt (Sherilyn Fenn), who works as a lounge singer at a Florida resort hotel that's seen better days. While living at the hotel, the boy makes the acquaintance of Sam (Hume Cronyn), an elderly man who is enjoying an extended vacation in the Sunshine State. As the boy becomes friendly with Sam, he begins to wonder if the older, bearded man might actually be Santa Claus looking to get away from the North Pole prior to the year's toy-building season. Off Season was directed by veteran actor Bruce Davison, who also appears in a supporting role. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Culkin, Hume Cronyn, (more)
- 1978
Adapted by Oscar-winning screenwriter Stirling Silliphant from his own novel, the three-part, six-hour miniseries Pearl inevitably invoked memories of the strikingly similar From Here to Eternity. The focus was on three military couples living in Honolulu in and around the time of Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. Race, romance, and rank-pulling ran riot in a number of interconnected plot lines, interspersed with stock footage of the attack from the 1970 theatrical feature Tora! Tora! Tora!. Pearl originally aired on ABC during a particularly busy "sweeps week," November 16, 17, and 19, 1978. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angie Dickinson, Robert Wagner, (more)
- 1987
Adam Arkin plays a frustrated teacher who decides to hit the road. En route to nowhere in particular, he befriends drifter David Morse, a former convict. Arkin and Morse get along famously until the stunning Susan Wheeler Duff enters the scene. The performances in this deliberately "small" film are uniformly fine, with Ms. Duff close to perfection. Personal Foul falters a bit pace-wise, but it doesn't really hurt the picture. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Arkin, David Morse, (more)
- 2002
Based on Mark Twain's 1872 autobiographical novel, this made-for-cable film is presented in flashback form, as aged humorist Mark Twain (James Garner) is invited to be keynote speaker at the Bryn Mawr graduation ceremonies of 1891. At first worried that his reputation as a verbal japester will embarrass his daughter Suzy, who is among the graduates, Twain elects to throw all caution to the winds by delivering an inspirational speech in which he recalls his own early days as a Missouri-bred greenhorn on the wild western frontier. Admitting that his recollections may stretch the truth a bit ("When I was younger, I could remember it, whether it happened or not"), Twain spins a tale of two brothers, Sam and Orion Clemens ("Sam Clemens" was of course, Twain's given name). Envious over the fact that Orion (Greg Spottiswood) has landed a job as secretary to the governor of Nevada Territory, young Sam Clemens (Robin Dunne) insists upon tagging along, thereby launching an extended adventure which would include a rugged interlude digging for gold under the baleful eye of a brutal foreman (Eric Roberts), a bone-chilling winter, and an episode involving a gang of outlaws headed by a man (Ned Beatty) so mean that he bit off the ears of his victims as a "calling card." Also in the cast are Jill Eikenberry as Twain's wife Livy and Adam Arkin as a wild-eyed "character" named Henry. Filmed in Calgary, the four-hour miniseries version of Mark Twain's Roughing It was presented by the Hallmark cable channel beginning March 16, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Garner, Greg Spottiswood, (more)
The writing/directing team of Drew Daywalt and David Schneider are responsible for the straight-to-video heist comedy Stark Raving Mad. Seann William Scott plays Ben McGewen, a guy who needs to pay off some major debts. Mostly he needs to pay the crime lord Gregory (Lou Diamond Phillips), the gangster who killed his brother. Ben gets the idea to throw a big rave in a club next to a bank vault. According to plan, the loud music and party atmosphere will disguise the fact that he and his gang (Timm Sharp, Patrick Breen, John B. Crye, and Suzy Nakamura) are breaking through the wall. Once inside the vault, they will steal a valuable statue and Ben will revenge his brother's death. This being a heist comedy, however, things don't go exactly according to plan. Dave Foley and Kavan Smith play a couple of pesky FBI agents. Alan Arkin plays cranky club owner Don Partridge. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Seann William Scott, Lou Diamond Phillips, (more)
A doctor finds out the hard way that there's more to medicine than skill in the operating theater in this emotional drama. Jack McKee (William Hurt) is a gifted but arrogant surgeon who cares little about the emotional welfare of his patients and is little more than a benign stranger to his wife Anne (Christine Lahti) and his son Nicky (Charlie Korsmo). Jack has been suffering from a nagging cough for some time, and when he begins coughing up blood one morning, he finally allows another doctor to take a look at him. The doctor discovers that Jack has a malignant tumor in his throat that could rob him of the ability to speak, or even kill him. Suddenly, Jack is a patient instead of a doctor, and he learns first hand about the long stretches in the waiting room, the indignity of filling out pointless forms, and the callous attitude of the professional medical community. Jack also gets to know June (Elizabeth Perkins), a terminal cancer patient whose joyous embrace of life as her time draws to a close is an inspiration to him. Restored to health, Jack is determined to be a more caring healer and strives to be a better husband and father, but his new lease on life also earns him an enemy in fellow surgeon Murray (Mandy Patinkin), who wants Jack to lie under oath for him in a major malpractice case; and a new respect for Eli (Alan Arkin), an ear-nose-throat man he used to ridicule for his empathetic treatment of his patients. The Doctor was based on the memoir of real-life surgeon Ed Rosenbaum, entitled "A Taste of My Own Medicine." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Hurt, Christine Lahti, (more)
- 1985
Made for television, The Fourth Wise Man was syndicated to local TV stations during Easter week of 1985. Martin Sheen, a devout Catholic who is no stranger to religious television, heads the all-star cast. Sheen plays Artaban, a wealthy Persian doctor of Biblical times, who embarks upon a search for the newborn Messiah. Artaban intends to take his journey with the three more famous Wise Men, but somehow never manages to link up with them, and ends up spending 33 years on his quest. Of interest is the presence of two father-son acting combinations in the cast; Martin and Charlie Sheen, and Alan and Adam Arkin. Though never seen, Jesus Christ is heard, with James Farentino supplying His voice. The Fourth Wise Man is based on the 19th-century parable by Henry Van Dyke. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
