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
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)
Filmmaker Henry Jaglom plays the leading male role in his characteristically gabby New Year's Day. Jaglom is a writer who insists upon asking disturbing and intrusive questions to the revellers at a New Year's Eve party. His inclusion in the story is explained by having him sublet a California apartment where the previous attendants show no signs of leaving. The crazy-quilt Dramatis Personae include lesbian PR-agent Gwen Welles, erstwhile actress/activist Maggie Jakobson, and lustful fashion-photographer Melanie Winter. Periodically interrupting the steady stream of spontaneous-sounding conversation between these three is Jakobson's randy boyfriend David Duchovny and famed Czech director Milos Forman as a janitor (!). As always, Henry Jaglom is a matter of taste, but you'll very likely want to see New Year's Day for a glimpse at a pre X-Files David Duchovny. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maggie Jakobson, Gwen Welles, (more)
Successful LA marketing analyst Michael Boll (James Spader) seemingly has it all-except a sense of self-confidence. Enigmatic drifter Alex (Rob Lowe) enters Michael's life and immediately begins to exert a negative influence. As Michael's self-esteem zooms (aided by generous dollops of sex and drugs) he allows himself to be dragooned into a life of crime by the demonic Alex. The "doppelganger" aspects of Bad Influence, and the film's many unexpected twists and turns, echo films of Alfred Hitchcock, especially Strangers on a Train. The film's boldest stroke is to cast the likeable Lowe as the bad guy (albeit a charming one) and the often villainous Spader as the malleable milquetoast. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rob Lowe, James Spader, (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
- R
Most people hang up on wrong numbers, but a woman finds herself falling in love with one caller in this offbeat independent comedy. Julia (Daphna Kastner) is a writer specializing in books for children who shares an apartment with her boyfriend Jack (David Charles). Jack wants to get married, but Julia isn't so sure that she wants to commit to a permanent relationship. One day, Julia gets a phone call that turns out to be a wrong number; however, she finds herself striking up a conversation with the man on the other end, Daniel (David Duchovny). Julia finds herself attracted to the voice on the other end of the phone as she starts discussing the ups and downs of her relationship with Jack. After spending several hours on the line, Julia invites Daniel over to visit, and she ends up sleeping with him. The next day, Julia discovers that this wasn't as much of a chance encounter as she thought -- Daniel, who has been in therapy for some time, enjoys calling women he doesn't know and seducing them over the phone. He almost never sees them again, owing to his tremendous fear of commitment, but there's something about Julia that encourages Daniel to finally confront his problems. Julia Has Two Lovers was co-written by leading lady Daphna Kastner, and it afforded David Duchovny one of his first major screen roles, three years before his breakthrough on the TV series The X-Files. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daphna Kastner, David Duchovny, (more)
An audacious film about faith, The Rapture is a contemporary fantasy that keeps its feet unnervingly planted in reality even as reality starts to collapse. Mimi Rogers, in a strikingly accomplished performance, stars as Sharon, a telephone operator who spends her off-hours engaging in casual group sex to blot out her boredom. By chance, she becomes aware of a small Christian sect whose members believe that they have found a child with the gift of prophecy who has seen the upcoming end times. Slowly but steadily, Sharon finds herself drawn to this group, and one night she abruptly turns a corner, renounces her old life, and embraces fundamentalism with passion. She marries one of her former lovers, Randy (David Duchovny), who takes up Sharon's evangelical fervor to atone for his past as a hired killer, and they have a daughter. All seems peaceful until Randy is unexpectedly murdered, and Sharon takes her child to the desert to await the rapture that will bring the chosen to heaven. The film neither supports nor scoffs at Sharon's views, and the superb performances add immeasurably to a film that presents the unbelievable (and unthinkable) at face value, making it seem oddly plausible in the process. Michael Tolkin has also written and/or directed such films as The Player (1992), directed by Robert Altman, and The New Age (1994), both of which also skewer contemporary American society as shallow, materialistic, and desperate for something authentic to believe in. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mimi Rogers, David Duchovny, (more)
- 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
- 1991
- PG13
- Add Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead to QueueAdd Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead to top of Queue
Christina Applegate stars in this convoluted comedy that comes across as a teen fantasy combination of Home Alone and Working Girl. The premise is all in the title -- when the mother (Concetta Tomei) of a sniveling group of surly kids goes on a much-deserved summer vacation, she leaves her kids under the charge of an elderly distaff granny (Eda Reiss Merin). When granny ups and dies, the kids load her dead body in a trunk and deposit the package on the steps of the local funeral home. The kids are ecstatic thinking that with the big wad of cash Mom has left, they can have a summer of consumer madness. But when they find out that the money has been buried with the baby-sitter, the kids have to fend for themselves to make ends meet. Dream teen Sue Ellen (Christina Applegate) tries working at a fast food restaurant but she can't stand the grease. So, she puts together a false resume and, posing as a twenty-eight-year old, she applies for a job as a receptionist at a garment manufacturing company. The company vice president, Rose (Joanna Cassidy), is so impressed by her resume that she hires her on the spot as her executive assistant. Her deception looks to be working out great -- Sue Ellen manages to hold off the office lady killer Gus (John Getz), avoids exposure by the embittered receptionist, borrows money from the company's petty cash box for household incidentals, and continues her relationship with restaurant employee Bryan (Josh Charles). But suddenly, the clothing firm is set to go under, and Sue Ellen must use her teen fashion sense to save the company and her job . . . and she has to get the rest of the brood involved. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christina Applegate, Joanna Cassidy, (more)
Veronica Hamel, who'd previously played a detective on the trail of a kidnapped baby, turns kidnapper herself in the made-for-TV The Baby Snatcher. After suffering a miscarriage, Hamel becomes convinced that she will lose her husband's love. Faking a new pregnancy, Hamel allows nine months to pass, then sneaks into the hospital maternity ward and steals another woman's infant. It takes the tireless efforts of Nancy McKeon, the baby's natural mother, to track down the clever but unhinged Hamel. Amazingly based on a true story, Baby Snatcher debuted on May 3, 1992. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Feeling that something is lacking in their lives, the family of suburbanite Charles Grodin adopts a stray St. Bernard puppy. The cute lite beast grows up to be the less-than-cute Beethoven, a sloppy, slobbery, oversized and extremely destructive animal. Beethoven also brings with him a lot of hidden baggage in the form of evil veterinarian Dean Jones, who'll stop at nothing to steal Beethoven for the purposes of his insidious lab experiment. Several sequels followed, beginning with 1993 Beethoven's Second. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Grodin, Bonnie Hunt, (more)
Here's a fictionalized account of Jack Ruby's perspective of the events leading up to his assassination of Lee Harvey Oswald. Danny Aiello appears convincingly as the nightclub-owner Ruby who (according to this telling) points the finger at an FBI conspiracy as the force behind the Kennedy assassination. The film includes some actual footage from Ruby's Oswald shooting. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Aiello, Sherilyn Fenn, (more)
Partly based on Charlie Chaplin's My Autobiography, this humorous and dramatic biopic features an all-star cast including Oscar nominee Robert Downey Jr., Dan Aykroyd, Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Kline, Diane Lane, and Chaplin's real-life daughter, Geraldine Chaplin, who portrays his mentally ill mother. With the use of flashback, an elderly Chaplin discusses his autobiography with his editor (Hopkins), who urges him to be more vulnerable and emotionally honest with his memoirs while journeying through his poverty-stricken childhood, closest friendships, many marriages, merciless pursuit by J. Edgar Hoover (Kevin Dunn), and ingenious invention of "The Little Tramp." Highlighted works such as The Gold Rush (1925) and The Great Dictator (1940) illustrate significant turning points in Chaplin's prolific filmography. Director Richard Attenborough's film also explores the circumstances surrounding Chaplin's exile from America and his eventual return to receive an honorary Academy Award. ~ Lisa Kropiewnicki, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Downey, Jr., Dan Aykroyd, (more)
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)
This debut feature film from music video director Dominic Sena is a romp through the world of serial killing, which in its bleakness and moral bankruptcy looks backwards to Terrence Malick's Badlands and forward to Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers. Michelle Forbes plays hip, Mapplethorpe-esque photographer Carrie Laughlin, who wants to move to California for a fresh start. Her boyfriend, Brian Kessler (David Duchovny), is a writer who has an idea for a new book, a travel tome on the sites of serial murders. The two plan to go on a cross-country tour of the murder sites, with Brian writing the commentary and Carrie taking the pictures. But they need a couple to share the driving expenses; enter Grayce (Brad Pitt) and his girlfriend, Adele (Juliette Lewis, in a warm-up for her role in Natural Born Killers). Grayce is an ex-con looking to jump parole, while Adele is a childlike naïf. Soon the four are off to California, but the yuppie couple doesn't realize how close they are to their serial killer topic. It seems Grayce has murdered his landlord before their trip and bodies begin piling up disturbingly behind them as they make their way across the country. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brad Pitt, Juliette Lewis, (more)
Before the black oil, the Cigarette Smoking Man, and the threat of global alien colonization, there was just Fox "Spooky" Mulder (David Duchovny) researching FBI cases with a paranormal bent in his basement office and Scully (Gillian Anderson), the skeptical agent with a degree in medicine and directions to debunk Mulder's findings. Thus, The X-Files: Season One is relatively devoid of the vast government conspiracy for which the series would become known, and serves mainly as an introduction to the show's two protagonists. Mulder, despite his reputation, is no kook; best in his class and well-known for his criminal profiling abilities, the rogue agent chose his path in hopes of finding his sister, Samantha, whom he witnessed -- or, at least, believes he witnessed -- being abducted by aliens. As eager as Mulder is to find an unearthly solution to his cases, Scully is equally determined to find an answer more consistent with the laws of science. Alone, both agents are somewhat blinded by their respective philosophies, but as partners they are able to complement one another nicely, and Scully's initial task is thrown to the wayside for a deep friendship and mutual respect that would test the boundaries of work, and ultimately the planet itself. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, (more)
With Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson) firmly established as the believer and the skeptic, respectively, the second season of The X-Files picks up where the first left off -- with the X-Files closed and both agents in FBI-style exile, forced to work on tedious, non-paranormal assignments. Of course, this doesn't last long; some of the series' most pertinent characters are introduced, such as the seemingly omnipresent Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis), a shadowy informant known only as X, and the double-timing Agent Alex Krycek (Nicholas Lea). The second season also marks the true launch of the complex X-Files mythology, and is home to one of the milestones of the series itself, namely, Agent Scully's own abduction and its far-reaching consequences, including the infamous "Purity Control." Mulder, meanwhile, continues to search for answers regarding his sister's abduction and finds several disturbing clues through visits to his father. Complicating issues further is the existence of a seemingly indestructible -- and quite possibly not of this world -- bounty hunter. Luckily, there are also plenty of monster-of-the-week episodes to turn to when the conspiracy gets too deep. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, (more)
- 1995
Part one of a two-part X-Files drama, "Colony" originally aired February 10, 1995. Told in flashback, the episode traces the events leading up to Mulder's reunion with his sister, who was abducted by aliens 20 years earlier. At least, the woman (Megan Leitch) claims to be Mulder's sister, but Scully is none too convinced. Meanwhile, the search goes on for a serial killer capable of changing his shape at the slightest provocation (Brian Thompson). Ending with a truly chilling cliffhanger, "Colony" was written by Chris Carter, creator of The X-Files. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
This 1995 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by David Duchovny and features musical guest Rod Stewart. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Duchovny, Rod Stewart, (more)
- 1995
Season two of The X-Files came to a pulse-pounding conclusion with the cliffhanger episode "Anasazi." Courtesy of a computer hacker known as The Thinker (Bernie Coulson), Mulder comes into possession of an encrypted diskette which turns out to contain evidence of a wide-ranging official cover-up of UFO landings. On a more personal note, the evidence on the diskette leads to an uncomfortable reunion between Mulder and his father (Peter Donat). Without spoiling the ending, it can be noted that at least one major character vanishes without a trace -- and this coincides with yet another sinister appearance by the Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis). Written by X-Files creator Chris Carter and series co-star David Duchovny, "Anasazi" originally aired May 19, 1995. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The conspiracy spiraled even further in the third season of The X-Files, which picks up with FBI Agent Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson) on a desperate search for her missing partner, Agent Fox Mulder (David Duchovny). Though Mulder was left for dead after having suffered serious bodily harm in a train explosion, a group of Navajo Indians nursed him back to health and offered what help they could to the agents' quest to find the ever-elusive truth. Considered one of the strongest seasons of The X-Files, the 24 episodes in the third season contain some of the most complex and integral aspects of the series' far-reaching mythology, including a heavily encrypted digital tape which may hold the key to government knowledge of intelligent extraterrestrial life, and perhaps even insight into Scully's own abduction. Alien life does, indeed, make an appearance on this season, though not in the form of a little green man. Rather, an insidious, ancient, and alien black oil is unearthed, leaving Mulder and Scully to question its potential impact on humankind, and what the government may already know. Of course, The X-Files wouldn't be complete without its stand-alone, or "monster-of-the-week," episodes, and this season is no exception -- from evil spirits to astral murder and killer cockroaches, The X-Files: Season Three has more than its fair share of earthly, if bizarre, occurrences to its name. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, (more)
- 1995
Fed up that he has been bumped from the show nine times in a row, comedian Jeff Cesario is somewhat placated by Larry's (Garry Shandling) promise that he will most certainly be on the next show. Complications arise when Artie (Rip Torn) and Larry discover that not only has the next show been booked solid, but Hank's (Jeffrey Tambor) father has died, and the grief-stricken co-host has demanded tribute time on the show. When Artie and Larry decide that a guest must be cut, who will it be? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Mulder and Scully attempt to clear their boss, Assistant Director Skinner (Mitch Pileggi), of a murder charge. It seems that Skinner met a woman (Amanda Tapping) in a singles bar, then woke up beside the woman's dead -- and desecrated -- body. Not surprisingly, Skinner has been set up as a patsy by a group of government conspirators. Even so, the two agents learn more than they want to know about Skinner's private life. Co-written by series star David Duchovny and Howard Gordon, "Avatar" was originally broadcast April 26, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
The third season of X-Files came to its traditional cliffhanger conclusion with "Talitha Cumi." Written by Chris Carter, the episode begins with Mulder and Scully investigating still another case of paranormal activity. This time, it's personal: Mulder hopes that by locating Jeremiah Smith (Roy Thinnes), an alien with miraculously curative powers, he will be able to help his mother, who has been felled by a stroke. Along the way, Mulder makes the startling discovery that his mother is intimately acquainted with the agents' old nemesis, the Cigarette Smoking Man (William B. Davis). Originally telecast May 17, 1996, "Talitha Cumi" would not be resolved until the inaugural fourth-season episode, "Herrenvolk," in October of that year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
