Frank Whaley Movies
Actor, writer, director, and musician Frank Whaley is best known for his vivid portrayals of put-upon, sometimes ill-fated young men. Born in Syracuse, NY, on July 20, 1963, Whaley studied theater at both the University of New York, Albany and New York City's Actors Studio, where he earned a B.A.The actor got his first break with a role in Ironweed (1987), sharing the screen with Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep. Following secondary parts in films like Field of Dreams and Born on the Fourth of July (both 1989), he landed the more substantial role of Steve Bushak in The Freshman (1990). The film put Whaley on the Hollywood map, and he was able to work consistently throughout the rest of the decade, turning in particularly strong performances in films like A Midnight Clear (1991), in which he played a doomed World War II soldier; The Doors (1991), which cast him as Doors guitarist Robby Kreiger; Swing Kids (1993), in which he played a musician and a doomed man; and Pulp Fiction (1994), in which he had a brief but memorable appearance as an ill-fated business associate of Marsellus Wallace. The same year that he appeared in Pulp Fiction, Whaley starred in Swimming With Sharks, a black comedy that gave him one of his comparatively few leading roles. As used and abused office boy of a sadistic studio executive (Kevin Spacey), Whaley gave torment a good name, proving that it was possible to display a certain kind of finesse when portraying someone relentlessly slapped by power.
In 1999, after spending the previous few years playing more conflicted men (to particular acclaim in the made-for-TV World War II drama When Trumpets Fade), Whaley took matters into his own hands by writing and directing Joe the King. A dark independent feature starring John Leguizamo, Camryn Manheim, Val Kilmer, and Ethan Hawke, it premiered at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival, where Whaley won a Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for his efforts. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
Two lifelong pals living in New York City discover that sometimes the only way to remain friends is to grow apart in this semi-autobiographical drama from screenwriter/director Frank Whaley. Owen (Freddie Prinze, Jr. is an aspiring filmmaker who frequently spends the early hours of the evening with his girlfriend Lynn (Jamie-Lynn Siegler) before ducking out to watch best-friend Ray (Chris Klein)'s provide the beats for his popular bar band. By day Owen may work at the local photomat, but when night falls he strives to forget about his dead end job by drinking the town dry and raising hell with Owen and company. The late night hours, when Owen and Ray inevitably end up at raucous parties with uninhibited women and plenty of booze, are usually when things get really interesting though. One day, after Owen receives word that his latest film has been invited to screen in a popular festival, the lives of these two best friends begin to travel down divergent paths. Now Ray begins to see himself in competition with Lynn for Owens attentions, and the death of a friend's father prompts both friends to stand back and take stock of their lives. Later, after Owen and Ray meet actor Wallace Shawn at the airport, the unlikely trio strikes up an amiable friendship. Trouble soon arises, however, when Owen discovers that Ray has been posing as Shawn's son and the two part ways on unfriendly terms. But as with most lifelong friends it's only a matter of time before Owen and Ray find their way back into one another's company, and eighteen months apart can work wonders for healing old wounds. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Klein, Freddie Prinze, Jr., (more)
Prolific French filmmaker Yves Simoneau directs Sam Shepard and Frank Whaley in a sports drama detailing the remarkable racing career of the horse many believe to be the finest thoroughbred filly ever to run the tracks. In her first ten runs Ruffian was unbeaten, and continued to break longstanding records with every stride. But some careers are like shooting stars, and in just her second season racing Ruffian suffered a career-ending injury. On July 6, 1975, race fans gathered at the Belmont and in front of their televisions eager to witness the prized racehorse's eleventh official race. Billed as the "Battle of the Sexes," this landmark run pitted Ruffian against Kentucky Derby top colt Foolish Paradise. As the race got underway Ruffian was running at her best, but disaster would strike just short of the one-mile marker. It was there that Ruffian would take a brutal tumble that would effectively end both her racing career, and her life. Yet despite her tragic end, Ruffian's inspirational story lives on in this drama that shows why she was the only horse ever to be buried at the Belmont. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Shepard, Frank Whaley, (more)
- 2005
In the 1950s and '60s, Jackie Paris was one of the most celebrated jazz vocalists of his generation; he collaborated with such giants as Charlie Parker, Charles Mingus, and Dizzy Gillespie, he was a favorite of leading music critics, and recorded for such top jazz labels as Impulse and East-West. But ten years on, Paris had fallen so far off the radar that a major jazz reference work reported that Paris had died in 1977, even though he was still around and occasionally performing at the time. In the 1990s, filmmaker Raymond De Felitta heard some of Paris' recordings and became an instant fan, and was deeply curious about Paris' life and career, and how an artist with such gifts had become little more than a footnote in music history. De Felitta's search eventually led him to Paris himself, and a fascinating story of bad luck, a wildly dysfunctional family, dangerous pride, a hair-trigger temper, and a remarkable voice that somehow survived it all, even if his career did not. 'Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris is a documentary which chronicles De Felitta's search for the elusive singer; the film includes interviews with Paris' family, friends, and fans, including Dr. Billy Taylor, Billy Vera, Joe Franklin, Ira Gitler, Harlan Ellison, and James Moody. Frank Whaley, Nick Tosches, and Peter Bogdanovich contribute dramatic readings of reviews of Paris' work from his heyday. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Paris, Jeanie Paris, (more)
The sensationalistic murder of diet guru Dr. Herman Tarnower is explored in this stylized take on the tabloid cover story from first-time director Phyllis Nagy. As the inventor of the popular "Scarsdale Diet," Dr. Herman Tarnower (Ben Kingsley) became an overnight success during the peak of the early '80s diet craze. Despite the popularity of the Dr. Tarnower's revolutionary "lose one pound per day" diet, the womanizing ways of the Casanova cardiologist would soon come to a brutal end at the hands of his jealous, prescription drug-addicted lover Jean Harris (Annette Bening). Driven to despair after their 14-year romance failed to result in marriage and enraged by Dr. Tarnower's shameless status as a ladies' man, Harris confronts her former lover in one violent, final act of desperation. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Annette Bening, Ben Kingsley, (more)
- 2003
Still recovering from the death of a close friend, Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall) goes on a vacation with the Bannermans and Bruce (John L. Adams). Before long, Johnny experiences another of his disturbing psychic visions -- this one of a tornado that bids fair to be the storm of the century. Despite his own fears of death, Johnny must confront the tornado head-on to save the lives of his loved ones. The first Dead Zone episode filmed in the letterbox format, "The Storm" was intended as the inaugural episode of the series' third season, but was included instead in season two. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John L. Adams, Nicole deBoer, (more)
- 2003
While on a camping trip with the Bannermans, Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall) has a vision of a crashed plane with two million dollars on board. Sure enough, that amount has recently been stolen, and Johnny is invited to join a search party headed by mountain ranger Randy Truman (Scott William Winters). Also participating in the search are Mark and Pauline Dionne (Ian Tracey, Krista Rae), the owners of a local boat shop -- who happen to be the thieves who stole the loot, and who do not intend to leave any witnesses to their crime. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicole deBoer, Chris Bruno, (more)
- 2003
Envisioning the death of his prizefighter friend Danny Avila (Greg Serano) during an upcoming heavyweight title bout, Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall) goes public with his psychic premonitions. Alas, Johnny's announcement does not cancel the match as he had hoped; instead, the value of the fight has been enhanced as a big-time, pay-per-view attraction, and even the boxing commission has succumbed to the greedy excitement. Desperately, Johnny tries to figure out a way to allow Danny to go through with the fight and survive -- and to do this, he needs the unwitting assistance of Danny's opponent (Jay Winston Kramer). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John L. Adams, Nicole deBoer, (more)
- 2003
Who is the facially scarred "man in black" who has been stalking Johnny (Anthony Michael Hall) throughout the past few episodes? It turns out that the mystery man, Christopher Wey (Frank Whaley), has an important message from the future -- one that will profoundly alter the future of humanity. But Wey refuses to reveal the particulars of his prophecy unless Johnny agrees to prevent the seemingly unpreventable murders of Wey's wife (Ione Skye) and daughter. This final episode of The Dead Zone's second-season closes with the traditional cliffhanger, this time incorporating an ominous magazine cover. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John L. Adams, Nicole deBoer, (more)
- 2002
The murder of a psychologist reveals evidence that the killer had access to secret information possessed by the victim. Investigating, the detectives end up at the door of a computer company which sells information about its clients. The D.A.'s office must prove that such transactions are dangerous violations of privacy -- and that the computer firm is just as liable for the psychologist's death as the actual perpetrator. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
In this two-part miniseries, the formative days of rock & roll are relived through the experiences of a fictional musical quartet called the Heartaches. The group is led by the handsome Tyler (Brad Hawkins), whose heart belongs to Lyne (Bonnie Somerville), the female member of the band. Along the bumpy road to fame, Tyler achieves enormous success, his ego swelling with every new gig -- and the chasm between himself and his three fellow band members growing ever wider. Eventually Lyne breaks up with Tyler, finding success of her own in a most unexpected fashion. The soundtrack reverberates with expert re-creations of vintage rock & roll tunes, while B.B. King shows up to offer a rendition of Bob Dylan's "Fur Slippers." Shake, Rattle & Roll: An American Love Story was telecast on November 7 and 10, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bonnie Somerville, Samaria Graham, (more)
John Irvin directed this gripping and effective WWII drama set amid the carnage and slaughter of the Hurtgen Forest battle when the Allies moved on toward Germany in the fall of 1944. Private Manning (Ron Eldard) hopes for a Section 8 switch away from the frontline combat, but when he's the only survivor of his platoon, Captain Pritchett (Martin Donovan) is so impressed he upgrades Manning to sergeant. This irritates Sgt. Talbot (Dylan Bruno) who views Manning as a coward. Manning is put in charge of a group of awkward recruits, including the clumsy Sanderson (Zak Orth), as the Allies prepare to take a key location, a well-defended bridge. Shown at the 1998 Seattle Film Festival, this television production had its HBO premiere on June 27, 1998. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Eldard, Zak Orth, (more)
- 1997
This sci-fi thriller is set in Los Angeles. The year is 2010 and the mega-corporation Nanolabs is feverishly preparing to market its latest medical marvel: a microscopic "engine" that can regenerate organic tissue at a cellular level and thereby provide the first real cure for cancer. Unfortunately, back in the lab, young scientist Buck Hogan (Henry Thomas) becomes increasingly concerned, as animal subjects implanted with the machines begin dying at an alarming rate. He voices his worries to the company CEO, but he is too interested in reaping the product's profits and decides to release the unsafe substance anyway. Later, Buck is captured and knocked out. When he awakens, he discovers himself sans one kidney. In its place is a biodegradable sack filled with acid that will kill him if he doesn't get the antidote. The one who performed this ghastly deed, has even more evil plans for poor Buck who, before the story ends, will end up a human time bomb with very few seconds left on his life clock. If Buck cannot stop it, he will not only die, but the deadly new cancer cure will be released, thereby endangering the entire city. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Henry Thomas, Mädchen Amick, (more)
- 1994
When an elderly woman dies, she decides to take possession of a stray dog's body so as to keep an eye on her widowed husband in this wonderful tale based on the novel by Terry Kay. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1993
In this drama, the wife of alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald offers her viewpoint on the day of the deadly shooting of President John F. Kennedy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helena Bonham Carter, Frank Whaley, (more)
- 1991
In this first American film to be shot entirely in Moscow, young vacationing American Archer Sloan (Frank Whaley) gets involved in the theft of a rare religious icon. The "hot-potatoed" icon lands in Sloan's possession and one of the underworld bad guys involved in the theft is murdered. Sloan becomes a suspect and is forced into fleeing the Moscow police while trying to locate the people who can vindicate him. This Glasnost-era film will probably be better remembered for its glimpse into a molting Soviet Union, than for intrigue as an actioner. Included in the cast is Polish producer Roman Polanski. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Whaley, Natalya Negoda, (more)
- 1989
This biopic follows physically challenged Richmond Flowers Jr. as he overcomes his difficulties and the conflicts caused by his father's activism in the civil rights movement, and becomes a famous college athlete. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
A vacationing couple makes a terrifying discovery about the motel room they have just checked into in this thriller scripted by Mark L. Smith and directed by Nimród Antal (Kontroll). Their car broken down and their prospects for finding a tow-truck driver at such a late hour slim to none, David (Luke Wilson) and Amy Fox (Kate Beckinsale) decide to make the best of their situation by resting out the night at a nearby motel. Left with few choices of entertainment for the evening, the pair soon settles down to enjoy one of the low-budget slasher films sitting atop their motel room VCR. Upon realizing that all of the films seem to have been shot in the very same room they currently occupy, David and Amy suddenly become the stars of a particularly sadistic fright flick. As hidden cameras track their every move, the hapless couple attempt to turn the tables on their would-be killer before they meet the same grim fate as the poor souls being butchered on television. Frank Whaley and Ethan Embry co-star in a thriller that's sure to keep leery travelers sticking to the main highway. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kate Beckinsale, Luke Wilson, (more)
Frank Whaley, Traci Lords, Gabrielle Anwar, and Dina Meyer star in director James Koya Jones' tale of six childhood friends who band together to confront a lingering secret from the past. A man has died, and now the six friends who knew him best have returned home to pay their final respects. Later, while settling their late friend's estate issues, the group discovers a map leading them to a long-forgotten time capsule that they had all buried many years ago. Upon unearthing the capsule, the six friends find themselves forced to confront a lingering childhood trauma as they begin the painful journey into their crumbling childhood home. Once there, a terrible secret concerning a mysterious dead girl emerges, and the fate of the entire group of forever sealed. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Traci Lords, Dina Meyer, (more)
Nicholas DiBella's thriller Cherry Crush stars Jonathan Tucker as Jordan Wells, the privileged son of a successful man who gets kicked out of an exclusive prep school after his interesting photography and girls leads him to taking nude snapshots of classmates. Soon he meets a poor but attractive girl named Shay Bettencourt (Nikki Reed) who ensnares him in a web of murder and lies. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Tucker, Nikki Reed, (more)
This crime comedy from director Craig Singer is the filmmaker's third independent feature and his second outing with screenwriter Robert Dean Klein and star Gary Stretch, who had contributed to 2001's Dead Dogs Lie, Singer's sophomore effort. Stretch plays Ronnie, a hitman who, three years prior, vouched for his pal and fellow contract killer, August, played by Michael Rapaport (Zebrahead, Mighty Aphrodite). Unfortunately for Ronnie, over the years, August has gotten himself into some trouble and made a few enemies. Now, over the course of one day, Ronnie has to somehow clean up all of August's messes or both men will be facing the consequences of their unhappy bosses. In addition to Frank Whaley and Seymour Cassel, the supporting cast boasts a bevy of 1980s artifacts including Ralph Macchio, Robin Givens, Deborah Harry, and Ally Sheedy. A Cold Day in August screened at Robert De Niro's 2003 Tribeca Film Festival under the title A Good Night to Die. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Rapaport, Gary Stretch, (more)
Following up on his directorial debut, Joe the King, actor-turned-sometimes director Frank Whaley made this gritty character study of a man consumed by anger. Working as a clerk at a supermarket, Jimmy (Whaley) makes it a practice to steal anything and everything he can get away with, usually cases of beer. At home, he supports his neglected wife (Carla Gugino), his infant daughter, and his foul-tempered invalid grandmother, whom he has been caring for since he was a teen. A compulsive complainer, Jimmy is vitriolically bitter about his lack of a childhood. His latest dream, one in a series of failed schemes to make it big, is to be a standup comedian. Yet Jimmy's idea of a schtick is less one-liners and gags than a prolonged confessional rant about his marriage, the loss of his parents, and his grandmother. As the film progresses, Jimmy's monologues grow darker and ever more sinister. This film was scheduled to be screened at the 2001 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Whaley, Carla Gugino, (more)
Actor Ethan Hawke takes the director's chair for a test drive with this independent feature, based on a play by Nicole Burdette, in which a number of creative types living in New York's famed bohemian enclave the Chelsea Hotel struggle with their muses as well as their personal concerns. Middle-aged novelist Bud (Kris Kristofferson) is having problems with his latest project, as well as his appetite for alcohol, while he juggles two relationships -- with his wife Greta (Tuesday Weld) and his lover Mary (Natasha Richardson). Audrey (Rosario Dawson) is a poet who is attracted to Val (Mark Webber), but Val has a hard time staying away from drugs, and his pal Crutches (Kevin Corrigan) is doing nothing to help. Grace (Uma Thurman) is trying to make a name for herself as a poet, but in the meantime she supports herself waiting tables; she's developed a crush on her neighbor Frank (Vincent D'Onofrio), but she can't figure out how to get him to pay attention to her. And Ross (Steve Zahn) and Terry (Robert Sean Leonard) are a pair of would-be rock stars who have just arrived in New York from the Midwest, wondering how to get noticed as they try to pick up women. Jeff Tweedy from the acclaimed rock band Wilco composed the film's musical score, while legendary jazz vocalist Jimmy Scott appears in a nightclub scene. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Corrigan, Rosario Dawson, (more)
