Forest Whitaker Movies
The hulking, unmistakably burly Forest Whitaker initially got into college on a football scholarship, but upon transferring to the University of Southern California, he majored in music, winning two more scholarships in that field. Still another scholarship, this one in the name of Sir John Gielgud, came Whitaker's way when he entered the drama program at Berkeley. A seasoned stage veteran at 21, the baby-faced Whitaker appeared in his first film, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, in 1982, coincidentally making his debut in the role of a football player.Four years later, Whitaker attracted critical attention in the role of the young pool player who flummoxes Fast Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) in The Color of Money (1986). He was subsequently selected by director Clint Eastwood for the prize role of jazz great Charlie "Bird" Parker in Bird (1988), which won him the Best Actor award at Cannes. In 1992, Whitaker gained further fame for his role as a captured British soldier whose prior relationship with the mysterious Dil (Jaye Davidson) catalyzes the plot of The Crying Game.
Whitaker went on to work steadily throughout the rest of the decade in films of almost every possible genre. For Robert Altman's meandering, often-reviled fashion exposé Prêt-à-Porter (1994), the actor portrayed a fashion designer who has a tryst with fellow designer Richard E. Grant; the sci-fi thriller Species (1995) featured him as an empath on the trail of an alien; while in Smoke (1995), Wayne Wang's fine adaptation of several of Paul Auster stories, Whitaker portrayed an errant father confronted by his long-estranged son. He ended the century by portraying the title character in Jim Jarmusch's Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (1999), and began the 21st century by starring, appropriately enough, in the futuristic action flop Battlefield Earth (2000).
In addition to his work in front of the camera, Whitaker has also stepped behind it, surprising many by choosing to direct relatively unchallenging chick-flick scripts. In 1995, he made his feature directorial debut with Waiting to Exhale, the popular adaptation of Terry McMillan's novel of the same name. Three years later, he was at the helm of Hope Floats, another melodrama starring Sandra Bullock as a woman who moves back to her Texas hometown. In 2004, he directed the comedy First Daughter, starring Katie Holmes as the daughter of the president, played by Michael Keaton.
Although the first half of the next decade found Whitaker working primarily in independent films, he did stay in the public eye thanks to a part as a sympathetic burglar in David Fincher's thriller Panic Room (2002). Fortunately for fans of the versatile actor, Whitaker achieved one of the great successes of his career playing the grandstanding dictator Idi Amin in 2006's The Last King of Scotland, a film that earned him numerous industry and critics' awards, including the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Drama, and a long-overdue Oscar for Best Actor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The world's most obnoxious celebrity talk-show host demonstrates how he rose to mediocrity in this pungent show business satire. Jiminy Glick (Martin Short) is a corpulent entertainment reporter who is looking to kick his career into high gear. Hoping to snag some celebrity interviews, Jiminy and his wife, Dixie (Jan Hooks), head north of the border to Canada, where Jiminy will attend the Toronto Film Festival. At first, Glick's attempts to ingratiate himself with stars and semi-stars are little short of disastrous, but after the easily star-struck reporter allows egocentric filmmaker Ben DiCarlo (Corey Pearson) to shamelessly self-promote his latest project on air, word gets around that Glick is an "easy interview," and his star begins to rise. However, Jiminy's good fortune is tempered by his unwitting involvement in a murder plot centered around booze-addled actress Miranda Coolidge (Elizabeth Perkins) and her wildly pretentious husband, Andre Devine (John Michael Higgins). Somewhere along the way, filmmaker David Lynch (played by Short) happens along, offering his theories on the controversial murder of Lana Turner's paramour Johnny Stompanato. A large number of Hollywood celebrities make cameo appearances in Jiminy Glick in La La Wood, including Steve Martin, Kevin Kline, Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Forest Whitaker, Kiefer Sutherland, and Sharon Stone. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Short, Jan Hooks, (more)
Inspired by a true story, this made-for-cable drama is set in 1965, not long after passage of the Civil Rights Act. To the African-American citizens of Bogalusa, LA, however, it is "business as usual"; they are still treated like third-class citizens, their fundamental rights as human beings persistently trampled by the white power structure, in general, and the local branch of the KKK, in particular. Like many of the local black men, war veteran Marcus (Forest Whitaker) works in the town's mill for meager wages, and must endure the ongoing humiliation meted out by his white supervisors. But when he is beaten up by the police for the "outrage" of trying to defend his own daughter, Marcus is pushed too far. Encouraged by an idealistic white Northerner (Jonathan Silverman), Marcus organizes the Deacons, an all-black defense group dedicated to patrolling the black section of town and protecting its residents from the more violent aspects of "white backlash." Telecast during Black History Month, Deacons for Defense first aired over the Showtime cable network on February 16, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Forest Whitaker, Jonathan Silverman, (more)
A man learns the hard way that, when it comes to women, three is more than a crowd in this frantic comedy. Tomas Fuentes (Eduardo Verástegui) is a successful advertising man living in Los Angeles who has a way with the ladies. Almost too much of a way, in fact, since he's currently dating three beautiful women in three different cities: Lorena (Roselyn Sanchez), a bright and attractive lawyer living in Chicago; Cici (Sofía Vergara), a cocktail waitress from Miami with a fiery personality; and Patricia (Jaci Velasquez), a New Yorker looking to get out from under the domineering shadow of her mother. As it happens, all three women are fans of noted television astrologer Walter Mercado, and on his advice, they each decide to take a bold step in their relationships and visit Tomas in L.A. Needless to say, the women are enraged to discover Tomas' rather spectacular infidelity, but that turns out to be the least of his problems after a mixture of booze and tranquilizers lands him in the hospital, a pair of crooks (D.L. Hughley and Freddy Rodriguez) kidnap him, and he discovers Cici and Patricia are wanted by the law. Produced under the title Papi Chulo, Chasing Papi was the first feature film from director Linda Mendoza after an extensive resume of credits in television comedy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roselyn Sanchez, Sofía Vergara, (more)
One man's life is thrown into turmoil by picking up a telephone in this claustrophobic thriller. Stu Shepard (Colin Farrell) is a brash, cynical, and self-centered public relations man who juggles a busy career with both a wife, Kelly (Radha Mitchell), and a mistress, Pamela (Katie Holmes). Stu steps into a phone booth on a busy New York street to make a call to Pamela without Kelly being the wiser, but as soon as Stu hangs up, the phone begins to ring. Curious, Stu picks it up -- and a stranger on the other end (voice of Kiefer Sutherland) informs him that if he hangs up the phone, he'll be shot. The red dot of an infrared rifle scope convinces Stu that the caller means business, and when another man tries to make his way into the booth, he's shot mere inches from Stu, calling the attention of the police. Captain Ramey (Forest Whitaker) naturally assumes that Stu was the killer, as Stu struggles to find a way to convince the police of what's happening before more lives are lost, without leaving the booth and putting his own life on the line. At one time proposed as a vehicle for Jim Carrey, Phone Booth was directed by Joel Schumacher, from a screenplay by exploitation icon Larry Cohen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colin Farrell, Kiefer Sutherland, (more)
- 2002
The second revival of Rod Serling's classic sci-fi/fantasy anthology The Twilight Zone, this weekly, one-hour UPN network effort was hosted and narrated by actor Forest Whitaker. In keeping with the format of the original series, the stories presented herein found ordinary people trapped in extraordinary, other-worldly situations, with a message or moral subtlety built in to the twist ending. And as before, a number of guest stars graced the series, such as Jason Alexander, who appeared as Mr. Death in the opener (at least two different stories were presented per episode). Boasting several veterans of the Star Trek TV franchise in its production staff, this incarnation of The Twilight Zone premiered September 18, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Forest Whitaker
In 1975, as the war in Vietnam finally draws to a close, a number of Vietnamese refugees seeking new homes in the United States find themselves housed at the Camp Pendleton Marine base in California, where Sgt. Jim Lance (Patrick Swayze) is put in charge of their care. Lance is a compassionate man who tries to afford the refugees as much dignity and respect as is possible; frustrated by his inability to speak with them directly, Lance strikes up a friendship with Tai (Don Duong), who worked with the U.S. Army as a translator during the war and now wants to settle in America. Tai helps Lance speak with the refugees, and coaches him in conversational Vietnamese. Tai and Lance soon come to realize how much they have in common, and how they are both still coming to terms with the emotional scars inflicted upon them by the war. Tai is looking after his nephew Minh (Trung Nguyen) and niece Anh (Jennifer Tran), who are waiting for their mother to arrive, but Tai is tortured with guilt, convinced he should have given her his seat on the flight to California. Lance, on the other hand, was stationed in America while his brother fought and died in Vietnam, and Lance believes he should have taken his brother's place. Meanwhile, Minh spends his days looking after Anh and wandering the camp; he strikes up a friendship with Addie (Forest Whitaker), a cook at the camp with a passion for art. Together, Addie and Minh try to brighten the refugees' area by creating a large and colorful mural that symbolizes the multicultural America they dream of. Green Dragon was written and directed by Timothy Linh Bui, whose brother Tony Bui helmed the acclaimed drama Three Seasons, which examined life in contemporary Vietnam. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Swayze, Forest Whitaker, (more)
A well-regarded spec script by A-list screenwriter David Koepp became this stylish thriller from director David Fincher. Jodie Foster stars as Meg Altman, a single mother of an diabetic preteen daughter, Sarah (Kristen Stewart). Meg's going through an unhappy divorce that forces her and Sarah to move into a new home. They choose a deluxe New York brownstone that coincidentally boasts an unusual feature: a "panic room," a vault-like hidden space capable of literally sealing itself off from the rest of the building. With its thick steel door on springs, separate ventilation and communications systems, and video monitors linked to cameras mounted throughout the home, the room is an impregnable fortress. It quickly comes in handy when the Altmans' new residence is invaded by a trio of thieves: Junior (Jared Leto), Burnham (Forest Whitaker), and Raoul (Dwight Yoakam). Meg and Sarah are able to secure themselves in the panic room before the robbers can get to them, but it turns out that Sarah's medication is still on the outside, the phone's not yet connected, and the loot the gang's seeking is inside the panic room with them. A cat-and-mouse battle of wits ensues, with Meg trying to outwit their captors over the course of one very long night, as her daughter's health dissipates. Panic Room (2002) co-stars Ann Magnuson, Patrick Bauchau, and Koepp's fellow screenwriter, Andrew Kevin Walker, in a cameo role. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jodie Foster, Forest Whitaker, (more)
Door to Door is the inspirational true story of a man who refused to let severe physical debilitation get in the way of his life's goal. William H. Macy (who also co-wrote the script) stars as Bill Porter, a Portland, OR, native born with cerebral palsy. Despite his spastic walk and oddly shaped countenance, Bill intends to succeed in life on ability rather than the pity of the unafflicted. Thus, in 1955, he manages to land a job as a door-to-door salesman for the Watkins Company. At first, Bill meets with nothing but slammed doors, hostile dogs, and unashamed hostility from "normal" people; but after making his first sale to a reclusive alcoholic named Gladys (Kathy Baker), there is literally no stopping him. For next 40 years, Bill walks some eight to ten miles per day plying his trade, winning one "salesman of the year" award after another. Also in the cast is Helen Mirren as Bill's supportive but aphasic mother, and Kyra Sedgwick as Bill's young assistant, Shelley, whose Herculean efforts to get the hero to "modernize" his tried-and-true methods invariably come a cropper. Door to Door debuted July 14, 2002, over the TNT cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
An ordinary man remakes himself into a warrior after the death of his family in this thriller. Jack Elgin (Jeremy Irons) is a magazine editor living in London with his wife and three children. Elgin joins his spouse and his children as they set off for a trip to India, and when the plane lands due to mechanical failures, the flight is hijacked by terrorists from the "August 15th Movement," who insist on 50 million dollars in ransom from the United States government. The U.S. administration delivers on the request, but as the terrorists begin to evacuate hostages from the plane, circumstances go awry and Elgin's wife and child die in the subsequent fire. The hijackers are soon arrested but released from custody, and when Elgin protests this turn of events to a representative of the U.S. State Department (Jason Priestley), he is told there's little than can be done -- unless he's willing to take the law into his own hands. With the help of his friend Kate (Charlotte Rampling), who is well-schooled in the finer points of international intelligence, Elgin becomes a one-man anti-terrorist squadron, tracking down extremist factions and turning their own weapons against them. Elgin's work is so impressive it attracts the attention of Jules Bernard (Forest Whitaker), an FBI agent who has his own agenda regarding shutting down terrorists. The Fourth Angel was co-produced by American independent studio Artisan Entertainment, but its U.S. theatrical release was canceled in the wake of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeremy Irons, Forest Whitaker, (more)
Based on a story by Anne Rice, this made-for-cable miniseries explores the little-known phenomenon of the "Gens de Couleur Libres," or "Free People of Color," who lived in Louisiana at a time when slavery still held a stranglehold on much of the South. In 1822, it was not at all uncommon for attractive women of color to be retained as a "placage," a sort of "kept woman" who served the wishes of wealthy landowners, and after Philippe Ferronnaire (Peter Gallagher) enters into a loveless arranged marriage with Aglae (Jenny Levine) in order to curry the favor of her elderly (and very well-to-do) father Magloire Dazincourt (John Gilbert), he soon finds himself the father of two families -- one raised by Aglae, and another raised by his "placage" Cecile Ste. Marie (Gloria Reuben), a lovely bi-racial woman from Haiti. Philippe's son with Cecile, Marcel Ste. Marie (Robert Richard), is raised with the promise that, even though Philippe cannot officially acknowledge his parenthood, he will receive a first-class education in Europe, and Marcel finds himself travelling between the worlds of wealthy whites and economically disadvantaged Creoles in New Orleans. In time, Marcel falls in love with a girl of similar circumstances, Anna Bella (Bianca Lawson), but as fate would have it, her guardian, Elsie Claviere (Ruby Dee), has already arranged for the girl to enter into a "placage" with Vincent Dazincourt (Alec McClure), who happens to be Philippe's brother-in-law. Directed by Peter Medak, Feast of All Saints also features Ben Vereen and Ossie Davis. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gloria Reuben, Peter Gallagher, (more)
- 2001
A driver-for-hire (Clive Owen) is asked to spy on the wife (Adriana Lima) of an obsessively jealous husband (Mickey Rourke). The third of the five films in the BMW promotional series, The Follow was directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Wong Kar-Wai and written by Seven scriptwriter Andrew Kevin Walker. ~ All Movie Guide
This big-budget science fiction adventure centers on a final battle between good and evil for control of the world. In the year 3000, Earth is ruled by the Psyclos, a vicious alien race of which Terl (John Travolta) is a member, that has laid waste to the planet, killed the majority of the population, and stripped Earth of its valuable resources. Pockets of resistance remain among the surviving humans; Jonnie "Goodboy" Tyler (Barry Pepper) is one such rebel, living in hiding in the mountains near Boulder, CO. Eventually, Johnny begins organizing like-minded humans for a final stand against the Psyclos. The film is based on the novel by L. Ron Hubbard, the science fiction author also known as the founder of the Church of Scientology; it covers only the first half of the book, saving the remainder for a possible sequel. Battlefield Earth also stars Forest Whitaker, Kim Coates, and Kelly Preston. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Travolta, Barry Pepper, (more)
- 2000
Academy Award-winner Forest Whitaker narrates this adaptation of Dav Pilkey's popular children's book about a newspaper delivery boy and the trusted canine companion that helps to ensure that all the locals have their morning paper by the time the sun rises and the coffee is brewed. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2000
A documentary about the iconic career of actor and filmmaker Clint Eastwood, Clint Eastwood: Out of the Shadows traces its subject's work from his earliest days in Hollywood to his award-winning (and career-salvaging) films of the 1990s. Directed by Bruce Ricker, who also made the lauded jazz films The Last of the Blue Devils and Thelonious Monk - Straight, No Chaser, the documentary combines archival footage with interviews from the likes of Sergio Leone, Curtis Hanson, Rip Torn, Meryl Streep, and, naturally, the man himself. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, (more)
Kevin Mukherji directs the documentary American Storytellers. Offering discussion about independent filmmaking, the film includes interviews with directors John McNaughton, Harold Ramis, John Sayles, and Forest Whitaker. They individually discuss their influences and experiences in the film industry. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John McNaughton, Harold Ramis, (more)
Founder of the Slamdance Film Festival Paul Rachman makes his feature-length debut with this tale of dishonor among thieves, solidly in the vein of 1994's Shallow Grave. When four friends (Olivia Williams, Balthazar Getty, Daniel London, and Stacy Edwards) travel to Buenos Aires to crash a wedding reception, they have more on their mind than just a lively evening of free drinks and the Chicken Dance. With the aid of ace thief Felix (Tim Curry), they steal a precious Degas statuette from the mansion owner hosting the shindig and abscond to L.A. Unfortunately, the objet d'art is nowhere to be found, and the covert dealer (Forest Whitaker) who's expecting it is none too pleased. He demands that they come up with the piece or $1,000,000 immediately. To solve their problem, the four compadres take out life insurance policies on each another and plot out which friend is going to die in order to proffer the heist money. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Olivia Williams, Balthazar Getty, (more)
Noted R&B artist and producer Kenneth (Babyface) Edmonds served as executive producer for this tough urban drama. After a shooting incident in a neglected inner-city school leaves a police officer wounded, a group of students holds the cop hostage, in a desperate effort to force improvements to their school. The cast includes another R&B hitmaker, Usher, as well as Forest Whitaker, Vanessa L. Williams, and Rosario Dawson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Usher Raymond, Forest Whitaker, (more)
Would you be willing to walk away from everyone and everything you've ever known in exchange for your safety? This is the question facing career criminal Bobby "Bats" Batton (Tom Sizemore); on the outs with the mob and facing prosecution for a number of serious crimes, Batton is offered a deal by the FBI in which he will be given immunity in exchange for testifying against his former partners. However, Batton will have to join the Federal Witness Protection Program, which means that he, his wife, and his children will never again see their friends and family. Witness Protection also features Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Forest Whitaker. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Sizemore, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, (more)
- 1999
- R
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A surreal crime drama told as only Jim Jarmusch could, Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai stars Forest Whitaker as Ghost Dog, a hit man living in an unidentified but run-down city in what license plates call "The Industrialized State." Known for his gift of being able to come and go without people noticing him, Ghost Dog is a self-taught samurai who is obsessed with order and his strict personal moral code, drawn from the philosophies of the Japanese warriors. As every samurai needs a leader to whom he swears loyalty, Ghost Dog has devoted himself the service of Louie (John Tormey), a low-level crime boss who once saved his life. When Louie's superiors decide he must be executed, Ghost Dog leaps into action, methodically wiping out his many enemies. Along with a dizzying series of stylized shoot-outs, Ghost Dog also features carrier pigeons, characters who read Rashomon, a French-speaking ice cream man, and a score by RZA from the top-selling hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan, who have their own well-documented obsession with Asian culture. Ghost Dog was screened in competition at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Forest Whitaker, John Tormey, (more)
- 1998
- R
After the low-budget Squeeze (1996), Boston director Robert Patton-Spruill climbed to a higher plateau by assembling a strong cast of top names for this art-heist actioner, but even so, the film went straight to video in the USA. Four men botch a Boston art museum theft, blaming Latino Chino (John Leguizamo) for the death of group leader Crane (Forest Whitaker). Security-systems expert Pike (Ving Rhames) wants to get to Miami to sell the stolen paintings solo, but eroding trust keeps the group together as Pike, Chino, driver Hobbs (David Caruso), and Booker (Donnie Wahlberg) travel south through Maryland and West Virginia. An argument between Booker and Hobbs ends with Booker's death, so Hobbs then turns his attention to baiting Chino, while flashbacks recap the original robbery plan. Then suddenly the road movie veers in another direction as the gang gives a lift to a woman (Linda Fiorentino) sporting a black eye after a car crash. Forest Whitaker is seen only in the flashbacks. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Caruso, Linda Fiorentino, (more)
Actor/director Forest Whitaker (Waiting to Exhale) helmed this romantic drama about a one-time high-school beauty queen who returns to her hometown of Smithville, TX. The Steven Rogers screenplay begins in Chicago, where blonde Connie (Rosanna Arquette, uncredited) appears on a trashy daytime talk show and tells a nationwide TV audience about her affair with the husband of her best friend, Birdie Pruitt (Sandra Bullock). Walking into the ambush, Birdie is paraded forth for a public humiliation as Connie's claim is confirmed by husband Bill (Michael Paré). Birdie and her young daughter, Bernice (Mae Whitman), then move back to Texas to live with Birdie's eccentric mother, Ramona (Gena Rowlands), a taxidermist who has filled the house with stuffed animals. Since most of Smithville saw the TV show, embarrassment keeps Birdie sitting around the house in her pajamas; however, her moment of glory as the homecoming "Queen of Corn" has not been forgotten by handyman Justin Matisse (Harry Connick Jr.), the first guy who kissed her back in high school, so a romance soon begins. "Just give hope a chance to float up and it will," says Birdie. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sandra Bullock, Harry Connick, Jr., (more)
- 1996
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In this inspirational sports drama, a talented but drug-addicted basketball player cleans up his act and devotes his life to teaching Harlem children to play the game. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Cheadle, James Earl Jones, (more)
Director Jon Turteltaub followed up the hit While You Were Sleeping (1995) with this fantasy similar to Charly (1968) and a film from the previous year, Powder (1994). John Travolta stars as George Malley, a humble mechanic in a rural California town. On his 37th birthday, George celebrates at a pub with friends Nate (Forest Whitaker) and Doc (Robert Duvall), the local physician. When he steps outside, George observes a bright light in the sky that knocks him briefly unconscious. When he awakens, George has incredible intellectual powers. He checks books out of the library in armfuls, becomes an inventor, a psychic, has telekinetic powers, predicts an earthquake, and memorizes Portuguese in minutes. Using his newfound powers, George becomes a hero, but he can't totally win over the spooked townsfolk or the standoffish Lace (Kyra Sedgwick), a single mom burned by love once too often. As George's kindness breaks down Lace's reserve and a romance begins, his fame spreads, bringing him to the attention of the FBI and curious university scientists. Similarities between George's powers and the alleged benefits of Travolta's religion, Scientology, led to charges that the film was veiled pro-Scientology propaganda. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, (more)
