Patrick Williams Movies
- 1997
A modern-day prodigal son, Isaiah Dockett (Rick Schroder) returns to his family farm in Nebraska after a six-year absence. Although he is welcomed back by his ailing mother Edith (Carroll Baker) and younger brother Jacob (Gabriel Mann), and is even able to platonically reconnect with his now-married former girlfriend Susan Doyle (Kim Dickens), Isaiah is unable to penetrate the wall of resentment that his taciturn and unforgiving father Arliss (Richard Crenna) has built around himself. Only when the farm is threatened by a raging flood are Isaiah and Arliss able to come to any sort of an understanding--but will it be permanent, or will it wash away once the waters have receded? Filmed in Alberta, the made-for-TV Heart Full of Rain first aired on October 5, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
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Not only is the teeming metropolis of Isola in the grips of its worst heat wave in history, but the city is also in the thrall of a serial rapist who is targeting his previous victims. Hoping to stop the predator in his tracks, police detective Eileen Burke (Erika Eleniak) goes undercover, posing as one of those prior victims -- only to be raped for real by the elusive assailant. Thus does the search for the perpetrator become a personal mission, especially for Eileen's detective boyfriend, Bert Kling (Paul Johansson). Along the way, the media's culpability in making celebrities out of scumbag criminals is carefully scrutinized, dissected, and condemned. Inspired by Evan Hunter's popular "87th Precinct" novels (written under Hunter's nom de plume , Ed McBain), this made-for-TV thriller features most of Hunter's familiar recurring characters, among them detectives Meyer Meyer (Paul Ben-Victor) and Steve Carella (Dale Midkiff), as well as Carella's deaf-mute wife, Teddy (Andrea Ferrell). Ed McBain's 87th Precinct: Heatwave made its ABC network bow on January 12, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Gross, Dale Midkiff, (more)
A man brings new life to a small town by announcing that he's killing himself in this low-key comedy-drama that marked a significant change of pace for star Christian Slater. Julian Po (Slater) is a quiet, unassuming bookkeeper -- so quiet and unassuming, in fact, that most people hardly notice that he exists, as his life quietly slips by. Julian has few friends and little to look forward to in life, so one day he decides to commit suicide. One of his few ambitions in life has been to see the ocean, so Julian plans to take one final vacation in which he'll visit the seashore before doing himself in. En route to the coast, Julian's car breaks down in a small town so obscure that the name isn't even posted at the city limits. Julian's plan is to spend the night, get the car fixed, and move on, so he stops to get a room at Vern's Boarding House, where Vern himself (Michael Parks) informs Julian that he almost never has guests. In fact, the town gets so few visitors that most of the locals view Julian with tremendous suspicion, especially the Mayor (Harve Presnell) and the Sheriff (Frankie R. Faison). After his car disappears, Julian decides to tell everyone, while eating at the only diner in town, that he means them no harm and has not come to cause any trouble -- he's merely decided to go somewhere to kill himself. Suddenly, everyone's attitude towards him changes; at once expressing admiration for his determination and concern for his well-being, the whole town tries to leap to his rescue, and as they gently try to convince Julian to go on living, they gain a new lease on life -- especially Sarah (Robin Tunney), a beautiful but lonely woman who has fallen in love with the quiet stranger. Julian Po was the first feature film for writer and director Alan Wade; it was also released as The Tears of Julian Po. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christian Slater, Robin Tunney, (more)
- 1997
Ruthless social climber Celeste Cooper (Joanna Kerns) is determined to maneuver her grown daughter Laurel (Christine Elise) into a wealthy and prestigious marriage. But Laurel wants no part of her mom's machinations and weds the likeable but "socially undesirable" Ted Rogers (Grant Show). After doing everything in her power to break up the marriage, the increasingly unhinged Celeste decides to take Ted out of the picture permanently--by hiring a hit man. Purportedly based on an actual event, the made-for-TV Mother Knows Best was first seen over the ABC network on April 13, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Pragmatic businesswoman Gail Metzger (Joanna Kerns) has never seen eye to eye with her eccentric sister Renee (Debrah Farentino), a bad situation made worse when the two women butt heads over a real estate deal. Later on, Renee turns up dead, an apparent suicide. But as more "facts" come to surface, the police change their minds about Renee's demise--and Gail is suspected of murder. In her efforts to find out what really happened, Gail is enveloped in a frightening atmosphere of suspense and mysticism. Adapted fromBarbara L. Parker's novel Suspicion of Innocence, the made-for-TV Sisters and Other Strangers made its initial CBS network appearance on May 6, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joanna Kerns, Debrah Farentino, (more)
The tragic story of the Ruby Ridge "massacre" has been so thoroughly covered and disseminated by the mainstream press that to add anything here would be pointless. Suffice to say that the two-part TV movie The Siege at Ruby Ridge uses the facts at hand to show how the tragedy occurred, and how but for a multitude of blunders and miscommunications on both sides, it could all have been avoided. Randy Quaid stars as white separatist Randy Weaver, who for ten terrible days in 1992 barricaded himself, his family, and a number of zealous followers in a tiny refuge on a remote Idaho mountaintop, while 200 government agents surrounded Weaver's headquarters with orders to arrest Weaver's group alive -- if possible. The catalyst for the crisis is of course Randy Weaver himself, though his wife Vicki (Laura Dern) is shown to be just as rigid, stubborn, and foolhardy as her husband -- maybe even more so. Ultimately, blood is shed and lives are lost, the result of such gross ineptitude that the ramifications of the tragedy would reverberate for decades to come. Featured in the cast is Laura Dern's real-life mother, Diane Ladd, and, in the small role of the Weaver's daughter, a very young Kirsten Dunst. The Siege at Ruby Ridge first aired over CBS on May 19 and 21, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randy Quaid, Laura Dern, (more)
- 1996
Rita Rudner was both co-writer and co-star of this multi-plotted romantic comedy, set in a bed and breakfast in the middle of Southern California's wine country. In the course of the film's 90 minutes, a number of curiously matched couples will find true romance -- and sometimes even true happiness. Standout performances amongst the star-studded cast include Rita Rudner's turn as a pregnant food critic, Jack Lemmon as a desperate concert promoter, and Dudley Moore as a lonely vintner. Made for cable television, A Weekend in the Country debuted June 12, 1996, on the USA network; a mildly R-rated version was later prepared for home video release. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Faith Ford, Christine Lahti, (more)
- 1995
Another Tom Clancy political thriller is put to film with this made-for-television movie. Harry Hamlin stars as Paul Hood, the new director of an obsolete government crisis management center. Hood is assigned to downsize the center, but during first day on the job some nuclear warheads are hijacked by terrorists. Hood has to rise to the occasion and prove himself as a leader in unfamiliar territory. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Hamlin, Deidre Hall, (more)
- 1995
Originally made for cable television, this biographical drama chronicles the life of Huey P. Long (John Goodman), whose corrupt political machine dominated Louisiana for years. The movie opens with a 1930's newsreel giving a report on Long's plan to a run for U.S. President while depicting him as a demagogue in the tradition of Hitler and Mussolini. Shortly after the newsreel, Long is gunned down by an assassin, and the story is told in flashbacks as he reflects on his rise from humble beginnings, to Governor of Louisiana, and on to U.S. Senator. Long's power in his home state eventually bordered on dictatorship, but he received widespread support from the poor and disenfranchised because of his populist programs, such as providing free schoolbooks and building rural roads. The film also shows the private man behind the public persona, including a poignant scene at a relative's funeral where Long's father reproaches him for lying about his family to garner votes. Goodman was Emmy-nominated for his performance. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1995
Kellie Martin stars as a teen wrongly accused of setting a deadly arson fire in this made-for-television drama. Martin plays Billie Calhoun, a girl who has been held in a juvenile detention facility since being accused of killing her mother and sister in a fire. Up for a possible early release on her 18th birthday, Billie is again denied her freedom. Steadfastly denying any involvement and determined to find out the truth on her own, Billie escapes from the center. Out on her own, she disguises herself and befriends a young cop named Matt Samoni (Antonio Sabato Jr), and together they set out to uncover the truth. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
Based on the novel by Truman Capote, this often-witty coming-of-age drama looks at a young man growing up with an unusual family in the Deep South in the 1940s. After the death of his parents, Collin Fenwick (Edward Furlong) finds himself living in a small town with two of his aunts, Dolly (Piper Laurie) and Verena (Sissy Spacek). Verena is the more stable of the two, an entrepreneur who controls a number of local businesses and rules the roost with a firm hand. Dolly, on the other hand, is a gentle eccentric who claims to hear the voices of the dead as the wind whistles through the grass, and has developed a homemade concoction that supposedly cures dropsy. Dolly's potion attracts the attention of Morris Ritz (Jack Lemmon), a smooth-talking con man from Chicago who wants to snatch the formula away from her. Along the way, Collin also gets to know Catherine (Nell Carter), Verena and Dolly's quick-witted house maid; Amos (Roddy McDowall), a barber who is also the town's one-man rumor mill; Charlie Cool (Walter Matthau), a charmingly cynical retired judge with an opinion about everything; and Sister Ida (Mary Steenburgen), an accordion-toting traveling evangelist who has had a heroic brood of 13 children without benefit of marriage. The Grass Harp was directed by Charles Matthau, the son of Walter Matthau. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Piper Laurie, Sissy Spacek, (more)
- 1995
Shirley Maclaine stars as a reclusive piano player in this made-for-television movie based on the play by Ernest Thompson. Maclaine plays Margaret Mary Elderdice, a loner-type who befriends her next-door neighbor and violinist Cara Varnum (Liza Minnelli) only so the two can play music together. Margaret's life takes a turn into new territory and expands beyond its small confines though, with the addition of her young, aspiring-actress housemaid (Jennifer Grey). ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1994
The sensitive topic of the working mother is the subject of this made-for-television movie. Anne Archer stars as Abby, the working, single mother of a 6-year-old. Abby shares her son with her husband by alternating custodial weekends with him. At first, she enjoys the freedom it affords her to advance her career. When her re-married ex-husband Ted (John Heard) gets pangs for more custodial rights, he decides to take her to court for full-time parental custody, and he has a fighting chance because of Abby's demanding career. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
This made-for-TV crime drama follows the actions of the courageous, determined prosecutor who attempted to put notorious Mafioso John Gotti behind bars. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Kirk Douglas has the starring role in this made-for-television drama which is based on the novel The Lies Boys Tell by Lamar Herrin. Douglas stars as Ed Reece, an elderly man who decides that he wants to spend his final days back in the town where he was born. He persuades his grown son to make the journey with him for a long goodbye. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Geronimo is a made-for-cable dramatization of the violent life and times of the legendary Apache warrior. Geronimo is one of the most accurate and balanced accounts of the Indian leader's life. The video release of the film included 10 extra minutes of footage. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joseph Running Fox, August Schellenberg, (more)
- 1993
Produced for the USA cable service, Accidental Meeting stars Linda Purl as Maryanne and Linda Gray as Jennifer. Meeting by chance, the two women begin discussing the men in their life. Maryanne expresses a wish to see her boss dead, while Jennifer would sooner see an odious male of her acquaintance drop dead. When Maryanne's hateful employer is killed, Jennifer re-enters her life, admitting to the murder and demanding equal reciprocation. While Accidental Meeting's 1951 role model Strangers on a Train is virtually suitable for the whole family, the later film is laden with "parental guidance suggested" violence and sex. Accidental Meeting premiered March 17, 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Purl, Linda Gray, (more)
- 1993
A tough congresswoman tries to keep her family together after her son-in-law dies in a car crash. This Emmy-nominated made-for-television drama follows her efforts and her reaction when she learns that drugs were involved. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Following up the goofy big-screen comedies Dragnet and Delirious, director Tom Mankiewicz delivered this made-for-cable thriller starring Tony Goldwyn and Lynn Whitfield. After witnessing a murder, Goldwyn finds himself pursued by a group of thugs led by mafia boss Alan Arkin. Whitfield stars as the detective assigned to ensure that Goldwyn not only doesn't flee out of fear for his life, but stays alive long enough to testify at the murder trial. Along the way, as the two spend more time together, a romance ensues. Peter Boyle, George Segal and Will Patton round out the cast, and the film was scripted by Dan Gordon who would later gain noteriety as a scribe on 1999's The Hurricane. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lynn Whitfield, Tony Goldwyn, (more)
The erotic thriller French Silk stars Susan Lucci as the owner of a very successful lingerie company. An influential television preacher who has spoken out against her and her company dies. The lead detective (Lee Horsley) into the death believes she is the number one suspect, but he also begins a sexual affair with her. Soon she begins to get him to act in ways that may be detrimental to his own investigation. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Horsley
- 1993
The miserable life and long-overdue death of thrill killer Charles Starkweather is the basis of the two-part TV movie Murder in the Heartland. Over a bloody few months in 1958, Starkweather (Tim Roth), a 19-year-old high school dropout, embarked on a killing spree, snuffing out 11 victims. Along for the ride was Charlie's 14-year-old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate (Fairuza Balk). The debate still goes on as to whether Caril Ann was a willing accomplice or a reluctant prisoner; as played by Ms. Balk, she comes off as dumb as mud. A shorter, fictionalized account of the Starkweather killings was offered in the critically acclaimed 1973 theatrical feature Badlands, starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek. Murder in the Heartland originally aired May 3 and 4, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Roth, Fairuza Balk, (more)
Can a rough and tumble hockey player and a snooty ice dancer find love and a gold medal at the same time? That's the burning (or more appropriately freezing) question in this romantic drama. Kate Moseley (Moira Kelly) is a world-class figure skater training for the Olympics; she has genuine talent, but years of being spoiled by her wealthy family have made her all but impossible to work with. Doug Dorsey (D.B. Sweeney) is a hockey player with drive, skill, and a full complement of arrogance; his team is also on the fast track to the Olympics. Unfortunately, an eye injury suffered during a game affects Doug's peripheral vision enough to put him on the bench for the rest of the season. At the same time, Kate's colossal ego scares off yet another skating partner, and her coach, Anton (Roy Dotrice), needs to find a replacement as soon as possible. Desperate to stay in Olympic competition, Doug agrees to try working as Kate's partner, even though he has a hockey player's macho contempt for figure skating. Needless to say, the first few practices between Kate and Doug do not go well, but in time they learn to work together and become a pair to be reckoned with both on and off the ice. The Cutting Edge was released within a few months of the 1992 Winter Olympic Games. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- D.B. Sweeney, Moira Kelly, (more)
