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Linda Kash
Austin Powers trilogy star Mike Myers collaborates with writer Graham Gordy for this comedy concerning a self-help guru named Pitka (Myers) who devotes his life to unknotting the romantic entanglements of troubled couples. As a young child, Pitka is abandoned at the gates of an ashram in India and taken in by kindly gurus. An American by birth, Pitka absorbs the lessons taught to him by his teachers and later returns to the United States to become a leading authority on spirituality and self-help. While Pitka's methods are decidedly unorthodox, they may be the only means of ensuring that the Toronto Maple Leafs win the coveted Stanley Cup. Maple Leafs star Darren Roanoke (Romany Malco) is in trouble. His estranged wife has recently begun dating L.A. Kings star Jacques Grande (Justin Timberlake) in a vengeful effort to send her husband's career into a tailspin, and when Roanoke starts to falter on the ice, the whole team starts to suffer. As their visions of leading the Maple Leafs to the Stanley Cup are quickly going up in flames, team owner Jane Bullard (Jessica Alba) and Coach Cherkov (Verne Troyer) enlist the aid of the world's best-known relationship expert in restoring the peace between Roanoke and his wife, and getting their team back on track to the championships. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mike Myers, Jessica Alba, (more)
Having decided to ditch the city in favor of the suburbs, a newly formed family purchases a quaint "fixer-upper" that proves to be more trouble than they could have ever anticipated in a rollicking family comedy that's half sequel to Are We There Yet?, and half remake of Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House. Nick (Ice Cube) and Suzanne (Nia Long) have tied the knot, and now the couple is looking for a suitable home in which to raise their family. What better place to bring up adolescents Lindsey (Aleisha Allen) and Kevin (Philip Daniel Bolden) than a quiet house in the suburbs? Despite their outward excitement at the prospect of moving into their very own home, the family soon discovers that dreams don't come easy as eccentric contractor Chuck Mitchell (John C. McGinley) clashes with the head of the family while forming a frustratingly close bond with his wife and two step-children. As the promising fixer-upper begins to pose a serious threat to the burgeoning family's bank account, Nick gradually begins to realize that the suburban dream doesn't come cheap. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Good Morning, Vietnam duo Barry Levinson and Robin Williams re-team to tell the tale of a quick-witted radio talk-show host whose fanciful bid for the presidency becomes a surprising reality in the one political comedy that truly speaks for the people. When talk show host Tom Dobbs (Robin Williams) makes an offhand comment that he would be a better president than the leader who currently occupies the White House, a grassroots campaign conducted by his legions of fans finds him unexpectedly ushered into the Oval Office and forced to live up to his promise. Unfortunately for Dobbs, the revelation that his surprise victory was actually the result of a voting computer glitch and not majority vote leaves the outspoken funnyman struggling with the decision to stay the course in the Oval Office or head back behind the microphone where he is truly in his element. Laura Linney, Christopher Walken, Jeff Goldblum, and Lewis Black co-star the satirical comedy scripted and directed by Levinson. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Williams, Laura Linney, (more)
The true story of an athlete who achieved his greatest success against the most daunting odds of his life is brought to the screen in this historical drama. In the 1920s, James Braddock (Russell Crowe) from Bergen, NJ, was a promising contender in professional boxing; he had strength, spirit, and tenacity, but the combination of a serious hand injury and a 1929 defeat in a bout with light heavyweight champ Tommy Loughran sent his career into a serious tailspin. As Braddock's career in the ring dried up, the Great Depression put a stake through the heart of America's economy, and Braddock found himself working at the New York docks for pitiful wages as he tried to support his wife, Mae (Renée Zellweger), and three children. Desperate for money, Braddock turned to his former trainer and manager Joe Gould (Paul Giamatti), who was unexpectedly able to scare up a bout for him, battling John Griffin at Madison Square Garden. While conventional wisdom had it that Braddock was too old, out of shape, and out of practice to have any chance of winning, he defeated Griffin, and continued beating his opponents with a powerful left hook that had been intensified by years of punishing dock work. In a nation desperate for good news, Braddock's surprising comeback became a tonic to struggling workers and unemployed people, and all eyes were on Braddock when in 1935 he took on powerful heavyweight champion Max Baer (Craig Bierko) in what was both literally and figuratively the fight of his life. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, (more)
- 2003
The made-for-cable biopic Full Court Miracle is the true story of Lamont Carr, here played by Richard T. Jones. A college basketball star, Lamont seems to be a shoo-in for the Philadelpha 76ers until he is permanently sidelined by a knee injury. Seeking out employment in his chosen profession, Lamont is invited to be head coach of the Philadelphia Hebrew Academy Lions, a Yeshiva team captained by Alex Schlotsky (Alex D. Linz). Despite the obvious cultural schism between the African-American Carr and his Jewish players, Jason is determined to pull the Lions out of the cellar and lead them to victory at the Liberty Basketball Tournament -- and as part of his strategy, he invokes the heroic example of Judah and the Maccabees. First telecast on the Disney Channel, Full Court Miracle was originally shown on November 21, 2003 -- coincidentally during Hanukkah week. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard T. Jones, Alex D. Linz, (more)
- 2002
Not long after the wife of former San Francisco Police Commissioner Harry Ashcombe (John Bourgeois) disappears, the woman's body, buried in a mudslide, is located by self-styled psychic Dolly Flint (Linda Kash). Recognizing Dolly as a notorious con artist, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) has trouble accepting the "miracle" of finding the body--and he also doesn't believe that Mrs. Ashcombe died accidentally. The solution to the mystery may well be in the hands of Aschombe's mistress Jennifer Zeppetelli (Jenny Levine)...and may also hinge on the fact that Dolly Flint is a narcoleptic. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Two of the Disney Channel's brightest young sitcom stars, Hilary Duff (Lizzie Maguire) and Christy Romano (Even Stevens), team up for laughs and tears in the made-for-cable Cadet Kelly. The life of cool, artistically inclined 14-year-old Kelly Collins (Duff) is turned upside down when she is uprooted from Manhattan and whisked off to the campus of George Washington Military School in upstate New York. The move was instigated by Sir (Gary Cole), a retired general and the new husband of Kelly's mother. Hoping to impress her stepfather, Kelly enlists in the school, where her freewheeling eccentricities immediately run afoul of her hard-hearted, 17-year-old squad leader, Jennifer Stone (Romano). Though Kelly does her best, the pressure brought to bear upon her by military protocol is enough to have her contemplating desertion -- and even her growing fondness for upper classman, Brad (Shawn Ashmore), may not be enough to bring her back. Originally broadcast by the Disney Channel on March 8, 2002, Cadet Kelly made its ABC network debut on July 14, 2002, as an episode of the weekend "Wonderful World of Disney" anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hilary Duff, Christy Romano, (more)
Diane Keaton stars in this adaptation of Christopher Durang's popular one-act play Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All for You as Sister Mary, a nun who teaches at a parochial school and has very firmly held ideas about sin, forgiveness, and the importance of church doctrine. As Sister Mary delivers a lecture on sin and its consequences, she's interrupted by several of her former students, who have little positive to say about how a Catholic education has impacted their lives. Sister Mary Explains It All also stars Brian Benben, Jennifer Tilly, and Wallace Langham; it was produced for the Showtime premium cable network, where it first aired in May 2001. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diane Keaton, Brian Benben, (more)
Slapstick handyman Ernest is in love and wants to buy a bauble for his gal Renee, so he goes to a local flea market and buys a couple of shiny faux jewels. He has no idea that they are real and that they were stolen from a sacred African idol by a crooked adventurer. He also does not know that a villainous Arab prince is impatiently waiting for the stones to arrive. and so he thinks nothing of making the cheap "rocks" into a yo-yo. When the explorer's henchmen discover that the witless Ernest has the jewels, they kidnap him and his girlfriend to the "Dark Continent" where they have all kinds of crazy, comical adventures. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Varney, Linda Kash, (more)
- 1996
- R
In this comedy, a financially-strapped family tries to impress their neighbors by pretending to leave on an expensive vacation. In truth, the family is hiding out in their home, hoping that no one will discover them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Naughton, Linda Kash, (more)
- 1994
In this zany, slapstick comedy, earnest-but-dim high-school janitor Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) becomes much brighter after he tinkers with an experimental machine for boosting intelligence. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Varney, Linda Kash, (more)
- 1993
- PG
Ernest P. Worrell (Jim Varney) inadvertently finds the long-missing British crown jewels (the tower of London contains fake jewels, according to the film) after he stumbles over a half-buried cannon from the Revolutionary War on the campus of the university where he works. This dim-bulbed comedy (the fifth in the Ernest film series) chronicles his bungling adventures. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Varney, Linda Kash, (more)
- 1992
When a divorced couple discovers that they are still legally married, their lives are further complicated by an old lover who wants to do a takeover on their successful swimwear business. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eugene Levy, Linda Kash, (more)
- 1985
Manhattan-based writer David Carradine falls victim to AIDS in As Is. Virtually abandoned by friends and family, Carradine is looked after by his gay lover, photographer Jonathan Hadary. Based on a play by William M. Hoffman, As Is wisely avoids editorial comment on the principals' lifestyle, nor does it wallow in the tragedy of the situation. As directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg, the film never quite overcomes the staginess of its source material; its principal strength lies in the byplay between its stars. The film was produced for cable television in 1985, and telecast early in 1986. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
