Beverly Archer Movies

Returning to his home town after the death of the grandfather who raised him, slick and cynical Wall Street trader Will Martin (Neil Patrick Harris) feels decidedly out of place, and not at all in tune with the Christmas preparations being made by the local citizenry. But Will isn't really taking a sentimental journey at all: He's merely in town to modernize and streamline his family's real-estate company. While going through his grandfather's effects, Will and his grandmother (Debbie Reynolds) come across the old man's diary--which reveals a lengthy relationship with a woman named Lillian. Determined to locate this mystery mistress (if indeed that's who Lillian is), Will learns a few vital lessons about love, forgiveness, and recapturing the Yuletide spirit that has so long eluded him. Adapted from a novel by Richard Siddoway, the made-for-TV The Christmas Wish premiered December 6, 1998, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Brady Bunch Movie pays tribute to the 1970s TV show while poking gentle fun at it. The Brady family, led by father Mike (Gary Cole), still live in their suburban, split-level home and are still throwbacks to the era that spawned them. Eternally perky wife Carol (Shelley Long) is the perfect homemaker, while the kids' behavior is as wholesome as their loud, time-warp pastel clothes. Meanwhile, the greedy, selfish modern era swirls dangerously around them, embodied in next-door neighbor and real estate agent Ditmeyer (Michael McKean), who wants to buy the Bradys' property and turn the neighborhood into a giant mall. But no amount of money or prodding can persuade the Bradys to give up their home. Director Betty Thomas contrasts the overlit sitcom look of the Brady house interiors (faithfully recreated from the series) with real locations and natural grit for the modern L.A. scenes. The result is a satire that deftly spoofs the idea of staying true to old-fashioned values without ever passing judgment on those values. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

Compelled to do community service, Bud eagerly accepts a job at "Virgin Hotline", an emergency call-in service for girls on the verge of surrending their maidenhood. Needless to say, Bud would rather that the callers--er--consult him first before doing anything rash. Meanwhile, Al and Peg conduct a fruitless search for a good movie at the local video store, which apparently stocks nothing but garbage like Dutch (starring some guy named Ed O'Neill) and such X-rated goodies as Forrest Hump! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When ALF forgets to relay a phone message, Lynn (Andrea Elson) is stuck with two dates for the same dance: Randy Boylan (Mark Clayman) and Danny Duckworth (Ricky Paull Goldin). Unable to figure her way out of this dilemma, Lynn turns to an advice columnist for help. But the cure may be worse than the disease: the only "columnist" available is ALF, alias "Dear Alien." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Michael Ritchie's The Couch Trip follows a long line of Hollywood films (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, The Disorderly Orderly) in which the psychos are seen as saner than the psychiatrists. Charles Grodin plays Dr. George Maitlin, a pompous radio self-help guru, who is having his own personal mental breakdown. Maitlin's lawyer puts in a call to a Cicero, IL, mental facility and the telephone is answered by schizophrenic mental patient John Burns (Dan Aykroyd). Thinking Burns is a crony of Maitlin, Burns is offered the job of replacing Maitlin during his recovery. Of course, Burns accepts the job. Immediately jetted to Los Angeles, Burns meets panhandler Donald Becker (Walter Matthau) at the airport. While wearing the garb of a priest, Becker sounds off against the madness of societal conventions; Burns takes to him immediately and they become fast friends. When Burns assumes command of the airwaves in Maitlin's place, his words of wisdom are so obvious and commonsensical that he is an overnight sensation. Meanwhile, in London, where Maitlin is convalescing, he gets wind of Burns' success. With renewed vigor and outrage, Maitlin leaves his recovery room and hops on a plane back to Los Angeles in an effort to recover his radio show. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

The Tanners' next-door neighbor Trevor Ochmonek (John LaMotta is kicked out of his house by his wife Raquel (Liz Sheridan). In the true spirit of friendship, the Tanners invite Trevor to move in with them--evicting ALF from his lodgings in the process. Upset by this turn of events, ALF does everything in his power to bring the Ochmoneks back together (without revealing his presence, of course!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After the Ochmoneks' home is robbed, a neighborhood-watch group is formed, using the Tanner garage as headquarters. Figuring that he'd better take charge of things, ALF inadvertently sends the group scurrying off in several wrong directions thanks to his false alarms. But circumstances are considerably altered when ALF confronts a prowler in the Ochmoneks' living room. This is the first episode of a two-part story. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide