Robert Benedetti Movies
Don Cheadle, Mekhi Phifer, and Cicely Tyson star in this drama set in the 1940s about a black man sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit and teacher who is to counsel him as he awaits execution. A Lesson Before Dying is based on a novel by Ernest J. Gaines. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don Cheadle, Cicely Tyson, (more)
Produced for the HBO cable network, this docudrama explores the social and ethical issues at the heart of the infamous Tuskegee Study of Untreated Blacks With Syphilis. From 1932 through 1972, the U.S. Public Health Service studied 600 poor African-American sharecroppers in Macon County, AL -- 399 chronic syphilitics and a 201-man healthy control group. Doctors treated the men with placebos, hid the true nature of their research, and withheld penicillin even after it became the standard and highly effective treatment for the disease in the mid-'40s. Although the experiment was hardly a secret, it was not until the early '70s that a public outcry developed; by then, all but 127 of the original study group had died. A class-action lawsuit obtained modest financial reparations for the participants and their descendants, but it was not until 1997 that President Bill Clinton offered an official government apology for the study. Framed as a series of flashbacks during the 1971 congressional hearings about the experiment, the film employs the viewpoint of Eunice Evers (Alfre Woodard), a local nurse who knew of the study's true nature, but devoted her life to caring for the men as they suffered horrifying physical and mental debilities and eventually died. The film charts her warm personal relationships with many of the participants -- the title refers to a singing and dancing troupe named in her honor -- and her failed romance with Caleb Humphries (Laurence Fishburne), an experimental subject who obtained penicillin from a military doctor and left the study to fight in World War II. Miss Evers' Boys was adapted from the play by David Feldshuh, which was itself based on the book Bad Blood: The Tuskegee Syphilis Experiment by James H. Jones. Although fictionalized, the title character is based on the real-life Eunice Rivers. The film won three Emmy Awards, including top acting honors for Woodard. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- 1996
- PG
This modern TV-movie update of the Oscar Wilde tale is noteworthy for a grandiose performance by Patrick Stewart as the melancholy spectre of Sir Simon Canterville, doomed to wander the corridors of his vast estate for the past four centuries in guilt and despair over his wife's suicide. Stewart first makes himself known to an intelligent, angst-ridden teenager (Neve Campbell), who spends much of the film's runtime trying to convince her father of Simon's existence. Failing this, she changes tactics, searching instead for a way of putting his weary soul to rest. Despite its apparent production flaws -- particularly the staid, movie-of-the-week feel -- this is still worth a look thanks to enjoyable performances from Stewart and Campbell, both of whom seem to relish their roles. This film was features on the Wonderworks, family TV series. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Stewart, Neve Campbell, (more)
- 1989
After working at the publishing house for only a few months, Carol (Tracey Gold) is rewarded with a major promotion to the Punctuation Department. Her head spinning, Carol decides to enter the job force immediately--and not attend college. But Jason (Alan Thicke) and Maggie (Joanna Kerns) have other ideas, and they aren't averse to expressing those ideas in the loudest and most emphatic words at their disposal! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
If you liked the 1941 Johnny Weissmuller opus Tarzan's New York Adventure, you'll go ape (sorry!) over the made-for-TV Tarzan in Manhattan. The Jungle Lord uncovers an insidious plot by a covetous scientist to enhance the natural IQ of African monkeys. To prevent his beloved Cheetah from falling into the hands of vivisectionists, Tarz heads for New York, where he meets his Jane (Kim Crosby) -- a wisecracking cabbie. Tony Curtis plays Jane's father, barely justifying his "special guest star" credit. Tarzan in Manhattan was the pilot for a TV series that just plain didn't swing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
William Katt, Catherine Oxenberg and Nia Peeples star in this comedy about an advertising agency who are about to lose their biggest client, the Saltaire Swimwear Company, until they come up with a brilliant idea -- create a swimsuit model talent search. Saltaire loves the idea and the media eats it up, but the contestants prove to be more trouble than anyone expected. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1989
When her enrollment at Columbia University is delayed until spring, Carol (Tracey Gold) is beside herself. To get his daughter up and running again, Jason (Alan Thicke) advises Carol to spend the next semester in the "University of Life"--or in other words, to look for a job. As it turns out, the "University of Life" is more like the proverbial School of Hard Knocks. Robert Benedetti and Beans Morocco make their first series appearances as Carol's new coworkers Ike and Big Al. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
An astrophysicist falls in love with a beautiful woman who is actually a disguised extraterrestrial in this high-concept comedy. Dan Aykroyd plays Steven Mills, a dedicated and harmlessly odd scientist researching ways to send radio signals to deep space. Unbeknownst to him, one of his experiments works better than expected, attracting the attention of an alien in need of help. She travels to Earth and poses as a human, assuming the name Celeste and the body of Kim Basinger. Celeste's lack of knowledge about humanity causes her to act bizarrely at times, but her odd behavior unexpectedly causes Mills to fall in love with her. The confused Celeste decides to play along for her planet's sake, but she finds her plan threatened by Mills' teenage daughter Jessie (Alyson Hannigan), who has become suspicious of Celeste after witnessing some odd behavior. The culture clash between Celeste's planet and Earth serves as an excuse for broad slapstick and sitcom-style humor, such as Celeste's fumbling efforts to enact the human ritual of "kissing." ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Aykroyd, Kim Basinger, (more)
- 1988
In this crime drama set in LA during the '40s, an infamous Hollywood madam is arrested and mayhem ensues as the names of her famous patrons, among them government officials and policemen, are revealed. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Hospitalized for appendicitis, Cliff (John Ratzenberger) is miffed when none of the Cheers gang pays him a visit. Figuring that his abrasive personality has driven away his friends, Cliff returns to the bar a newer, kinder, gentler man. Once they've gotten over the shock of this transformation, Cliff's chums begin to miss the obnoxious blowhard they all know so well. Meanwhile, Rebecca (Kirstie Alley) braces for an interview with a Boston lifestyles magazine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This lightweight and slightly ribald comedy marks the feature film debut of Elvira (Cassandra Peterson), a buxom seductress best known for hosting a popular syndicated television show that features wonderfully bad old horror movies. After losing her latest job for refusing to sleep with her new boss, Elvira tries to launch a Vegas career. Just before that scheme falls flat, she finds salvation when an aunt dies and leaves her a huge old New England mansion. When the black-clad and sexy Elvira, with her flamboyant make-up and acres of cleavage hit the town, she creates an instant scandal amongst the old folks and inspires lusty dreams in the minds of the young. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cassandra Peterson, Edie McClurg, (more)
Ivan Reitman directed this film, starring Robert Redford, Debra Winger, and Daryl Hannah, that is an amalgam of a thriller, courtroom drama, mystery and Tracy-Hepburn romantic comedy, with a little Mark Rothko-type scandal thrown in. The film revolves around troubled Chelsea Deardon (Daryl Hannah) who as an eight-year-old girl witnessed her father, a famous artist, perishing in a blaze along with his valuable art works. Twenty years later, Chelsea is arrested for stealing one of her father's paintings from an unscrupulous New York art dealer. She claims many more of her father's paintings survived the fire long ago. Defending Chelsea is lawyer Laura Kelly (Debra Winger). Pitted against her is suave district attorney Tom Logan (Robert Redford). Laura thinks if Tom knew the facts behind the case, he would reconsider and exonerate Chelsea. He doesn't, but one night when Chelsea appears at his doorstep, he does permit her to seduce him. The next morning, one of the art dealers involved in the case is found dead, and Chelsea is found in Tom's apartment. Chelsea becomes the prime suspect in the murder and Tom's career is ruined. Inexplicably, Laura hires Tom to help her defend Chelsea. The two lawyers, in researching their defense, not only uncover a scandal involving art dealership, but also fall in love. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Redford, Debra Winger, (more)
