James McCaffrey Movies
A gifted and prolific character actor noted for often essaying roughshod roles that set him apart by virtue of their quirky charm, James McCaffrey appeared onscreen from the late '80s onward. He did fine work as Roy in The Truth About Cats & Dogs (1996), held his own (as Fred) opposite Paul Giamatti and Hope Davis in American Splendor (2003), and -- in a truly show-stopping bit -- kept the dead alive as the spirit of Tommy Gavin's (Denis Leary) dead firefighter cousin on the envelope-pushing, psychologically tinged comedy drama series Rescue Me. In 2007, McCaffrey appeared in two major theatrical releases that were (to say the least) very different from one another: the romantic comedy Broken English and the musical drama Feel the Noise. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
A single thirtysomething whose friends all seem to be romantically involved, happily married, or with child meets an eccentric Frenchman who shows her just what an amazing place the world can truly be in director Zoe Cassavetes' entry into the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. As if it wasn't depressing enough to be 35 and still single, Nora (Parker Posey) is constantly reminded by her loving but tactless mother (Gena Rowlands) just how unlucky she has been in love. Though Nora longs to enter into a blissful union like the one of her best friend, Audrey (Drea de Matteo), she finds that the dating pool just isn't what it used to be. Things soon begin to look up, however, when Nora makes the acquaintance of handsome Frenchman Julian (Melvil Poupaud). While the two share an instant chemistry that is undeniable, Nora is saddened to learn that Julian will soon be departing for his native soil. When Julian does depart, Nora laments the fact that she wasn't able to express her feelings more effectively. If only Nora could organize her scattered thoughts long enough to remember her love object's last name, she might not have to go searching out every "Julian" in Paris to locate the man of her dreams. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Parker Posey, Melvil Poupaud, (more)
A 21-year-old aspiring hip-hop star from the Bronx is forced to put his career on hold when a gang of local thugs threatens his life and he is forced to seek refuge with his estranged father in Puerto Rico in this musical drama from producer Jennifer Lopez. Rob (Omarion Grandberry) is a New York City rapper who has gotten into hot water in his hometown, and now must flee to Puerto Rico. Upon arriving at his father's home in the Caribbean commonwealth, Rob immediately forms a bond with his half-brother, Javi, who introduces his distant sibling to the seductive sounds of Reggaeton. Rob and Javi's outwardly divergent musical tastes ultimately blend to form a unique new brand of hip-hop-flavored reggae, and they soon begin to gain a loyal following that ultimately leads them both back to New York City. Yet despite Rob's growing popularity in the music industry, the gangsters back in the Bronx are still hell-bent on revenge, and willing to gun him down at the first chance they get. Is Rob's newfound status as a high-profile musical innovator enough to make him bulletproof, or could it be that he's more vulnerable than ever now that he's up on-stage for all the world to see? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Omarion Grandberry, Zulay Henao, (more)
It's another season of challenge and turbulence for Tommy (Denis Leary) and the guys. This season, an arson investigation following the beach house fire targets Tommy; Janet (Andrea Roth) worries that her new baby doesn't like her; Tommy's daughter Colleen (Natalie Distler) runs away from home; and a not-guilty verdict is returned in Uncle Teddy's (Lenny Clarke) manslaughter trial. Also during Season 4 (2007), a beloved character commits suicide, and the crew from 62 Truck is savaged in the press for not being able to save seven children from dying in a tragic fire. Along with the full 13-episode Season 4 run, this set also includes six featurettes, 22 deleted scenes, a gag reel, and more.
- Starring:
- Denis Leary, Jack McGee, (more)
The third season of Denis Leary and Peter Tolan's Emmy(r)-nominated series examines the aftermath of devastating personal losses that the 62 Truck crew experienced at the end of the scorching second season. Tommy is trying to hold his life and team together while dealing with the devastating loss of his son. Franco studies for the lieutenants' exam while "Probie" contemplates the end of this probationary period and now both ponder leaving the house. Lou and Jerry each grapple with - or try to hide from - the financial crises they're facing. And Sean has a good reason for trying to keep the identity of a new woman in his life a secret. They're all falling apart in one way or another ... can Tommy make the only family he has left come back together?
- Starring:
- Denis Leary, Jack McGee, (more)
Tommy Gavin (Denis Leary) is a lifesaver. Whether he is pulling survivors from fiery high-rise infernos or the twisted steel of a subway collision, Gavin takes great pride in leading the heroic but often overwhelmed firefighters of New York City's Truck Company 62. Gavin is also a man drifting between sorrow and anger over a recent separation from his wife (Andrea Roth) and three kids, and recurring memories of comrades and New Yorkers fallen victim. Leary and multiple Emmy Award-winning writer-producer Peter Tolan ("The Larry Sanders Show, Murphy Brown"), the team behind the critically-acclaimed cop drama "The Job", have re-teamed as creators, writers and executive producers of RESCUE ME.
- Starring:
- Denis Leary, Jack McGee, (more)
Directed by Spike Lee, She Hate Me follows John Henry "Jack" Armstrong (Anthony Mackie), who is fired from a posh job in biotechnology after informing the proper authorities of some sketchy business dealings from within the company. Unemployed and desperate for some quick cash, Jack accepts a strange offer -- his ex-girlfriend Fatima (Kerry Washington) says she will pay him generously if he successfully impregnates her. Once word gets out among the lesbian community, Jack is inundated with requests, and is initially quite happy with his new direction in life. However, things -- as they are wont to do -- get complicated. There's his former employer, who is actively trying to pin the blame for their wrongdoings on his shoulders, for one thing, and it isn't long before the moral implications of his life as a sperm donor come to the forefront. The film co-stars John Turturro, Ellen Barkin, Woody Harrelson, Monica Bellucci, and Q-Tip. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Mackie, Kerry Washington, (more)
In season one of the FX network "dramedy" Rescue Me, it is abundantly clear that the harrowing events of September 11, 2001, are still taking their toll on the firefighters of New York City's Engine 62 company even after three years. Senior firefighter Tommy Gavin (Denis Leary) is carrying around so much emotional baggage that he has prompted his wife, Janet (Andrea Roth), to file for divorce. Desperately hoping to remain close to his three children, Tommy moves into the house across the street from his estranged wife, and spends most of the first season trying to drive a wedge between Janet and her current beau, Roger (Jay Potter) -- even though Tommy himself is hardly what one could call celibate. At the same time, our "hero" courts insanity by carrying on spirited conversations with the ghost of his cousin Jimmy (James McCaffrey), a firefighter killed in the line of duty. He goes so far as to promise Jimmy that he'll look after the man's widow; trouble is, he doesn't like what he sees. Elsewhere at Engine 62, Chief Jerry Reilly (Jack McGee) continues to compulsively gamble away not only his life savings but also his future pension; rookie Mike Siletti (Mike Lombardi) is the butt of some truly nasty practical jokes; Franco Rivera's (Daniel Sunjata) serial womanizing catches up with him in appalling fashion; Laura (Diane Farr), the new female member of the previously all-male firefighting team, does her best to bear up against a barrage of cloddish chauvinism; and the ongoing bitter rivalry between the FDNY and the NYPD culminates in a savagely brutal hockey game. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Denis Leary, Jack McGee, (more)
The documentary directing team of Robert Pulcini and Shari Springer Berman makes their narrative feature debut with the biographical comedy drama American Splendor. Harvey Pekar (Paul Giamatti) is a comic book writer inspired by the work of his friend Robert Crumb (James Urbaniak). Pekar writes his comics about the sad monotony of everyday life, based on his own life in Cleveland, OH, working as a file clerk at a veteran's hospital and spending his time reading books and listening to jazz. He meets up with Joyce Brabner (Hope Davis) and they enjoy a depressive relationship together. The filmmakers employ a combination of live-action film, video, and animation, including narration and commentary from the real-life Harvey Pekar. The screenplay was based on Pekar's comic book series American Splendor, which he has been writing since 1976 on Dark Horse Comics, and the 1994 book-length comic Our Cancer Year, written by Pekar and Brabner. American Splendor won the Grand Jury Prize in the Dramatic Competition at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis, (more)
Based on an actual incident at the University of Virginia Medical Center, this made-for-TV drama stars Melissa Gilbert and Rosanna Arquette as Sarah and Linda, two expectant mothers who give birth on the same day in the same hospital. It is not until 18 months after the two women had contentedly gone home with the babies that a DNA test proves the infants were switched at birth thanks to a hospital snafu. Although Sarah and Linda both elect to keep the babies that they've grown to love, they reach an unusual compromise that has profound (and not entirely positive) effects on their respective families and friends -- leading, inevitably, to a heated courtroom battle. Originally telecast by CBS under the title Two Babies: Switched at Birth on November 24, 1999, the film has since been released to video as Mistaken Identity. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melissa Gilbert, Rosanna Arquette, (more)
Actress Polly Draper, best known for her role on the TV series thirtysomething, wrote and co-produced this family drama, as well as playing the female lead. Draper plays Laura, a single mother whose ten-year-old son Miles (Christopher Marquette) is already displaying a remarkable gift as a jazz pianist. However, Miles suffers from a mild case Tourette's Syndrome, a disorder that's not life threatening but causes victims to display a series of pronounced physical and facial tics, as well as occasional emotional outbursts. Miles makes friends with two bartenders at a jazz club, who let the kid sneak in to see shows and eventually introduce him to acclaimed jazz saxophonist Tyrone Pike (Gregory Hines). It seems Tyrone and Miles have something in common -- Tyrone also has Tourette's, but unlike Miles he's learned to disguise his condition with a variety of mannerisms, and prefers not to discuss the matter. Tension develops between the two when Tyrone and Laura develop a mutual attraction, which creates tension between the two musicians and forces Tyrone to confront some personal issues he's spent much of his life avoiding. The Tic Code was shown at the Vancouver Reel to Real Festival, the Berlin Film Festival, the Hamptons Film Festival and the Giffoni Film Festival in 1999 before its run on the Starz! premium cable service. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gregory Hines, Polly Draper, (more)
- 1997
Based on the sprawling novel by Vicki Baum, this convoluted melodrama follows nine people whose lives converge during the days leading up to the tragic August 14, 1937 "Bloody Sunday" bombing in which a major downtown Shanghai hotel was demolished by the Japanese, an event that launched the Sino-Japanese War. The guests include Helen Russell, an enigmatic Russian noblewoman, her alcoholic British spouse Bobbie and Sir Kingsdale Smith, a royal emissary. Other guests are Hutchinson, a wheelchair-bound travel writer and the gossipy Mme. Tissaud. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Agnieszka Wagner, Annie Girardot, (more)
- 1996
With nods in direction of Picture Perfect and Pretty Woman, this romantic comedy opens with classy corporate executive Jane (Dana Wheeler-Nicholson) discovering her boyfriend/colleague John (John Dossett) in bed with another woman. Exiting into the New York night, she grabs a rundown Checker cab, driven by Nick (James McCaffrey). Jane's friend Vickie (Lisa Gay Hamilton), who thinks Jane should make John jealous, hatches a plan that would give taxi-driver Nick a fake executive background with an alias, "Nolan Miller." Falling for this, John suggests Jane invite Nolan to the annual company luncheon. Jane promises Nick an easy $1500 if he will go through with the charade, and he agrees. Then comes the gender-switch on Pretty Woman as Nick gets a Madison Avenue makeover. By this time, naturally, Jane is realizing she's attracted to Nick, and events become triangulated. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, James McCaffrey, (more)
In this updated and gender-reversed variation on Cyrano de Bergerac, Janeane Garofalo stars as Abby, the host of a radio talk show for people who have problems with pets. One day, she gets a call from Brian (Ben Chaplin) who is having trouble with his Great Dane (who enjoys roller skating). After a few minutes on the phone, Brian is immediately taken with Abby, and she's certainly interested in him. However, while Abby is not unattractive, she's terribly self-conscious about her appearance. When he asks her for a description, instead of telling him she's a diminutive brunette with big brown eyes, she describes her neighbor Noelle (Uma Thurman), a tall, rail-thin, blue eyed blonde. When Ben sets up a date, Abby is frantic and convinces Noelle to take her place. However, while Abby sounds smart, witty and charming over the radio (or the telephone), Noelle speaks like -- well, I think the phrase dumb blonde is called for here. Brian becomes puzzled -- why is it Abby is so great on the phone but so inarticulate in person? And what's the story with her friend, the cute brunette who sounds so smart? Noelle is even more confused; she wants to help her friend, but she's finding herself falling for Brian as well. The Truth About Cats and Dogs gave Ben Chaplin his first role in an American film and Janeane Garofalo's first starring turn after several notable supporting performances. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Uma Thurman, Janeane Garofalo, (more)
A grieving widower discovers that the kindness of his late wife's best friend is malevolently motivated in this thriller starring James McCaffrey, John Glover, and Leslie Hope. When his wife passed away he thought he had nothing more to live for. Though at first the comforting embrace of a close friend offered a shining light in his darkest hour, things soon turn pitch black when the shattered widower discovers that the woman isn't afraid to resort to murder in order to cash in on the late woman's lucrative insurance policy. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Cybill Shepherd takes a ride into the dark side in this two-part TV movie, purported based on a true story. Shepherd is cast as wealthy and seductive Phoenix socialite Faith Kelsey, who opts not to get mad but to get even when her husband, Terry (Christopher McDonald), enters into an affair with Stacey Eckhart (Denise Gentile), herself a married woman with children. When Stacey is brutally murdered, the police have great difficulty linking either of the Kelseys to the crime -- and no one has more difficulty than Detective Jay Jensen (Ken Olin), who, entranced by Faith's beauty and charm, concludes that she is as "much a victim" as the dead woman. But as the story unfolds, it becomes painfully clear that Faith has hatched an elaborate scheme to get away with murder, and to cover her tracks by persuading a number of people -- mostly male people -- to help her cover her tracks and leave the dots unconnected. But will Jensen finally wrest free of Faith's alluring spell and see to it that justice is done? And of more importance, can this be done before Faith makes her good her plan to leave the country and totally escape extradition? Telling Secrets was originally seen over NBC on January 17 and 18, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
- R
Three Big Apple prostitutes decide to give up streetwalking and find themselves fabulously wealthy husbands by becoming more cultured. Unfortunately, they are sorely lacking in sophistication, so they go to a highly cultured transvestite for a few lessons in how to be a real ladies. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
