Peter Segal Movies
An individual who ultimately clocked in as one of Hollywood's mainstays for helming male-dominated farces (and demonstrated an adroit hand for working with A-list stars), Peter Segal graduated from the University of Southern California. He forged his first significant professional association with Tom Arnold, for whom he wrote a series of acclaimed specials and worked as a writer on the comic's sitcom The Jackie Thomas Show (1992-1993) during the early '90s. Segal first bowed as a director on the schtick-fest The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994), and thereafter, moved almost exclusively into feature territory with his heaviest emphasis on slapstick. Projects included the Chris Farley yuckfest Tommy Boy (1995), the Dan Aykroyd-Jack Lemmon presidential comedy My Fellow Americans (1996), and the Eddie Murphy vehicle The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000).Shortly thereafter, Segal began a longstanding, multi-film association with comedic actor Adam Sandler and his Happy Madison production banner, for which he turned out Anger Management (2003), 50 First Dates (2004), and The Longest Yard (2005) -- all starring Sandler. Two years after Yard, Village Roadshow tapped Segal to helm the spy comedy Get Smart, starring Steve Carell and Anne Hathaway -- a cinematization of Mel Brooks' 1960s sitcom of the same title. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Re-teaming Adam Sandler with Drew Barrymore, his co-star from The Wedding Singer, as well as Peter Segal, his director on Anger Management, Fifty First Dates finds the funnyman playing veterinarian Henry Roth. More than content with a life of one-night-stands, Henry decides to give up his noncommittal lifestyle when he meets and falls for Lucy (Barrymore). However, when he discovers that Lucy has no short term memory, Henry finds himself having to win her heart again with every new day. Sean Astin and Rob Schneider also star. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, (more)
A man comes face to face with the rage he didn't know he had in this comedy. Dave Buznick (Adam Sandler) is an even-tempered businessman who, after a series of strange misunderstandings on an airline flight, finds himself accused of air rage. A judge sentences Dave to undergo anger management therapy, and he soon finds himself in the care of Dr. Buddy Rydell (Jack Nicholson), a celebrated therapist. However, Dave's group therapy sessions with a handful of truly disturbed individuals -- among them jumpy ex-con Chuck (John Turturro), obsessive sports fan Nate (Jonathan Loughran), slow-burning Lou (Luis Guzman), egocentric Andrew (Allen Covert), and bisexual porn stars Gina and Stacy (Krista Allen and January Jones) -- leave him far more unsettled than when he arrived. Later, when Buddy decides to move into Dave's home for intensive therapy, he soon discovers Buddy has more than a bit of his own anger to resolve, and that no one brings out Dave's deeply buried inner rage quite like Buddy. Anger Management also stars Marisa Tomei as Dave's girlfriend, Linda; in addition, the film features a number of notable actors in cameos, including Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, Ray Liotta, Heather Graham, and Harry Dean Stanton. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Sandler, Jack Nicholson, (more)
40-Year-Old Virgin star Steve Carell steps into the telephonic shoes of television's most beloved bumbling detective in this big-screen adaptation of the hit 1960s-era comedy series created by Mel Brooks. The evil geniuses at KAOS have hatched a diabolical plot to dominate every living man, woman, and child on the planet, and their plot gets under way as they attack the headquarters of the U.S. spy agency Control. As a result of the attack, the identity of every agent working for Control has been compromised. Realizing that the only way to thwart KAOS' evil plan is to promote eager but inexperienced Control analyst Maxwell Smart (Carell) to the rank of special agent, the Chief (Alan Arkin) reluctantly teams Smart with Agent 99 (Anne Hathaway) -- a veteran super-spy whose beauty is only surpassed by her lethality. With no real field experience to speak of and nothing but sheer enthusiasm and a handful of fancy spy gadgets to help him accomplish his deadly mission, Maxwell Smart his new partner, Agent 99, will be forced to faces malevolent KAOS head Siegfried (Terence Stamp) and his loyal army of minions in a decisive fight that will determine the fate of the free world. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, David Koechner, Terry Crews, and Ken Davitian co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, (more)
- 2002
Dismissed by one critic as "John Updike for dummies," the NBC dramedy Hidden Hills was set in the real-life gated suburban Los Angeles community of the same name. Essentially, the series wondered aloud if it was possible for married couples and/or parents to maintain the "traditional" family unit while being bombarded from all sides by the laissez-faire sensitivities of the 21st century. Among the recurring characters was Doug Barber (Justin Louis), whose efforts to be a worthwhile husband to spouse Janine (Paula Marshall) were compromised by the arrival of Hidden Hills' sexy new softball coach Belinda Slypich (Kristin Bauer), who ran her own X-rated website. On several occasions, Doug's sexual fantasies "came to life" for the benefit of the viewer, giving the hero ample opportunity to lust in his heart. Other stories concerned the trials and tribulations of the Barbers' "Buppie" neighbors, Zack and Sarah Timmerman (Dondre T. Whitfield, Tamara Taylor). Hidden Hills premiered September 24, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kristin Bauer, Justin Louis, (more)
In this comedy, Russell P. Kramer (Jack Lemmon) and Matt Douglas (James Garner) are two former U.S. Presidents who sit on opposite sides of the political fence. Kramer is a stuffy Republican reluctant to part with a dollar, while Douglas is a left-leaning Democrat with an eye for the ladies. Douglas succeeded Kramer in office after a single term, while Douglas, after four years as chief executive, lost to his former running mate William Haney (Dan Aykroyd). When the facts about a bribery scheme in Haney's administration threaten to surface and destroy his reputation, the ruthless president tries to pin the responsibility on Kramer and Douglas -- and when the ex-presidents learn the truth about Haney's dealings, Haney tries to have them killed before they can talk. Kramer and Douglas soon find themselves on the run, disguising themselves as celebrity impersonators, hiding out in the woods with a homeless family, and marching in a Gay Pride parade in an effort to stay clear of Haney's goons while they bring the truth to the people. My Fellow Americans also features Lauren Bacall as Kramer's long-suffering wife and John Heard as Haney's intellectually-challenged vice president. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Lemmon, James Garner, (more)
One of the toughest and best-remembered sports movies of the 1970s gets a humorous makeover in this comedy. Paul "Wrecking" Crewe (Adam Sandler) was once a famous professional football player, but after several years out of the limelight and an alcohol problem have taken their toll, Crewe is arrested for a serious traffic accident aggravated by the fact he was drunk. Crewe is sentenced to Allenville Penitentiary, where Warden Hazen (James Cromwell) is something of a football fan. Hazen had organized his guards into an impressive football team, and clears a healthy profit by taking bets on their games. Looking to make the competition more interesting, Hazen suggests that Crewe put together a team from the inmate population to play his guards. With the help of fellow prisoner Caretaker (Chris Rock), Crewe recruits the heaviest hitters from the cell block for the team, but the guys don't play like a unit until Crewe and Caretaker get some help from Nate Scarborough (Burt Reynolds), a former college and NFL coach doing hard time. Adapted from Robert Aldrich's 1974 box-office smash of the same name, The Longest Yard also features rap star Nelly and Nicholas Turturro; the film has previously been loosely remade in 2001 as Mean Machine, with the action moved to England and the game changed to soccer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, (more)
- 1994
- PG13
- Add The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult to QueueAdd The Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult to top of Queue
The further misadventures of bumbling Los Angeles police Lieutenant Frank Drebin (Leslie Nielsen) are chronicled in this third installment in the popular Naked Gun comedy series. This by-the-numbers entry begins with Drebin as a happily retired house-husband called back into action when an evil terrorist organization threatens Los Angeles. As in the other Naked Gun films, this plot is merely an excuse for an unhinged, rapid-fire succession of gags, ranging from satirical lampoons of cop movies to broad slapstick, all played with a perfectly straight face. Nielsen provides his familiar combination of complete witlessness and oblivious dignity as Drebin, and the film attempts to match the earlier Naked Gun films -- and the Police Squad! television series that inspired them -- in the number of jokes. However, the film proved less successful than its predecessors, as some viewers found that the freewheeling comic style of the earlier films had solidified into its own formula, now mildly entertaining but disappointingly predictable. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Leslie Nielsen, Priscilla Presley, (more)
- 2000
- PG13
- Add The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps to QueueAdd The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps to top of Queue
Overweight scientific genius Sherman Klump and his extended family are back in this sequel to the 1996 comedy smash The Nutty Professor. Sherman (played once again by Eddie Murphy) has come up with a discovery that ought to make him a multimillionaire: a youth serum that turns back the user's body clock. Sherman has also found time for a social life and has fallen in love with Denise Gains (Janet Jackson), a brilliant woman involved in DNA research. Sherman and Denise are engaged, but Sherman is still troubled by Buddy Love, the dark side of his personality that he wants to purge from his psyche forever. He persuades Denise to help him by splicing Buddy out of his DNA structure, but the experiment doesn't go as planned: instead of destroying Buddy, Sherman and Denise free him, and Buddy's first order of business is to get his hands on Sherman's youth serum, which Sherman has hidden at his family's house. In addition to Klump and Love, Murphy also plays Mama, Papa, Grandma, and nephew Ernie Klump, thanks to the makeup magic of Rick Baker. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Janet Jackson, (more)
Saturday Night Live star Chris Farley had his first starring role in this frankly lowbrow comedy, which teamed him with fellow SNL cast member David Spade). Big Tom Callahan (Brian Dennehy) is the street-smart owner of a company that makes auto parts, and one day he'd like his son Tommy Callahan III (Chris Farley) to take over the business. Trouble is, Tommy Boy is a fat, dim-witted slob who took seven years to get a business degree and has no idea how to run a business. His father's sudden death unexpectedly puts Tommy Boy in charge, with his dad's weasely assistant Richard (David Spade) trying to guide him. However, what no one knows is Big Tom's wife, the young and beautiful Beverly (Bo Derek), married him only for his money while holding on to her lover, Paul (Rob Lowe), whose presence she explains by telling people he's her son. Beverly and Paul are waiting for Tommy Boy to run the company into the ground so they can take over, sell it off and earn a quick payoff. However, what Tommy Boy lacks in smarts (and hygiene), he makes up for in determination, and he hits the road with Richard for a long sales trip in a last ditch effort to rescue his father's legacy. Tommy Boy was a major hit that turned Chris Farley into a screen star; sadly, died a little over 2 1/2 years later. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Farley, David Spade, (more)
