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Jeanine Jackson Movies

2012  
PG13  
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A young woman (Amanda Seyfried) prepares to confront the assailant who previously abducted her, and who has now sought vengeance by kidnapping her sister in this thriller from director Heitor Dhalia. Jill (Seyfried) lives a quiet life, yet one marked by a severe anxiety that the man who once threw her in a ditch to die was going to come back and finish the job. When her sister Molly (Emily Wickersham) goes missing, Jill heads to the police, but no one will listen to her, save for Detective Hood (Wes Bentley), who might or might not have his own reasons for lending a hand. As time runs out, Jill becomes more frantic and takes to desperate measures, putting the police on her trail as she tries to put an end to her nightmare once and for all. Jennifer Carpenter, Joel David Moore, and Michael Pare co-star in the Summit Entertainment release. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Amanda SeyfriedDaniel Sunjata, (more)
 
2011  
R  
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A married father and a swinging single swap bodies after a wild night of drinking, and do their best not to throw each other's lives into complete chaos while scrambling to figure out a way to get back in their own skin. Dave (Jason Bateman) and Mitch (Ryan Reynolds) grew up together. They used to be inseparable, but these days they're lucky if they cross paths every few months. Dave is a successful lawyer and happily married father of three; Mitch is a single sexual dynamo locked in a perpetual state of arrested adolescence. And while Mitch admires Dave for having a gorgeous wife (Leslie Mann), happy kids, and a high-paying job, Dave envies his unhitched pal's freewheeling lifestyle and his ability to bed any woman who shoots him a seductive glance. Then one night, after having a few too many, Mitch and Dave voice their mutual admiration for one another, never once suspecting they might be about to find out how the other half lives. However, upon waking up the following morning, the two lifelong pals discover that they have somehow traded places. At first the thought of getting a momentary reprieve from their regular routines is an amusing novelty, but the longer it lasts, the more they just want their old lives back. Just when it seems that things can't get any more complicated, Dave's stunning legal associate Sabrina (Olivia Wilde) drops a bombshell, and Mitch gets a surprise visit from his estranged father (Alan Arkin). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Ryan ReynoldsJason Bateman, (more)
 
2010  
PG  
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Inspired by an incredible true story, the CBS Films docudrama portrays one father's desperate quest to save his children from succumbing to a rare life-threatening genetic disorder. Working-class father John Crowley (Brendan Fraser) is finally on the fast track to corporate success when his two young children, Megan and Patrick, are diagnosed with Pompe disease -- a condition that prevents the body from breaking down sugar. In time, it disables the heart and the muscles, ultimately resulting in death. With the support of his wife, Aileen (Keri Russell), John ditches his career and teams with unconventional specialist Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford) to found a bio-tech company and develop a cure in time to save the lives of Megan and Patrick. As Dr. Stonehill works tirelessly to prove the theories that made him the black sheep of the medical community, a powerful bond is forged between the two unlikely allies. Still, their greatest struggle is yet to come. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Starring:
Harrison FordBrendan Fraser, (more)
 
2001  
 
Kovac (Goran Visnjic) again treats the stubborn Bishop Stewart (John Cromwell). Sixteen-year-old cardiac patient Nick Stevens (Josh Peck) balks at having another heart transplant. Another patient, a gay man named Jeff (Robert Beitzel), refuses to use contraceptives, and indeed seems eager and willing to contract the AIDs virus. Greene's (Anthony Edwards) erratic behavior increases. And Carter (Noah Wyle) asks Abby (Maura Tierney) to be his date at a gala charity function -- leading to an uncomfortable "reunion" for Abby. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1999  
PG13  
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Here's something you don't see every day: A romantic comedy about chemotherapy. Kate Nelligan stars as Kathryn McClain, a judge undergoing treatment for cancer. In the midst of this crisis, Kathryn somehow finds time to hold down her job full time, and to renew her love for her long-estranged former husband Tom Ainsworth (Ron Silver). The question eventually boils down to this: Even if Kathryn survives, will her relationship with Tom be as fortunate? Best line: "Don't be so dramatic! You aren't dead yet! Produced for the Lifetime cable channel, Love Is Strange first aired on February 8, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1999  
R  
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In this satirical comedy, a hotly contested high school election becomes a metaphor for the current state of American politics. Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick) is a popular and well-respected instructor at George Washington Carver High School in Omaha, Nebraska, but lately he's been unhappy in both his personal and professional life, and his anxieties finally come to a head with the school's student elections. Tracy Flick (Reese Witherspoon) is running for student body president, and she certainly seems like the sort of girl who would win a high school election -- she's pretty, popular and takes part in all the right extra-curricular activities. In fact, she seems so perfect she's running unopposed, which offends McAllister's sense of democracy (not to mention the fact he doesn't like her very much). So Jim intervenes and persuades Paul Metzler (Chris Klein) to run against Tracy. Paul is not terribly bright and is entirely unqualified to be student president, but as a star of the school's football team (before a leg injury sidelined him), he's popular enough to at least give Tracy a run for her money. Just as the race begins to heat up, a spanner is truly thrown into the works when Paul's sister, Tammy (Jessica Campbell) announces she's also running for office. Publicly, Tammy's platform is that the student elections are ultimately pointless and if she's elected, she'll eliminate them altogether. Privately, Tammy is out for revenge against her brother; it seems Tammy is experimenting with her sexuality, and a recent fling with a bisexual classmate named Lisa (Frankie Ingrassia) ended when Lisa dumped her to start going out with Paul. Based on the novel by Tom Perrotta, Election was directed by Alexander Payne, who won enthusiastic reviews for his debut feature, Citizen Ruth; Payne also co-wrote the screenplay with Jim Taylor. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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Starring:
Matthew BroderickReese Witherspoon, (more)
 
1999  
 
Shawn (Rider Strong) and Angela (Trina McGee-Davis) are so fed up by the efforts of Cory (Ben Savage) and Topanga (Danielle Fishel) to bring them back together that they issue their own version of a restraining order. Even so, the two ex-sweethearts cannot help running into one another no matter how hard they try. Meanwhile, with Amy (Betsy Randle) expecting a baby, Alan (William Russ) tries to make himself feel young enough for parenthood by making an unsual purchase, while Eric (Will Friedle) appoints himself the family's birthing coach (a job that requires more talk than action, apparently!) ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1997  
 
Based on a true story, the sentimental TV movie A Thousand Men and a Baby takes place during the final months of the Korean War in 1953. Spiritually adopting an abandoned boy, the crew members of the U.S.S. "Point Cruz" set about to find a proper home for the infant. All the while, ship's doctor Hugh Keenan (Richard Thomas) struggles to keep the baby alive. According to some sources, the grown-up protagonist of the story appears in a bit role in this film. Originally telecast by CBS on December 7, 1997, A Thousand Men and a Baby has since been telecast in the UK under the slightly more lurid title Narrow Escape. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Gerald McRaneyRichard Thomas, (more)
 
1997  
 
Greg Davis (Michael Reilly Burke) was 12 years old when his childhood sweetheart Karen Carlson disappeared while en route to his home. 17 years later, Greg, now a schoolteacher, is astonished by the sudden appearance of an enigmatic young woman (Melissa Gilbert) who claims to be the long-missing Karen. The woman's vivid recollections of abduction, and the fact that she knows many of Karen's innermost secrets, convince Greg that she's the genuine article. But Karen's father Warren (Ronny Cox) and detective James Walker (Leon Russom) are not so easily persuaded--and when Karen begins to behave in a bizarre, erratic fashion, the possibility arises that she may not be whom she claims to be...and that her past is far more sinister than anyone could imagine. Alternating between a full-color "present" and black-and-white vignettes of "the past", the made-for-TV Childhood Sweetheart? debuted March 18, 1997, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1996  
R  
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After killing her mother in childbirth, growing up in San Francisco with her father and stepmother, attempting suicide, and moving to Los Angeles, Sarah (Robin Tunney) makes a brief stab at popularity at her new Catholic high school. Ostracized due to the untrue kiss-and-tell tales of football player Chris (Skeet Ulrich), Sarah reluctantly befriends a trio of self-styled outsiders: the horribly scarred Bonnie (Neve Campbell), the trailer-trash Nancy (Fairuza Balk), and Rochelle (Rachel True), a frequent victim of anti-black prejudice at the hands of Laura Lizzie (former Marcia Brady and future Mrs. Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor). After exhibiting latent telekenitic powers in front of Bonnie, Sarah learns that her three new friends have chosen her as their "fourth corner," the final member of their supernatural coven. Using tools stolen from a local incense-and-candle-filled boutique for practitioners of magic, the quartet summons the power of Manon, a primitive deity, to exact revenge on their tormentors and transform their lives. Drunk with power, they watch their spells get out of control, and the new coven soon realizes that with magic, "whatever you give comes back three-fold." This mid-'90s horror flick scored first place at the box office its opening weekend despite its then-unknown cast and modest budget. TV star Neve Campbell, who didn't even receive top billing, would go on to become the '90s answer to '70s horror queen Jamie Lee Curtis in the Scream franchise. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

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Starring:
Robin TunneyFairuza Balk, (more)
 
1994  
R  
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A psychotic estranged wife attempts to sabotage her husband's new romance by turning her children against his lover in this thriller. Jude (Jamie Lee Curtis) had abandoned her husband Robert (Peter Gallagher) and their three sons several years earlier. Unfortunately, now that Robert has filed for divorce after falling in love with Callie (Joanne Whalley-Kilmer), the sweet-natured assistant principal at his son's school, Jude is back for revenge. At first she merely tries to convince the children that Callie is an intruder on the rightful family, but the psychotic Jude's actions soon turn dangerous, as she attempts to frame the educator for assault. Things become particularly sticky when she tries to win over her 12-year-old son Kes (Luke Edwards), involving him in a potentially deadly scheme. Director Yves Simoneau borrows from numerous other stalker dramas and attempts to ratchet the action to a feverish pitch in the conclusion, but Jude's behavior remains unbelievable, and most critics found Mother's Boys an unconvincing, often over-the-top psychodrama. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

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Starring:
Jamie Lee CurtisPeter Gallagher, (more)
 
1993  
R  
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Adapted by screenwriter Rafael Yglesias from his own novel, Fearless explores the complex struggle back to mental health of post-traumatic stress disorder victim Max Klein (Jeff Bridges). One of few survivors of a fatal plane crash, Klein remains calm and assists other survivors out of the burning debris, earning praise as a hero by the media. After stoically departing the tragedy without a word to emergency officials, Max returns home with detached feelings towards his wife (Isabella Rossellini) and son, along with a bizarre, seemingly authentic belief that he is now impervious to harm. Bill Perlman (John Turturro), a psychiatrist for the airline, fails to reach Max about his newfound fearlessness, but asks for his help in aiding Carla (Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee Rosie Perez), a fellow crash survivor filled with grief and guilt over the loss of her baby. In one of his earlier roles, Benicio del Toro plays a small part as Carla's boyfriend. ~ Lisa Kropiewnicki, Rovi

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Starring:
Jeff BridgesRosie Perez, (more)
 
1993  
 
Feeling neglected, the Bundys' dog Buck (voiced by Cheech Martin) runs away from home--only to end up in the pound. If no one claims him within a week, Buck is going to be taken through the "little green door" and gassed to death. Unfortunately, no one in the Bundy family is aware that Buck is gone; they're more concerned with such important matters as Al's physical abuse on the job ("Kneed in the Nay-Nays"!) This is the only episode in which we see the Bundy living room's fabled "fourth wall." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1993  
 
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As indicated by its title, this made-for-TV weeper was inspired by one of author Danielle Steel's innumerable best-sellers. The beautiful and talented Adrian (Polly Draper) is a writer for one of America's most popular TV soap operas. She is also pregnant, and when she refuses to abort her baby, Adrian's selfish husband (Kevin Kilner) deserts her. It falls to one of the soap opera's producers, the recently divorced Bill (John Ritter), to convince Adrian to give romance a second chance -- and, incidentally, to give her baby a new last name. Described at the time of its release as "a yuppie love story," Danielle Steel's 'Heartbeat' was originally telecast by NBC on February 3, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1992  
 
In the conclusion of A Different World's two-part Season Six opener, Whitley (Jasmine Guy and Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) continue to recall their chaotic honeymoon in riot-torn Los Angeles. At the same time, the couple's friends react to the violence (inspired by the infamous Rodney King verdict) in a variety of ways: Col. Taylor (Glynn Turman) is disillusioned over the fact that race relations haven't progressed much since the Watts riots, Lena (Jada Pinkett) places all the blame on the white population, and Freddie (Cree Summer) attempts to be level-headed--a difficult feat, inasmuch as she is being hit on by Ron (Darryl M. Bell) while his girlfriend Kim (Charnele Brown) fumes. Appearing in cameo roles are sitcom diva Roseanne and her then-husband Tom Arnold. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1991  
G  
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In this made-for-TV drama, Jessica Tandy plays Grace McQueen, an elderly woman who has grown bored and restless following the death of her husband. Grace has always loved telling stories to children, and as a way of keeping herself occupied she comes up with an idea for a public access television series in which she will read great children's books aloud. The show becomes a local favorite -- enough so that a pair of advertising executives approach her with the idea of selling the show to a major network. Grace agrees, but when the marketing experts and network brass are finished with the idea, the simple format of "The Story Lady" has been transformed into a garish program called "Granny Goodheart," and Grace must decide if she should pursue the money and success that's being offered to her or stand up for her ideals. The Story Lady also features Stephanie Zimbalist, Lisa Jakub, Richard Masur, and Ed Begley, Jr.; Tandy Cronyn, Jessica Tandy's daughter, is appropriately cast as Meg, Grace's daughter. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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1991  
 
Hope to break up the tension in the "FYI" newsroom--which has become so thick that not even a knife can cut it--Miles (Grant Shaud) takes his staffers to a corporate weekend retreat, where "teamwork" is to be emphasized. Unfortunately, the people in charge of the retreat have some truly bizarre notions of how to force people to work together. Before long, Murphy (Candice Bergen) is commandeering her coworkers into a cutthroat competition with a group of uptight bankers! ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1990  
 
Why do Danny (Bob Saget) and Joey (David Coulier) show up at their 10-year fraternity reunion in female drag? The answer is simple, if not entirely credible: Our heroes intend to get even for a prank pulled on them a decade ago by the girls of the Lamda Tau Delta sorority. Alas, what passes for harmless fun in college could well contitute a criminal act when perpetrated by grownups. And back at home, babysitter DJ (Candace Cameron) pays a sobering price for ignoring Michelle (played by the Olsen twins). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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1989  
 
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In this drama, a troubled 17-year old is involuntarily committed to a sleazy behavioral treatment center. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

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1989  
 
Little White Lies is a frenetic TV-movie hark bark to the "screwball comedies" of yore. Ann Jillian plays a just-getting-by Philadelphia policewoman who poses as a wealthy CEO because she's sick of "lady cop" jokes. Tim Matheson portrays a rich doctor who poses as a poverty-stricken orderly because he doesn't want women to pay attention to him because of his money. Mattheson falls for Jillian thinking that she's rich, while she falls for Matheson thinking that he's poor. And they went all the way to Rome to film this one. Little White Lies first aired November 27, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Ann JillianTim Matheson, (more)
 
1988  
PG13  
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A darkly comic and surreal contemporization of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, this effects-heavy Bill Murray holiday vehicle from 1988 sees the former SNL funnyman assuming the role of television executive Frank Cross, the meanest and most depraved man on earth. Cross will stoop to unheard of levels to increase his network's ratings -- even if it means mounting outrageous programs to retain an audience, such as "Robert Goulet's Cajun Christmas" and Lee Majors in "The Night the Reindeer Died," with an AK-47-toting Santa. Cross plots his foulest move, however, for the Christmas holiday, when he will force his office staff to mount a live production of A Christmas Carol on national television -- and thus work through Christmas Eve. Cross's life is turned upside down with visits from three ghosts: a craggy-faced cabbie known as The Ghost of Christmas Past (David Johansen); the sugar-plum fairy Ghost of Christmas Present (Carol Kane) (who gets her jollies by bonking Frank across the face with a toaster oven); and, eventually, the caped, headless Ghost of Christmas Future, who will send Frank sliding into a crematory oven -- just before he gives the sleazoid one last chance to redeem himself. Along the way, the spirits carry Frank to scenes from his past, present, and future (per Scrooge) and impart a glimpse of how he became so thoroughly rotten. The radiant Karen Allen co-stars as Frank's girlfriend, Claire Phillips, and the film packs in cameos from countless celebrities -- among them, Mary Lou Retton, John Houseman, Jamie Farr, and, in a truly grisly and tasteless bit, John Forsythe. Richard Donner directs, from a script credited to the late Michael O'Donoghue and Mitch Glazer. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

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Starring:
Bill MurrayKaren Allen, (more)
 
1986  
 
Based on a true story, this made-for-television drama chronicles a woman's fight for justice within the legal system. John Larroquette (Night Court) stars as Douglas Forbes, a husband who is wrongly accused of being a serial rapist. Targeted by a prosecutor who is determined to put someone behind bars for the crimes, Douglas goes on trial, is convicted, and sent to jail. Refusing to give up on her husband, Douglas' determined wife Martha (Lindsay Wagner), will not rest until her husband's name is cleared of the erroneous charges and he is freed from jail. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi

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Starring:
Lindsay WagnerJohn Larroquette, (more)
 
1983  
PG  
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Leonard Zelig, the "human chameleon", is profiled in this mock-documentary. Director Woody Allen appears as Zelig in scenes that purport to be vintage newsreel clips of the 1920s and 1930s, but are actually clever recreations, "aged" and scratched-up Citizen Kane-style by special-effects maestros Joel Hynick, Stuart Robinson and R. Greenberg Associates. An appropriately pompous narrator details the life and times of Leonard Zelig, whose overwhelming desire for conformity is manifested in his ability to take on the facial and vocal characteristics of whomever he happens to be around at the moment. He shows up at batting practice with Babe Ruth, among William Randolph Hearst's guests as San Simeon, side by side with Pope Pius at the Vatican, and peering anxiously over the shoulder of Adolf Hitler at the Nuremberg Rally. Becoming a celebrity in his own right, Zelig inspires a song, a dance craze, and a Warner Bros. biopic. Mia Farrow plays Dr. Eudora Fletcher , a psychiatrist who tries to "reach" Zelig and ultimately falls in love with him (all of Farrow's scenes are in black-and-white and allegedly culled from archive footage; Ellen Garrison, whose resemblance to Farrow is uncanny, plays the older Dr. Fletcher in the interview sequences). In the manner of Reds, the influence of the fictional Leonard Zelig on popular culture is discussed by such real-life notables as Susan Sontag, Irving Howe, Saul Bellow and Dr. Bruno Bettenheim. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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Starring:
Woody AllenMia Farrow, (more)