Joyce Eliason Movies
Director Peter Levin brings author Richard Paul Evans' heartwarming novel to the small screen in this made for cable drama starring Rob Lowe, Paget Brewster, Frances Conroy, and Christopher Lloyd. Unexpectedly downsized from his once-comfortable job, Robert Harlan (Lowe) decides to finally pursue his dreams of becoming a writer. In order to summon inspiration, Harlan draws on the emotions his wife experienced after losing her father and the book quickly becomes a bestseller. But success has spoiled Robert Hanlan, and now his relationships with both his family and his friends are suffering: In addition to growing further apart from his devoted wife and young daughter, Hanlan barely speaks to the agent who used to be his best friend. When a mysterious stranger makes an ominous prediction about Hanlan's life, the egotistical writer finally receives a much-needed wake-up call. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rob Lowe, Paget Brewster, (more)
- 2005
Based on a true story, this "Hallmark Hall of Fame" TV movie was produced by Rosie O'Donnell, who also stars as the profoundly mentally challenged Beth Simon. When Beth's father dies, her sister, Rachel (Andie MacDowell), a brittle, self-absorbed fashion photographer, takes charge of Beth -- who, having been allowed to grow up without learning anything of self-discipline and social propriety, is no prize herself. Though she loves her sister, Rachel is embarrassed by Beth's obnoxious, obstreperous behavior, especially when riding the bus, which she does religiously and obsessively every day, much to the dismay of the other passengers. (Be warned: this is not one of those lachrymose "lovable handicapped adult" movies so common to network television.) Also, Beth has been allowed by her overindulgent father to neglect her health and hygiene in a deplorable fashion. Gradually, the two sisters connect and manage to profoundly change one another. Those viewers and critics who condemned Rosie O'Donnell for her abrasive, over-the-top portrayal of Beth were generally those who had had little contact with genuine handicapped people; conversely, those who had such people in their own families, or who had worked extensively with them professionally, applauded O'Donnell for her disturbingly accurate performance. Adapted from the book by the real-life Rachel Simon (actually an English professor and not a photographer), Riding the Bus with My Sister was telecast by CBS on May 1, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosie O'Donnell, Andie MacDowell, (more)
- 2004
Having lived a respectable and rather dull existence for most of his time on earth, database designer Frank Griffin (Joe Mantegna) is rudely awakened from his ennui when his wife Ellen (Jean Smart) announces that she is having an affair and wants a divorce. Although the couple agrees to stay together for the present out of respect for their daughter Zoe (Jordy Benattar), it is clearly going to be an unhappy Christmas for Frank. In his efforts to get his mind off his problems, Frank signs up to be a volunteer Santa Claus, subjecting himself to a curious training regimen conducted by a relentlessly optimistic fellow named Ozzy (Charles Durning). Although his first Santa experiences are grueling, Frank finds a kindred spirit in photographer Donna (Kari Matchett), who has similarly split from her husband and is raising her son Gabe (Andrew Chalmers) by herself. In his efforts to help Donna and to patch up his own domestic troubles, Frank begins to wonder if he should consider a future not with Ellen but with Donna. . .and that's only the beginning of the story. A few mildly risqué scenes notwithstanding, A Very Married Christmas proved to be suitable family fare when it was first broadcast by CBS on December 5, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Buried under several layers of old-age makeup and outfitted with thick horn-rims and a grey wig, Mary Tyler Moore stars in this TV-movie adaptation of Anna Quindlen's novel Blessings. Moore is cast as octogenarian Lydia Blessing, who lives on a huge country estate, imprisoned by her own bitter memories of the past (depicted in sepia-toned flashbacks, with Janaya Stephens as the young Lydia). The old recluse comes out of her shell briefly to hire a new handyman, sullen ex-convict Skip Cuddy (Liam Waite), who has plenty of his own emotional baggage. When Skip stumbles across an abandoned baby, he sets in motion a series of poignant events that will ultimately return both Lydia and him to the land of the living -- provided that they aren't stopped in their tracks by Lydia's disapproving daughter, Meredith (Kathleen Quinlan), and judgmental housekeeper, Jennifer (China Chow). Filmed on location in Nova Scotia, Blessings first aired October 5, 2003, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Tyler Moore, Kathleen Quinlan, (more)
- 2003
Based on a best-seller by Elizabeth Berg, this made-for-TV movie stars Christine Lahti as Samantha Morrow, a middle-class mom deserted by her shallow husband, David (Chris Potter). In order to keep a roof over her head -- not to mention the head of her son, Travis (Mark Rendall) -- Samantha decides to take in boarders. Among these is a runaway teenager named Lavender Blue (Grace Lynn Kung) and a chubby working stiff named King (Daniel Baldwin). Without giving the game away, it can be noted that one of these boarders will enable Samantha to realize her full value as a woman and human being by film's end. Also on hand are Samantha's down-to-earth mom (Eva Marie Saint) and cable-TV home-design expert Colin Cowie (as himself). Open House made its initial CBS appearance on February 16, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christine Lahti, Daniel Baldwin, (more)
Can it truly be said that a family is torn apart when they were never truly "together" to begin with? This is one of the disturbing questions posed by the wrenching made-for-cable drama We Were the Mulvaneys. Adapted from the novel by Joyce Carol Oates, the film stars Beau Bridges and Blythe Danner as Michael and Corinne Mulvaney, the parents of four "ideal" children. Outwardly the picture of domestic perfection, the Mulvaneys reveal the truth about themselves when their daughter Marianne (Tammy Blanchard) is raped. Desperately trying to avoid a public scandal, Michael and Corinne force Marianne to keep quiet about her violation, then ship her off to an undisclosed location where she can "recover." In the ensuing three years, Corinne tries to expunge her outrage and guilt over her daughter's plight by overzealously embracing religion, while the once-ambitious Michael degenerates into an abusive drunkard. The story is told from the viewpoint of youngest Mulvaney son, Judd (Thomas Guiry), whose life is likewise adversely altered forever. Heavily promoted by the Lifetime cable network publicity team, We Were the Mulvaneys made its initial TV appearance on April 8, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The remarkable life and tragic death of Marilyn Monroe has fascinated film fans for decades, but this two-part TV miniseries, based on a novel by Joyce Carol Oates, takes an unusual approach, using dramatic license (the film announces itself as a work of fiction using the names of real people) to look inside the minds of Monroe and those around her to ponder the circumstances of her rise and fall. Young Norma Jeane Baker (Skye McCole Bartusiak) is raised by single mother Gladys (Patricia Richardson), who is unstable, uncaring, and poorly equipped to deal with the responsibilities of parenthood. As Norma Jeane grows up without a father and with little affection from her mother, she suffers from a poor self-image and craves attention; when she grows into a beautiful young woman who is unusually attractive to men, she falls into a number of romances and a short-lived marriage in search of the approval she needs so desperately. When Norma Jeane (now played by Poppy Montgomery) turns 20, she meets a photographer, Otto (Eric Bogosian), who sees star potential in her beauty. Otto's cheesecake pictures catch the eye of I.E. Shinn (Wallace Shawn), an agent who in turned introduces her to Mr. R (Richard Roxburgh), the head of a movie studio, who offers to make Norma Jeane a star -- if she would be willing to have sex with him. Norma Jeane unenthusiastically agrees, and Mr. R proves good to his word; renamed Marilyn, she becomes an major film star and an international sex symbol. But the adulation proves to be a poor substitute for the love she craves, and as she falls into relationships with any man who treats her with a modicum of respect -- including a famous baseball player (Titus Welliver) and an acclaimed author (Griffin Dunne) -- her life begins to spiral out of control. Blonde also stars Ann-Margret, Kirstie Alley, and Patrick Dempsey; the series first aired May 13 and May 16, 2001, on the CBS television network. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Poppy Montgomery, Patricia Richardson, (more)
This four-hour miniseries is a sequel to 1997's top-rated miniseries, The Last Don,based on the novel by Mario Puzo of The Godfather fame, but several critics noted that The Last Don II is unintentionally funny. After Don Clericuzio (Danny Aiello, the pivotal figure in the first series) dies from old age, Clericuzio's enemies come out of the woodwork with bullets and bombs. Clericuzio's nephew Cross De Lena (Jason Gedrick) is peacefully enjoying life in Paris with his attractive wife and his autistic stepdaughter; when the wife has a mail bomb go off in her face, it marks the unleashing of a new wave of violence. Rose Marie Clericuzio (Kirstie Alley), who still bemoans the killing of her son (during the first series), encounters romantic problems with Father Luca Tonarini (Jason Isaacs). With teacher and nanny Josie Cirolia (Patsy Kensit) caring for Cross' autistic stepdaughter, it's not long before the widower and the nanny take an interest in each other. But when will he figure out that she's an FBI agent? Cross's sister is Hollywood studio exec Claudia (Michelle Rene Thomas); she's married to muscular, Austrian-accented actor Dirk (Andrew Jackson), star of an action movie titled The Fumigator. Premiered May 3, 1998 on CBS. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Gedrick, Patsy Kensit, (more)
This crime drama, based on the best-selling novel by Mario Puzo, follows 20 years in the long reign of powerful Mafia kingpin Don Domenico Clericuzio (Danny Aiello). For years, the Clericuzios have been warring with a rival crime family, the Santadios, which is not helped when Domenico's daughter Rose Marie (Kirstie Alley) decides to marry the son of the head of the Santadio clan. On the night of Rose Marie's wedding, Domenico orders the execution of the entire Santadio family, including his new son-in-law. Rose Marie is pregnant as a result of her brief honeymoon, and her son Dante (Rory Cochrane) grows up to become a hired killer with a bitter hatred of his grandfather. Meanwhile, Pippi De Lena (Joe Mantegna), Domenico's key enforcer who carried out the slaughter of the Santadinos, has been grooming his son Croccifixio (Jason Gedrick) to take over as the Clericuzio's new trigger man. However, after he muffs a crucial execution, Croccifixio is sent to work with the family's operations in Las Vegas, where he becomes involved with starlet Athena Aquitane (Daryl Hannah). Soon Dante makes a risky bid to seize control of the Santadio family's crime empire. Originally produced as a television miniseries, the home video release of The Last Don is 262-min. long and it includes material not used for television broadcast. The video version features adult language and nudity and received an R rating. The Last Don co-stars Robert Wuhl, Penelope Ann Miller, Seymour Cassel, Burt Young, and k.d. lang. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Aiello, Joe Mantegna, (more)
- 1996
Based on Virginia Sorenson's novel On the Star, this ABC TV movie is set in a small Mormon community in rural Utah. Returning to his home town after many years is Erik Eriksen (Rob Estes), a world-famous piano virtuoso. Although beloved by millions of music fans, Erik is treated with disdain by his family, who resent his popularity and are shocked by his all-consuming passion for his art. The only people who truly "understand" Erik are his brother Jens (Mike Doyle) and Jens' fiancée Chel (Jennie Garth), herself a pianist of no small talent. In keeping with the film's title, innocence is lost beyond recall when Erik, much against his better nature, betrays Jens and enters into a torrid romance with Chel. A Loss of Innocence was first broadcast September 29, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
16-year-old Jade Larson (Jenny Lewis) isn't terribly keen on the fact that her divorced mom Jesse (Beverly D'Angelo) has fallen in love with Billy Stone (Rob Estes), who in addition to being divorced himself is much closer to Jade's age than Jesse. As the relationship deepens, the impressionable Jade wonders if her ambivalent feelings toward Billy are actually born of resentment or her own attraction to him. Perhaps inevitably, Jade and Billy end up spending a night together--leading to a chain reaction of consequences that provide the substance of this surprisingly non-exploitational "triangle" drama. Produced for the CBS TV network, Sweet Temptation debuted March 6, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Beverly D'Angelo, Jenny Lewis, (more)
Filmed on location in South Carolina, The Price of Heaven represents one of the forays into the realm of made-for-TV movies by celebrated director Peter Bogdanovich. The story takes place in the early 1950s, as Korean war hero Jerry Shand (Grant Show) returns to his Southern hometown. Aspiring to medical school, Jerry lands a low-paying but steady job selling funeral insurance to the local black community. When ordered to collect back premium payments from the elderly and impoverished Vesta Battle (Cicely Tyson in a virtual reprise of her "Miss Jane Pittman" characterization), Jerry is prevented from doing so by his newly awakened compassion and social consciousness--thereby placing his job, and his entire future as a "good Southerner", in jeopardy. On a more personal level, Jerry is torn between love for his childhood sweetheart, whose family runs a local laundry, and lust for the predatory daughter of a wealthy cotton-mill owner (shades of Bette Davis!) Based on a novella by Allan Gurganus and first telecast over the CBS network on August 17, 1997, The Price of Heaven has since been shown on cable TV under the title Blessed Assurance. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Grant Show, Lori Loughlin, (more)
Set in Utah (but filmed in Texas), the made-for-TV Shadows of Desire will probably seem fresh and original to anyone who hasn't seen the old Katharine Hepburn-Robert Taylor-Robert Mitchum theatrical feature Undercurrent--or, for that matter, to anyone unfamiliar with the Biblical story of Cain and Abel. Central to the plotline is Rowena Ecklund (Nicollette Sheridan), a woman torn between her sincere love for the kindly, sensitive Jude Snow (Adrian Pasder) and her insatiable lust for Jude's arrogant, dangerous older brother Sonny (Joe Lando) (guess which brother has the longest hair and the sweatiest shirt?) The passions engendered by this triangle are matched only by the all-stops-out histrionics of Piper Laurie as Jude and Sonny's domineering mother Ellis. Originally telecast September 20, 1994, on CBS, Shadows of Desire has since been rerun on cable television and on Canadian TV under the title The Devil's Bed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
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Originally a television mini-series, this drama chronicles the painful and lively reminiscences of a 100 year old woman. Much of the story centers on her tumultuous marriage to a Civil War vet. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diane Lane, Donald Sutherland, (more)
When a single mother comes in to help take care of a man's ill wife, he becomes interested in her for more than the care she is rendering. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- 1991
A newlywed's infant meets a fate worse than death in this horror movie. She believes the child has died, but then she learns the awful truth--her husband and his coven of witches are using the infant in their terrifying rituals. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Based on the factual book by Ann Rule, Small Sacrifices was original telecast in two parts. Farrah Fawcett continues to successfully obliterate the Charlie's Angels onus in the role of real-life US postal worker Diane Downs. Part One of the film was set in Willamete Valley, Oregon, in 1983. Mrs. Downs drives her three children to the local hospital's emergency entrance: one child is already dead, and the other two have been seriously wounded. Diane claims that the killer was a man who'd tried to steal her car. But in Part Two, prosecutor John Shea rips apart Diane's story in court. What comes to surface is a tawdry tale of a neurotic, narcissistic woman who is pushed over the edge when spurned by her lover (played by Ms. Fawcett's offscreen companion Ryan O'Neal). As difficult as Small Sacrifices was to watch during its initial telecast in November 1989, it has since been rendered doubly disturbing by the more recent tragic events surrounding South Carolina housewife Susan Smith. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Babycakes is an American remake of the raucous 1988 German comedy Sugarbaby. A pre-talkshow Ricki Lake stars as Grace Johnson, who works as a cosmetician in a funeral parlor. The elephantine Grace falls in love with pencil-thin ice skater Rob Harrison (Craig Sheffer). Despite Harrison's indifference, Grace maps out a meticulous campaign to overwhelm and seduce her dream lover. Made for TV, Babycakes had its premiere on February 14, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Made for television, Winnie is adapted from the fact-based book Winnie: My Life in the Institution by Jamie Paster Bolnick. Meredith Baxter-Birney plays Winnie Sprockett, who at age 6 is adjudged moderately retarded and confined to an Iowa mental institution. After being locked away for 30 years, Winnie campaigns for her release, attempting to write a book of her experiences. At one point she escapes with a fellow patient (David Morse). Through the intervention of a compassionate administrator (Barbara Barrie), Winnie is at last allowed to re-enter the outside world. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
- R
In this sexy thriller, Katya (Diane Lane) is a window dresser who specializes in displays with sexy, slightly kinky themes. Surrounded by the equipment of her trade -- mannequins and lingerie -- Katya lives in a loft apartment in downtown Pittsburgh. She spends her evenings taking baths by candlelight and thinking up new and more provocative window displays. She soon catches the eye of a stalker who watches her as she works in the window of the department store and begins following her home to spend his evenings watching her through her picture windows. He also makes frightening phone calls to her and intercepts her mail. One evening, while she is on a party cruise with a reporter with whom she has become romantically involved, the stalker breaks into her apartment and is surprised by Katya when she returns home. Tired of being harassed, Katya sets a trap, which leads to an interesting, and surprisingly non-violent ending. Diane Lane is appealing and attractive as Katya and the film, while uneven and frequently implausible, is entertaining and fun. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Diane Lane, Michael Woods, (more)
- 1985
Originally telecast in a three-hour network slot, Surviving is virtually two films in one. In the first 90 minutes, we see the identity crises and outside pressures that propel a "normal" teenaged boy (Zach Galligan) and a "disturbed" teenaged girl (Mollie Ringwald) into committing suicide together. The second portion of Surviving explores the emotional residue left behind by the youngsters' deadly pact. Specifically spotlighted are Zach's parents (Len Cariou and Ellen Burstyn), who feel that Molly goaded their boy into killing himself; and Molly's parents (Paul Sorvino, Marsha Mason) who are consumed with guilt over not catching on to the warning signs of their daughter's despair. Though the acting is overly ripe at times, Surviving never loses dramatic focus throughout its 150 minutes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Christopher Collet stars as real-life teenager Richard Jahnke Jr. in the made-for-TV Right to Kill. After suffering years of torment and abuse from his father (Frederic Forrest), Jahnke can stand no more. Hiding in the closet of his Wyoming home, Jahnke hears the familiar sounds of his father beating his mother. "I just wanted to make him stop," Jahnke later explained to the authorities--after he killed his father with a rifle. Written for television by Joyce Eliason, it initially aired on May 22, 1985 ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frederic Forrest, Christopher Collet, (more)
Originally made for television and based on a true story from the '50s, this film concerns a rural Arizona town that deals in polygamy. Specifically, a boy is shocked that his father (Christopher Atkins), a veteran of the Korean War, wishes to take a 15-year-old girl for another wife. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
Featuring Lila Kedrova and Melvyn Douglas as elderly couple Eva and David who, after forty years of a less-than-satisfying marriage, find the lost love they once had for each other as they travel to San Francisco to visit their grandchildren. Actress Lee Grant's first directorial feature, this drama is based on a novella by Tillie Olsen. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Melvyn Douglas, Lila Kedrova, (more)
