John Asher Movies
Occasionally credited as John Mallory Asher, John Asher is the adopted son of beach movie directorial mainstay William Asher. John attained recognition -- much of it negative -- for two achievements that went hand in hand: his marriage to former Playboy Playmate-turned-actress Jenny McCarthy, and his decision to direct McCarthy's script for the obscene sex comedy Dirty Love (2004), a critically reviled picture that scandalized everyone who had the misfortune of stumbling into it unawares. At the time of its release, the film also reportedly did much to destroy the McCarthy-Asher marriage; they filed for divorce not long before the debacle hit theaters.Before directing Dirty Love, Asher was more often in front of the camera than behind it -- with character roles in such films as Frozen Assets (1992), Double Dragon (1994), and Space Cowboys (2000). He also appeared occasionally on the small screen, usually in guest spots, but he landed a co-starring role in 1994 on the sci-fi comedy series Weird Science (adapted from the 1985 film), which lasted for five seasons. Asher also directed a few other films, most notably Diamonds (1999), a sweet-natured, character-driven comedy about a father (Kirk Douglas) and son (Dan Aykroyd) who team up to locate a cache of loot that the dad supposedly hid in Vegas decades earlier. The film drew mostly negative reviews (though, mercifully, it fell shy of complete excoriation). Asher then moved into occasional supporting roles in such films as Clint Eastwood's Space Cowboys (2000), and took on TV directing, for several episodes of the teen drama series One Tree Hill. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
A sexy woman discovers just how hard it can be to find a worthwhile man in this outrageous romantic comedy. Rebecca (Jenny McCarthy) is a beautiful blonde who thinks she has it made with her hunky boyfriend, Richard (Victor Webster); however, when she comes home early one day and finds him in bed with another woman, she realizes that isn't quite the case. Devastated, Rebecca takes the advice of her friends Carrie (Kam Heskin), a half-bright actress, and Michelle (Carmen Electra), a racially confused beautician, and throws herself back into the dating game to prove to Richard that she can do better. However, there's a problem -- Rebecca is a bit of a klutz, she keeps ending up with men who are either crazy or strange, and each date she goes on ends in disaster. Does Rebecca have any chance at either finding new love or winning Richard back? And is it possible her pal John (Eddie Kaye Thomas) might be interested in being more than just friends? Dirty Love was written by leading lady Jenny McCarthy and directed by John Asher, McCarthy's then-husband. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jenny McCarthy, Eddie Kaye Thomas, (more)
In this adventure drama, four men passed over by the space program get one last chance to be heroes and live out their dreams. Frank Corvin (Clint Eastwood), Hawk Hawkins (Tommy Lee Jones), Jerry O'Neill (Donald Sutherland), and Tank Sullivan (James Garner) were top pilots within an elite Air Force squadron and on the fast track to becoming the first Americans in space in the early 1950s. However, when NASA was established, the pilots were cut out of the loop; Corvin went on to become an aerospace engineer, Hawkins continued on as a freelance pilot, O'Neill became an astrophysicist with a sideline in designing roller coasters, and Sullivan took up preaching as a Baptist minister. Years later, a Russian satellite's guidance system has started to malfunction, and it is expected to crash into the Earth within a matter of weeks. The system is identical to the one Corvin designed for Skylab, so NASA head Bob Gerson (James Cromwell) asks Corvin to help him with the emergency mission to repair the satellite. Corvin agrees under one condition -- that he be sent up to do the repairs himself, with Hawkins, O'Neill, and Sullivan as his crew. Clint Eastwood directed Space Cowboys while also starring as Frank Corvin; his supporting cast includes Marcia Gay Harden, Courtney B. Vance, Loren Dean, and William Devane. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clint Eastwood, Tommy Lee Jones, (more)
A elderly man and his estranged son search for treasure and try to repair their relationship in this bittersweet comedy. Harry Agensky (Kirk Douglas) is a one-time welterweight boxing champion who lives in Canada with his son Moses (Kurt Fuller). Harry's other son, Lance (Dan Aykroyd), feels that his father never really cared about his dreams and ambitions, and now Lance has little affection for his Dad. However, Lance's relationship with his teenage son Michael (Corbin Allred) is not faring much better. Lonely since the death of his wife and infirm due to a stroke, Harry wants to retire to a ranch in Northern Canada, but he can't afford the property. Lance invites Harry along for a skiing trip with Michael; Harry agrees, but at the last minute he talks them into going to Nevada instead. Harry claims he threw a fight years ago and was paid off in a cache of diamonds that he hid somewhere in Vegas; if he can find the gems, he'll be able to buy the ranch. Lance is dubious, but he gives in to Harry's determination and the three head for Nevada, hoping to find both the diamonds and some common ground. Diamonds was Kirk Douglas's first film after a life-threatening stroke in 1997; Lauren Bacall appears in a small role as a madam in a Nevada brothel, marking her first appearance onscreen with Douglas since Young Man with a Horn in 1950. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirk Douglas, Dan Aykroyd, (more)
- 1999
James Keach and Jane Seymour, husband and wife in real life, are teamed in this direct-to-cable update of Johann David Wyss' classic adventure tale The Swiss Family Robinson. While on a boat bound from Singapore to Sydney, the Robinson family is besieged by pirates, who set them adrift. Landing on a remote island in the company of a handful of other survivors, the family manages not only to survive but to flourish -- though their efforts to escape their new surroundings are continually thwarted by their pirate tormentors. Ultimately, the Robinsons save themselves with the considerable assistance of their new-found animal friends. Originally intended for a theatrical release, the PG-rated The New Swiss Family Robinson made its American bow via the Disney Channel cable network in 1999, nearly a full year after its completion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Seymour, David Carradine, (more)
- 1958
This British WW II drama takes place in the wilds of Tunis. Major Gerrard (Leo Genn) is ordered to lead a desperate mission to capture a Nazi-held farmhouse. Despite the fact that this undertaking is tantamount to committing suicide, Gerrard has no trouble rounding up volunteers. There's a bit too much of the old "stiff upper lip" in the dialogue, though the action sequences are first-rate and believable. Of interest to modern viewers is the presence in the cast of Michael Caine; he isn't billed, and barely has a line, but he's instantly recognizable. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kieron Moore, Michael Medwin, (more)
- 1948
Easy Money is a satire of that most venerated of all middle-class British traditions, the football pool. The film is divided into four separate episodes, illustrating the effects of the football pool on the "average chap." Among those who participate in the pool in hopes of winning the 50,000-pound jackpot are the Stafford family: husband Phillip (Jack Warner), wife Ruth (Marjorie Fielding), son Dennis (Jack Watling), and daughter Jackie (Petula Clark). Other interested parties are the Atkins clan -- Herbert ($Mervyn Johns) and Agnes ($Joan Young) -- and lovers Pat (Greta Gynt) and Joe (Dennis Price). Among the huge cast of supporting players, Edward Rigby stands out as the hapless Teddy Ball. Critics of the time noted that Easy Money was faintly reminiscent of the all-star 1932 Hollywood film If I Had a Million. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Frank Cellier, Petula Clark, (more)
