Jennifer Elise Cox Movies
In feature films, actress Jennifer Elise Cox is best known for her funny, fractured performance as perennially slighted middle child Jan Brady in The Brady Bunch Movie and A Very Brady Sequel. Before making her film debut in the former, Cox had experience on stage, including appearances in two operas in New York, Don Giovanni and Madame Butterfly, and has guest starred on television series, including Murphy Brown and Wings. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 2006
One of the several semi-improvised cable-TV sitcoms of the early 21st century, Lovespring International took place at a high-profile dating service that catered to a Beverly Hills clientele -- even though it was located in faraway Tarzana, CA. Jane Lynch played Victoria Ratchford, the service's very demanding owner and the unofficial host of the show. Others in the cast were Jennifer Elise Cox as Lovespring International's ditzy receptionist, Tiffany; Jack Plotnick as the firm's resident psychologist, Steve Morris; Mystro Clark as videographer Alex Odom; Wendi McLendon-Covey as neurotic matchmaking consultant Lydia; and Sam Pancake as general office factotum Burke, who seemed to exist solely because every show of this nature required at least one closeted gay character. Executive-produced by actor Eric McCormack (Will & Grace), Lovespring International joined the Lifetime channel's evening lineup on June 5, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Lynch, Wendi McLendon-Covey, (more)
Shot in a mockumentary style, The Enigma with a Stigma concerns a man named Max Angeli who discovers that he has a new body part known as the "Euclid." He soon discovers that he is not the only one in the world to have this little known body part. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 2006
In the tradition of The Office and Reno 911!, the half-hour cable sitcom 10 Items or Less was largely ad-libbed and improvised by its unknown but talented cast. John Lehr doubled as co-creator and series star, playing Leslie Pool, son of the founder of Green & Grains, a medium-sized grocery store somewhere in Ohio. A lifelong failure and foul-up, Leslie was determined to succeed in his efforts to keep his late dad's store afloat after inheriting the place, despite the formidable competition of the neighboring "big box" operation Super Value Mart -- which was managed by Amy Anderson (Jennifer Elise Cox), who happened to be the girl who'd broken Leslie's heart back in high school. Not surprisingly, Leslie's staff was comprised of eccentrics and social misfits, all of whom wished that they were somewhere else or someone else. Carl (Bob Clendenin) was the goofy stock boy who'd appointed himself Leslie's second in command; Yolanda (Roberta Valderrama) worked in the produce department, and at the beginning of the series was also poised to "produce" Carl's baby within a few months; Buck (Greg Davis Jr.) was the grocery bagger, with both eyes on bigger things in life and both feet firmly entrenched in minimum-wage employment; Ingrid (Kirsten Gronfield), the customer-service person, had a lot of trouble dealing with the realities of life, preferring the camaraderie of her fellow Renaissance Faire aficionados; Richard (Christopher Liam Moore), the erudite cashier, aspired to be an ice dancer; and Todd (Chris Payne Gilbert), the hunky butcher, dreamed of racing on the stock-car circuit. 10 Items or Less was added to the TBS superstation lineup on November 27, 2006, for a five-episode trial run. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Lehr, Bob Clendenin, (more)
A gay man takes an experimental medication designed to make him heterosexual in this provocative independent drama. Plain-looking, unlucky in love, and approaching middle age, Tim (Jonathan Slavin) isn't very happy with the shallow hedonism of the gay world. He pines for his straight best friend Don (Mike Begovich), whose occasional willingness to accept drunken oral sex marks the closest thing to a date Tim's enjoyed in years. When news breaks of a drug trial for a miracle pill that will turn homosexual men straight, Tim jumps at the chance to enroll. His decision alienates him from Joey (Scotch Ellis Loring), his good-time-guy pal, and from Don, whose company he must shun in order to bolster the drug's effectiveness. As the treatment progresses, Tim tries out hetero sex with Sally (Susan Slome), a co-worker who's been in love with him for years. But when he spurns Sally for a better-looking new girlfriend who knows nothing of his gay past, Tim's final link to his previous life is severed. Ultimately, though, a crisis among his old friends drags Tim back into their orbit, putting his entire course of treatment in jeopardy. The debut feature from writer/director John Baumgartner, Hard Pill played the festival circuit before airing on Logo, the nascent, Viacom-owned gay cable network. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Slavin, Scotch Ellis Loring, (more)
- 2003
Created by Tim Kelleher, the UPN sitcom Rock Me Baby starred Dan Cortese as Jimmy, a popular Mancow-like morning radio shock-jock to whom nothing was sacred on the air. Though a professional gadfly, Jimmy went all soft and mushy when his lovely wife Beth (Biana Kjalich) presented him with a bouncing baby son named Otis. This placed Jimmy in a bind: If he poked cruel fun at his family during his radio program, he risked incurring the wrath of Beth; but if he didn't, he faced the ire of his partner Carl (Carl Anthony Payne) and his boss Boyle (Joey Slotnick). Debuting September 16, 2003, Rock Me Baby also featured the requisite zany friends and wacky neighbors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Cortese, Biana Kjalich, (more)
- 2000
Mark Osborne directs this dark Hollywood satire about TV, suicide, and good lighting. L.A. couch potato Emile (Kent Osborne) gets so much satisfaction from television -- particularly sitcoms and nature documentaries -- that it borders on the indecent. While not watching the telly, he plots his own demise. One day, in the throes of a messy suicide attempt, he gets a call informing him that he landed a job at a nearby motel. Emile is soon assigned the nightshift with dour, officious Henry (David Koechner). While on break, he ventures into a massive, fluorescent supermarket where he slips into a bizarre state of consumeristic bliss, drifting among the aisles. But like his TV binges, this trip soon devolves into thoughts of offing himself. He resolves videotape the deed and send the tape to the girl who jilted him. Unfortunately, such a task cannot be done alone, so Emile soon enlists the help of Henry, who in turn brings in self-proclaimed movie expert Andrew (Vince Vieluf). Before long, Emile's simple desire to record his final act has turned into a full-scale production, complete with gaffers, make-up artists and Hollywood types traipsing about with their cell phones. In the midst of all this, Emile is rethinking the whole deal, especially the part about him committing suicide. His handlers, however, are less than eager for him to stray from the script. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kent Osborne, David Koechner, (more)
- 1996
Rita Rudner was both co-writer and co-star of this multi-plotted romantic comedy, set in a bed and breakfast in the middle of Southern California's wine country. In the course of the film's 90 minutes, a number of curiously matched couples will find true romance -- and sometimes even true happiness. Standout performances amongst the star-studded cast include Rita Rudner's turn as a pregnant food critic, Jack Lemmon as a desperate concert promoter, and Dudley Moore as a lonely vintner. Made for cable television, A Weekend in the Country debuted June 12, 1996, on the USA network; a mildly R-rated version was later prepared for home video release. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Faith Ford, Christine Lahti, (more)
- 1995
When the "FYI" studio is decimated by a truck (you had to be there!), the news team heads en masse to Murphy's alma mater, where our heroine is to receive a doctorate for helping to create the school's Women's Studies Program. Murphy (Candice Bergen) of course anticipates being received like a conquering warrior by the female students. Unfortunately, times have changed, and now Murphy's "protégées" regard her particular brand of feminism as being hopelessly out of date! Featured among the students is future That 70s Show regular Lisa Robin Kelly. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Gilbert Gottfried returns as Lewis, the whiny, obnoxious nephew of the equally whiny and obnoxious Carlton Blanchard. As soon-to-be newlyweds Joe (Tim Daly) and Helen (Crystal Bernard) search for a house, Lewis offers Carlton's residence, fully furnished, secure in the belief that his ailing uncle is not long for this world. The "fun" begins when Carlton suddenly begins to recover! This episode also features in-character cameos by the cast of The Brady Bunch Movie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
An artist with Tourette's syndrome and an aversion to romance falls for his best friend's girl in this sometimes comic drama. Lyle Maze (Rob Morrow), a successful painter who's also starting to explore sculpture, relies on emotional armor a foot thick to protect him from other people. In addition to suffering from uncontrollable physical tics and loud outbursts, Lyle is also prone to obsessive-compulsive disorder. Afraid that his artistic gifts and his disease spring from the same well, he eschews the well-meaning advice of his doctor pal, Mike (Craig Sheffer), and refuses to try the new drug therapies available. He also rejects any attempt to fix him up with women. But when rebel-without-a-cause Mike decides to tilt at windmills in Africa for seven months as a member of Doctors Without Borders, Lyle finds himself in a precarious position. Callie (Laura Linney), Mike's acerbic ad-exec girlfriend, has confided to him that she's pregnant but unwilling to use her condition as leverage to shore up her troubled relationship. Soon, Lyle is coaching Callie through natural childbirth classes, playing surrogate father-to-be, and falling in love. Inspired by the documentary Twitch and Shout, Maze marked the first trip behind the camera for actor Rob Morrow, who played another man with Tourette's in the film Other Voices. In addition to directing and starring in Maze, the Northern Exposure star co-wrote and co-produced. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rob Morrow, Laura Linney, (more)
- 1996
- R
Murderous spirits hell-bent on revenge return to haunt John Porter, a young man whose sister they had murdered three-decades ago. Just as before, they start tormenting him by taking over the body of his lovely teenage daughter, but the spirits make a terrible mistake by underestimating Porter; for though terrified, he is also determined to stop the evil. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alexis Arquette, Hilary Swank, (more)
Nora Ephron directed and co-wrote this updated adaptation of a classic situation comedy that also casts a satirical eye on the entertainment industry. Jack Wyatt (Will Ferrell) is a movie star whose career has been going into a slow and steady decline. Desperate for a project that will give his reputation a jump start, Jack agrees to star in a film version of the once-popular television series Bewitched as hapless hubby Darrin Stephens, under the condition that an unknown actress be cast as the female lead so he won't be upstaged. After auditioning dozens of women who fail to make the grade, Jack meets lovely and charming Isabel Bigelow (Nicole Kidman), and is immediately certain she's the perfect choice to play witch-turned-housewife Samantha. However, there's one thing neither Jack nor the producers of the film know -- Isabel really is a witch, and while she's been trying to get along without her powers to better fit in among mortals, she will use her special talents when need be. The film also stars Michael Caine as Isabel's father, Nigel, Shirley MacLaine as Iris Smythson (the actress hired to play Endora), and Jason Schwartzman as Jack's agent. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicole Kidman, Will Ferrell, (more)
Like its lively predecessor, The Brady Bunch Movie (1995), this mild comic send-up takes its characters and situations from the popular family sitcom of the 1970s, The Brady Bunch. Set in the '90s, it is filled with in-joke references to American pop culture. However, one need not be familiar with the original series in order to enjoy this film. Bad guy Trevor Thomas (Tim Matheson) is posing as supermom Carol Brady's long-dead first husband Roy Martin. He claims to have been amnesiac and made unrecognizable by plastic surgery after suffering disfiguring injuries, but in truth, he is on the hunt for a very valuable artifact, an ancient Chinese horse carving which Roy sent to his family from the field. Because of the family's sheer niceness, they could never imagine such deception, and husband Mike Brady (Gary Cole) welcomes him into their midst. This causes Roy no end of frustration, as not only must he live with this incredibly sweet and cheerful family while he searches for the carving, but he must endure having his ill-tempered sarcastic jibes go completely unrecognized. When Carol (Shelley Long) is kidnapped, the whole family goes a-hunting. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shelley Long, Gary Cole, (more)
- 1995
- PG13
The Brady Bunch Movie pays tribute to the 1970s TV show while poking gentle fun at it. The Brady family, led by father Mike (Gary Cole), still live in their suburban, split-level home and are still throwbacks to the era that spawned them. Eternally perky wife Carol (Shelley Long) is the perfect homemaker, while the kids' behavior is as wholesome as their loud, time-warp pastel clothes. Meanwhile, the greedy, selfish modern era swirls dangerously around them, embodied in next-door neighbor and real estate agent Ditmeyer (Michael McKean), who wants to buy the Bradys' property and turn the neighborhood into a giant mall. But no amount of money or prodding can persuade the Bradys to give up their home. Director Betty Thomas contrasts the overlit sitcom look of the Brady house interiors (faithfully recreated from the series) with real locations and natural grit for the modern L.A. scenes. The result is a satire that deftly spoofs the idea of staying true to old-fashioned values without ever passing judgment on those values. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shelley Long, Gary Cole, (more)
