Janeane Garofalo Movies
Actress, comedian, and paragon of cynicism Janeane Garofalo was born on September 28, 1964, in Newton, NJ. During high school, her family relocated to Houston, TX, where the trauma of the move prompted her famously insecure, self-loathing persona to begin blossoming in full. While studying history at Providence College, Garofalo entered a comedy talent search sponsored by the Showtime cable network, winning the title of "Funniest Person in Rhode Island." Dreaming of earning a slot on the writing staff of the Late Night With David Letterman program, she became a professional standup upon graduating college but struggled for a number of years, working briefly as a bike messenger in Boston.Upon moving to the Los Angeles area, Garofalo met actor/comedian Ben Stiller, who in 1992 invited her to join the cast of his short-lived but acclaimed Fox television sketch comedy program The Ben Stiller Show. A stint on Garry Shandling's breakthrough HBO series The Larry Sanders Show (for which she was nominated for an Emmy award in 1996) soon followed, and in 1994 Garofalo reunited with Stiller in the film comedy Reality Bites, a role which earned her the much-despised tag of "Generation X comedian." That fall, she joined the cast of Saturday Night Live but exited before the conclusion of the season, publicly disheartened by the show's increasing drop-off in quality.
After signing on as a correspondent on Michael Moore's news magazine TV Nation and hosting Comedy Product, a standup showcase on the Comedy Central cable network, Garofalo began work on her breakthrough role, co-starring with Uma Thurman in the 1996 romantic comedy hit The Truth About Cats and Dogs. That same year, she also co-starred with Bill Murray in Larger Than Life, and appeared briefly in The Cable Guy and Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy. Garofalo's prolific output continued in 1997; in addition to starring roles in two comedies, Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion and The Matchmaker, she was featured prominently in James Mangold's Cop Land and Paul Schrader's Touch, she hosted the MTV series Indie Outing, and she remained a fixture of the emerging alternative comedy circuit.
In 1998, Garofalo's career continued to thrive, with starring and supporting roles in a number of films. Some of her more notable work included Clay Pigeons, a black comedy with Vince Vaughn and Joaquin Phoenix; Permanent Midnight, which marked another collaboration with Stiller; and the animated Kiki's Delivery Service, which featured Garofalo as the voice of a new age artist and mystic. She also acted against type as one half of a revoltingly cheerful couple in Bruce McCulloch's comedy Dog Park. The following year, Garofalo appeared in no less than five films, with a supporting part in the ensemble piece 200 Cigarettes, a starring role as an unconventional action heroine called the Bowler in Mystery Men (which also featured Stiller), and prominent turns in Kevin Smith's eagerly awaited Dogma, Hampton Fancher's psychological thriller The Minus Man, and the satirical comedy Can't Stop Dancing, in which she acted alongside fellow comedienne Margaret Cho. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
An American woman on a business trip in Ireland finds love knocking at her door, no matter how sternly she refuses to answer, in this romantic comedy. Marcy Tizard (Janeane Garofalo) is an assistant to Senator John McGlory (Jay O. Sanders), a congressman from Boston in the midst of a hard-fought reelection campaign. Nick (Denis Leary), one of McGlory's advisors, thinks that it might mean some extra votes in McGlory's heavily Irish-American district if he can arrange a photo opportunity with any relatives McGlory might have in the Olde Sod, so Marcy is sent to Ireland to find any surviving members of McGlory's family. Marcy is not especially enthusiastic about this assignment from the start, and her rancor grows when she arrives in the village of Ballinagra to discover that the annual matchmaking festival is in full swing -- and a number of single men immediately seize upon Marcy as a prize catch. One of them, Sean (David O'Hara), a former journalist who has come to Ballinagra to work on a book, takes an immediate fancy to Marcy, which she most certainly does not return. However, Dermot (Milo O'Shea), the town's leading matchmaker (when he's not busy running his tanning salon), is convinced that Sean and Marcy are perfect for each other, and he makes it his business to bring them together, whether Marcy likes the idea or not. The Matchmaker was filmed on location in Massachusetts and Galway, Ireland. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Janeane Garofalo, David Patrick O'Hara, (more)
A man finds himself wondering just what he wants from a relationship after his personal ad gets a very unexpected response in Sweethearts. Arliss (Mitch Rouse) is a single guy in his early 30's who has placed a personal ad, hoping to find the woman of his dreams. One night Arliss heads to a coffee shop called The Asylum to meet a woman named Jasmine who has answered his ad. He's been told to expect a slender blonde woman in sandals and a flowered dress, and isn't sure what to think when an idiosyncratically attractive brunette dressed in black (played by Janeane Garofalo) begins badgering him with questions about himself, his "ideal" woman and what he's looking for from life. After a while, Arliss is convinced he's been stood up, until he discovers the woman who's been pestering him for the last hour is actually Jasmine. She tells Arliss she liked the sound of his voice and fudged on personal details about herself, convinced if he knew the truth about her, he wouldn't be interested. She also lets him know she wants someone to help her celebrate her birthday -- and she has a gun. However, what becomes disturbingly clear is that she doesn't intend to use the gun on Arliss, but on herself. Stephen Malkmus of the alternative rock band Pavement makes a cameo appearance as a singer at the coffeehouse; songs by Joe Henry and Alejandro Escovedo are featured on the soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Janeane Garofalo, Mitch Rouse, (more)
Bill Murray teams up with his biggest co-star to date (with the exception of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man) in this family-oriented comedy. Jack Corcoran (Bill Murray) is a motivational speaker who makes his living advising others how to tie up the loose ends of their lives, but he has plenty of his own left dangling. Jack is emotionally at the mercy of his mother (Anita Gillette) and his fiancée Celeste (Maureen Mueller), while his booking agent Walter (Jeremy Piven) keeps promising him bigger and better things that don't materialize. Jack has grown up believing that his father died before he was born while trying to rescue a drowning child, but he learns that was not the case at all -- Dad spent a long career working as a circus clown, and died only a few weeks ago. However, Dad was kind enough to bequeath Jack a large stack of debts and his only tangible asset, an Indian elephant named Vera (Tia). Jack is in no position to keep a pachyderm at home, and he has two options for getting rid of the animal -- sell Vera to Terry (Linda Fiorentino), a mean spirited animal trainer, or donate her to Mo (Janeane Garofalo), a zoologist who hopes to return her to the wilds. Either way, Jack has to get Vera from the East Coast to California, and in order to make an important speaking engagement, he and the elephant have five days to cross the country. Larger Than Life also features Matthew McConaughey as an excitable truck driver; Keith David, Harve Presnell, and Pat Hingle also highlight the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bill Murray, Janeane Garofalo, (more)
The Canadian sketch-comedy masters hit the big screen with Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy, their send-up of psychopharmacology and its social ramifications. Each "kid" plays a plethora of roles; in fact, nearly every character in the film is played by one of the five "kids". When Roritor Pharmaceuticals finds itself on the verge of bankruptcy, research chemist Chris Cooper (Kevin McDonald) finds himself pressured to push his latest development to market without adequate testing at the risk of losing his job. The product -- Gleemonex, an anti-depressant bearing more than a slight resemblance to Prozac -- seems at first to be a wonder drug; users find themselves in a perpetual state of bliss as they relive their fondest memories time and again. Success goes awry, however, when a fatal side-effect surfaces -- users become catatonics. The craze has caught on, however, and the entire world seems to be taking Gleemonex, forcing Dr. Cooper to fight his employers and warn the masses before disaster strikes. The plot is really just an excuse for a series of funny, hallucinogenic sketches involving the memories and fantasies of its users; the funniest include a grandmother's all-too brief holiday visit with her family, and a married man's homoerotic experiences in the military. Another winning scene: a brooding grunge-rock idol (Bruce McCulloch) who's taken the drug unexpectedly changes his tune at a concert to the bewilderment of his angst-hungry fans. Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy is hit-or-miss satire, but much of the humor finds its mark in this humble, surprisingly intelligent film. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, (more)
In this updated and gender-reversed variation on Cyrano de Bergerac, Janeane Garofalo stars as Abby, the host of a radio talk show for people who have problems with pets. One day, she gets a call from Brian (Ben Chaplin) who is having trouble with his Great Dane (who enjoys roller skating). After a few minutes on the phone, Brian is immediately taken with Abby, and she's certainly interested in him. However, while Abby is not unattractive, she's terribly self-conscious about her appearance. When he asks her for a description, instead of telling him she's a diminutive brunette with big brown eyes, she describes her neighbor Noelle (Uma Thurman), a tall, rail-thin, blue eyed blonde. When Ben sets up a date, Abby is frantic and convinces Noelle to take her place. However, while Abby sounds smart, witty and charming over the radio (or the telephone), Noelle speaks like -- well, I think the phrase dumb blonde is called for here. Brian becomes puzzled -- why is it Abby is so great on the phone but so inarticulate in person? And what's the story with her friend, the cute brunette who sounds so smart? Noelle is even more confused; she wants to help her friend, but she's finding herself falling for Brian as well. The Truth About Cats and Dogs gave Ben Chaplin his first role in an American film and Janeane Garofalo's first starring turn after several notable supporting performances. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Uma Thurman, Janeane Garofalo, (more)
- 1996
Kicking off with a memorable episode that came in number 39 in TV Guide's "100 Greatest Episodes of All Time" list, the penultimate season of The Larry Sanders Show found the show's side-splitting cynicism rising to hilarious new heights thanks to such episodes as "The Book" and "The Roast." In addition to a strong start, season five also found the plots ever more concerned with the plight of characters outside of the established power trio of Larry (Garry Shandling), Hank (Jeffrey Tambor), and Artie (Rip Torn), and new faces such as Hank's assistant Brian (former Kids in the Hall cast member Scott Thompson) provided The Larry Sanders Show with new conflict and fresh perspectives. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Garry Shandling, Rip Torn, (more)
- 1996
In the infamous seventh-season finale of Seinfeld, George's fiancée, Susan (Heidi Swedberg), makes the fatal error of licking all the cheap envelopes George (Jason Alexander) has purchased for their wedding invitations. As if that's all that happens! Elsewhere, Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) thinks he's in love with his female counterpart, Jeannie Steinman (Janeane Garofalo); Kramer (Michael Richards) hopes to earn a quick hundred bucks by getting a bank clerk not to say hello; and look, it's an unbilled Carol Leifer (but not the real George Steinbrenner). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
George (Jason Alexander) is willing to get over the death of his fiancée, Susan, but her parents have other ideas as Seinfeld begins its eighth season. Also, Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) renews his acquaintance with the "woman whose name rhymes with a body part." Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is left in charge of the office when Peterman (John O'Hurley) goes to Burma. And Kramer (Michael Richards) becomes a truly "towering" figure when he learns karate. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Originally planned as a silly vehicle for Chris Farley, in the hands of director Ben Stiller and star Jim Carrey, The Cable Guy became an opportunity for Carrey to flex some of his darker comedic muscles as stalker Chip Douglas. Matthew Broderick plays Steven, an average Joe who is forlorn over his recent breakup with girlfriend Robin (Leslie Mann). When he moves into a new apartment, Steven comes in contact with Chip, who shows up to hook up the cable. Before he knows it, and whether he likes it or not, Steven has a new best-friend in the obnoxious and clingy Chip. However, Steven soon learns that obnoxious is a walk in the park compared to Chip's behavior when Steven tells him he doesn't want to be his pal anymore. What's worse, no one -- including Robin or his family -- believes Steven when he accuses the seemingly harmless Chip of being a malevolent menace. George Segal and Jack Black also star along with Stiller, who plays twins loosely-based on the Menendez brothers. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Carrey, Matthew Broderick, (more)
Four women look back at the girls they used to be in this warm comedy-drama. Author Samantha Albertson (Demi Moore), actress Tina Tercell (Melanie Griffith), gynecologist Roberta Martin (Rosie O'Donnell), and housewife Christina DeWitt (Rita Wilson) are friends from childhood who get together for the first time in years when Christina is about to have a baby. Seeing the old gang sends Samantha down memory lane, as she recalls the summer of 1970, when the girls were 12-years-old and edging into womanhood. Samantha (Gaby Hoffmann) is struggling with the collapse of her parent's marriage, Roberta (Christina Ricci) must deal with the death of her mother, Tina (Thora Birch) is upset over her folks' apparent disinterest in her, and Christina (Ashleigh Aston Moore) is trying to overcome her mother's disinformation campaign about sex. Together, they discuss boys and first kisses, compare notes on the physical and emotional changes they're going through, and have seances where they try to communicate with a boy who died tragically 30 years earlier. Demi Moore, whose character narrates the film, also served as producer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christina Ricci, Thora Birch, (more)
- 1995
- R
The events leading up to a young man's death are chronicled in this gritty drama. It all begins during a night of youthful carousing. Johnny is a Vegas hustler and just before the event, he and his good friend Grant begin fighting in a blind alley. One has a two-by-four and the other a gun. Watching the scuffle are Gale, Grant's girlfriend, and Martin and Amy. Unfortunately when the death occurred, each of these three saw something different. After the incident, the survivors take off across the Nevada desert toward the California border and their different viewpoints are chronicled via flashback. The story then begins jumping from recent past to present as they try to figure out how everything went so terribly wrong. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Stockwell, Janeane Garofalo, (more)
- 1995
Comedic actress Janeane Garofalo (The Larry Sanders Show and Mystery Men) hosts two episodes of the Comedy Product from cable television's Comedy Central channel. The series showcased some of the hottest, progressive twentysomething comedic talent that emerged from the alternative scene of the 1990s. In this video, Garofalo introduces routines by standup comic Bobcat Goldthwait and sketch artist Julia Sweeney. Garofalo also has fun with guests Bob Odenkirk and Andy Dick, her fellow cast members from the short-lived television comedy The Ben Stiller Show. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
- 1995
- R
A quiet young fellow becomes a reluctant, but effective hit man in this comedy. Cosmo, a robot-like bookie, is promoted to hit man by his crime boss, Gordon. Cosmo's teacher is to be the philosophical and chatty Steve, a real pro. Cosmo is an excellent shot and quickly learns. His problem is that he likes to get to know his clients and empathize with them before he kills them. In time Cosmo feels conflict after he begins to fall in love with Jasmine, his yoga-instructor. He wants out of the profession. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Priestley, Peter Riegert, (more)
Three divorced fathers, played by Paul Reiser, Matthew Modine, and Randy Quaid, experience the joys and hardships of their former marriages, their relationships with their kids, and getting back into the dating scene in this whimsical comedy. Dave (Modine) is diligently playing the field, while Vic (Quaid) is enraged over his ex-wife's spending problem and Donny (Reiser) is struggling with the love he still feels for his ex and his own feelings of rejection. However, what develops over the weekend changes each man's life forever. Vic goes on a nightmare date with a neurotic woman (Janeane Garofalo), Dave loses control of his female interests when they all show up at the house simultaneously, and Donny finds himself literally out on a limb in order to communicate with his teenage daughter. Though it deals with serious subject matter, Bye Bye Love is a lighthearted look at modern American divorce and the often humorous ways in which people adjust to a new life. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Modine, Randy Quaid, (more)
- 1995
Perhaps in response to the sometimes dark turns taken in season three of The Larry Sanders Show, season four makes things a bit more upbeat by focusing on the foibles of show business rather than the strife of the characters. Despite characters blowing off steam in such episodes as "Arthur After Hours" and a brush with mortality in "I Was a Teenage Lesbian," conflict generally resulted in more humorous outcomes as viewers began to learn more about such peripheral players as Beverly (Penny Johnson) ("Beverly and the Prop Job") and Paula (Janeane Garofalo) (the aforementioned "I Was a Teenage Lesbian"). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Garry Shandling, Rip Torn, (more)
- 1994
Taking a dark turn in may respects, season three of The Larry Sanders Show found familiar faces struggling with inner demons and the sometimes draining demands of a career in late-night television. Starting with the eponymous host living as a recluse and ending with him struggling to overcome an addiction to pain killers, the third season would lighten up somewhat in the middle with such humorous episodes as "Hank's Night in the Sun" and "People's Choice," though both Hank (Jeffrey Tambor) and Artie (Rip Torn) would face dark times in "Hank's Divorce" and "Arthur's Crisis." Despite the fact that the series contained some more downbeat themes, the writing on The Larry Sanders Show continued to be a strong as ever, and fans would certainly be pleased to find the show as fresh and pointed as the day it premiered. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Garry Shandling, Rip Torn, (more)
This film was one of the more mainstream offerings in the array of films that emphasized the overly hyped "Generation X" phenomenon, a list that ranges from Slacker to Singles and includes a host of other films. Winona Ryder stars as Lelaina, a recent college graduate. Out on her own and independent from her supportive, but out-of-touch parents, Lelaina faces the realities of careers and relationships. She can't stand her internship under a local television personality (John Mahoney), and she's forced to choose between Michael (Ben Stiller), a well-intentioned music-video network executive, and Troy (Ethan Hawke), a brooding, sensitive slacker. Meanwhile, she must also protect the artistic integrity of "Reality Bites," a video documentary that depicts the everyday lives of her friends (Hawke, Janeane Garofalo, and Steve Zahn). This 1994 release also marks the feature directorial debut of Ben Stiller. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, (more)
- 1993
Relationships, contract negotiations, and the familiar Larry Sanders Show theme of paranoia-fueled hyper-competitiveness drive the second season of HBO's popular satire of late-night talk shows. While season one introduced viewers to the sometimes grating character quirks that would become the show's trademark, season two played those quirks to the hilt for maximum comic effect. Starting off with a somewhat introspective two-part cliffhanger in which Larry (Garry Shandling) begins to question his abilities as his ratings begin to slip, the second season also began to reveal the more emotional side of the characters, endearing them to the audience as they became more accessible while simultaneously becoming even more outlandish in many respects. While episodes such as "The Breakdown" and "Artie's Gone" displayed the genuine care that the characters began to develop for one another, episodes such as "Hankerciser 2000" and "Larry's Birthday" provided perfect contrast with their sharp and cynical wit. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Garry Shandling, Rip Torn, (more)
- 1992
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In season one of HBO's Emmy award-winning series The Larry Sanders Show, audiences experienced the bizarre and often hilarious backstage antics of a late-night television talk show as rarely glimpsed by the outside world. From the stress of floundering ratings to the foibles of being a celebrity and the outlandish quirks that define the entertainment industry, The Larry Sanders Show introduced a series of sometimes grating characters that audiences would come to simultaneously love and endure in the coming seasons. In addition to host Larry (Garry Shandling), sidekick Hank (Jeffrey Tambor), and strong-arm producer Artie (Rip Torn), the first season of The Larry Sanders Show introduced audiences to such recurring celebrity characters as Mimi Rogers and Dana Carvey. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Garry Shandling, Rip Torn, (more)
- 1991
- PG
W.D. Richter directed this comedy-drama in the spirit of Back to the Future and Peggy Sue Got Married. The film opens in Santa Fe in 1962, where Willie (Brian Wimmer) and Joy Husband (Marcia Gay Harden) are a cute couple living in familial bliss with their five-year-old daughter. When evil land-developer Bob Freeman (Peter Gallagher) tries to turn their bliss into blight, a gun goes off and Willie flees to Los Angeles with his dim-witted brother-in-law Frank (Peter Berg), convinced he has committed murder. They run into crazed scientist Dr. Chilblains (Bo Brundin), who cryogenically freezes the fugitives. Twenty-nine years later they are defrosted, and Willie, who has only aged a day, goes back to Santa Fe with Frank to seek out his wife and daughter, discovering they have aged and gone on with their lives without him. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Wimmer, Peter Berg, (more)
Veteran animator Hayao Miyazaki directs this buoyant children's adventure yarn about a young witch striking out on her own. At her mother's behest, 13-year-old Kiki sets out on a year-long apprenticeship with her black cat in tow. With a shaky command of her broom, she ends up in a charming little coastal town that looks like a cross between the French provincial and San Francisco. Unfortunately, the local hotels have a strict "no witches" policy and the police have taken a dim view of her recent aerial mischief making. She's saved from the street by a kindly baker's wife who offers her room and board in exchange for her delivering by broom the baker's wares. Soon she befriends a college-aged artist, an old women who fusses over her, and a boy her same age who is nursing a massive crush. All is well until she wakes up one day and realizes that she can't make her broom levitate nor can she talk to her cat. What will Kiki do? ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirsten Dunst, Phil Hartman, (more)
