Jennifer Griffin Movies
A man who wants a woman who will love him for him looks for ladies while posing as someone else in this comedy. Paul (Brad Rowe) is a millionaire who made a fortune in the technology industry, and now is looking for the woman with whom he can share his life. However, Paul is afraid that lots of women will be more interested in his bankbook than his personality, so he begins posing as a working stiff named Ernest in hopes of finding someone who won't be after his money. Paul meets Olivia (Susan Ward) while posing as Ernest, but when he falls in love with her and wants to get serious, she's not so sure she trusts Paul after spending time with his altar ego. Meanwhile, Guy (Jonathan Penner) is a con man who learns about Paul's scheme, and begins making the rounds as Ernest himself, luring a beautiful blonde named Sophie (Samaire Armstrong) in the process. Would I Lie to You? also stars Stephanie Beacham, Steve Hytner, and Jennifer Griffin. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brad Rowe, Susan Ward, (more)
- 2001
Months after being rescued from the demon dimension of Pylea, Fred (Amy Acker) still acts like a shell-shocked recluse. Taking a rare break from scribbling equations on her bedroom walls, she hangs out with Gunn (J. August Richards), Wesley (Alexis Denisof), and Cordelia (Charisma Carpenter). Since Angel (David Boreanaz) is off reuniting with the newly resurrected Buffy, Wes and Cordy poke a little fun at their boss' doomed romance with the Vampire Slayer. Just then, an unamused Angel returns and enlists Fred's help in hunting a Durslar Beast that's on the loose. While they're gone, a middle-aged couple turn up seeking help in locating their daughter, who disappeared without a trace five years earlier. As it turns out, they're Fred's parents, and they've tracked the girl to Angel's hotel. Far from being delighted to reunite with her folks, though, Fred hightails it into hiding the moment she sees them. Eventually, after a long search that involves another demonic run-in, Angel and the gang catch up with Fred and she confesses what's bothering her: The sight of her parents has brought back all of the repressed pain from her long years as a demon slave. Now finally allowing herself to feel the joy of seeing her family again, Fred prepares to move back home with her parents -- until yet another skirmish with the supernatural convinces her that her place is by Angel's side. Originally broadcast October 22, 2001, on the WB network, "Fredless" marked episode five of the supernatural comedy drama's fifth season. Because of the WB's refusal to allow crossovers between Angel and its network-hopping parent series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the reunion between Angel and Sarah Michelle Gellar's Buffy Summers is alluded to rather than depicted here. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- 1999
The already shaky friendship between Eric (Will Friedle) and Jack (Matthew Lawrence) is further damaged when the boys become managers of the Pennbrook Student Union. The main problem is that good-hearted Eric has a bad habit of giving away the Union's profits whenever he hears a sob story--something that the coldly businesslike Jack can neither understand nor tolerate (at least until episode's end!) Elsewhere, Rachel (Maitland Ward) metes out retribution when she finds out that Cory (Ben Savage) and Shawn (Rider Strong) have been sneaking peeks at her diary. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1999
- R
Despite the efforts of her sleazy attorney, Mr. Butz (David Alan Grier), teen drug dealer/car thief Crystal (Natasha Lyonne) is sentenced to a 25-year prison term, the first segment of which will be served in a youth correctional facility where she will be treated for her rampant bulimia. There, in-between binge/purge marathons with her fellow eating-disordered inmates and relentless harassment of the hapless authorities, she fends off the lesbian advances of her psychotic cellmate, Cyclona (Maria Celedonio), a serial killer who's just received a life sentence. The two escape together and embark on a cross-country road trip in search of Sister Gomez (Vincent Gallo), the beneficent nun who protected Cyclona from the sexual predations of her family during her troubled childhood south of the border. Where writer/director Matthew Bright's original Freeway was a modern retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, Freeway 2 riffs on Hansel and Gretel; it borrows only the trailer-park trappings of the earlier film, making the titular allusion to automobiles somewhat tenuous. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi
- Starring:
- Natasha Lyonne, Maria Celedonio, (more)
The treachery of seduction takes hold when, after manipulating her lover to do away with her faithful husband, a scheming black widow stealthily begins plotting her next deadly move in a steamy erotic thriller starring Susan Lucci and Philip Casnoff. Isabelle Collins (Lucci) has been married to power broker husband Stewart (John O'Hurley) for over a decade, and despite his endless wealth, her eyes have begun to wander. After using her beauty to seduce rich and handsome widower Richard (Casnoff), Isabelle quickly manages to convince her new lover that she is stuck in an abusive relationship with no way out. Soon lead to believe that both of their lives are in immediate danger as a result of their heated affair, Richard is skillfully manipulated into hiring a violent parolee to do away with the unsuspecting Stewart. When the deed is finally done and Isabelle begins to grow increasingly distant to her ever-loyal lover, it doesn't take Richard long to realize that not only has he been manipulated into killing an innocent man, but he may be the next in line to die at the behest of the insatiable Isabelle. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 1997
14-year-old Holly Nolan (Gina Philips) lives unhappily with her hyperjudgmental mother Donna (Talia Shire) and her brother Ted (Eddie Mills). To escape the pressures of her home life and make herself feel important, Holly begins hanging out with an older crowd, and in the course of events falls in love with 19-year-old Chris (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) an Army reservist who has been disowned by his family. When Donna violently objects to Holly's romance with Chris, the couple elope and head off to Calfornia, certain that all they need to survive in the "outside" world is their love for each other. But it isn't enough: Repeatedly battered down by disillusionment and deprivation, Holly and Chris can't even return to her home town, where Chris faces charges for being AWOL--and, thanks to Holly's vengeful mother, for statutory rape. With apparently no other alternative, Chris resorts to the "easiest" way to stay alive, becoming a male prostitute on the mean streets of LA. Innovative direction and a driving musical score featuring such artists as Van Halen, Peter Himmelman, Lisa Cerbone and Sarah McLaughlin) helps sustain the viewers' interest and fascination in this sordid (but not sordidly told) made-for-TV movie. Born Into Exile made its NBC network debut on March 17, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1996
This fact-based TV movie melodrama stars Joe Penny as John Dubroski, a veteran cop with a history of erratic behavior and casual philandering. Dubroski's passive wife, Cindy (Teri Garr), is aware of her husband's peccadilloes, but she has always forgiven him and steadfastly remained at his side. Enter Julia Neuland (Brittany Murphy), a 16-year-old waitress and self-styled "cop groupie" who despite her innate naïveté quickly ensnares Dubroski and maneuvers him into bed. When Julia finds out that she's pregnant, she is certain that John will leave his family for her sake. But he flatly denies the affair and insists the child is not his, leading the girl to file a paternity suit. Ultimately, Julia turns up murdered, and of course John is the number-one suspect. The question: will Cindy offer loyal support as before or is this one indignity too many? Originally titled Double Jeopardy when it first aired over CBS on January 30, 1996, the film has since been retitled Victim of the Night for cable-TV play. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
This TV-dramatization tells the story of marital abuse, but with a slight twist in the formula: the abuser and abused are young, upper-middle-class newlyweds. Kellie Martin is fresh-faced wife and young-mother Katie, who goes against her parents' better judgment and marries the good-looking but shady Jim (Ivan Sergei). Soon after their marriage, Katie realizes her husband has explosive and violent anger, but repeatedly accepts his apologies. After doing everything in her power to hide the truth from her police-officer father (Kevin Dobson), she finally comes clean to her family and tries to leave, facing the ultimate confrontation with Jim. Somewhat typical in its characterizations, the movie is notable for Martin's believable performance as the resigned victim. ~ Bernadette McCallion, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kellie Martin, Kevin Dobson, (more)
- 1994
Kate (Donna Mills) is an alcoholic--and, as is often the case, she is in full denial regarding her illness. Only when she is threatened with mass desertion by her husband, children and best friend does the sullen Kate agree to seek out treatment. A lengthy and often harrowing rehabilitation period with a varied group of recovering addicts seems to have a enlightening effect on Kate, who promises her loved ones--and herself--that she has taken her last drink. Thus is established the tension that permeates the final half of the made-for-TV My Name Is Kate, for which Donna Mills pulled double duty as star and producer. The film made its initial ABC appearance on January 24, 1994. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Clint Eastwood, hot off of his Academy Award win for Unforgiven, directed this small character study, appearing in the guise of a cops-and-robbers action picture. The film takes place during the fall of 1963. Eight-year old Phillip Perry (T.J. Lowther), the son of a devout Jehovah's Witness mother, is staying home while all the other children are out trick-or-treating. But then prison escapee Butch Haynes (Kevin Costner) appears in his kitchen. Needing a hostage to aid him in his escape from jail, he grabs Phillip. Phillip curiously looks up to Butch and willingly accompanies him. Butch gets rid of his fellow escapee after he tries to molest the child, and Butch and Phillip take to the Texas highway, on the run from the cops. The cop in pursuit in this instance is Police Chief Red Garnett (Clint Eastwood), riding in his sleek Populux Airglide trailer -- his "mobile command headquarters." On the road with Garnett is Sally Gerber (Laura Dern), a pushy pre-feminist criminologist, along with a creepy federal agent who is an expert sharpshooter. Butch is not particularly anxious to make it to the Texas borderline, and neither is Garnett in any particular hurry to catch Butch. As Butch and Phillip form a father-son attachment, the paths of Butch and Garnett gradually come together, in time for a final confrontation, after which Garnett confesses, "I don't know nothing. I don't know a damn thing." ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kevin Costner, Clint Eastwood, (more)
- 1993
The miserable life and long-overdue death of thrill killer Charles Starkweather is the basis of the two-part TV movie Murder in the Heartland. Over a bloody few months in 1958, Starkweather (Tim Roth), a 19-year-old high school dropout, embarked on a killing spree, snuffing out 11 victims. Along for the ride was Charlie's 14-year-old girlfriend Caril Ann Fugate (Fairuza Balk). The debate still goes on as to whether Caril Ann was a willing accomplice or a reluctant prisoner; as played by Ms. Balk, she comes off as dumb as mud. A shorter, fictionalized account of the Starkweather killings was offered in the critically acclaimed 1973 theatrical feature Badlands, starring Martin Sheen and Sissy Spacek. Murder in the Heartland originally aired May 3 and 4, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tim Roth, Fairuza Balk, (more)
- 1991
In this crime drama, a sequel to "Deadly Intentions," the protagonist, Dr. Charles Raynor, who was convicted of attempted murder, has been paroled. He goes home to his second wife. He is determined to get revenge upon those who had him convicted for trying to kill his first wife. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
When a young Caucasian military man is thrown into an all African-American barracks for punishment, he slowly earns the respect of his peers while they all are forced to contend with the prejudicial acts of a racist sergeant. Charlie Sheen, Laurence Fishburne, Martin Sheen (who also directed) and others appear in this well-intentioned drama. ~ Kristie Hassen, Rovi
- Starring:
- Charlie Sheen, Martin Sheen, (more)
In this made-for-TV thriller, a quartet of female friends hire a boozy wilderness guide and head into the mountains for a little backpacking fun that is spoiled when they become the target of a militant survivalist group's war games. The film is also known as Bitter Creek. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- 1987
Mark Harmon plays an itinerant Depression-era carpenter in the made-for-TV After the Promise. When his wife dies, Harmon is declared an unsuitable parent purely on the basis of his financial situation, and his four children are made wards of the Court. Fighting against the seemingly invulnerable legal system of the era, Harmon struggles to regain custody of his children-a struggle that drags on for eight years. Robert W. Lenski's teleplay was inspired by a true story. Because of the time-span of the plotline, Harmon's four children are portrayed by 13 different juvenile actors. After the Promise debuted October 11, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Mark Harmon
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