Henriette Mantel Movies
Comedienne and actress Henriette Mantel made her feature film debut playing Alice the housekeeper in The Brady Bunch Movie (1996) and A Very Brady Sequel (1997). Before that, she was a regular on the standup comedy circuit, frequently appearing on such comedy television anthologies as Caroline's Comedy Hour and Evening at the Improv, as well as making guest appearances on the nightly series Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher. Born and raised on a Vermont farm, she was a natural at funny business and honed her comedic skills on her brothers and sisters. Before making her debut as a standup comedienne at a San Francisco club in 1985, Mantel had worked at various jobs, including a time in Washington, D.C., as part of the consumer advocate group Nader's Raiders. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 2005
The life and career of one of America's most tenacious consumer advocates and political activists is brought to the screen in this richly detailed documentary. Born in a small town in Connecticut, Ralph Nader was raised to believe the words of his father that "you can fight city hall," and Nader made a nationwide reputation for his willingness to take on the wealthy and powerful. After receiving a degree from Harvard Law School, Nader first became a household name in 1965 with his book Unsafe at Any Speed, in which he detailed the auto industry's willingness to sacrifice safety in the name of greater profits. The book so outraged General Motors that they hired investigators to dig up dirt on Nader and make trouble for him; the plan backfired when Nader sued for invasion of privacy and walked away with a 425,000-dollar settlement that he used to set up an activist group to investigate both public servants and private commerce and how they live up to their responsibilities. However, Nader's long career as a incorruptible watchdog was tarnished in 2004 when Nader ran for president in a campaign that attracted a great deal of attention for a third party candidate -- and was blamed by many Democrats for drawing enough votes away from Al Gore to allow George W. Bush to walk away with an extremely narrow victory. An Unreasonable Man was directed by Henriette Mantel and Stephen Skrovan, the former of whom worked as a member of Nader's staff in the '70s. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ralph Nader, Jay Acton, (more)
- 2002
Arguably the most prolific figure in the history of heavy metal music, Ozzy Osbourne has for decades rocked metalheads to their very core. From his earliest days with the legendary Black Sabbath, to his popular solo efforts, to his massive Ozzfest tour featuring some of the most popular musicians of the genre, the notorious Osbourne has made headlines with his outrageous antics and stricken fear into the hearts of parents around the globe. A colorful personality to say the very least, the world would bear witness to an entirely different side of the metal madman when, in early 2002, reality television pioneer MTV debuted The Osbournes. A massive success that garnered the highest rating ever for an MTV premier and would subsequently build viewership ratings to become one of the most successful cable series' ever (even surpassing that of some network series), The Osbournes would breathe new life into Ozzy Osbourne's career and find his popularity soaring to new heights. With the colorful personalities of wife Sharon and children Jack and Kelly, one could never be sure of what would happen next on The Osbournes. This wild unpredictability, coupled with storylines often alternating between hilarious, poignant, and surreal, provided viewers with the ultimate peek into the personal life of a celebrity. Though many would subsequently attempt to emulate its success, few would lay claim to the fascinating personalities and unique dynamic that made The Osbournes so captivating. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ozzy Osbourne, Sharon Osbourne, (more)
The first season of Michael Moore's television show The Awful Truth consists of 12 episodes and is a sound introduction for those unfamiliar with Moore's guerilla style of social-conscience filmmaking. After his original show, TV Nation, was canceled by NBC, Moore moved to Bravo, a more accommodating network that would allow him to proceed with his ideas. Each episode of The Awful Truth is 30 minutes long, opening with a monologue by Moore and leading to a journalistic exposé of some social wrong typically perpetrated by a large corporation. Much like he did in his documentaries Roger & Me and The Big One, Moore often ambushes his targets, surprising them and forcing them to speak candidly. This candor helps produce the scathing edge that has made Moore's projects so popular. Among the highlights of the 12 episodes are Moore and crew busting a giant health insurance company that tries to avoid paying for an organ transplant to save a man's life, confronting homophobic and hate-spewing Rev. Fred Phelps in a pink RV christened the "Sodomobile," and sending an Awful Truth mascot chicken into Disney World to expose the deplorable working conditions of the employees in costume. Some people may be turned off by Moore's leftist politics and his labor-friendly attitude, but most will not be able to deny his sincere efforts to hold corporate crooks responsible for their actions. The DVD version of The Awful Truth contains a biography of Michael Moore and several amusing outtakes from the filming of the show. ~ Ed Atkinson, All Movie Guide
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)
