Troy Simmons Movies
The bane of the existence of city attorney Elizabeth Gates (Shelley Long) is the jovial, widowed former barber (Bruce Kirby) who has chosen to be a year-round Santa Claus, transforming his house into a permanent "North Pole" village and giving away free presents to needy children. Unfortunately, "Santa" is operating out of a residential zone, and thus is technically running an illegal commercial business. Elizabeth's problem is to evict the would-be Kris Kringle without endangering her mayoral campaign -- and to hide from her impressionable son Tommy (Nathan Lawrence) the real reason behind her dislike for "Santa." Meanwhile, a cynical big-city reporter (Barry Bostwick) follows the case with interest (his interest is mainly in Elizabeth, of course), and a local land developer goes into "Scrooge" mode as he schemes to tear down a landmark train station. Based on an actual 1989 court case, A Different Kind of Christmas was made for cable, airing originally over the Lifetime network on December 9, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shelley Long, Barry Bostwick, (more)
A successful retired jock and his geeky younger brother play out their sibling rivalry by coaching rival little league football teams in this family comedy. Ed O'Neill plays the older brother, Kevin O'Shea, a former Heisman Trophy winner whose gridiron exploits have made him a local hero in his small Illinois hometown. Kevin is the almost unanimous choice to head up the town's Pop Warner football team, and he happily builds an imposing team from the best local players. One of the few objectors is Kevin's young brother Danny (Rick Moranis), an awkward, bespectacled gas station owner who empathizes with the kids rejected from the team, including his own athletic daughter Becky (Shawna Waldron). As revenge, Danny starts his own competing team of misfits, taking on the coaching duties himself. Naturally, despite the total ineptitude of Danny and his players, they eventually find themselves major underdogs in a climactic battle against Kevin's well-trained juggernaut. Director Duwayne Dunham and a team of four screenwriters hit all the expected sports film conventions, throwing in a few innocent romantic subplots and cameos by real football players for good measure. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rick Moranis, Ed O'Neill, (more)
A young boy embarks on a holiday adventure with his estranged father in this poignant family drama starring Henry Winkler, Katherine Hepburn, and Swoosie Kurtz. Based on a short story by author Truman Capote, One Christmas opens in 1930, as eight year old Buddy (T.J. Lowther) leaves his aunt in Alabama to spend Christmas with his father in New Orleans. It's been years since Buddy has seen his dad, and these days the old swindler seems more interested pulling off scams than bonding with his long lost son. But the life of a con man has taken a heavy toll on Buddy's dad, and when you're entire world is based on lies, a little truth can bring the whole thing crashing down. As the hard-living grifter begins to realize the importance of cherishing every minute he has with the boy who looks up to him, young Buddy gets his Christmas wish to reconnect with the father he's never known, but always loved. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide










