Peter Cattaneo Movies
The director behind The Full Monty (1997), Peter Cattaneo was responsible for one of the biggest sleeper hits of the 1990s. A comedy about a group of out-of-work Sheffield steel workers who take to stripping to earn money, the film mixed broad humor with a candid look at the bleak effects of post-Thatcherite unemployment, and did so with enough skill to win over critics and audiences alike. It earned $195 million worldwide, a more than respectable gross for a film that was shot over 40 days for around $3.5 million.
Born in England in 1964, Cattaneo first became involved with directing while a student at the Royal College of Art, where he made an award-winning music video, a commercial for Miller Lite, and Dear Rosie, a live action short that earned a 1990 Oscar nomination. Following his 1989 graduation, Cattaneo began directing for television, helming a series with titles such as "Diary of a Teenage Health Freak" and "The Full Wax." In 1995, he directed Loved Up, a BBC Screen Two film that was broadcast on television. Starring Lena Headey and
Ian Hart, it was a drama about an 18-year-old waitress (Headey) who becomes involved with a young raver (Hart) who introduces her to ecstasy and drug dealing.
Shortly after making Loved Up, Cattaneo received the script for The Full Monty and, drawn both to its obvious humor and more serious economic undertones, immediately set about getting it made into a film. Its ensuing commercial success and four Oscar nominations -- including Best Director and Best Picture -- established Cattaneo as one of the film industry's most exciting new players. In 2000, he embarked on a follow-up project, Lucky Break. A comedy about a group of inmates who stage a musical to cover up their escape, it was treated with eager expectation by fans of the Cattaneo's previous work. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

- 2015
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Bridget Jones returns for this third entry in the romantic comedy series that once again features Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth, and Hugh Grant. Author Helen Fielding co-wrote the script with David Nicholls, with David Nicholls handling directing duties. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, (more)

- 2008
- PG13
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The Office star Rainn Wilson portrays a drummer named "Fish," who gets a second shot at fame 20 years after getting kicked out of his band on the very night they signed the record contract that made them stars. Fish has spent the past two decades languishing at soul-crushing day jobs while his old bandmates became legends, continuing to grace magazine covers and dominate the radio. He might just get another chance at musical success, however, when his teenage cousin invites him to drum for his high school garage band, and they end up catching the ear of record executives. Now, Fish is determined to live the hedonistic rock & roll lifestyle he missed out on 20 years ago, but his new bandmates don't appreciate his hard partying -- and neither do his middle-aged knees. This Fox Atomic comedy co-stars Christina Applegate. Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum) and Tom McNulty co-produced the feature, which was penned by Wallace Wolodarsky and Maya Forbes, and directed by Peter Cattaneo (Opal Dream). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Rainn Wilson, Christina Applegate, (more)

- 2008
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- 2006
- PG
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When the imaginary friends of a young girl living in Australia's Lightning Ridge opal-mining town go missing, the inexplicable illness that befalls her soon prompts her brother to organize a desperate search for his sister's transparent pals in director Peter Cattaneo's adaptation of Ben Rice's popular children's novella. Kellyanne is a young girl with a vivid imagination and two invisible friends named Pobby and Dingan. Though her brother, Ashmol, was never the affectionate type, his concern at seeing his little sister become ill after Pobby and Dingan disappear quickly sets into motion an incredible journey that will serve as a transformative rite of passage for not just Ashmol, but the whole town of Lightning Ridge as well. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Sapphire Boyce

- 2001
- PG13
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The first feature by director Peter Cattaneo since his award-winning British smash hit The Full Monty, Lucky Break is another comedy in the same mold, this time taking place in prison. Small-time crooks Jimmy (James Nesbitt) and Rudy (Lennie James), after years of no success, decide to pull a bank job, where they are both captured and incarcerated. Jimmy is then transferred to Long Rudford, run by the steely security chief Perry (Ron Cook). Jimmy again runs into Rudy (whom he left to take the initial rap) and shares a cell with Cliff (Timothy Spall), a portly man prone to depression. The prison warden, Mortimer (Christopher Plummer), is heavily into Broadway musicals and offers Jimmy an opportunity to stage his long-unproduced work, "Nelson: The Musical," which Jimmy will use as a means to bust out of the prison. After working hard on the new tuner, the boys try to find a way both to do the show and to continue their arduously planned escape. The Sixth Sense's Olivia Williams co-stars as a guard Jimmy falls for, and British comic actors Bill Nighy and Frank Harper appear in supporting roles. ~ Jason Clark, Rovi
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- Starring:
- James Nesbitt, Olivia Williams, (more)

- 1997
- R
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Six guys with nothing left to lose try losing their clothing for fun and profit in this international hit comedy. Gaz (Robert Carlyle) and Dave (Mark Addy) are two former steelworkers in the British industrial town of Sheffield who have been devastated by the economic downturn in their community. Gaz is threatened with losing visitation rights with his son if he can't pay his child support, while Dave feels emasculated by his inability to support his wife. One day, Gaz stops by a local pub for a drink and is told it's women only tonight -- the Chippendales male exotic dancing troupe is playing, and they are demanding a hefty cover charge. Gaz decides there's nothing a bunch of pantywaists from America can do that he and his pals can't do better, and decides to form his own crew of male strippers, called "Hard Steel." However, the local talent pool leaves a bit to be desired. Gaz isn't bad looking, but Dave is a bit heavy and very self conscious about it. Horse (Paul Barber) was probably hot stuff at Soul Night in the mid-70's, but his joints don't move like they used to. Guy (Hugo Speer) can't dance to save his life, but makes the troupe because ... well, let's say he and Dirk Diggler would have a lot to say to each other. Lomper (Steve Huison) is sometimes too busy attempting suicide to practice. And Gerald (Tom Wilkinson), their choreographer, isn't much on male exotic dancing -- ballroom dancing is more his speed. While "Hard Steel"'s performances are more amusing then enticing, for the first time since they lost their jobs the men have a reason to get up in the morning; joining the group has given them a circle of friendship, and a renewed sense of purpose. Combining broad comedy with believable and well-drawn characters, The Full Monty was a major box-office hit both in England and the United States and was nominated for Academy Awards as Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Original Screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Robert Carlyle, Tom Wilkinson, (more)

- 1995
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This youthful British romance chronicles the love affair between an 18-year old waitress and a freewheeling 21-year old who in one night draws her into an exciting world of sex and drugs. The waitress is Sarah, who feels oppressed by living with her alcoholic mother and dreams of excitement. Tom seems to be just what the doctor ordered and following an orgiastic night of prolonged pill popping and lovemaking, she moves in with him. Tom is a true party animal, and Sarah finds him awesome. After she is fired from the diner, Sarah decides to become a drug runner for Tom's dealer Dez, who is also interested in taking a tumble with her. During her relationship with Tom, he makes it very clear that he is using her and will take no responsibility for her. When Sarah's mother makes a suicide attempt, the young woman is faced with a difficult choice. Should she stay with her exciting new friends, or should she return to her family? ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
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- 1991
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The title character in this freewheeling British sitcom was Peter Payne (Alex Langdon), a frustrated teenager living in cozy middle-class complacency with his Dad (series writer Daniel Peacock) and Mum (Tilly Vosburgh). As annoying as his home life may have been at times, it was sheer pleasure compared to school, where Peter was at the mercy of his clueless headmaster (Tony Robinson). The only person who made life worth living was Peter's beautiful classmate Amanda (Liza Walker) -- and she barely knew that he was alive. To blow off steam, Peter used a videocam to record his life, his loves, his triumphs, his travails, and especially his hormone-driven rants. The winner of the Royal Television Society award for Best Youth Program, Teenage Health Freak lasted for 12 half-hour episodes, which were shown on Britain's Channel 4 beginning May 21, 1991 and ending March 29, 1993 (there was an inexplicable year-long gap between the first season and the last). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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- 1990
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