Amanda Donohoe Movies
An alumnus of London's Central School of Speech and Drama, English actress Amanda Donohoe's first film role was a supporting one in the door-slamming sex farce Foreign Body (1986). She then starred in a handful of British TV movies, usually cast as the slinky femme fatale. Briefly a member of director Ken Russell's informal stock company, Donohoe was stunning as the wicked snake woman in Russell's Lair of the White Worm (1988); in the same director's The Rainbow (1989), she played the worldly seductress to whom sexual naif Judy Davis turns to for advice. Donohoe was also starred as the alluring desert-island companion of Oliver Reed in director Nicholas Roeg's Castaway (1987), and was seen in a rare sympathetic role in 1990's Paper Mask. It was back to "black widows" again in 1993's made-for-cable The Substitute--one of several recent TV appearances for Donohoe, the most well-publicized of which was her weekly assignment as attorney C. J. Lamb on the popular TV series LA Law. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The bugs are back in this straight-to-DVD third entry in the Starship Troopers film series, this time with Johnny Rico (Casper Van Dien) back in the lead after being absent from the first follow up, Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation. Also back is Edward Neumeier, the writer of the original, who takes on the directing reigns with this action-packed installment. Star Trek Enterprise's Jolene Blaylock co-stars in the Stage 6 Films production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Casper Van Dien, Jolene Blalock, (more)
Another of the PAX network's adaptations of the suspense novels of Mary Higgins Clark, the Toronto-filmed Lucky Day stars Amanda Donohoe as Nora Barkin, an aspiring actress who supports herself by working for a courier service. No sooner has Nora's friend and coworker Bill Reagan (Gino Marrocco) jubilantly announced that he possesses a lottery ticket worth 13 million dollars than Bill is killed by an unknown assailant. Though discouraged from doing so by investigating detective Marinello (Tony Lo Bianco), Nora insists upon trying to solve Bill's murder herself -- and in the process she follows a trail of evidence leading to her own husband Jack (Gregor Torzs). Mary Higgins Clark's Lucky Day was originally telecast on April 27, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amanda Donohoe
A kind of "best-of" account of the books of Genesis and Exodus, this two-part NBC miniseries aired in November 2000. Part One, set in the desert, covers the stories of Abraham (Martin Landau), Sarah (Jacqueline Bisset), Isaac (Sean Pertwee), Rebeccah (Diana Rigg), Esau (Andrew Grainger), and Jacob (Frederick Weller) and culminates with the enslavement of Joseph (Eddie Cibrian). Part Two, set in biblical Egypt, focuses on the story of Moses (Billy Campbell) and his deliverance of his people from slavery. Also included in the miniseries' huge and illustrious cast are Alan Bates as Jethro, Geraldine Chaplin as Yocheved, and Jonathan Firth as Joshua. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Landau, Jacqueline Bisset, (more)
- 2000
A woman who wants to get rid of her husband has second thoughts when he's suddenly not the man he once was in this romantic comedy shot in Ireland. Harry McKee (Brendan Gleeson) is the host of a long-running television series called "What's Cooking?" in which he shares recipes with celebrity guests. Harry is also an alcoholic, and chronically unfaithful to his wife Ruth (Amanda Donohoe), which has earned him a certain amount of bad publicity over the years. Ruth decides she's had enough of Harry's unreliability and demands a divorce, which Harry is in no position to contest. But the day before their divorce is to be declared final, Harry is attacked by muggers; his injuries leave him severely disoriented, and as a result he humiliates a powerful politician (James Nesbitt) on the air before passing out and falling into a coma. A week later, Harry regains consciousness, but something has happened to his memory -- he can't recall anything that has happened in the past 25 years, and he's convinced that he is only 18 years old. Ruth discovers her husband is now literally a different person, and with a little prodding she's able to re-educate Harry into a sweet-tempered and monogamous teetotaler. Harry isn't able to leave his past entirely behind, however; even if he can't remember it, the politician he embarrassed is eager to get revenge. Wild About Harry also features George Wendt and Adrian Dunbar. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brendan Gleeson, Amanda Donohoe, (more)
A confidence man discovers too late that he's on the other end of a dangerous scam in this tense thriller from England. Leo Garfield (John Hannah) is a small-time gambler and con artist who is eager to get out of the business. Bruno (Brian Conley), a brutal underworld leader, wants Leo to manage his gaming operations. While he's in no position to say no, Leo doesn't want to work for the unstable gangster. Hoping to raise enough money so that he and his wife Lily (Famke Janssen) can leave the country, Leo agrees to murder Gloria (Amanda Donohoe), the wife of a mobster named Julius (Peter Stormare). However, Bruno's brother Caspar (Ian Burfield) is convinced that Leo is up to no good, and he hopes to get some information from Lily by passing on unwelcome news -- Elmo (Fred Ward), Lily's former partner in crime, has just been released from prison, and he wants revenge for her betrayal of him after a bungled robbery. Leo goes through with his assignment to kill Gloria, only to discover that he's been set up -- the woman in question was a prostitute hired by Julius, who videotaped her death and is now demanding $500,000 in blackmail from Leo. Circus was the feature film debut for director Rob Walker, who had previously worked in British television. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucy Akhurst, Christopher Biggins, (more)
- 1998
British director Vadim Jean helmed this British-Canadian family comedy about former private eye Howard Spitz (Kelsey Grammer), who writes hardboiled detective novels. Unfortunately, Spitz's creative juices are drying up. His agent Lou (Joseph Rutten) suggests a switch to self-help manuals, but after Howard meets children's author Theodora Winkle (Kay Tremblay) and gets input on kid lit from Samantha Kershaw (Genevieve Tessier), he begins writing about cow detective Crafty Cow, and the character is a success. However, Howard doesn't like children, so he hires an actor (Patrick McKenna) to substitute for him at public appearances. Howard, Samantha, and Samantha's single mom Laura (Amanda Donohoe) then leave on a trip to find Samantha's dad in L.A. Shown at the 1998 Mill Valley Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kelsey Grammer, Amanda Donohoe, (more)
In this lighthearted science fiction story for the whole family, research scientist Dr. Karol Wasacz has come up with a remarkable new invention -- the "bio-chip," a microprocessor that can give life to inanimate objects. While Karol has envisioned a number of beneficial uses for this new technology, his employers have other ideas, and rather than see his creation fall into evil hands, Dr. Wasacz brings it home, where it's soon installed in the family's vacuum cleaner. Now that the Wasaczs have an all-talking, all-singing, all-dancing carpet sweeper, the good doctor and his 11-year-old son Charlie have to see to it that Stardust the vacuum (and his all-important bio-chip) isn't stolen by those who would use it for sinister purposes. Stardust stars Amanda Donohoe, Giancarlo Esposito, Christopher Berryman, and Olek Krupa. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amanda Donohoe, Giancarlo Esposito, (more)
This 1998 film about a dysfunctional Los Angeles family is directed by Bruce Wagner, on whose novel this is based. Everyone in this family has a problem. Perry (Frank Langella) is a successful TV producer who has been diagnosed with inoperable cancer just before his 60th birthday. His son Bertie (Andrew McCarthy) is an unsuccessful actor but a wonderful father with an adorable daughter and an ex-wife who is known to show up for visitations visibly stoned. Rachel (Rosanna Arquette), a niece who is now his adopted daughter, finds out that her father murdered her mother years ago before taking his own life. We follow these characters as they go through their share of hardships and love. We are given a lot to chew on, including death, adultery, AIDS, and deceit. Wagner got a lot of very good actors to appear in small roles, including Amanda Donohoe, Buck Henry, Elizabeth Perkins, and Ed Begley Jr.. Prior to this film Wagner was chiefly known as the writer of Wild Palms and Scenes from the Class Struggle in Beverly Hills. ~ Brett Harrison, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rosanna Arquette, Amanda Donohoe, (more)
In this romantic fantasy adventure, a lady scientist's experiment whisks her back to King Arthur's court. While there, the plucky lass proves that modern women are as tough as medieval men, and she soon becomes the mythical king's most favored knight. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Whoopi Goldberg, Michael York, (more)
A man's brief fling threatens to ruin what he values most in life in this drama. Max Carlyle (Wesley Snipes) lives in California, where he has a successful career directing television commercials and is happily married to Mimi (Ming-Na Wen), with whom he has two children. While visiting New York City, Max meets Karen (Nastassja Kinski) by chance after missing a flight; circumstances keep bringing them together over the course of the evening, and they end up spending the night making love. When he returns home, Max seems distant and unhappy, though Mimi can't tell why and Max won't say. A year later, Max and Mimi fly to New York to visit his close friend Charlie (Robert Downey, Jr.), who is in the last stages of an AIDS-related illness. Max meets Charlie's brother Vernon (Kyle MacLachlan) and is introduced to his new wife -- Karen. Facing Karen sends Max into an emotional tailspin, and he realizes that he must tell Mimi the truth about his indiscretion. Writer/director Mike Figgis adapted One Night Stand from a screenplay by Joe Eszterhas, though Figgis' changes were so extensive that Eszterhas chose to remove his name from the project. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wesley Snipes, Nastassja Kinski, (more)
An attorney who tells the truth for 24 hours straight? This has got to be the movies! Fletcher Reede (Jim Carrey) is a lawyer obsessed with his career, and he's devoted his life to bending the truth to his advantage. This habit has broken up his marriage to Audrey (Maura Tierney) and isn't doing much good for his relationship with his young son Max (Justin Cooper). Fletcher repeatedly promised Max that he'll be there for Max's eighth birthday party, but when an important assignment comes up at work, Fletcher calls Audrey and makes an excuse so flimsy that even Max can see through it. When it comes time to blow out the candles on his cake, Max makes a wish: that his Dad could go just one day without telling a lie. Suddenly, Max finds himself physically incapable of saying anything that isn't true -- which, given the divorce settlement case he's just been handed, is going to make his next day in court very interesting indeed. While designed to show off a warmer and more likable side of Jim Carrey's personality, Liar Liar still revels in the broad physical comedy that made Carrey a star in Ace Ventura, Pet Detective -- which makes sense, since both were directed by Tom Shadyac. Both Carrey's fans and foes will get a chuckle out of Swoosie Kurtz's tongue-in-cheek insult to the film's star in the blooper reel that runs under the final credits. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Carrey, Maura Tierney, (more)
- 1996
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This follow-up to the wildly popular miniseries The Thorn Birds (based on the best-selling novel by Colleen McCullough) tells the tale of a period during World War II that was not covered in the original story. In 1943, Father Ralph de Bricassart (Richard Chamberlain) is a Catholic priest who loves Meggie (Amanda Donohoe), with whom he had an affair years before. Meggie has divorced her husband and is now caught up in a bitter court dispute over custody of their son Dane, while Father Ralph has mixed feelings about the church's response to World War II. Father Ralph takes it upon himself to help Meggie win custody of Dane, but they also find themselves tempted to rekindle their forbidden love. The Thorn Birds: The Missing Years also stars Maximilian Schell, Simon Westway, and Christopher Gabardi.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Chamberlain, Amanda Donohoe, (more)
- 1996
A cop goes into dangerous territory in this British made-for-television thriller. Colin Salmon stars as Detective Charlie Nolan, a cop who goes undercover to track down an underworld mob boss (Ion Caramitru) in Manchester. When he gets involved with the man's wife (Amanda Donohoe), he has to do everything he can to get out alive. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1995
In this drama, a renegade lawyer struggles to save a man from Death Row after she learns that the condemned has been suffering from a mis-diagnosed mental illness. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amanda Donohoe, Kay Lenz, (more)
Based on Alan Bennett's acclaimed play The Madness of George III, The Madness of King George takes a dark-humored look at the mental decline of King George III of England. The film's story begins nearly three decades into George's reign, in 1788, as the unstable king (Nigel Hawthorne, reprising his stage role) begins to show signs of increasing dementia, from violent fits of foul language to bouts of forgetfulness. This weakness seems like the perfect chance to overthrow the unpopular George, whom many blamed for the loss of the American colonies, in favor of the Prince of Wales (Rupert Everett), but the king's prime minister William Pitt (Julian Wadham) and his wife Queen Charlotte (Helen Mirren) are determined to protect the throne. Doctors are brought in, but the archaic treatments of the time prove of little value. In desperation, they turn to Dr. Willis (Ian Holm), a harsh, unconventional specialist whose unusual methods recall modern psychiatry. Willis struggles to break through to the mad king, treating him with an anger and haughtiness George has never before experienced. Stressing the absurdity of the entire situation, Bennett's witty screenplay emphasizes dry humor over tragedy, even utilizing references to King Lear for comic effect. Hawthorne's fiery yet vulnerable performance received much critical praise, including Best Actor at the British Academy Awards and a nomination for the same at the Oscars. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nigel Hawthorne, Helen Mirren, (more)
- 1993
Not for the first time in his life, Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) finds himself on the horns of an ethical dilemma. It seems that Frasier has begun dating an attractive woman named Catherine (Amanda Donohoe). Trouble is, Catherine's boyfriend has just broken up with her -- acting upon the advice given him by a certain radio psychologist named Frasier Crane. When the ex-boyfriend calls into Frasier's radio show expressing a desire to patch things up with Catherine, our hero is forced to pull a few desperate strings. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Based on a novel by Carol Clewlow, the three-part British miniseries A Woman's Guide to Adultery chronicled the sexual interrelations between three married couples. Only Rose (Theresa Russell), the nominal heroine, abstained from extramarital hanky-panky. However, the siren song of Temptation proved strong indeed, and Rose's resistance was worn down bit by bit as those around her seemed to be having such a jolly good time. Remarkably frank in its dialogue and depiction of contemporary carnality, A Woman's Guide to Adultery first aired in 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Theresa Russell, Sean Bean, (more)
- 1993
- R
Amanda Donohoe stars in this racy made-for-cable thriller. Laura Willingsly is a demure high-school English teacher who finds her husband conducting an affair with a young student. After the adulterous pair mysteriously end up dead in a fire, however, Laura disappears. A year later, the student body of Baker Springs (Minnesota) high-school can't stop talking about the sexy new substitute teacher who seems to have a lot more on her agenda than teaching English Lit. But when it's time for the real teacher to return to class, the substitute's deadly intentions soon become known. Natasha Gregson Wagner and Mark Wahlberg also star. ~ Sarah Block, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amanda Donohoe, Mark Wahlberg, (more)
- 1992
In this drama, a town finds itself unable to keep its shameful secret any longer when a meddlesome female lawyer roars into town aboard her motorcycle and begins encouraging a rape victim to press charges. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amanda Donohoe, Dean Stockwell, (more)
- 1992
- R
An outwardly upstanding and inwardly corrupt politician provides the focus for this thriller. While campaigning the man espouses policies based on "traditional moral values," but he himself is a poor example of those values as an vengeful reporter soon discovers. With the help of an ex-hooker, the journalist learns that the politician is deeply involved in the underworld. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1991
- R
Christopher Morahan directed this nail-biting suspense melodrama that takes a cynical look at the medical profession. Matthew Harris (Paul McGann) is an unhappy intern at a London hospital who envies the staff doctors and their calling. When a physician who resembles Matthew is killed in an auto accident, Matthew decides to assume his identity so that he can attend an interview the dead man had scheduled for a post at a Bristol hospital. Matthew gets the job and is now Dr. Simon Hennessey, working in the hospital emergency room. He is assisted by friendly nurse Christine Taylor (Amanda Donohue), who ends up falling in love with him. But Matthew makes a fatal mistake and a patient dies. At the ensuing inquest, Christine takes the blame for the accident. Matthew, emboldened by the results of the inquest, decides to apply for a better job at a hospital in Salisbury. But an acquaintance from his past appears and Matthew has to kill him in order to continue with his deception. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul McGann, Amanda Donohoe, (more)
