Phil Donahue Movies
On September 13, 2001 -- a mere two days after the 9/11 attacks -- Tomas Young, a Kansan with an overwhelming sense of patriotism and loyalty to his country, felt moved to enlist in the United States Armed Forces. Equipped with the courage to fight and rid the world of the threat of terror, Young anticipated an appointment in Afghanistan that would enable him to join his fellow soldiers in rooting out and bringing to justice Al-Qaeda operatives. This did not occur, however, and President Bush's order to invade Iraq stunned everyone, including Tomas. He soon found himself shuttled off to a land that posed no obvious threat to the United States, where he was instantly struck by a bullet from behind -- and rendered both paraplegic for life and unconscious. Airlifted home, Tomas slowly regained awareness of himself and his surroundings, settling in for a long, grueling recovery at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in the nation's capital, with the assistance and loving support of his mother. But the young man's journey did not end there. As he lay in his hospital bed, unable to move, Tomas learned of the countless injuries and deaths afflicting hundreds of thousands in Iraq. In the process, he became one of the nation's most ardent opponents of the Iraq invasion. With their nonfiction work Body of War, longtime television pundit Phil Donahue and documentarian Ellen Spiro join forces to relay Tomas' heart-wrenching and yet deeply affirming story -- both a testament to one man's enduring inner strength and a towering condemnation of a localized conflict that owes much, if not everything, to the miscalculation and intrusion of the United States. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tomas Young, Brie Townsend, (more)
- 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)
- 1999
Frasier's dad Martin (John Mahoney) is an eligible widower. Roz's mom Joanna (Eva Marie Saint) is likewise unattached. Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) and Roz (Peri Gilpin) are thus convinced that the union between Martin and Joanna would be the proverbial "match made in Heaven." The results: Joanna is exultant -- and Martin is annoyed. And speaking of matchups, listen for the Very Famous Couple providing "guest voices" during Frasier's radio call-in show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
- R
- Add The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom to QueueAdd The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom to top of Queue
A Texas housewife plots hire a hit man to kill the girl who beat out her daughter for a place on the cheerleading squad in this made-for-cable satire based on a true story. Holly Hunter stars as Wanda Holloway, a twice-married Baptist mother of two who becomes obsessed when her daughter, Shanna (Frankie Ingrassia), gets disqualified from the election for the eighth-grade cheerleading squad because of overly manipulative campaign tactics (i.e. handing out free rulers imprinted with her name). Looking down her nose at neighbor Verna Heath (Elizabeth Ruscio), whose daughter, Amber (Megan Berwick), made the squad, Wanda becomes convinced that there's a conspiracy afoot and decides to do something about it. Getting in touch with her ex-husband's brother, Terry Harper (Beau Bridges) -- a lowlife with a liquor and drug habit and a wife (Swoosie Kurtz) who sees imaginary creatures on the floor -- Wanda all but orders him to find her an assassin on the cheap. Terry chickens out, contacts the police, and helps get the goods on his former sister-in-law before she can do any actual damage. A media circus soon engulfs the participants' small Texas town as Wanda heads to court and tries to prove she was the victim of a setup. Set against the backdrop of the Gulf War and the fall of communism, The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom was filmed for HBO by Bad News Bears and Smile director Michael Ritchie. In adapting the Wanda Holloway story for the small screen, the film followed Willing to Kill: The Texas Cheerleader Story, a 1992 ABC TV movie starring Lesley Ann Warren. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Holly Hunter, Beau Bridges, (more)
- 1990
Happy Birthday, Bugs: 50 Looney Years is a television special celebrating 50 years of Bugs Bunny cartoons, complete with testimonials from various celebrities and a terrific end-piece "50 Years of Bugs in 3 Minutes," which features a manic collection of highlights compiled by Academy Award-winner Chuck Workman (he won for his animated short, Precious Images). ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1987
Part of The Human Animal documentary series, which looks at human interaction from an anthropological perspective, The Human Animal: Nature & Nurture investigates the age-old debate, asking difficult questions. Which core aspects of our personality were we born with? Which aspects of our being do we observe in the world and attach to ourselves? By interviewing identical twins divided at birth, the documentary makes some striking discoveries. Television personality Phil Donahue hosts the program. ~ Betsy Boyd, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Part of The Human Animal documentary series, which looks at human interaction from an anthropological perspective, The Human Animal: War & Violence focuses on the relationship between violence and poverty. Television personality Phil Donahue hosts the program, analyzing the circumstances of underprivileged people in inner-city Boston, Oakland, and California, as well as in Ireland, the Middle East, and elsewhere. ~ Betsy Boyd, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Part of The Human Animal documentary series, which looks at human interaction from an anthropological perspective, The Human Animal: Love & Sex focuses on the complexity of human sexuality. Television personality Phil Donahue hosts the program, taking viewers on an investigative journey through strip clubs, a gay rights march, and a maternity ward. He touches on a wide range of sexual topics, from monogamy to homosexuality and beyond. ~ Betsy Boyd, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Part of The Human Animal documentary series, which looks at human interaction from an anthropological perspective, The Human Animal: Family & Survival analyzes the concept of the "dream family" versus the American family's reality. According to the documentary, there are few traditional nuclear families left -- families containing a working father, a stay-at-home mom, and two children. Parents are under strong pressure at work, divorce divides about half the American households, and times are tough on the family. The people who suffer the most, commentary suggests, are the little ones, kids who crave one simple thing: love. ~ Betsy Boyd, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Part of The Human Animal documentary series, which looks at human interaction from an anthropological perspective, The Human Animal: Woman & Man focuses on the intricate differences between men and women, including brain development, and intellectual strengths and weaknesses. Television personality Phil Donahue hosts the video, interviewing a wide range of professional men and women. Aside from biological theories of sexual difference, Donahue investigates the impact of society's imposed gender roles. ~ Betsy Boyd, All Movie Guide
- 1985
First Steps was inspired by a widely-seen, enthusiastically received 1982 piece on 60 Minutes. Amy Steel plays Nan Davis, a young woman totally paralyzed in an auto accident. Judd Hirsch costars as Dr. Jerold Petrovsky, a bioengineer who attaches computerized electrodes to Nan to enable her to reclaim her muscle power. After many torturous months, this state-of-art physical therapy works magnificently, and Nan is able to take ten steps on her own at her college graduation. While the technique was still rather controversial at the time First Steps was telecast, there was no denying that it had worked in the case of Nan Davis, who eventually became the subject of two 60 Minutes follow-ups and reams of upbeat magazine articles. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judd Hirsch, Amy Steel, (more)
- 1985
This children's video features the popular television personality in various segments as he, along with special guests, educates and entertains young children. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1984
Part of the Constitution: That Delicate Balance series, Constitution: That Delicate Balance -- Right to Live, Right to Die explores the highly charged issue of personal freedom versus state control. Experts employ hypothetical arguments to debate the extent to which individuals have a right to control decisions about their own bodies. The discussion includes the abortion issue, "baby doe" cases, and the rights of individuals to end their own lives. ~ Sean Hurley, All Movie Guide
Phil Donahue hosts this video in which three powerful men -- the late Malcolm Forbes, USA Today honcho Al Neuharth, and Thomas Monaghan, founder of Domino's Pizza -- talk about wealth, power, and how to have it all. The program forces viewers to wonder, is this a world that rewards the good? Do the meek really inherit the earth? Perhaps those who aspire to lofty goals take a different approach, leaving behind all vestiges of virtue and goodwill. In Al Neuharth, Malcolm Forbes, and Thomas Monaghan, the viewer is allowed to decide what ethics must be sacrificed for unbridled success. ~ Alice Day, All Movie Guide
