Douglas Deane Movies
- 1993
- R
In this suspense thriller, a woman wonders if she can trust her memory when her father returns from prison a very different man from the violent psychopath she remembers. Karen (Amy Irving) is a single mother who twenty years ago delivered the testimony that put her father Frank (Donald Sutherland) behind bars for the murder of her mother. While Karen has no doubts that Frank is guilty of the crime, the years have clouded her memory a bit and she doesn't recall all the events with complete clarity. Now that Frank has been released, he's returned to Karen's neighborhood and is going out of his way to ingratiate himself with Pete (Rider Strong), her son, and Dan (Christopher McDonald), her boyfriend. A furious Karen confronts Frank, but she discovers a father who is not the ogre she sent to prison but a calm, charming, well-spoken gentleman who seems to bear her no ill will. They discuss the death of Karen's mother and Frank begins to convince her that it was all a terrible accident. Frank begins to work his way back into Karen's life as he gradually cuts her off from her circle of friends; when Dan dies under mysterious circumstances, Karen thinks nothing of it, but Sheriff Calhoun (Graham Greene) wonders if Frank might have something to do with the crime. Benefit of the Doubt marked the feature debut for producer Jonathan Heap. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donald Sutherland, Amy Irving, (more)
- 1971
- PG
Though it bears more than passing resemblance to his macabre hits Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, this lesser-known outing from screenwriter Henry Farrell takes a more satirical turn, skewering the eccentricities of the Hollywood studio system. The story opens during the advent of talking pictures, where a school for would-be child stars is opened by voice coach Helen Hill (Shelley Winters) and dance instructor Adelle Bruckner (Debbie Reynolds). Haunted by a dark secret -- each of the women's sons was convicted of murder -- Hill and Bruckner are pursued by a cloaked interloper whose incessant snooping leads to a fatal altercation. Suspicion builds between the two until the expected climax, where it is revealed that one of the two women is even more lethal than her homicidal son. Though the film's absurdist tone is a harsh about-face from the deadly deadpan camp of Farrell's Gothic 1960s thrillers, the period flavor is a nice touch, and accomplished director Curtis Harrington frequently achieves the right balance of horror and humor. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debbie Reynolds, Shelley Winters, (more)
As if one Jerry Lewis wasn't enough, The Family Jewels offers no fewer than seven Jerrys. Fans of Lewis will like the film. Others should be advised to steer clear of any and all French film festivals. The plot revolves around nine-year-old Donna Peyton (Donna Butterworth), who stands to inherit 30 million dollars. The catch: Donna must pick a new daddy from her late father's six closest male relatives. Lewis spends most of the film playing family chauffeur Willard Woodward, whom Donna loves above all others. He also portrays snaggle-toothed gangster "Bugs" Peyton, hirsute sea captain James Peyton, flying fool Captain Eddie Peyton, cynical clown Everett Peyton, Holmes-like detective Skylock Peyton (whose "Dr. Matson" is corpulent Sebastian Cabot), and photographer Julius Peyton (a reprise of Lewis' Nutty Professor character Julius Kelp). Though fitfully amusing, The Family Jewels is too sloppily put together to completely satisfy anyone other than Lewis' most fervent fans. Best bits: the in-flight movie starring Anne Baxter, the marathon pool game, and Bugs Peyton's outrage at being called a rat fink. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry Lewis, Sebastian Cabot, (more)
