Spencer Vrooman Movies
Boys is a coming-of-age tale about an addled prep school student who nurses a woman back to health after an accident and becomes involved in her cryptic past. John Baker Jr. (Lukas Haas) is a tormented high school senior outcast who's weary of his upper-crust boarding school life and dreads his future as a supermarket chain manager. When he finds Patty Vare (Winona Ryder) unconscious in a field after being thrown from a horse, Baker sees this as an opportunity to break out of his humdrum existence, and he smuggles her into the school to take care of her. The relationship blooms into a somewhat bizarre love affair, as John discovers that Patty is concealing a mysterious secret involving a missing baseball player and a stolen car. Although the film takes a little time to get started, what originates as an analysis of guarded youths making foolish judgments evolves into a celebration of adolescent insurrection. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Winona Ryder, Lukas Haas, (more)
A young boy attempts to sabotage his single mother's relationship with her new fiancé in this family-oriented comedy. Ben Archer (Jonathan Taylor Thomas) has become protective of his attractive mother Sandra (Farrah Fawcett) since they were abandoned by his father, and he resents the intrusion of anyone else into their lives. Despite his disapproval, however, Sandra has built up a relationship with district attorney Jack Sturges (an extremely low-key Chevy Chase), who eventually pops the question. Ben decides that marriage is out of the question, and he sets out to drive the lawyer away through a variety of schemes. These plans culminate in an effort to trick Struges into participating in the "Indian Guides," a scouting program involving all sorts of strenuous father-son activities. As one might expect, things do not quite go as Ben planned, as Jack proves himself a more suitable father figure than either expected. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chevy Chase, Farrah Fawcett, (more)
Based on the popular cartoon character, this family-oriented "ghost story" is about a not-so-scary spirit who bonds with a little girl (Christina Ricci). The eternally irritable Ms. Carrigan (Cathy Moriarty) discovers that the only thing she's been left in her recently departed father's will is a rickety old house in New England. Naturally, the woman is furious about this, until her "close personal friend" and assistant, Dibbs (Eric Idle of Monty Python fame), discovers a secret message that a treasure may be concealed somewhere in the house. The two take off for Maine, only to learn that the house is haunted by Casper "the friendly ghost" and his three ghostly uncles Stinky, Stretch, and Fatso. After futilely recruiting an exorcist (Don Novello, more or less reviving his Father Guido Sarducci character from Saturday Night Live) and a "professional ghost exterminator" (Dan Aykroyd), she brings in a "ghost psychiatrist" (Bill Pullman) and his daughter Kat (Ricci). Innocently attracted to the young girl, Casper befriends Kat as they try to save the ghosts' home from the evil Carrigan. Eye-popping special effects highlight this magical story that touches (albeit lightly) on the theme of what lies at the heart of human desires. Clint Eastwood, Rodney Dangerfield, Mel Gibson and The Crypt Keeper (of Tales from the Crypt) all make cameos as apparitions in the mirror Bill Pullman looks into in the house. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christina Ricci, Bill Pullman, (more)
- 1994
- PG
A family finds themselves on the run from danger both on earth and from outer space in this sci-fi comedy for the family. Joe Yeagher (Terry Kiser) is a plumber from Brooklyn who is placed in the Federal Witness Protection Program after testifying in court against some wise guys from the neighborhood. Joe, his wife Marilyn (Joanne Baron), and their kids Charlie (David Wagner) and Dena (Leigh Ann Orsi) are moved to Cactus Flats, a small town in Arizona, one step ahead of Mafia hitmen Babe (Nino Surdo) and Curley (Leonardo Vincent Surdo). Lonely in their new town, Charlie and Dena visit a local pet shop run by Mr. and Mrs. Zimm (Jeff Mitchalski and Jane Morris), where the kids discover a number of strange and wonderful animals for sale. But they soon discover that the Zimms and their critters are all visitors from another planet, and that the humanoid aliens plan to take the Earth children back to their planet and sell them as pets. Can the alien animals and FBI keep Charlie and Dena safe? ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Terry Kiser, Spencer Vrooman, (more)
Adapted by screenwriter Rafael Yglesias from his own novel, Fearless explores the complex struggle back to mental health of post-traumatic stress disorder victim Max Klein (Jeff Bridges). One of few survivors of a fatal plane crash, Klein remains calm and assists other survivors out of the burning debris, earning praise as a hero by the media. After stoically departing the tragedy without a word to emergency officials, Max returns home with detached feelings towards his wife (Isabella Rossellini) and son, along with a bizarre, seemingly authentic belief that he is now impervious to harm. Bill Perlman (John Turturro), a psychiatrist for the airline, fails to reach Max about his newfound fearlessness, but asks for his help in aiding Carla (Best Supporting Actress Oscar nominee Rosie Perez), a fellow crash survivor filled with grief and guilt over the loss of her baby. In one of his earlier roles, Benicio del Toro plays a small part as Carla's boyfriend. ~ Lisa Kropiewnicki, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Bridges, Rosie Perez, (more)
- 1992
The house in which the Hackett brothers grew up has been condemned and slated for destruction. Unable to save their boyhood home, Joe (Tim Daly) and Brian (Steven Weber) dolefully decide to pay one last visit to the old place, bringing their friends along for the occasion. The situation is as sad for Helen (Crystal Bernard) as it is for the brothers, since she can recall many a youthful moment spent in the soon-to-be-leveled house. But as the "festivities" proceed, a number of unpleasant memories rear their ugly heads, and before long the brothers are actively lobbying for the house's immediate demolition! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Joe (Tim Daly) and Brian (Steven Weber) persist in their efforts to prove that they are much, much more than friends to Helen (Crystal Bernard). With her birthday approaching, both brothers are determined to bowl her over with the generosity of their gifts. Alas, the hunt for a suitable present morphs into yet another bitter sibling-rivalry battle, with those selfsame presents as weapons of near-mass destruction! This episode is highlighted by a tantalizing home-movie glimpse into the childhood of the three principals. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
