Calista Flockhart Movies
Stage and screen actress, TV star, and the object of endless eating disorder rumors, Calista Flockhart earned fame, fortune, and post-feminist icon status as the eponymous heroine of David E. Kelley's acclaimed TV series Ally McBeal. Since becoming known for her role as the famously neurotic, mini-skirt-clad lawyer, Flockhart has been appearing in an increasing number of films, including Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her.Born on November 11, 1964, in Freeport, Illinois, Flockhart -- whose first name means "most beautiful" in Greek -- was raised as the daughter of a schoolteacher mother and a Krafts Food executive father. Because of her father's job, the family moved frequently, spending time in Iowa, Minnesota, and New York before settling in New Jersey. Flockhart, whose mother sparked her interest in theatre by taking her to theatre productions during high school, studied drama as a student at Rutgers University. After graduating, she headed to Manhattan to begin her professional stage career.
After enduring years of relative poverty and sustained obscurity, the actress got her big break when she was chosen to play Laura in the 1994 Broadway production of Tennessee Williams' The Glass Menagerie. Her portrayal won her both a Theatre World Award and the attention of Hollywood casting agents, and that same year she made her film debut with a bit part in Quiz Show -- and had a more substantial role in Getting In, a black comedy directed by a then-unknown Doug Liman. In 1996, Flockhart moved into slightly more mainstream territory when she appeared as the fiancée of Robin Williams' son in The Birdcage; more recognition came her way the following year when she earned strong reviews for her performance as Natasha in a production of Chekov's The Three Sisters.
1997 proved to be a watershed year for Flockhart; in addition to rave stage reviews and a substantial role in the Kevin Bacon vehicle Telling Lies in America, she was cast as the star of Ally McBeal. The show turned out to be a sleeper hit, and Flockhart's titular Boston lawyer became an instantly recognizable name in the pop cultural lexicon. The actress' heightened exposure was reflected both in numerous magazine articles about her and in her star billing in Michael Hoffman's 1998 adaptation of A Midsummer Night's Dream, which included Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, Rupert Everett, and Christian Bale amongst its other illustrious cast members.
Two years later, still immersed in Ally McBeal popularity and endless media scrutiny about her weight (Flockhart's thinness has stirred rumors in an industry infamous for its emphasis on being thin), the actress headlined the ensemble cast of Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her. A film composed of four vignettes, it featured Flockhart as the lover of a terminally ill woman (Valeria Golino), and included Holly Hunter, Amy Brenneman, Cameron Diaz, Glenn Close, and Gregory Hines amongst its accomplished players. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
This season of Ally McBeal brought many changes to the show, in both cast and formula. Perhaps the most significant absence is that of Billy Thomas (Gil Bellows), whose character passed away from cancer, and his wife, Georgia (Courtney Thorne-Smith). Though both actors left the show to pursue other opportunities, they did return for occasional guest appearances. Also worth noting is the presence of a long-term, committed relationship for Ally (Calista Flockhart). Robert Downey Jr. played rival attorney Larry Paul, a quirky lawyer whom everyone -- including producer David E. Kelley -- believed was Ally's perfect match. Unfortunately, Downey Jr. was arrested for being under the influence of a controlled substance, and Kelley was forced to re-write the two-part season finale which was originally intended to include a wedding between Ally and Larry. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Calista Flockhart, Peter MacNicol, (more)
- 2000
- PG13
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Although Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her does bear some similarities to Short Cuts and Magnolia in its setting (Southern California) and mood (modern malaise), and its multiple story format, its focus is exclusively on female characters, and it's possible to view each story on its own. The film begins with a prologue: Police detectives are investigating the apparent suicide of a Hispanic woman (Elpidia Carillo). "This Is Dr. Keener" deals with Dr. Elaine Keener (Glenn Close), a single professional woman attempting to care for her aging and infirm mother and deal with her own loneliness. She invites Christine (Calista Flockhart), a tarot card reader, into her home to make some sense of her life. "Fantasies About Rebecca" profiles a successful bank manager (Holly Hunter) involved with a married man (Gregory Hines). When she learns that she is pregnant, he coldly advises her to take care of the "problem." Before she visits Dr. Keener to have an abortion, she impulsively has a fling with a colleague (Matt Craven). She is also confronted by a female street person in the bank's parking lot. "Someone for Rose" is about a single mother (Kathy Baker), a writer of children's books. She is attracted to a new neighbor, a dwarf (Danny Woodburn), and he catches her spying on him in his house. She's also amazed to find that her son is more sexually active than she knew -- and more than she is herself. "Good Night Lilly, Good Night Christine" details the relationship between the tarot card reader Christine and her lover, Lilly (Valeria Golino), who is critically ill with an unnamed disease. The final story, "Love Waits for Kathy," concerns two sisters, Carol (Cameron Diaz), a lovely blind woman with an active social life, and her police detective sibling, Kathy (Amy Brenneman), one of the detectives who appeared in the prologue. Kathy is attracted to the medical examiner in the suicide case, and her story ends with him taking her out on a date. In an epilogue, Dr. Keener drops in to a bar, where she meets a male character from one of the earlier stories. Debuting director Rodrigo Garcia, a noted cinematographer, is the son of writer Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Things You Can Tell made its debut on cable television, although it was originally intended to be a theatrical release. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Close, Cameron Diaz, (more)
With William Shakespeare now a hot commodity at the box office (and his body of work conveniently out of copyright), the usual trickle of film adaptations of the Bard's work is becoming a small flood, and director Michael Hoffman has assembled a cast of leading stage and screen actors for this whimsical film version of one of Shakespeare's most popular comedies. This interpretation of A Midsummer Night's Dream moves the action to Tuscany near the turn of the 20th century, as both mortals and enchanted creatures deal with romantic problems. Among the flesh-and-blood crowd, Duke Theseus (played by David Strathairn) is preparing for his wedding to Hippolyta (Sophie Marceau), while having to counsel Egeus (Bernard Hill), who has promised the hand of his daughter Hermia (Anna Friel) to Demetrius (Christian Bale). Hermia, however, wants to elope with her true love, Lysander (Dominic West), while her best friend Helena (Calista Flockhart) is mad about Demetrius. Meanwhile, fairies living in the forest are watching these romantic misadventures. Puck (Stanley Tucci) serves up love potions that mix and match the already confused lovers, while the Queen of Fairies, Titania (Michelle Pfeiffer), and her King, Oberon (Rupert Everett), have to deal with a group of hapless actors rehearsing a play in the forest -- one of whom, Bottom (Kevin Kline), has fallen under Puck's spell and becomes Titania's new lover. Will anyone end up with the person they really love? Who will get hurt riding their bicycles in the woods? Will Helena sit down and eat a square meal? Director Hoffman, a longtime Shakespeare buff, appeared as Lysander in a production of the play while a college student, and has since spearheaded a campaign to build a new $3 million theatre for his alma mater in Boise, ID. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Kline, Michelle Pfeiffer, (more)
