Jenny Lewis Movies
From Walt Disney Animation Studios comes Bolt, the tale of a superstar TV pup (voiced by John Travolta) who gets plopped in the middle of America with seemingly no way back to the glam and glitz of Hollywood. Thanks to his starring role on a hit television show, Bolt the pooch has become a household name. But Bolt has bought into his own heroic image, now believing that he really possesses the super-canine powers of his fictional television series. When he's accidentally shipped from Hollywood to New York City, he must rely on the help from his two newfound friends -- an abandoned house cat named Mittens (voiced by Susie Essman) and a television-addicted hamster named Rhino (voice of Mark Walton) -- as he embarks on a cross-country quest to get back to his owner (and co-star), Penny (voice of Miley Cyrus). ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Travolta, Miley Cyrus, (more)
- 2001
Directed by R.D. Robb, the largely unreleased Don's Plum made headlines throughout the late '90s for featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, who, after scoring big with the success of Titanic, was enjoying the top spot on young Hollywood's A-list. The film stars DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire as two of several obnoxious rich kids whittling the night away at Don's Plum, a local diner. Shot in black-and-white and largely improvised, the kids speak candidly about women, sex, drugs, and the nuances of relationships -- if by "nuances" one means adultery, masturbation, bisexuality, and whatever shock-topics the moment may have called for. Maguire and DiCaprio claimed to have worked in Plum free of charge on the condition that it would not be made into a feature release, and promptly sued Robb for distribution rights after it was, indeed, stretched into a 90-minute film. Though the young actors successfully blocked Don's Plum from release among American and Canadian audiences, it was shown internationally, albeit without much success. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amber Benson, Scott Bloom, (more)
Gary Ross, Oscar nominated for his Dave and Big screenplays, made his directorial debut with this comedy. The cheerful '50s TV sitcom "Pleasantville" is revived in the '90s for a loyal cable audience. One devoted fan is shy suburban teen David Wagner (Tobey Maguire), who has an almost obsessive interest in the series. Living with his divorced mother (Jane Kaczmarek), David sometimes has disputes with his ultra-hip twin sister Jennifer (Reese Witherspoon). She wants to watch MTV just when a Pleasantville marathon is about to begin. They struggle over the remote control, and it breaks. A strange TV repairman (Don Knotts) supplies their new remote, a potent high-tech device which zaps David and Jennifer inside Pleasantville, where their new sitcom parents are businessman George Parker (William H. Macy) and wife Betty (Joan Allen). As "Bud" and "Mary Sue," the teens take up residence in a black-and-white suburbia where sex does not exist and the temperature is always 72 degrees. Life is always pleasant, books have no words, bathrooms have no toilets, married couples sleep in twin beds, the high school basketball team always wins, and nobody ever questions "The Good Life." David revels in Pleasantville's Prozac-styled peacefulness. He fits right in, but Jennifer's 1990s attitude upsets the blandness balance, painting parts of Pleasantville in "living color." Repressed desires surface, cracks appear in the '50s lifestyles, and the Pleasantville populace finds their lives changing in strange, wonderful ways. It's liberating -- but there's also a darker side. This film breaks an all-time record with more than 1700 special effects shots. Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tobey Maguire, Jeff Daniels, (more)
A teenager tries to shield his family from his father's violence in this downbeat drama. Jimmy West (Ryan Phillippe) is a young man growing up within a horribly dysfunctional family in a small Texas town. His father Ray (John Savage) is a Vietnam veteran whose physical and emotional scars from the war have turned him into a psychotic; he terrorizes his two younger children, Mikey (Adam Burke) and Mark (Devon Michael), brutalizes his wife Kate (Nastassja Kinski), and sometimes forces Jimmy and Kate to have sex at gunpoint. Jimmy's girlfriend Traci (Jenny Lewis) is about to move away to attend college, and while Jimmy would like to go with her (and with his abilities as a baseball player he could probably win a scholarship), he's afraid to leave his mother and siblings behind with no protection against Ray's abuse. One night, a man stops by Ray's tavern and begins asking questions; the stranger arouses Ray's fear and suspicion, and he never makes it home after an "accident" in the man's room. The death leads the local police to begin asking questions of their own, and soon a number of ugly revelations about the family's history come to light. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Phillippe
Loosely based on the book Foxfire by Joyce Carol Oates, this film is about four high-school girls, dissimilar in every other way, who find that they are all being made to perform sexually with their biology teacher. This discovery leads them to become allies and friends. Shortly afterward, they exact revenge on their teacher at the cost of being expelled from school. Taking up residence in an abandoned house in the woods, they practice some rather sexy bonding rituals between themselves. Thanks to the efforts of their ringleader Legs to get drug rehab money for one of the girls, they find themselves on the wrong side of the law, and the chase begins. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hedy Burress, Angelina Jolie, (more)
Yasmine Bleeth stars in this "drawn from the headlines" TV movie as Diane Shepherd, the idealistic producer for the bomb-throwing talkfest "The Howard Grant Show." At present, Howard's most controversial guest is Kelly Reilly (Jenny Lewis), a drugged-out prostitute and single mom. Taking a protective interest in Kelly, Diane endeavors to redeem the girl and put her on the right path--an act of largesse that is coldly vetoed not only by the Springer-esque Howard Grant (Peter Scolari), but also by Diane's ratings-driven boss Sadie (Veronica Hamel), who subscribes to the philosophy that "Everyone in this business is a whore--but we're highly paid whores." Like so many other films which try to "expose" the seamier side of the talk-show industry, Talk to Me exudes an air of smug superiority, but Yasmine Bleeth's surprisingly forceful performance compensates the script's self-righteous shortcomings. The film made its ABC network bow on October 20, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Yasmine Bleeth, Veronica Hamel, (more)
16-year-old Jade Larson (Jenny Lewis) isn't terribly keen on the fact that her divorced mom Jesse (Beverly D'Angelo) has fallen in love with Billy Stone (Rob Estes), who in addition to being divorced himself is much closer to Jade's age than Jesse. As the relationship deepens, the impressionable Jade wonders if her ambivalent feelings toward Billy are actually born of resentment or her own attraction to him. Perhaps inevitably, Jade and Billy end up spending a night together--leading to a chain reaction of consequences that provide the substance of this surprisingly non-exploitational "triangle" drama. Produced for the CBS TV network, Sweet Temptation debuted March 6, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Beverly D'Angelo, Jenny Lewis, (more)
Some teen girls take to the road in this made-for-cable remake of the 1956 original. Set in 1957, three guy-crazy friends take to the road in a stolen car, trying to track down one of their ex-lovers before he goes off into the Navy. The film is part of Showtime's "Rebel Highways" series of remakes. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Rudd, Julie Bowen, (more)
- 1994
This story revolves around piano prodigy Leslie Walden (Jenny Lewis) and her demanding mentor Byron (Ronald Guttman). Believing that Leslie would be nothing without him, Byron bristles at the likelihood that he is losing control of the girl's career. Soon afterward, Byron is found murdered--and it is up to Jessica (Angela Lansbury) to perform a few arpeggios and glissandos (metaphorically speaking, of course) to determine the killer's identity. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
- Add Big Girls Don't Cry... They Get Even to QueueAdd Big Girls Don't Cry... They Get Even to top of Queue
Joan Micklin Silver tries her mighty best to wring something substantial out of Frank Mugavero's banal sit-com screenplay concerning the effect of divorce on the divorced parents' off-spring. Hillary Wolf stars as Laura Chartoff, a lonely thirteen-year-old girl who is the victim of multiple parental divorces and remarriages. She lives with her current stepfather Keith Powers (David Strathairn), a cool businessman, and her flighty, self-absorbed mother Melinda (Margaret Whitton). Her biological father David (Griffin Dunne) is a struggling artist separated from his second wife Barb (Patricia Kalember) and is now living with a younger woman Stephanie (Adrienne Shelley), who is pregnant with twins. After a fight with her mother and stepfather, Laura runs away to a rustic cabin in the woods being built by her older stepbrother Josh (Dan Futterman). When she spots Keith and Melinda walking up the road to the cabin, Laura dashes off into the forest. Reported missing, all of the members of Laura's extended family converge at the cabin to try to find her. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hillary Wolf, David Strathairn, (more)
- 1991
Corbin Bernsen, fresh out of LA Law, plays a real-life attorney in Line of Fire: The Morris Dees Story. As Dees, Bernsen goes head to head with the Ku Klux Klan in the Alabama of the 1980s. Despite having his name included on the "hit list" of every wacko white supremacist in the Nation, Dees manages to break the back of the KKK is his own particular corner of the world. Line of Fire is elaborately produced and hits all the right emotional buttons, but falls short of perfection thanks to stereotypical villains and excessive melodrama. The film was first telecast on Martin Luther King Day in 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Based on a true story, the made-for-television movie Runaway Father is about a husband who fakes his death so he can abandon his family. After surviving 20 years of poverty, his wife discovers he is still alive, and she sues him to collect 17 years of back child support. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donna Mills, Jack Scalia, (more)
- 1990
In this entry in the long-running mystery series, Perry Mason listens to the pleas of a 13-year-old girl and helps her father who was falsely accused of murdering a gambler. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Shelly Long stars in this comedy as a spoiled Beverly Hills wife who decides--wanting to prove her husband's accusation of her selfishness wrong--to become the leader of her daughter's wilderness group. Though taking them on outings at the mall rather than in the woods, she later must prove her worth as a legitimate troop leader. After some zany incidents, all parties learn lessons of teamwork and selflessness. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shelley Long, Craig T. Nelson, (more)
In this comedy, Corey Woods (Fred Savage) sneaks his emotionally disturbed little brother, Jimmy (Luke Edwards) out of the home he has been placed in, and sets off on a trip across the country. Along the way they team up with young Haley (Jenny Lewis), and together they discover that the silent Jimmy has a gift for playing video games. With this newfound information, the trio sets off for a video game competition in California, pursued by a number of concerned relatives. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Savage, Beau Bridges, (more)
- 1989
Cynical Philadelphia lawyer-turned-p.i. Jamey Sheridan aims his investigatory skills at an international smuggling ring. Sheridan wants to know who's supplying the weapons that are leaving the country, and who's supplying the drugs that are rolling in. The deeper he digs, the dirtier it gets; Sheridan unearths unholy alliances among idealistic freedom fighters, Central American drug lords, and corrupt American officials. Shannon's Deal was written by John Sayles, directed by Lewis (Jewel of the Nile) Teague, and scored by musical wizard Wynton Marsalis. Those concerned about Jamey Sheridan's wellbeing in this film should be advised that there was no way he'd turn up dead: Shannon's Deal was the pilot for an unsold TV series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
A very young Jenny Lewis is cast as Judy, the current object of Ben Seaver's affections. Willing to go to any length to wangle a date with Judy, Ben (Jeremy Miller) throws a birthday party for himself--and invites the girl as his only guest. Unfortunately, Ben's pals Stinky (Jamie Abbott) and Vito (Kenny Morrison) find out about the party, and before long virtually the entire school has shown up for the festivities. It now falls to Mike (Kirk Cameron) and Carol (Tracey Gold) to help Ben control the crowd without alerting their parents of the situation! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Baby M is a two-part TV movie predicated on a headline-making true event. In 1985, Mary Beth Whitehead accepted $10,000 to bear a child, which then would be adopted by William and Elizabeth Stern. But after the baby's birth in March of 1986, Whitehead reneged on the agreement. The subsequent high-profile custody trial raged on for well over nine months. The film strives for impartiality, though those pre-disposed members of the audience will not be swayed from their support of the parents or of the surrogate mother. John Shea and Robin Strasser portray the married couple, while JoBeth Williams plays Whitehead. Baby M was initially telecast on May 22 and 23, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Set in Vienna during the German occupation, this made-for-cable television drama centers on the friendship between a Jewish girl and the young Christian who helps her escape. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1987
- PG
Sportswriter Frank Deford wrote the screenplay to this romantic melodrama about a washed-up baseball pitcher and a second-rate lounge singer. Vinnie (Raul Julia) is the veteran hurler who has just been cut in spring training by the Boston Red Sox. He stops off at a hotel where Donna (Beverly D'Angelo) is singing in the lounge. Donna's baseball-loving daughter Yvonne (Jenny Lewis) recognizes Vinnie from her baseball card collection and is convinced he should be her new daddy. After an initial misunderstanding, Donna and Vinnie resolve their differences, but Yvonne's wealthy grandfather Robert (Parris Buckner) threatens to gain custody of the little girl. Vinnie and Donna leave with Yvonne, who forges a $10,000 check of her grandfather's so the trio can escape. Vinnie again makes the rounds in Florida in hopes of making one last comeback in the majors. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Raul Julia, Beverly D'Angelo, (more)
- 1987
For years, the name "Uncle Tom" and the title Uncle Tom's Cabin have been synonymous with the most egregious form of racial condescension. John Gay's script for the 1987 film version of Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin hoped to "set the record straight" and restored the reputation of the 1852 abolitionist novel--mostly by returning to the source. Eliminating such theatrical "improvements" as Eliza's crossing the ice, this adaptation of Cabin depicts Uncle Tom (Avery Brooks) as an intelligent, non-submissive slave (there is only the slightest hint of "revisionism"); likewise, Jenny Lewis is a fully three-dimensional Little Eva. Simon Legree is as hateful as ever, but as played by Edward Woodward, Legree is shown to be more a product of his times than a cardboard hissable villain. Gay is very careful in his depiction of precocious preteen slave girl Topsy (Endyia Kinney), who still is so sexually misinformed that she believes she "just growed," but is not quite the mental midget described in Mrs. Stowe's novel. Produced for the Showtime Cable service, Uncle Tom's Cabin premiered on June 13, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
Based on a true story, this made-for-television drama chronicles a woman's fight for justice within the legal system. John Larroquette (Night Court) stars as Douglas Forbes, a husband who is wrongly accused of being a serial rapist. Targeted by a prosecutor who is determined to put someone behind bars for the crimes, Douglas goes on trial, is convicted, and sent to jail. Refusing to give up on her husband, Douglas' determined wife Martha (Lindsay Wagner), will not rest until her husband's name is cleared of the erroneous charges and he is freed from jail. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lindsay Wagner, John Larroquette, (more)
