Giovanni Ribisi Movies
Born March 31, 1976, in Los Angeles, Giovanni Ribisi began his career in network television, with recurring and guest roles on a number of shows, including The Wonder Years. As a teenager, he was typecast for several years as a dimwitted slacker in films and on television, with a memorable guest spot in an episode of The X-Files and a recurring role as Lisa Kudrow's brother on Friends. Ribisi was eventually able to break the grunge mold, first with a secondary role in Tom Hanks' That Thing You Do! (1996) and then in Richard Linklater's SubUrbia (1997). It was his role in Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan (1998) that caused many critics to dub him one of the leading actors of his generation, a status confirmed by his appearance on the cover of Vanity Fair with a number of fellow up-and-comers. Ribisi was given further opportunities to showcase his sleepy-eyed versatility in such films as 1999's The Mod Squad and The Other Sister.If Ribisi's best roles had been unfairly weighed down by an overabundance of commendable but little seen roles in the previous years, all this would change as the young actor began to focus increasingly on roles that were not only high quality, but high profile as well. His role in the high stakes 2000 drama The Boiler Room may have went largely unseen in theaters, but healthy word of mouth combined with an impressive cast of up and comers found the film an enduring shelf life on cable and DVD. After burning rubber in the fast and furious Nicolas Cage action thriller Gone in Sixty Seconds, Ribisi's memorable performance in director Sam Raimi's southern gothic flavored chiller The Gift preceded a touching turn in the affecting made-for-television drama Shot in the Heart. Ribisi's subsequent role as a conflicted police officer in the 2002 drama Heaven may have been a well-intended commentary on the state of crime and terrorism, but audiences largel dismissed the effort as pretentious tripe and the actor took a brief turn into blockbuster territory with Basic before a turn as an aloof, celebrity obsessed photogapher in director Sophia Coppola's art-house hit Lost in Translation. If his turn as a celebrity who turns convention in its head by stalking a fan in I Love Your Work didn't strike home with viewers, an appearance in the same year's Cold Mountain offered him the chance to flex his dramatic skills alongside an impressive cast that included Jude Law and Nicole Kidman. Of course Ribisi never was one to be predictable with his choice of roles, and following the romantic comedy Love's Brother he essayed a supporting role in the 2004 sci-fi thriller The World of Tomorrow. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- 2008
Spanish company Dygra Films presents this eco-friendly animated film chronicling the revolt of the plant and animal community against a dastardly businesswoman looking to bulldoze the forest. Sean Astin, Giovanni Ribisi, Ron Perlman and Anjelica Huston provide the voices for the computer animated production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Astin, Giovanni Ribisi, (more)
- 2007
Entourage star-turned-director Kevin Connolly teams with producer Leonardo DeCaprio to tell this darkly-comic tale of a twenty-something deli counter clerk (Lukas Haas) who still lives with his parents and spends most of his free time slacking with friends. After accidentally saving a neighborhood girl from a notorious serial rapist, the listless lunchmeat slinger becomes convinced that his newfound purpose in life is to become a true-life crime-fighter. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giovanni Ribisi, Lukas Haas, (more)
A once-successful novelist in search of creative inspiration and personal happiness purchases a puppy in hopes that the resulting companionship will open up a new path of self-discovery in a contemporary comedy of urban dissatisfaction directed by Scott Caan. There was a time when Solo (Giovanni Ribisi) had it all: success, fame, wealth. But now times have changed, and after squandering his savings on drugs, women, and therapy, Solo finds himself at a personal and professional crossroads. On his last visit to his high-priced psychiatrist Dr. Nourmand (Don Cheadle), the concerned doctor suggests that Solo get a pet to relieve his loneliness. Though Solo has never been particularly find of animals, he soon relents and purchases a pint-sized pooch. Not long after, Solo makes the acquaintance of spunky stripper Lola (Lynn Collins), who just so happens to be caring for a formidable dog that takes a healthy chunk out of Solo's decidedly timid lap-dog. Though the friendship between Solo and Lola soon promises to blossom into something much deeper, it seems as if a canine complication may be keeping the pair from realizing their relationship to the fullest. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giovanni Ribisi, Lynn Collins, (more)
- 2003
Ross (David Schwimmer) insists that he's "fine" concerning the romance between Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc), but proves otherwise when he gets drunk during a dinner date. Complicating matters is the confused state of mind of Ross' erstwhile girlfriend Charlie (Aisha Tyler). Meanwhile, Phoebe's half-brother, Frank Jr. (Giovanni Ribisi), pays a visit with the triplets borne by surrogate mom Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) in tow, the better to make a curious offer. And Chandler (Matthew Perry) sticks his foot in it when he lets slips the fact that a youngster of his acquaintance was adopted. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giovanni Ribisi, Aisha Tyler, (more)
- 2002
- Add American Experience: War Letters - Stories of Courage, Longing and Sacrifice to QueueAdd American Experience: War Letters - Stories of Courage, Longing and Sacrifice to top of Queue
One commonality that seems to link every modern war is that soldiers almost invariably write their families and loved ones on a regular basis and their correspondence covers a broad range of human emotions -- funny camp stories, reassurances to worried folks at home, confessions of fear, anxieties about the dangers of the battlefield, and prescient goodbyes from fighting men and women who know they may never return. American Experience: War Letters -- Stories of Courage, Longing and Sacrifice is a documentary produced for PBS which follows America's history in armed conflict through the letters written home by men and women in uniform. American Experience: War Letters features readings from a cast of distinguished performers, including Joan Allen, Edward Norton, Bill Paxton, Giovanni Ribisi, David Hyde Pierce, and many more. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
This gripping drama is based on the real-life story of Mikal Gilmore, a respected journalist whose brother Gary Gilmore was a felon convicted of murder. In 1977, after he was sentenced to death, Gary Gilmore generated international controversy when he demanded that his lawyers call off all attempts to appeal his sentence and requested that his execution be carried out as quickly as possible. As activists for and against the issue of capital punishment debated Gilmore's demand, his brothers Frank and Mikal stepped forward to request a stay of execution, in hopes of forestalling their brother's death despite his public requests. Based on the book of the same name by Mikal Gilmore, Shot in the Heart examines the close, if uneasy, bond between the Gilmore brothers, and the family history of abuse and violence that Mikal believed helped shape his brother into a killer. Shot in the Heart stars Giovanni Ribisi, Eric Bogosian, Lee Tergesen, Amy Madigan, and Sam Shepard; produced for the premium-cable service HBO, Shot in the Heart first aired on October 13, 2001. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giovanni Ribisi, Elias Koteas, (more)
Director James D. Stern debuts with this darkly comedic, archly ironic look at America's obsession with guns. The film opens with Helen and Warren Harding (Joan Allen and Jeff Daniels) awaking one night to the sounds of their suburban trophy getting broken into. Warren grabs his trusty handgun and blows away the intruder, only to complain about the blood spots on his newly purchased bathrobe from Sundance. The unlucky guy turns out to be Warren's business partner, and it does not take long for him to wonder out loud if his wife and the dead man were having an affair. Meanwhile, Warren's lawyer Tim (Andre Braugher), whose civil-rights leading father was gunned down when he was a boy, receives a handsome gun from his film fanatic boyfriend Chris (David Schwimmer). Others involved include the young nymphet Annabel Lee (Anna Paquin) and her thuggishly violent brother Sidney (Giovanni Ribisi); Mr. Morgan (Gary Sinise), an eccentric and extremely paranoid Internet tycoon; and Tennel (Josh Brolin), a video store manager turned poet. All of these characters have their own personal axes to grind and all have easy access to guns. The result is as violent as it is senseless. All the Rage was screened at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joan Allen, Andre Braugher, (more)
- 1998
Rory Kelly (Sleep With Me) directed this romantic comedy-drama about love and infidelity. April (Juliette Lewis) warns insecure Claire (co-scripter Marissa Ribisi) about Chad (Jeremy Sisto), but Claire fails to heed her advice. April cheats on her steady, Neil (Michael Rapaport), sleeping with several men. Giovanni Ribisi portrays Claire's brother Jason. Director Kelly was honored with an award after Some Girl was shown in 1998 at the fourth L.A. Independent Film Festival, an event that rose in admissions from 12,000 to 21,000 that year. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marissa Ribisi, Juliette Lewis, (more)
- 1998
Taking a stylistic cue from the French New Wave and Cassavetes, Adam Goldberg wrote and directed and stars in this black-and-white neo-noir -- with "additional dialogue by the cast." Writer wannabe Jim (Goldberg) lives in a seedy L.A. apartment building where he tries to write and broods over his lost love Ilsa, portrayed by Clea Lewis (who actually is Goldberg's former girlfriend). Jim's drinking buddies make a retro bid for the lifestyles of '50s hipsters. The gang gathers at the Catalina Bar and Grill to catch jazz singer Jimmy Scott perform "Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child". A friend cruises into town with a car, enabling the group to go to the beach. Otherwise, they visit hookers, gamble after hours, walk empty streets, and hang around noir-style pre-1957 locations such as the colonnaded Venice, California -- buildings seen in Orson Welles' Touch of Evil. Familiar jazz classics punctuate the soundtrack. Shown at the 1998 L.A. Independent Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Goldberg, Nicky Katt, (more)
- 1998
As indicated by its title, this is the 100th episode of Friends. It is also the episode in which Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) finally gives birth to the triplets she has been carrying on behalf of Frank Jr. (Giovanni Ribisi) and his wife, Alice (Debra Jo Rupp). While the gang anxiously awaits the arrival of the "replacement" obstetrician, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) experiences sympathy pains (or is it pangs?) along with Phoebe. As the big moment arrives, Phoebe makes a momentous decision. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc) have trouble divesting themselves of the free porno channel that has popped up on their TV. When Ross (David Schwimmer) tells Emily (Helen Baxendale) that he loves her, the result is a round-robin of international plane flights and missed connections. And the artificially inseminated Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) discovers that she is carrying triplets -- news that nearly sends the babies' real parents Frank Jr. (Giovanni Ribisi) and Alice (Debra Jo Rupp) into a state of shock (after all, Frank Jr. may now have to drop out of refrigerator college). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Launching a story thread that would ultimately dominate most of Friends' fourth season, Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) contemplates granting the wishes of her half-brother, Frank Jr. (Giovanni Ribisi), and his wife, Alice (Debra Jo Rupp) -- namely, that Phoebe carry their child in her uterus. In other developments, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) is subjected to class discrimination while working as a tour guide at Ross' (David Schwimmer) museum. And Chandler (Matthew Perry) wonders if he will be able to measure up to Joey in his relationship with Joey's former girlfriend Kathy (Paget Brewster). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Having gone back to smoking, Chandler (Matthew Perry) tries all sorts of things to quit, including a hypnosis tape (from the episode of the same title). Meanwhile, Monica's (Courteney Cox) date yields unexpected results. And Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) finds out that her half-brother Frank Jr. (Giovanni Ribisi) is in love -- and she's none too pleased with the woman in his life. Jon Favreau and Debra Jo Rupp make their first series appearances as Pete and Alice, respectively. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Isabella Rosselini guest stars in this episode, in which Ross (David Schwimmer) tries to come up with the names of his five "dream" celebrities (a list that he's forced to pare down to four at the least advantageous moment). Meanwhile, Phoebe's half-brother, Frank Jr. (Giovanni Ribisi), shows up, prompting Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) to attempt a bonding exercise. And Joey (Matt LeBlanc) tries to convert his corner of the apartment into a home entertainment center (funny, it started out as a mailbox...). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Ross (David Schwimmer) have a run-in with a pair of bullies at Central Perk -- only to join forces with their tormentors when another bully horns in. Monica's (Courteney Cox) eccentric methods of stock investment (based upon her initials) come a cropper, forcing her to take a humiliating job at a "1950s" diner. And Phoebe's (Lisa Kudrow) efforts to meet her birth father yield unexpected results. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
It's an evening of togetherness as Andy Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) and Sylvia Costas (Sharon Lawrence) move in together, and Donna Abandando's sister Dana (future Will & Grace star Debra Messing) moves in with Donna (Gail O'Grady) and Greg Medavoy (Gordon Clapp) -- whereupon Dana starts putting her on moves on Greg. In other developments, Simone (Jimmy Smits) has trouble believing the confession of his friend's son (Adam Hann-Byrd) regarding a school shooting. And while Martinez (Nicholas Turturro) and Lesniak (Justine Miceli) prepare to file charges against a man who knowingly transmitted HIV to his girlfriends, one of the man's victims grimly prepares her own brand of justice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Investigating the murder of a chiropractor's wife, Sipowicz (Dennis Franz) and Simone (Jimmy Smits) suspect that the victim's husband is the guilty party. Elsewhere, Simone's friend (Isabel Glasser) finds out that her young son is hiding a gun, and while moonlighting as a security guard, Martinez (Nicholas Turturro) is attracted to the person he is protecting, who lives in mortal fear of her father. This is the legendary NYPD Blue episode in which, while sharing a shower with his lady love Sylvia (Sharon Lawrence), Andy Sipowicz unabashedly displays his bare backside (and viewers couldn't say they weren't warned). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1989
When two of his school buddies manage to land dates, Bud (David Faustino) takes desperate action to keep up with his pals' social life. This includes getting hold of a life-sized mannequin (named "Monique") and using a vacuum cleaner to apply some artificial hickies. Meanwhile, Al (Ed O'Neill) hopes to strike it rich with his latest invention, "Shoe Lights", using Kelly as his reluctant demonstration model. Featured as Boz is a youthful Stephen Dorff. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
This fact-based TV drama recounts the trial of a California couple (Judge Reinhold and Rosanna Arquette) charged with manslaughter after their diabetic son died because they withheld his insulin due to their belief that a miracle from God would save him. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- 1987
Al (Ed O'Neill) is wrong when he jumps to the conclusion that his never-seen boss Gary (Geoffrey Scott) has died, but he is right on the money when he concludes that Gary has gone out of his way to avoid him. His gorge rising, Al demands that his boss acknowledge his existence--or he'll quit. The role of Ed is played by veteran character actor Lewis Arquette, the father of actresses Rosanna Arquette and Patricia Arquette. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Based on author Bryan Burrough's ambitious tome Public Enemies: America's Greatest Crime Wave and the Birth of the FBI, 1933-43, director Michael Mann's sprawling historical crime drama follows the efforts of top FBI agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale ) in capturing notorious bank robber John Dillinger. A folk hero to the American public thanks to his penchant for robbing the banks that many people believed responsible for the Great Depression, charming bandit Dillinger (Johnny Depp) was virtually unstoppable at the height of his criminal career; no jail could hold him, and his exploits endeared him to the common people while making headlines across the country. J. Edgar Hoover's (Billy Crudup) FBI was just coming into formation, and what better way for the ambitious lawman to transform his fledgling Bureau of Investigation into a national police force than to capture the gang that always gets away? Determined to bust Dillinger and his crew, which also included sociopathic Baby Face Nelson (Stephen Graham) and Alvin Karpis (Giovanni Ribisi), Hoover christened Dillinger the country's very first Public Enemy Number One, and unleashed Purvis to take them down by whatever means necessary. But Purvis underestimated Dillinger's ingenuity as a master criminal, and after embarking on a frantic series of chases and shoot-outs, the dashing agent humbly surmised that he was in over his head. Outwitted and outgunned, Purvis knew that his only hope for busting Dillinger's gang was to baptize a crew of Western ex-lawmen as official agents, and orchestrate a series of betrayals so cunning that even America's criminal mastermind wouldn't know what hit him. Marion Cotillard, Channing Tatum, and Stephen Dorff co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, (more)
