Yvonne Zima Movies

A celebrated Broadway director finds his life turned upside down while attempting to raise funding for his big comeback in this contemporary screwball comedy starring Jeffrey Tambor. Harris Chappell (Tambor) wasn't made for Hollywood. When his movie career hits the skids, he hightails it right back to Manhattan. Harris is convinced that he can recapture his status as one of Broadway's leading directors, and heads straight for Frankie & Johnnie's for a meeting with his ex Didi (Melinda McGraw) and a talented young actor named Spencer (Jesse Plemons). All Harris needs is one unqualified hit to re-launch his career, but as the night wears on nothing goes as planned, both his resolve and his sanity gradually begin to erode. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Still in their infancy when their parents were divorced, Kelly and Chris McClain (Michelle Trachtenberg) grew up in the city with her mother, while their cowboy father Charlie (Peter Strauss) remained in the wide open spaces. When their mom is murdered, the girls are court-ordered to live with their dad, and are bitterly resentful over the fact. For his part, Charlie is taken aback by Kelly and Chris' hostility, but is willing to try to mend fences between himself in his daughter. Curiously, the mystery as to who killed the girls' mother--and why--is all but forgotten as the film focuses on the emotional impact of Charlie's reunion with his long-estranged family, with special emphasis on the relationship between Charlie and oldest daughter Kelly. Filmed under the title Cowboy Dad, A Father's Choice made its CBS network bow on January 12, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A young girl stuck in a horrific cycle of familial violence finds the power to build her own future from the place she least suspected in an inspiring tale of friendship and devotion starring Ossie Davis and Della Reese, and directed by Bruce Pittman. For years Jo Ann Foley (Madeline Zima) has suffered under the cruel hand of her ruthless grandfather. A chance meeting with kindly neighbors Honey (Reese) and her husband Too Tall (Davis) finds things looking up, however, as the nurturing couple provides Jo Ann with the support needed to break free of her grandfather's tyrannical grip. As the future lies before her ready to be molded however she sees fit, Jo Ann must now find the courage to let go of the past and seek the redemption needed to start life anew. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Greene (Anthony Edwards) treats a horse suffering from colic and very loose bowels. A wounded gunman is brought into the ER with explosives wired to his body, making it necessary to "defuse" the man before he can be treated. Carter (Noah Wyle) intubates an elderly and anonymous female patient, only to find that her HMO won't admit her to the ER without permission from her next of kin. Both Ross (George Clooney) and Anspaugh (John Aylward) have news that is guaranteed to make Weaver (Laura Innes) unhappy. And after working hours, Carter sets up a date with a former patient, an aggressive insurance salesperson named Roxanne (Julie Bowen). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

First-year med student Lucy Knight (Kellie Martin) stumbles and bumbles her way through her first emergency-room rotation at Chicago's County General as ER launches it fifth season. Getting off to a bad start by clumsily trying to help a bleeding man on the street before her shift even begins, Lucy can't seem to do anything right at all. She manages to alienate her supervisor, the newly bearded Carter (Noah Wyle), stumbles into a clandestine romantic rendezvous, blurts out the fact that a patient is terminal to the patient's nonplussed wife, and is equally undiplomatic with a woman who may have suffered her third miscarriage. And there's still several hours of her shift to go. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Carol (Julianna Margulies) weighs her options as she decides to either pursue medical school or remain a nurse. Carter (Noah Wyle) wonders if he should turn in a fellow intern and former romantic rival for falsifying a patient's record. A couple who delights in concocting potentially dangerous "scenarios" plagues the ER staff. Ross (George Clooney) is determined to save the life of a two-year-old boy. And a genetically altered mouse is running loose in the hospital. This episode contains one of the most shocking and startling moments of ER's third season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Fearing that something may be wrong with Carla's (Lisa Nicole Carson) unborn baby, Benton (Eriq La Salle) illegally obtains a copy of her ultrasound. Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) finds that she has much in common with would-be suicide patient Suzane Alner (Gia Carides). Anspaugh (John Aylward) refuses to operate on a dying patient, but Carter (Noah Wyle) has other ideas. And Ross (George Clooney) contends with a determined young lady who refuses to miss her senior prom -- even if it kills her. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

John Larkin (Timothy Hutton would seem to have the ideal life: A great job, a beautiful home, a happy marriage. Nonetheless, John has always been nagged by the feeling that "something is missing." The truth of this suspicion is violently driven home when John is inexplicably kidnapped from his home in the middle of the night by two sinister strangers. Managing to escape, John makes his way back to his wife (Suzy Amis--only to find out that she's not his wife at all, but instead a doctor for a top-secret government agency. Laboriously putting the pieces together, John realizes that he has never truly existed as a human being since he was nearly killed in a car crash: Instead, he is a semi-android, his brain implanted with false and misleading memories--all part of a master scheme to transform him into a "perfect" government assassin! Not dissimilar to such theatrical technothrillers as Total Recall, the made-for-TV Dead By Midnight (you'll have to see the film to understand the title's grim significance) was first aired by ABC on November 23, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

An ordinary woman discovers that her life was not always ordinary in this action thriller. Samantha Caine (Geena Davis) is a typical, well-mannered single mother working as a schoolteacher when she isn't looking after her children. Nothing on the surface would seem to be remarkable about Samantha's life, but every once in a while she has vague memories and unexplained impulses that don't add up with her current life experience; she has scars but no idea of how they got there, she suddenly displays a deadly talent for knife-throwing while chopping vegetables for dinner, and when she sees a deer, she suddenly attacks it with her bare hands. When an auto accident and a television news broadcast stirs some more uncomfortable memories, Samantha hires private investigator Mitch Hennessey (Samuel L. Jackson) to look into her past and see what he can find. Mitch learns that Samantha isn't really Samantha after all -- her name is Charley and she used to be a professional assassin with a secret government intelligence program. After a severe head injury, Charley developed a case of amnesia, and in time she developed her new personality as Samantha. However, her old boss has kept tabs on her, and now that it looks as if the old Charley is starting to come out again, he sends a pair of hit men after her to see to it that she doesn't remember anything else; soon Samantha and Mitch are on the run, trying to outdistance the killers as they get to the bottom of Charley's secret life. The Long Kiss Goodnight was directed by Renny Harlin, husband of leading lady Geena Davis; this was their second project together, following Cutthroat Island, released the previous year. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

During Christmas week, Ross (George Clooney) again tries to extend a helping hand to surly homeless teenager Charlie (Kirsten Dunst); Doyle (Jorja Fox) comes to the aid of a battered wife (Gloria LeRoy); and a mangy orphaned dog is "adopted" by Greene (Anthony Edwards), who is under the impression that the mutt would make a good gift for his daughter, Rachel (Yvonne Zima). In another development, Greene and Weaver (Laura Innes) try to forge a policy regarding HIV-positive employees, an action which may force Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) out in the open. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Hicks (CCH Pounder) warns Benton (Eriq La Salle) that he's spending too much time worrying over his ailing mother and not enough time concentrating on his job. Ross (George Clooney) has a violent showdown with an abusive father. The rivalry between Carter (Noah Wyle) and Deb (Ming-Na) intensifies. And Carol (Julianna Margulies) and Taglieri (Rick Rossovich) consider adopting six-year-old AIDS victim Tatiana (Milana Vayntrub). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A visitor to the ER (Catherine Lloyd Burns) must make a crucial decision after her boyfriend commits suicide, while novice nun Sister Elizabeth (Amy Ryan) likewise finds herself at an emotional crossroads. Elsewhere, the ER staff (and the viewers) discovers that Carter (Noah Wyle) is from an incredibly wealthy family. Swift (Michael Ironside) becomes increasingly displeased with Greene (Anthony Edwards), who has allowed his domestic troubles to take precedence over his work. Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) is at the end of her rope with Chloe (Kathleen Wilhoite). And the mystery of missing-in-action Dr. Div Cvetic is solved. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A malfunctioning air conditioner and an overload of patients bedevils the ER during a stifling heat wave. In other developments, Lewis (Sherry Stringfield) is thrown off balance by a visit from her young, irresponsible sister, Chloe (Kathleen Wilhoite). Carol (Julianna Margulies) is upset by Doug's (George Clooney) girl friend du jour. And when Greene (Anthony Edwards) brings his daughter, Rachel (Yvonne Zima), to work, she realizes with startling suddenness that her dad is far from omnipotent. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi