Bernadette Caulfield Movies

The first American TV drama series devoted to the subject of polygamy, HBO's Big Love starred Bill Paxton as Bill Henrickson, the owner of a hardware-store chain headquartered in Salt Lake City. Although Bill was no longer an active member of the extremist Mormon sect United Effort Brotherhood, he remained married to three different women at the same time, who lived in neighboring houses with one connected backyard. Jeanne Tripplehorn played Bill's first -- and only "legal" -- wife, Barb, who loved her husband and respected his religious beliefs but wished that she could be certain that she was foremost in his heart. Wife number two, played by Chloë Sevigny, was Nicki Henrickson, who because she had grown up at the United Effort Brotherhood's Juniper Creek compound was somewhat ignorant of the ways of the outside world -- as good an explanation as any for her monumental credit-card bills. The youngest of the wives, played by Ginnifer Goodwin, was Margene Henderson, who was understandably confused and disoriented by the unique situation in her household. Because he lived and worked in a country where polygamy was a crime, Bill was forced to jump through hoops to keep his multiple-marital status a secret, thus enabling wife Nicki's father, Roman (Harry Dean Stanton), self-styled "prophet" of Juniper Creek, to blackmail Bill into giving him a sizeable chunk of his business profits. Also in the cast were Bruce Dern and Grace Zabriskie as Bill's parents, Franklin and Lois, who still lived at Juniper Creek, as did their other grown son, Joey (Shawn Doyle), who in turn had given up a promising football career to remain at the compound with his wife, Wanda (Melora Walters). Other main cast members included Daveigh Chase as Roman's new child bride, Rhonda; Joel McKinnon Miller as Bill's best friend, business partner, and fellow polygamist Don Embry; and Amanda Seyfried, Douglas Smith, and Jolean Wejbe as Bill and Barbara's children, Sarah, Ben, and Tancy. Though the basic situation was frankly nothing to laugh at, a great deal of wry and risqué humor arose from the byplay amongst the many cast members, and from the tortuously twisted plot convolutions. Created by Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer, the weekly, hour-long Big Love debuted March 12, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

If not the best new drama series of the 2001-2002 TV season, Philly bade fair to be the loudest and most abrasive. NYPD Blue alumnus Kim Delaney stars as idealistic law school graduate Kathleen Maguire, who, after her divorce from assistant DA Daniel X. Cavanaugh (Kyle Secor), put out her shingle as a Philadelphia defense attorney. When Kathleen's partner Marion (Joanna Cassidy) suffers a nervous breakdown, she reluctantly goes into business with highly unethical lawyer Will Friedman (Tom Everett Scott), thereby launching a series-long shoutfest between the two strange bedfellows. If Will weren't headache enough, Kathleen also has to deal with slimy clients, ill-tempered judges, and a seemingly endless parade of eccentric courtroom habitué, most of whom have nothing but sex on their brains. Providing a bit of moral support and affection to the long-suffering Kathleen is her outspoken ten-year-old son Patrick (Scotty Leavenworth). It should be noted that a number of genuine Philadelphia lawyers actively disliked the series, labeling it "unrealistic" and "insulting" -- but they never said it wasn't entertaining. Executive-produced by the prolific Stephen Bochco, the weekly, 60-minute Philly was supposed to have been unveiled by ABC on September 18, 2001, but the network's coverage of the World Trade Center tragedy pushed the debut date up to September 25. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Set during Halloween, this youth-oriented adventure centers on the efforts of three kids to save an ancient mummy from a criminal. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Were it not based on a true story, this two-part TV movie could well have been dismissed as a grotesque nightmare. The story begins in 1988, when the Chicago home of Cindi and David Dowaliby (Shannen Doherty, Kevin Dillon) is invaded by person or persons unknown, who kidnap and murder their daughter Jacklyn while the couple sleeps. Once the crime is reported, the grief-stricken Dowalibys find themselves accused of their daughter's murder. The authorities are cruel and relentless, public opinion is hostile, the media is doggedly one-sided, and the family's very expensive lawyers more interested in their fee than in justice. Ultimately, Cindi is "cleared", but David is sentenced to a 45-year prison term--and both the couple's surviving child and Cindi's newborn baby are taken away from them. The rest of the film concerns Cindi's tireless and apparently futile battle to win back her children, secure her husband's release and restore the family's mud-splattered reputation. Originally telecast by CBS on February 25 and 27, 1996, Gone in the Night may indeed end on a small note of triumph, but by no means is the tragic situation completely resolved. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Based on a true story, I Can Make You Love Me: The Stalking of Laura Black largely takes place in California's Silicon Valley, where Virginia transplant Laura Black (Brooke Shields) is employed by a major high-tech firm as a computer specialist. Upset by the unsolicited advances of nerdish coworker Richard Farley (Richard Thomas), Laura files a complaint with her bosses, but finds it is difficult to get anyone to believe her: The delusional Farley has already spread the word about his "relationship" with Laura, and has even written to her parents about their "romance." Eventually Farley's ruse is exposed, and he is fired from his job--and Laura manages to get a restraining order against him to avoid dealing with him outside the workplace. It is at this point that harassment degenerates into all-out violence, with Farley triggering an all-out climactic bloodbath. Produced for the CBS TV network, the film first aired February 9, 1993; since that time, I Can Make You Love Me has been seen on cable television under the title Stalking Laura. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide