Chris Elliott Movies
Chris Elliott may have been born with a funny spoon in his mouth -- he's the son of Bob Elliott, the more deadpan half of the famous comedy duo Bob and Ray -- but he's developed his own offbeat brand of humor and gained his own substantial cult following.Elliott began his show business career as a standup comic, but he first gained public attention as a writer and performer on Late Night With David Letterman, helping that show define a new age of ironic comedy, and winning two Emmys as part of Letterman's writing team. Elliott played the sarcastic firebrand to Letterman's perturbable Midwestern reserve. He starred in sketches as the Panicky Guy, the Fugitive Guy, and the Guy Under the Seats, a character who lived in a cramped passageway underneath the audience, and would occasionally interrupt the show to chat with Letterman. As a result of Elliott's growing popularity on Late Night, his acting career took off. Or, to be more precise, he got bit parts in Michael Mann's Manhunter, James Cameron's The Abyss, and the Francis Ford Coppola segment of New York Stories.
Elliott also went on to star in two hilarious, but little-seen half-hour comedy shows for Cinemax. FDR -- A One Man Show featured Elliott playing Chris Elliott, a pompous egomaniacal actor portraying FDR in a one-man show of tremendous historical inaccuracy, while Action Family economically combined satire of TV police dramas with a satire of a typical living room family sitcom.
Around this time, Elliott published a Mommy Dearest-style mock exposé about his childhood, Daddy's Boy: A Son's Shocking Account of Life With a Famous Father, which featured chapter-by-chapter rebuttals from his father, Bob, and a foreword by David Letterman.
In 1990, Elliott, with help from talented collaborators like David Mirkin, Bob Odenkirk, and Adam Resnick, starred in a bizarrely funny sitcom, Get a Life. The character Elliott played, Chris Peterson, a 30-year-old paperboy, was not a far cry from his previous television personae. Peterson was a dimwitted, balding, doughy, sarcastic, celebrity-worshipping dolt, with a hilariously high degree of self-regard. He was an utter failure who somehow convinced himself he was doing great. Bob Elliott played Chris Peterson's father on the show. The mucky mucks at the fledgling Fox network didn't understand the show, and were hoping Peterson would be cuddlier. Elliott would later remember a network exec optimistically comparing the character to "Tom Hanks in Big." The show had disastrous ratings. Despite support from savvier TV critics, Fox gave up on the show quickly, and canceled Get a Life after two seasons. The show had gained a passionate cult following and some episodes were eventually released on DVD and syndicated briefly on the USA Network. Get a Life was later recognized for its influence on other, more successful programs, including The Simpsons and South Park.
Elliott also had key supporting roles in the smash hit Groundhog Day, opposite Bill Murray, and in the unsuccessful rap mockumentary CB4 with Chris Rock. In 1994, he joined the cast of Saturday Night Live. Despite the addition of other talented comic actors (Randy Quaid, Michael McKean, and Janeane Garofalo), it was a dismal season, and Elliott was put off by the lack of collaborative spirit among some of the long-term cast members. He moved on after one season.
This was also the period of Elliott's greatest professional disappointment -- the failure of the feature film he co-wrote and starred in, Cabin Boy. His frequent collaborator Adam Resnick co-wrote the film, and, at the urging of producer Tim Burton, also directed it. Letterman makes a brief, but very funny cameo appearance. The film has developed a small cult following, particularly among devotees of Get a Life, but it was a box-office flop. While the filmmakers themselves have acknowledged that Cabin Boy fell short of their expectations, Elliott was stung by the viciousness of the reviews.
Elliott went through a creative dry spell after this, appearing in a recurring role in the Tea Leoni sitcom Flying Blind, and gaining more national visibility as a spokesman for Tostitos snack chips. He also continued making guest appearances on a variety of sitcoms.
Since then, Elliott has appeared in supporting roles in a number of silly comedies (Snow Day, sequels to The Nutty Professor, and Scary Movie) and has developed a fruitful relationship with the Farrelly brothers, appearing in Kingpin, Osmosis Jones, and, most notably, in their smash hit, There's Something About Mary. He was also heard as the voice of Dogbert on the short-lived animated series, Dilbert, and he was a regular on the appropriately named, ill-fated Steven Weber series, Cursed. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
After helping to kick-start the independent film movement in America with The Return of the Secaucus Seven, John Sayles wrote, directed, and edited his second feature, about a woman who finds herself staring life over after coming out of the closet as a lesbian. Lianna (Linda Griffiths) is a woman in her early thirties who's married to Dick (Jon DeVries), who teaches film at a college in Boston. Lianna first met Dick when she was a student in his class, and while she's grown more assertive and independent with time, Dick has become bitter and difficult, though he tries to be patient with their two children, Spencer (Jesse Solomon) and Theda (Jessica Wight MacDonald). Lianna, who dropped out of college when she married Dick, has begun taking classes again, and strikes up a close friendship with one of her professors, Ruth (Jane Hallaren); Dick, however, would prefer that she spend her time helping him with research on his upcoming thesis. When Lianna discovers Dick has been having an affair with one of his students, she begins to wonder about her future with him as well as her own feelings, and one evening, after dinner and conversation with Ruth, Lianna discovers her new friend has romantic feelings toward her -- and that she feels the same way toward Ruth. When Lianna confronts Dick with the news of her relationship with Ruth, he's livid and makes her leave the house, forcing her to start a new life for herself as she comes to terms with her own sexuality. Comic actor Chris Elliott makes his screen debut in Lianna in a small role as a lighting technician for a dance troupe. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Linda Griffiths, Jane Hallaren, (more)
Red Dragon, the Thomas Harris novel that introduced serial killer Hannibal Lecter to the world, was adapted for the screen by Michael Mann as Manhunter. Ace criminal profiler Will Graham (William Petersen) is very good at his job because he has the ability to make himself think like the killers he tracks. Will has been in retirement since catching Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter (Brian Cox), as being inside that particular deranged mind caused Will to have a breakdown. Will's boss Jack Crawford (Dennis Farina visits Will at his home, showing him pictures from a murder scene and asking for his help in catching a new killer they have dubbed "the Tooth Fairy" (Tom Noonan). In order to test his mental strength, Will visits Hannibal in his prison cell. Adding to the already substantial mental stress Will experiences when he returns to the job are nosy tabloid reporter Freddy Lounds (Stephen Lang), as well as Hannibal's attempts at seeking revenge through the Tooth Fairy. After two additional films that featured Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter (Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal) became box-office blockbusters, Manhunter was re-made as Red Dragon starring Hopkins and Edward Norton as Will Graham. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William L. Petersen, Kim Greist, (more)
- 1986
- R
Adam Swit (Raphael Sbarge) is hounded by his consumer parents in their plush L.A. home, beset by his sexually deprived sister, and faces agony at school at the hands of the tougher kids. In order to escape his troubles, he daydreams about a fantastic young woman. Lo and behold, a dead-ringer for his dream woman shows up at school one day as a transfer student (Page Hannah) and Adam sets out to befriend her right away. On their first date they find a teacher in the parking lot who has just been severely worked over by a gang of thugs. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Raphael Sbarge, Page Hannah, (more)
The crew of an experimental, high-tech submersible is called into action to investigate a mysterious nuclear submarine crash. A series of strange encounters leads the crew to suspect the accident was caused by an extraterrestrial craft, and that they may be participating in an encounter with an alien species. However, in order to make contact, they must not only brave the abyss, an exceedingly deep underwater canyon, but also deal with the violent actions of one of their own crew members, an increasingly paranoid Navy SEAL officer. Approved by director James Cameron, The Abyss: Special Edition is an extended director's cut of the 1989 underwater science fiction epic, reinstating nearly a half hour of footage removed from the original release under studio pressure. Much of the restored footage places the film's events in a grander political context, as the crew's mission becomes a factor in the dangerous escalation of nuclear tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The largest change involves the film's ending, which provides further information on the aliens' mission on Earth, bringing the film to closer to Cameron's intention: a modern remake of Robert Wise's The Day the Earth Stood Still. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, (more)
The omnibus film New York Stories is the product of three powerhouse filmmakers. The film is divided into three stories, each exploring a different aspect of life in the Big Apple. Life Lessons, directed by Martin Scorcese, is a Dostoevsky-like tale of the rarefied Art World, with Nick Nolte as a self-indulgent abstractionist who loves Rosanna Arquette, but can't bring himself to lie to her about her negligible artistic talents. Life Without Zoe, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, is more than a little reminiscent of Kay Thompson's Eloise stories, with 12-year-old Zoe (Heather McComb) running amok at the Sherry-Netherland hotel while her parents are embarked upon a world-girdling vacation. The last and is Woody Allen's Oedipus Wrecks, wherein a schnooky lawyer (guess who?) inadvertently "creates" the Jewish Mother From Hell: thanks to a misguided magic trick, Allen's mama (the incomparable Mae Questel) becomes a huge spectral vision on the New York skyline, telling everyone within earshot about her son's inadequacies. The cinematographer lineup on New York Stories includes Nestor Almendros, Vittorio Storaro and Sven Nykvist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Nolte, Rosanna Arquette, (more)
- 1989
TV addicts of the 1980s and 1990s know Chris Elliot as the "man behind the chair" on Late Night With David Letterman. Sitcom buffs will remember Elliot as star of the quirky Fox series Get a Life, while moviegoers may have caught him in his theatrical-feature vehicle Cabin Boy. If you'd like to see this second-generation laughspinner (he's the son of Bob Elliot) at his very best, check out this two-tier video. In "FDR, A One Man Show" Elliot wickedly spoofs such theatrical presentations as Hal Holbrook's Mark Twain Tonight! and James Whitmore's Give 'Em Hell, Harry. And in "Action Family", Elliot sets his satirical sights on formula TV situation comedies. Marv Albert, a man not known for his comic gifts, appears in support of the puckish Elliot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
In "The Prettiest Week of My Life," one of the more memorable episodes of Get a Life, Chris Peterson (Chris Elliott) pursues his unlikely dream of becoming a male model. "I won the genetic lottery," he tells his skeptical parents before running off to enroll in the Handsome Boy Modeling School. The school's proprietor, Ted Bains (Brian Doyle-Murray, who would go on to play Chris' landlord Gus in season two), snows Chris by asking him if he has "cheekbone implants." After making sure Chris has no affiliation with 60 Minutes, Bains tells him, "If the check clears, you're aces with me." Arriving for his first class, Chris gets into a tiff with Sapphire (Tuc Watkins), another modeling student, who cattily mistakes Chris for a member of the custodial staff. Intimidated by Sapphire's stage name, Chris renames himself "Sparkles." Bains puts the students through their paces (to the strains of "Pretty Woman"), and then they graduate. Chris then goes home and waits for the job offers to come in. His father (Bob Elliott), still dubious about this career choice, is won over when Bains finally calls with a modeling job for Chris. "Go get 'em, Speckles," he exhorts. Unbeknownst to Chris, he's going to be the doughy "before" picture in the ad for a muscle drink. In a powerful scene echoing Irene Cara's harrowing audition scene in Fame, Chris is reduced to tears when he's asked to pose topless. Disenchanted with the whole sordid business, Chris decides he'll go out with a bang, taking one last shot at every male model's dream -- a department store runway show. This episode inspired eccentric hip-hop genius Prince Paul and Dan "The Automator" Nakamura to form the comedic rap duo Handsome Boy Modeling School, who released So...How's Your Girl? in 1999. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, (more)
- 1990
An intoxicating tribute to the joys of musical theater, this episode begins with Chris Peterson (Chris Elliott) telling his parents, Fred (Bob Elliott) and Gladys (Elinor Donahue), that he's auditioning for a local production of "Andrew Todd Keller's masterpiece, Zoo Animals on Wheels." In response to Fred's skepticism, Chris explains that the show answers one of life's eternal questions: "What would it be like if zoo animals put on roller skates, and danced around and sang?" When Chris arrives at the audition, he finds, to his dismay, that his nemesis, Sharon (Robin Riker), is not only a member of the company, she is playing the female lead in the show. She scoffs at his desire to be a part of her theatrical community, but he is undaunted. Because the pianist at the audition does not have the sheet music for "Dream Weaver," Chris performs a dramatic monologue for the director, Hastings (Craig Richard Nelson), and then does his famous "Alley Cat" dance. To Sharon's chagrin, he gets the lead, playing the poor sickly Wildebeest. There follows a stunning homage to the "Showtime" sequence in Bob Fosse's All That Jazz. Trouble arises when, on the night of the show, Chris is preparing backstage, and overhears Sharon and a rival actor cruelly discussing his shortcomings. Chris sobs to her, "I wouldn't appear on-stage with you for all the money in the ocean!" before he runs out of the theater. Will the show go on? More importantly, as Fred asks Gladys shortly after the performance begins, "Is it actually medically possible to die of embarrassment?" ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, (more)
- 1990
This parody of Star Wars was made long before it was actually released. Making its debut in LA at a 3-D film festival; the reason for its languishment becomes more than apparent. The tale: billed in the title crawl as "Episode IV: The Last Resort," begins as the villainous Buckethead orders his diminutive blue, hooded minions to capture the rebel leader Princess Serina and take from her the radio transmission she swiped. The minions shove their ship into hyperspace drive and race off. Unfortunately they miscalculated their destination and end up in a backwater southern town in the United States filled with rednecks. The would be dominators of the universe encounter further problems when one of the soldiers accidentally gets locked in the back of an exterminator truck. The others, apparently not realizing that they are not where they should be, continue their quest for the transmissions and begin taking hostages. By this time the townies figure out that their visitors are from space and so call in a goofy UFO specialist to investigate. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1990
All the craziness of Get a Life started with this episode: "Terror on the Hell Loop 2000." Chris Peterson (Chris Elliott) is introduced to us as a 30-year-old man, lying in bed, in the room above his parents' garage, awakening from a nightmare about an unpleasant experience on The $20,000 Pyramid. After his morning regimen (one push-up and a quick kiss for his Daryl Hannah poster), he heads down to the house, where he greets Fred (Bob Elliott) and Gladys (Elinor Donahue), who are concerned that, although he's moved from the house to the room above the garage, Chris may be "in a rut." After dismissing their concerns, he's off to his paper route. The plot kicks into gear when he visits his friend, Larry Potter (Sam Robards), and tries to convince him to skip work and accompany him to the amusement park. During this scene, Larry's wife, Sharon (Robin Riker), Chris' nemesis, sums up Chris' life succinctly. "You're 30 years old. You still live with your parents," she reminds him, "You're losing your hair, and you're stupid." Chris pushes aside her jabs, though, and convinces Larry to ditch work to ride the Hell Loop 2000 roller coaster. Their fun-filled day reaches a terrifying climax when their car gets stuck at the top of the loop, and they are forced to hang upside down, their lives in peril, for hours. Chris tries to keep Larry's spirits up by singing a version of "We Didn't Start the Fire" featuring the lyrics, "Gorbachev comes to town/Chris and Larry upside down." It doesn't work. This episode features guest appearances by comedienne Julie Brown (Earth Girls Are Easy), and renowned character actor Tracy Walter. Graham Jarvis, who plays Chris' boss in the "Paperboy 2000" episode, plays Larry's boss in this one. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, (more)
- 1990
In 1990, the upstart Fox network took a chance on a chubby, balding thirty-ish kid with a big dream, and began airing Get a Life, Late Night with David Letterman regular Chris Elliott's absurdist sitcom about a chubby, balding thirty-ish kid who lives with his parents and works as a paperboy. Actually, as Chris Peterson (Elliott) would point out, he's "head paperboy." David Mirkin, who had worked on Newhart and The Simpsons, was the executive producer, and former Late Night scribe Adam Resnick was the co-producer. Both would later go on to HBO's groundbreaking The Larry Sanders Show, as would Get a Life's writing supervisor, Bob Odenkirk, also of The Ben Stiller Show and Mr. Show. Screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, who would later write the script for Being John Malkovich, got his start writing two of the more memorable episodes of Get a Life, "Prisoner of Love" and "1977 2000." The show was also perfectly cast, with Elliott's own father, Bob Elliott, of the beloved "Bob and Ray" comedy team, cast as Chris Peterson's cantankerous father, Fred, and the lovely Elinor Donahue, who starred in the classic sitcoms Father Knows Best and The Andy Griffith Show, playing Gladys, Chris' sweet but bluntly honest mom. The first season cast was rounded out with Sam Robards as Chris' slow-witted and naïve best friend, Larry Potter, and Robin Riker as Larry's caustic wife and Chris' nemesis, Sharon. Riker was the only one of these cast members to move on to the second season. Brian Doyle-Murray was added to the cast in season two, playing Chris' perennially grumpy landlord, Gus Borden. With such an assemblage of comedic talent, and Elliott's own modest following from his hilarious Late Night appearances as "The Guy Under the Seats" and other characters, the show was predicted by some to be a hit and run for years. It even had a hit show for its lead-in (although one with, arguably, a very different target audience demographic), the urban sketch comedy show, In Living Color. But when Get a Life failed to garner an immediate following (in part due to the relative weakness of the first episode, "Terror on the Hell Loop 2000"), the fledgling network began moving it all over the Sunday night schedule. Loyal viewers, and there were some, never knew at what time the show would air from week to week. This doomed the bizarre, innovative, and very funny sitcom to even worse ratings than it would otherwise have had. It was an unusual program. Chris was a loser of epic proportions, but eternally optimistic about his prospects. He seemed to believe he could accomplish anything, whether it was becoming a male model despite his flabbiness and baldness ("The Prettiest Week of My Life"), or traveling through time to 1977 to save a friend's job ("1977 2000"). The humor was hyper-ironic, as many of Late Night's sketches had been. Get a Life was a meta-sitcom. It was rife with non-sequiturs and amusing pop culture references. The story lines ranged from outrageous parodies of ancient sitcom plots (Chris gets trapped in a meat locker with Sharon, his least favorite person) to absurd and ridiculous original stories (Chris becomes a spelling bee champion after being exposed to toxic waste). Chris also had a number of sitcom-style quirks, such as his obsession with the song "Alley Cat," and his unnoticed but seemingly supernatural ability to take a full glass of whatever beverage he wants from the refrigerator without ever opening a container or pouring. He also suffered a violent death at the end of many episodes, but it never seemed to get him down. The show was a flop and ran for only two seasons, even though it was on a network that seemed desperate for content, but it developed a passionate and loyal cult following. It has since been sporadically syndicated, and several episodes have been released on DVD. Cabin Boy, a feature film starring Elliott and featuring many of the same creative personnel, was released in 1994 to similar widespread public apathy but cult interest. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Elliott, Elinor Donahue, (more)
- 1990
This slightly less than brilliant episode of the generally brilliant TV series begins when Chris (Chris Elliott) discovers that the local playground, site of his bizarre precious childhood memories (heard in audio flashback), has been condemned, and is to be replaced by a parking lot. Aghast at what he calls "this stinking nihilistic world," Chris sets out to save the playground. He tries to raise money by selling seafood drink and his old sneakers, by performing on the street (a rollerblading mime puppet show that is not to be missed), and by becoming a gigolo, all to no avail. Even his own parents, Fred (Bob Elliott) and Gladys (Elinor Donahue), are more interested in the upcoming Jack Jones concert than in helping their son. Chris eventually hits on the idea of breaking the world record for having junk stacked on him. "Chris Peterson's Save the Park Stack-On" is underway! With the help of his friend, Larry (Sam Robards), he charges his neighbors to stack items on top of him. His neighbors are eager to squash Chris, and continue to stack junk on him, even when it seems it may cost him his life. When Mr. Pipp (Clive Revill), an official from the Big Book of Records, shows up to validate Chris' feat, everyone is in for an unpleasant surprise. But their disappointment turns to enchantment when Jack Jones himself makes an appearance, does a terrific number atop Chris' "pile of death" and helps save the playground. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, (more)
- 1990
Chris Peterson (Chris Elliott) tries to teach a group of thugs how to behave, and learns a valuable lesson himself in "Bored Straight." Chris accidentally wanders into the "bad part" of Greenville, where a group of leather-jacketed hoodlums cruelly call him "Beardie," and one punches him in the stomach. Chris later complains about the deterioration of the town to his parents, Fred (Bob Elliott) and Gladys (Elinor Donahue), and vows that he's going to take back the streets. "In my heart, I know your right," Fred responds thoughtfully, "but my perfectly functioning brain says you're a horse's ass." Chris is undeterred and reaches out to the mixed-up kids, who respond by coming to his room for a "rap session." He gets them to open up by telling them about his own traumatic experience, involving his ten-year inability to shower in the nude. Unfortunately, Chris has no idea how to solve any of their problems, and quickly changes the subject. He takes the gang to a local supermarket, where, to the strains of "To Sir, With Love," they experience the life-altering joys of fresh produce. Just when Chris thinks he's had a breakthrough, he finds that the punks have tied up Fred and Gladys, stolen nearly everything of value in their house, and spray-painted the walls with vile epithets like "REAR END." Chris is still willing to give the kids the benefit of the doubt, until he discovers they've also made off with his fudgesicles. He doggedly tracks them down and makes one final effort to win over their hearts and minds. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, (more)
- 1990
After 18 years as a paperboy, Chris (Chris Elliott) faces his own obsolescence in this episode. Called in for a meeting with his boss, Chris thinks he's getting a promotion, but explains to his parents that he won't take a desk job. He tells them he's going to demand "a padded seat for my bike, a thermos, and a mistress on 24-hour call, seven days a week." But he has a rude awakening when he gets to his boss' office. Mr. Martin (Graham Jarvis) isn't promoting Chris -- he's replacing him and all the other paperboys with a massive robotic newspaper delivery vehicle, the Paperboy 2000. Chris organizes a town meeting to save his job, but when the people get a look at the fancy high-tech robot, they're instantly won over. Ben Spangler (Hal Landon Jr.) excitedly comments that having the new robot deliver his paper will be "just like living in outer space." Chris quickly gives up the idea of finding another job and sinks into depression. Eventually, he decides to challenge Paperboy 2000 to a contest and show everyone he's better than the robot. He prepares for the "Man vs. Machine" showdown by duct taping athletic pads and tin foil to himself, and putting on eye black. The whole town turns out to watch the contest. His friend Larry (Sam Robards) tells him, "No matter what happens today, they can't take away your dignity. Because you've pretty much already done that with that outfit." This episode features John Waters regular Mink Stole in a small role. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, (more)
- 1990
Will Chris Peterson (Chris Elliott) find true love with Charleene (Blair Tefkin)? Not if Charleene's sister, Sharon Potter (Robin Riker), can help it. Sharon is married to Larry (Sam Robards), Chris' best friend, and she's always despised Chris. The trouble starts for her when she has Charleene and some friends over for a dinner party. Chris naturally crashes, and proceeds to describe a dream to the assembled guests, in which he was chased by a frozen turkey through a Brazilian supermarket. This long, demented story drives away the other guests, and Chris, over Sharon's strenuous objections, ends up making a date with Charleene. The date is going well until Chris, confused by the fact that they're watching a French film, starts to complain loudly about how everyone in the movie is speaking "baby talk." He's eventually dragged from his seat and beaten by angry ushers. After the big date, Larry reassures Sharon that Charleene has probably lost interest in Chris. But to Sharon's horror, she finds the couple naked in her and Larry's bed. Chris is ecstatic, and Charleene seems fairly content, but Sharon quickly leaves the room, explaining, "I'm going to wash my eyes out with soap." When Chris starts talking about spending holidays with the Potter family, Sharon decides she's had enough, and hatches a plan to end the two lovebirds' happiness. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, (more)
- 1990
When Chris Peterson (Chris Elliott) sees the new waitress at the diner, he's instantly smitten. Jane (Anastasia Barzee, who also played reporter May Evans in season two's "The Big City") resists the thirtysomething paperboy at first. Jane relents, but when Chris tells her "You are gonna look mighty fine on the handlebars of my bike," she balks again, so he pretends he has a driver's license. He asks his friend, Larry (Sam Robards), to teach him to drive, but he quickly grows bored with Larry's obsessive safety tips. "You don't have to teach me how to drive," Chris tells him, "I've been watching people drive for years -- Mannix, Barnaby Jones, The Dukes of Hazzard." So Chris rushes out to take his road test. After experiencing Chris' own brand of defensive driving ("Old ladies and fire trucks -- they think they own the road!"), the state trooper flunks him. Despite his failure, Chris decides to "borrow" his parents' car and take Jane out for a drive. Things take a nutty turn when Chris' dad, Fred (Bob Elliott) mistakenly reports the car stolen, and Chris' big date is enlivened by a thrilling high-speed police chase. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, (more)
- 1990
Chris (Chris Elliott) is down at the coffee shop, regaling his fellow newsboys with tales of his sexual conquests, when the subject of the Newspaper Boy Semi-Annual Father and Son Day comes up. Chris reminisces about he and his dad, Fred (Bob Elliott), competing in the event when he was a boy, but he says it would be unfair to the younger newsboys to enter it now, "kinda like Meryl Streep showing up at Star Search." When young Otto (David Tom) calls Chris' courage into question, Chris claims he just has better things to do -- "adult things, like playing with matches, and eating candy from strangers. That's right -- strangers -- who, by the way, have the best candy, but I guess you wouldn't know that, would you?" Chris eventually caves in, but then he has to convince Fred to enter the competition with him, despite their history of being humiliated, and his advanced age. Gladys (Elinor Donahue), Chris' mom, thinks it's a grand idea. Fred is dead set against it, but Chris brings out the heavy ammo -- "the face." After three days of being subjected to Chris' childish pouting, Fred relents and the two start training. They practice sack racing and egg racing, but when the day of the event arrives, it turns out to be a brutal, American Gladiators-style battle, emceed by James Hampton (who played Dobbs on F-Troop) as Fletcher. Otto and his dad, the returning champs, insult Chris and Fred throughout the events, and Chris discovers a way to make crashing to the ground again and again less painful. "Just let your face catch the brunt of it," he tells Fred, "It's nature's shock absorber." ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, (more)
- 1990
Chris Peterson (Chris Elliott) undergoes the sort of bizarre, surrealistic life experiences that are all too typical for 30-year-old paperboys who still live above their parents' garage as Get a Life enters its first season. In the series opener, Chris persuades his best friend Larry Potter (Sam Robards) to join him for the world premiere of the treacherous Hell Loop 2000 roller coaster (the first of the series' many whimsical invocations of the year 2000) -- only to become stuck upside-down when the coaster stalls. In later adventures, Chris becomes a male model, talks his phlegmatic father Fred (played by Chris Elliott's real-life father, Bob Elliott) into participating in the newspaper boys' annual picnic, endeavors to set a rather pointless world record, is replaced on the job by a paper-delivering robot, applies for his first-ever driver's license in order to impress a pretty waitress, and wins a weekend with his favorite talk show host (played by Fred Willard), who proves to be an even bigger waste of humanity than Chris! Also: Chris has a brief romantic fling with the sister of Larry's wife Sharon (Robin Riker), much to Sharon's dismay (to say she doesn't like Chris is like saying a rattlesnake doesn't like a mongoose); he experiences a full married life within a single day with his new-found "soulmate"; he stars in the very off-Broadway musical "Zoo Animals on Wheels," he briefly switches bodies with Larry after falling victim to an ancient curse; and, after 20 years, he finally receives the toy submarine kit which he'd paid for by becoming a paperboy in the first place. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, (more)
- 1991
This episode is told completely through flashbacks, as Chris (Chris Elliott) writes in his diary about his encounter with three construction workers, Dick (Ritch Brinkley), Ray (Mickey Jones), and Don (Pete Spellos), who do some work on his parents' kitchen. For some unexplained reason, Chris has always been obsessed with construction workers (though, of course this obsession has never been mentioned on the show before), and when they show up on his doorstep, he describes the three sloppy, unshaven gentlemen (in his diary) as "glorious mythical creatures." Chris is eager to gain entry to their inner circle, but he can't seem to break the ice. Staring at them for hours doesn't work. Neither does asking inane questions like, "When were sinks invented?" Even his ventriloquist act doesn't get a rise out of them. Dressing like them, with a toy tool belt, merely brings on their ridicule. Then one day, while Chris is napping in their work area, a "blessed event" occurs that Chris sums up "in four sweet simple words -- Dick fell on me." After Chris breaks Dick's fall, the three embrace him, and teach him how to harass female passersby, while filling his head with tall tales of "late trailer payments, one-eyed prostitutes, and...tool belt fights." But when Chris hears that his beloved construction crew is ripping off his dear, sweet papa (Bob Elliott), he finds himself in need of spiritual guidance. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, (more)
- 1991
Chris Peterson (Chris Elliott) buys a defective watch and ends up taking part in a dangerous undercover police sting operation in "The Counterfeit Watch Story." After watching re-runs of Sea Hunt, Chris decides it would be neat to have a watch he could wear in the shower. He races off to Transistor Hut to get a "Mr. Underwater" watch. Chris warns the store's proprietor, Vic (Duke Moosekian, who played the photographer in Get a Life: "The Prettiest Week of My Life"), that he won't be fooled by any "bait-and-switch tap dance." But when Vic tells him the watch he wants is a "piece of junk," and that the Chronosync 2000 is "the Cadillac of underwater watches," Chris changes his mind. He's a bit concerned when the watch stops ticking in the store, but Vic explains that it's what's known as a "tap watch. You just tap it now and then to get it started, and that keeps it from burning itself out by running constantly." Chris buys the Chronosync 2000, and invites his parents to view the watch's "christening" in his shower. Fred (Bob Elliott) sees the gaudy-looking, oversized watch and asks Chris, "Are you sure it's not the Dodge Dart of underwater watches?" Chris is horrified when the Chronosync 2000 falls apart after three seconds in the shower. He returns to the store to demand a refund. Vic is nowhere to be found, and the salesman is not helpful, so Chris stages an angry protest in his underpants until the cops come to take him away. The police explain that they've had the store under surveillance for selling counterfeit merchandise, and ask for Chris's help in nabbing Vic and his supplier. Chris eagerly agrees to wear a wire for the perilous sting operation. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, (more)
- 1991
In this charming homage to Meet John Doe, Chris (Chris Elliott) sleepwalks into his parents' kitchen to tell them he's saved up enough money for his trip to The Big City. When they warn him about how dangerous the city is, he chides them. "You've kept me hidden away for too long, under your skirt and in your pants," Chris proclaims, "It's time for me to eat of the fruited loins of our forefathers." Once he figures out how to open the door, he's on his way. When he arrives in town, he's approached by a shady character who slips him a mickey, and he wakes up to find his wallet missing. Things take a turn for the better, though, when a cub reporter from The Evening Star, May Evans (Anastasia Barzee, who also played Jane in Get a Life: Drivers License) makes Chris' sad story front-page news. The Big City opens its heart to this poor naïve hick who's lost everything, dubbing him "Walletboy," and giving him a luxury hotel suite and the key to the city. Chris quickly learns to appreciate the perks of celebrity. He even orders an unbaked pizza with no topping, sauce, or cheese, because he can. When May explains how cutthroat the pathetic rube business is, Chris gladly goes out on the town with her to keep his name in the papers. Chris' exciting new life is soon put in jeopardy, though, by a call from his parents. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, (more)
- 1991
"The One Where Chris and Larry Switch Lives" finds the intrepid hero, Chris Peterson (Chris Elliott), and his best friend, Larry Potter (Sam Robards), exploring the ancient Indian burial ground behind the mall. Their reason for going there is unclear, but once they get to the spot, Chris decides it's "the perfect place for a pretend make-out date," and proceeds to sweet talk and kiss his own hand. Larry is eager to leave and get back to what Chris thinks of as his hellish life, with his nagging wife, Sharon (Robin Riker), and their two young children. Before the two leave, Chris picks up a lovely ancient arrowhead, laughing off Larry's warnings about curses and such. "Hit me with your best mojo!" Chris taunts the gods. Chris drifts off while chattering to himself excitedly about his plans for the next day. He plans to surreptitiously place the arrowhead on his father's chair, and watch the expression on his face when he sits on it. But when Chris wakes up the next morning, he finds himself in Larry's bed, perilously close to the hated Sharon, wearing Larry's "old man pajamas, and his underwear, and something with string and elastic." Unable to convince Sharon or the kids that he's Chris and not Larry, Chris runs off to Larry's job, hoping to find him there. Instead he finds Jackie (Beth Broderick), Larry's demanding boss, who immediately sets Chris to work, accounting stuff. Soon Chris realizes that he has actually switched lives with Larry because of the Indian curse, and he is living out his worst nightmare. He has to find a way to get Larry (who is enjoying living Chris' life) and the arrowhead back to the Indian burial ground and the curse will be broken. Or will it? ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, (more)
- 1991
An adventure on the brink of death brings Chris (Chris Elliott) and his dad, Fred (Bob Elliott), closer together in the memorable Get a Life episode, "Neptune 2000." The show begins in 1971, when Young Chris (Brandon Crane) decides to take a newspaper job to pay for the $19.95 two-man submarine he wants to order from the back of a comic book. When the submarine finally arrives 20 years later, Chris complains, "You'd think the postal service would have improved after we sold it to the Japanese," adding for good measure, "Lousy krauts." His mom, Gladys (Elinor Donahue), points out that the ad says delivery will take four to 600 weeks. At first, Chris can't convince Fred to help him assemble the sub. "There's only so many hours in the day," Fred explains, "I can't spend time with you and drink coffee." Chris tries to build it on his own, naming his sub, "Tony," after Tony the Tiger, he explains, "because there's no sub-stitute for breakfast." When Chris' dry run results in dangerous sparks and flame, Fred relents and helps him rebuild "Tony." Chris then convinces his dad to join him, testing the sub in his bathtub, which he has sealed off for the occasion. To Fred's horror, he and Chris end up trapped in the sub, with only 20 minutes worth of air. Even worse, he has to endure Chris' imitations of Jacques Cousteau and Quinn, the Robert Shaw character from Jaws. With their doom all but sealed, Chris asks Fred to finally open up to him. Fred responds, "The only thing I can think about is that this is going to be the most embarrassing obituary ever to hit the papers." ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, (more)
- 1991
Brilliant screenwriter Charlie Kaufman, who also wrote the time-travel episode, "1977 2000," and went on to write Being John Malkovich, wrote this episode, in which Chris (Chris Elliott) gets a visit from his prison pen pal, Irma (Nora Dunn), that ends in a terrifying stand-off with the cops. Chris excitedly opens the mail one day, only to find that the "Hat of the Month" club has sent him his eighth derby in a row. "I specifically requested the alternate this month," Chris gripes, "the charming yet provincial Peruvian gaucho hat." His hat worries are quickly forgotten when he learns that Irma is getting out of jail and plans to visit him. A frightened Chris does his best to prepare to scare the ex-con off, putting a big cardboard box in his garage with "A tiger is in here" painted on the side, and putting a sheet over his head and pretending to be a ghost. But when the butch Irma shows up, he is instantly smitten. "Oh, fair lady," he tells her, "you, sir, are the most exquisite creature my puny mortal eyes have ever beheld." "Yeah, well, you're kinda gross," she replies, "I can see why you wear a sheet." Irma agrees to stay with Chris, but warns him, "If you so much as lay a finger on me, I'll rip your throat out so fast it'll be screaming 'uncle' in my fist." Chris points out that she sounds like every other girl he dates. Chris is making plans to marry Irma ("We're gonna wanna put the rabbi on the revolving platform right about here"), but Irma's more interested in running guns and drugs, as well as a counterfeit operation right out of Chris's garage. Chris doesn't suspect a thing, even after the police show up, and Irma takes him hostage. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, (more)
- 1991
This episode opens with Chris (Chris Elliott) undergoing a makeshift medical exam. Gus (Brian Doyle-Murray) is using a cigarette lighter to look at his throat. Chris mentions a burning sensation (he does have a lighter in his mouth), but Gus reassures him, "I wouldn't worry about it, unless it was in your urinary tract." Chris nevertheless takes an ambulance to his doctor's office (he finds them "much more courteous and quicker than taxi cabs") where Dr. Garrett (Earl Boen, who played Dr. Kramer in three episodes the first season) breaks the bad news. Chris' tonsils will have to come out. "Now my voice will get high," Chris laments, "and I'll sprout breasts and sit around all day in lingerie -- not that that'd be the worst thing in the world." But Dr. Kramer reassures him that there's only a .001 percent chance that there will be complications. Chris poignantly expresses his fear that he's "doomed...isolated from the rest of the world, like a free-floating blob of cellulite cast adrift in a sea of cotton candy soaked in dog saliva. Which is so ironic because dogs are allergic to cotton candy." After the doctor throws Chris out, he goes to break the bad news to his parents, who promise to "pull the plug" if the operation renders Chris unable to enjoy life. Chris then goes to make his peace with his nemesis, Sharon (Robin Riker), who knees him in the groin and scares him off with a pistol when she learns he's just having a tonsillectomy. After spending a day living life to the fullest (including defacing the Mona Lisa and giving birth to a baby), Chris goes under the knife. When he wakes up, he's horrified to discover he is unable to speak. No one else is upset about it. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Elliott, Bob Elliott, (more)
