Lacey Chabert
Matthew McConaughey stars as a freewheeling libertine who's haunted by the spirits of girlfriends of the present, past, and beyond at his brother's wedding, awakening long-lost feelings for his first love. Jennifer Garner, Michael Douglas, Anne Archer, and Robert Forster co-star in this feature helmed by Mark Waters (Mean Girls) and scripted by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. Breckin Meyer and Lacey Chabert round out the cast of the New Line production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew McConaughey, Jennifer Garner, (more)
- 2008
Fate brings together two mismatched travelers in this comedy. Sherman (Michael Shulman) is a tightly wound, career-obsessed college student whose mother Evelyn (Donna Murphy) is a successful politician who micromanages her own life as well as that of her son. Planning to spend a few weeks in Northern California with his girlfriend Marcy (Lacey Chabert), Sherman instead discovers that she's dumped him for another, more fun-loving guy; adding insult to injury, Sherman's wallet and credit cards have been stolen and Evelyn decides it's time to cut off his allowance. With few options and eager prove he can be free-spirited and self-reliant, Sherman decides to hitch-hike to Los Angeles for an internship interview, and takes a ride with the first person willing to take him down the coast. Sherman's ride turns out to be Palmer (James LeGros), a former Olympic skiing champion turned footloose middle-aged bohemian who is more interested in keeping his vintage convertible in tune than in getting anywhere at any specific time. While Sherman and Palmer have next to nothing in common, before long the younger man finds himself learning some lessons about life from the scruffy stranger behind the wheel. Sherman's Way was the first theatrical feature from producer turned director Craig Saavedra. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James LeGros, Michael Shulman, (more)
- 2008
The fourth animated TV incarnation of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko's evergreen comic-book superhero and megamovie franchise "Spider-Man", the weekly, 30-minute The Spectacular Spider-Man returned to basics as an "origins" show, a la the live-action "Superman" derivation Smallville. Having only recently been bitten by a radioactive spider, 16-year-old high school junior Peter Parker was having a lot of trouble adjusting to his new powers, specifically the ability to climb walls, and his heightened "spidey-sense." This would be bothersome enough if Peter had been an adult, but as a high-schooler he was also struggling with such issues as teen angst, peer pressure and raging hormones. In addition to surrounding the hero with younger versions of such friends, family members and coworkers as Aunt May, Mary Jane, Gwen, and bombastic "Daily Flash" editor J. Jonah Jameson, the series was also well stocked with the familiar "Spider-Man" villains, among them the Sandman, Doc Ock, Venom, Electro, and the pre-Green Goblin Harry Osborn; foremost among the heavies was the Vulture, head of the fearsome assassination group known as the Enforcers. Greg Weisman, whose prior credits included the classic Disney animated series Gargoyles, served as story editor. Produced by Marvel/Culver Entertainment, The Spectacular Spider-Man joined CW's Saturday-morning cartoon lineup on March 8, 2008. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Lynn Redgrave, Alan Cummings, Cynthia Nixon, and Tim Curry all lend their voices to this wide-eyed tale of adventure and awe in the exciting world of Tinseltown. Adapted from the popular series of children's books by Kay Thompson, Eloise in Hollywood finds everyone's favorite six-year old Plaza Hotel resident setting out on a mischievous adventure through the star-studded streets of Hollywood. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mary Matilyn Mouser, Lynn Redgrave, (more)
- 2006
- AddChoose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowmanto QueueAddChoose Your Own Adventure: The Abominable Snowmanto top of Queue
For movie lovers who like to be put right in the middle of all the onscreen action, actors William H. Macy, Frankie Muniz, and Lacey Chabert team up to bring one of the most popular book series ever to the screen with an interactive release that allows viewers to explore the legend of the abominable snowman. Uncle Rudy (Macy) is an adventurer of the highest order, but something has gone horrible wrong during his latest excursion into the Himalayan Mountains, and now it's up to youngsters Benjamin (Muniz), Crista (Chabert), and Marco (Daryl Sabara) to venture into the harsh mountain terrain to save their uncle and find out if there's any truth behind the legend of the yeti. The voyage won't be easy, though, and in order to make it out of the mountains alive the kids will have to navigate thundering avalanches, thwart malevolent poachers, and fend off hungry tigers. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
A few innocent women experience a nightmare before Christmas in this bloody thriller. Billy Lenz, a severely maladjusted child, finally snaps under years of brutal treatment by his family, killing and eating them in an explosion of violence on Christmas Eve. For years, the Lenz house stands vacant, but in time it's purchased and renovated as the new home for a college sorority. A few days before Christmas, a handful of sorority sisters -- Dana (Lacey Chabert), Melissa (Michelle Trachtenberg), Kelli (Katie Cassidy), and Heather (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) -- are enjoying a quiet evening with their house mother, Barbara MacHenry (Andrea Martin), exchanging gifts and swapping stories before heading home for holiday break. While Barbara remembers the story of Billy's crimes, the atmosphere is peaceful until the young women receive the first in a series of disturbing telephone calls. Before long, they learn that Billy has escaped after years in a mental institution, and has come back to the house where he grew up to once again spill blood for the Christmas season. Black Christmas is a remake of the 1974 horror film of the same name by director Bob Clark, who later made a less-threatening film about the Yuletide season, A Christmas Story; Andrea Martin, who plays the house mother, also appeared in the 1974 film as one of the sorority girls. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Katie Cassidy, Michelle Trachtenberg, (more)
- 2006
- AddBratz: Passion 4 Fashion - Diamondzto QueueAddBratz: Passion 4 Fashion - Diamondzto top of Queue
The dolls that every little girl wants to own now star in the one cartoon that no little girl will want to miss as aspiring fashion icons Chloe, Sasha, Jade, and Yasmin set out to find their fortune in the world of fashion. With the cameras of their new reality television series capturing every high-profile move, this stylish quartet makes their way through a town that appears to be haunted and encounters a designer who's willing to do anything it takes to win a fiercely competitive fashion contest. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tia Mowry, Soleil Moon Frye, (more)
The Bratz embark on the journey of a lifetime after befriending a teenage genie named Katia in this computer animated feature based on the hugely popular children's television series. Jade, Chloe, Yasmin, and Sasha are the very best of friends, and upon meeting the magical Katia it seems like they may have found another member to add to their close-knit group. Katia has a secret though, and when the cat finally gets out of the bag these five youngsters will set out on an adventure that they'll never forget. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tia Mowry, Soleil Moon Frye, (more)
A single woman sick of being deceived by philandering married men finds her fool-proof plan for revenge backfiring in a way she never anticipated in a romantic comedy starring Lacy Chabert and Julia Duffy. Rylee is a trusting woman who has been taken advantage of by too many married men. In a bid to get back at the male species, Rylee purposefully gets a married man drunk and tricks him into believing that they have had a one-night stand. Twelve months later Rylee shows up on his doorstep holding a baby and demanding blackmail money. Though Rylee's ruse works the first time, it soon hits a hitch when she accidentally scams a single man who genuinely wants to care for the couple's alleged newborn child. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lacey Chabert, Julia Duffy, (more)
A guy is forced to do a lot of stupid stuff to protect the girl of his dreams in this teen comedy. Zach Harper (Milo Ventimiglia) is a senior at a high school with a strange tradition in which upcoming graduates are challenged to perform a series of pranks known as "the Dirty Deeds" if they want to avoid a humiliating encounter with the football team. In Zach's case, Dan Lawton (Matthew Carey) is a jock who has always had it in for him and has made it clear that if Zach can't complete the "Dirty Deeds," he won't be the only one in trouble -- he'll also go after Meg (Lacey Chabert), the girl Zach's sweet on, as well as Meg's little brother. Dirty Deeds also stars Charles Durning, Tom Amandes, and Mark Derwin. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Milo Ventimiglia, Lacey Chabert, (more)
A hard-line junior senator with a tough anti-terrorism policy finds her outspoken politics have made her the target for a determined sleeper cell of murderous terrorists in a tense political thriller starring Lauren Holly, Lacey Chabert, and Angus MacFadyen. Maggie Davidson is a politician on a mission to make the American public feel safe on their own soil. When Davidson's plan to stomp out terrorism raises the ire of a dangerous group of terrorists just waiting for the right moment to strike, their plan to quiet her with a "dirty bomb" planted in the Mall of America leaves the entire city of Bloomington, MN, on high alert. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lauren Holly
Lauren Holly, Lacey Chabert, Billy Zane, Angus Macfadyen, and Meatloaf all star in Cube 2 director Adrzej Sekula's darkly comic tale of interconnecting lives. The setting is the City of Angels, the players: a deranged kidnapper, a ruthless lesbian assassin, a sociopath call-girl, and a demented cult leader. Daphne (Holly) is an empathetic caregiver who has been tending to the needs of sever head-trauma patient Tom (Angelo Spizzirri). Tom's father is the head of a highly-profitable cult-like church. Though the shady religious sect proves highly profitable, it turns out that the greedy guru has been keeping most of the profits to himself while paying Daphne such a meager wage that she isn't even able to afford Tom's medicine. Frustrated after being refused a raise by the mysterious religious fanatic, Daphne eventually resorts to kidnapping Tom's mentally deficient sister (Steffany Huckaby) as a means of raising the funds needed to care for her helpless patient. Meanwhile, after a neurotic college professor (MacFadyen) is abandoned by his wife for another woman, he sets out on the road with a sexy student (Chabert) who's willing to do whatever it takes to maintain her GPA. When cold-blooded killer Marcy (Jill Bennett) is hired to take out Daphne and put an end to the well-intended kidnapping plot, all three stories come crashing together through a series of shocking coincidences. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angus MacFadyen, Lauren Holly, (more)
- 2005
Based on the same-named video game and toy line, the weekly, half-hour CGI series Bratz concerned a quartet of teenaged girls with "a passion for fashion"--and unusually oversized heads. Cloe, Sasha, Yasmin and Jade were all correspondents for their own, self-created teen magazine. From their headquarters at Stiles High, the girls traveled across the world and back again for the hottest news about the hottest trends. Meanwhile, ill-tempered Burdine Maxwell, editor of the rival "Your Thing" magazine, cooked up scheme after scheme to outscoop--and outwit--our heroines. Although the premise of the series would seem to be along the lines of "Barbie Goes Wild", the producers of Bratz were careful to include a potent moral message at the end of each episode, usually along the lines of "Be true to yourself and a loyal friend to others." Produced in Canada, where it first aired on the Teletoon cable service, Bratz joined the Fox Network's Saturday-AM "4Kids" lineup on September 10, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Olivia Hack, Tia Mowry, (more)
The animated movie Bratz: Rock Angelz follows the adventures of the popular female characters as they travel to the United Kingdom in order to become rock stars, all the while keeping up their successful magazine. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Tina Fey from Saturday Night Live wrote and appears in this comedy about the alternately funny and terrifying pecking order among teenage girls. Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan) is a 15-year-old girl who has spent most of her life in Africa, where she was home-schooled by her zoologist parents. When her family relocates to the United States, Cady finds herself attending a high school in suburban Illinois, where she gets a crash course in the various sub-strata of the student body: the jocks, the cheerleaders, the stoners, the "cool" kids, and so on. Much to her surprise, Cady finds herself embraced by a clique of rich and popular girls known to outsiders as "the Plastics," led by Regina George (Rachel McAdams), Gretchen Weiners (Lacey Chabert), and Karen Smith (Amanda Seyfried). While Cady is grateful for her new friends, it doesn't take long for her to realize how manipulative they can be, and she soon discovers she's violated an unwritten law when she goes out on a date with Aaron (Jonathan Bennett), who is charming, good looking...and Regina's former boyfriend. It isn't long before Regina and her pals are on the warpath, and Cady must face a level of vengeful behavior for which years in the jungle never prepared her. Joining Tina Fey in the supporting cast are fellow SNL players Amy Poehler, Ana Gasteyer, and Tim Meadows. The screenplay for Mean Girls was based in part on Queen Bees and Wannabes: Helping Your Daughter Survive Cliques, Gossip, Boyfriends and Other Realities of Adolescence, a book by professional youth counselor Rosalind Wiseman. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, (more)
Christopher Reeve directed this inspiring made-for-television drama based on a true story, which turned out to be his final project before his passing in 2004. When she was 11 years old, Brooke Ellison was involved in an auto accident that caused her extensive head trauma and serious injuries to her spinal cord. Doctors were uncertain if Brooke would survive, and while she pulled through, the young girl was confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. However, Brooke was determined to live as close to a "normal" life as was possible, and to excel despite her condition. With the unflagging support of her mother, who attended classes with her every day, Brooke not only received top marks in high school, but graduated from Harvard with honors. The Brooke Ellison Story stars Vanessa Marano as young Brooke, Lacey Chabert as Brooke in her teen and young-adult years, and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio as her mother, Jean. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lacey Chabert, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, (more)
Two of the most popular animated series on the children's cable network Nickelodeon get wrapped up in one big-screen package in this comedy-adventure, featuring the characters from Rugrats and The Wild Thornberrys. Drew and Didi Pickles (voices of Michael Bell and Melanie Chartoff) decide to take a special vacation with their children, Tommy (voice of Elizabeth Daily) and Angelica (voice of Cheryl Chase), with their friends (both grown-ups and toddlers) coming along for the ride. However, the ship Drew has chartered isn't especially seaworthy, and their party ends up stranded on an uncharted island in the Pacific. The kids figure the day is saved when they discover that famous explorer and television personality Sir Nigel Tornberry (voice of Tim Curry) is also on the island with his family, but after he gets a world-class knock on the head from a coconut, Nigel's upper intellectual register gets knocked out of commission. The Rugrats are then forced to turn to Nigel's daughter, Eliza (voice of Lacey Chabert), who not only knows the wilds, but can talk to animals, which comes as quite a surprise to Spike (voice of Bruce Willis), the Pickles' family pooch. Rugrats Go Wild also features the voice talents of LL Cool J, Cree Summer, Nancy Cartwright, Jack Riley, and Flea. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bruce Willis, Chrissie Hynde, (more)
Two fathers get a crash course in caring for kids other than their own in this family-friendly comedy. Charlie Hinton (Eddie Murphy) is an advertising executive whose job monopolizes his time, making it difficult for him to stay in touch with his young son, Ben (Khamani Griffin). However, after Charlie and his partner, Phil (Jeff Garlin), are given their pink slips in the wake of a disastrous campaign for a new breakfast cereal, Charlie's wife, Kim (Regina King), goes back to work, and with the family budget tighter than before, Charlie becomes a stay-at-home dad. After pulling Ben out of an expensive and exclusive daycare center run by the humorless Gwyneth Harridan (Anjelica Huston), Charlie comes up with a brainstorm -- since he and Phil watch their own children every day, how much harder could it be to watch a few more kids and open their own day care center? Charlie and Phil discover there's much more to running a daycare center than they ever imagined, but after a very rough start, with the help of likable slacker Marvin (Steve Zahn) their new business becomes a success -- so much so that Harridan finds herself losing customers to the upstart fathers, and she starts searching for a way to shut them down. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Jeff Garlin, (more)
The Nickelodeon cartoon series The Wild Thornberrys gets its first feature-length animated film, directed by show creator Cathy Malkasian with a screenplay by Kate Boutilier (writer of Nickelodeon's Rugrats in Paris). The main character is 12-year-old Eliza Thornberry (voice of Lacey Chabert), a braces-and-glasses-wearing eccentric girl in an adventurous family of travelers. Due to an interaction with a shaman, she has been granted the special power of communication with animals, as long as she promises not to tell anyone about it. Her powers are challenged when her parents, Nigel (voice of Tim Curry) and Marianne (voice of Jodi Carlisle), decide to take the family on an African safari to make a nature documentary. Also along for the trip is snobby sister Debbie (voice of Danielle Harris), feral youngster Donnie (voice of Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers), and pet chimpanzee Darwin (voice of Tom Kane). After her new Cheetah cub friend is stolen by poachers, Eliza is determined to get involved. However, the stuffy Thornberry grandparents get in the way by sending her to boarding school. It's up to Eliza and Darwin to defeat the poachers and save the cub. Also featuring the voice talents of Brenda Blethyn and Lynn Redgrave. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lacey Chabert, Tom Kane, (more)
Produced by Jerry B. Jenkins of Left Behind and Navigators fame, Hometown Legend tells the story of a small Alabama town where football and faith come together. The downtrodden town has seen better days, and the community's high school is scheduled to close at the end of the year. In honor of the school's final year, the legendary coach of the once intimidating football program returns to give the kids another shot at glory. The no-nonsense coach (Terry O'Quinn) not only brings pride back to the team, but gives the town as a whole a glimmer of hope. The same tactics used in football--sacrificing individual goals and rather working for the sake of the team--becomes a metaphor for what the town needs to get back on its feet. Hometown Legend features Lacey Chabert and Nick Cornish. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Terry O'Quinn, Lacey Chabert, (more)
- 2002
Still worried that his bosses will discover that he's computer-illiterate, Drew (Drew Carey) hires a teenage girl named Grace (Lacey Chabert) to boost his technical savvy. Inasmuch as Drew can't even master C++ programming, Grace ends up doing all of Drew's office work, which arouses the ire of the girl's ex-boyfrined Jake (Samm Levine). Elswhere, Drew's brother Steve (John Carroll Lynch), emotionally overwrought since his breakup with Mimi (Kathy Kinney), moves in with Lewis (Ryan Stiles) and Oswald (Diedrich Bader)--who get so sick of Steve's whining that they endeavor to bring the couple back together, an undertaking that nearly costs them their precious karaoke machine. This episode was originally scheduled for November 22, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A woman finds love during World War II, but is also faced with suspicion and a number of unanswered questions in this period drama. Camille Picou (Tatum O'Neal) is a widow raising two children on her own in a fishing community along Louisiana's Gulf Coast. Camille's late husband had a violent past on the wrong side of the law, and since his passing she and her teenaged children - Florida (Lacey Chabert) and Blue (Patrick McCullough) - have been the subject of a great amount of uncharitable local gossip. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor brings America fully into World War II, German U-boats are occasionally spotted patrolling the waters off the gulf, and occasionally attacking commercial fishing vessels. A Coast Guard ensign, Jack Burwell (Eion Bailey), is sent in to monitor the presence of German ships in the water, and he soon develops a strong interest in Florida. Not trusting Burwell, Camille sends her daughter away, and soon the town is rife with rumors that Camille is an informant to Axis military intelligence. In the midst of this crisis, Dr. Lenz (Julian Sands), a physician exiled from Germany, sets up practice in town, and Camille is given a job as his assistant. Camille becomes romantically involved with Lenz, which only increases the scrutiny against her. The Scoundrel's Wife also stars Tim Curry as Father Antoine, the parish priest; the film was directed by Glen Pitre, who also brought to the screen another memorable look at life in Louisiana, Belizaire the Cajun. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tatum O'Neal, Julian Sands, (more)
