Andrew Shue Movies

Inspired by the real-life events that followed the untimely 1988 death of William Shue (brother of cast members Elisabeth and Andrew Shue and executive producer John Shue) the feel-good sports drama Gracie unfolds in 1978 New Jersey. 15-year-old Gracie Bowen (newcomer Carly Schroeder) is still reeling from the passing of her brother Johnny (Jesse Lee Soffer), a star player on the high-school soccer team. When Gracie defies nearly everyone's wishes by vowing to replace Johnny under the aegis of cantankerous Coach Colasanti (John Doman), it irritates her parents (Elisabeth Shue, Dermot Mulroney) -- who encourage her to stick to activities better-suited to her gender -- and her best friend, Jena (Julia Garro), who warns her that athletic women are often considered "lesbos." The young woman persists, however, and wins the hearts of her most strident detractors, surmounting one obstacle after another and racing toward certain victory. Karen Janszen and Lisa Marie Petersen co-scripted; Davis Guggenheim (An Inconvenient Truth) directs, lacing the soundtrack with pop standards from that era, with Aretha Franklin's "Rock Steady" used as Gracie's training anthem. Dina Goldman created the film's meticulous 1970s production design. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

 

Francis Ford Coppola is both scripter and director of this drama adapted from the John Grisham novel about broke, inexperienced Memphis law-school graduate Rudy Baylor (Matt Damon), ready to take any job he can find. Signing on with slimy Bruiser Stone (Mickey Rourke), he learns ambulance-chasing tactics from Bruiser's leg man Deck Schifflet (Danny DeVito) and meets battered teen Kelly Riker (Claire Danes), abused by her husband (Andrew Shue). Baylor has his own clients -- friendly Miss Birdie (Teresa Wright), who has a large estate to dispose of, and desperate Dot Black (Mary Kay Place), whose son Donnie Ray (Johnny Whitworth) has terminal leukemia. Medical intervention could have spared his life, but the Great Benefit Insurance Company denied coverage, preventing Donnie Ray from getting a life-saving bone marrow transplant. Rudy finds a place to live in the apartment behind Miss Birdie's house. Deck and Rudy split from Bruiser to start their small firm. When they take on the Blacks' case, they go up against the insurance company's high-priced law firm and are continually thwarted by slick lawyer Leo F. Drummond (Jon Voight). Rudy's voiceover narration was scripted by Michael Herr. Filmed on location in Memphis. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

There's a lot happening during the 31-episode 1993-94 season of Melrose Place, the sexy, steamy, outrageous, and slightly-more-grown-up spin-off of Beverly Hills, 90210. Heather Locklear (as Amanda Woodward) -- a late-first-season, ratings-boosting addition to the cast -- fully becomes the show's star this season as she purchases the titular apartment complex, takes over the D&D advertising agency, and sets her sights on Jake Hanson (Grant Show). Philandering doctor Michael Mancini (Thomas Calabro) has an affair with Dr. Kimberly Shaw (Marcia Cross, later of Desperate Housewives), divorces Jane Andrews (Josie Bissett), and then takes up with Sydney (Laura Leighton). Billy Campbell (Andrew Shue) still pines for Alison Parker (Courtney Thorne-Smith), whom he jilted for a fling with Amanda -- their boss -- in Season 1. But, this being Melrose Place, that's just the start of it: Jake breaks up with Jo Reynolds (Daphne Zuniga); Michael becomes paralyzed; Kimberly slips into a coma; Sydney becomes a prostitute; and the other soapy twists that were to be the show's trademark come fast and frisky. Features on this set include select audio commentaries by series creator Darren Star and featurettes such as: "Melrose Place - Meet the Neighbors," in which viewers get the inside scoop on favorite characters; a highlight- and lowlight-filled "Melrose Place - The Best of the Worst"; and an overview of the characters' tangled webs, "Melrose Place: Complex Relationships."