Jon Stewart Movies
The career of comedian/talk show host Jon Stewart (born Jon Stewart Leibowitz) has been filled with critical praise but is absent of the kind of widespread success that his talents suggest. A graduate of College of William and Mary, Stewart held several mundane jobs until a stint as a puppeteer performing for children convinced him to go into standup comedy. Moving to New York, the comedian spent several years on the comedy circuit before landing a job as the host of Comedy Central's Short Attention Span Theatre. After leaving the cable network, Stewart spent a brief stint hosting MTV's ill-fated You Wrote It, You Watch It series before landing a job as the network's first talk show host. Premiering in 1993, The Jon Stewart Show became a hit with the college crowd, due mainly to Stewart's self-effacing humor, quick wit, and ridiculous antics, such as sitting on William Shatner's lap and playing ping-pong with Gabriella Sabatini. The show became syndicated in 1994, and although it garnered critical praise in publications such as the Village Voice and New York Magazine, Stewart's off-beat brand of humor and penchant for the obscure didn't catch on with middle-American viewers, and the show was eventually canceled. The comedian has since found success and added critical acclaim as host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show. His combination of biting critical humor and giggly self effacement made him an icon, and in 2006 he was well received as host of the Academy Awards. ~ Steve Kurutz, All Movie Guide
- 2001
- R
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The frequently recurring title characters, employed by writer and director Kevin Smith as supporting players in several of his films, are put to rest with this comedy that focuses on them exclusively. Jay (Jason Mews) and Silent Bob (Smith) are a pair of stoned New Jersey slackers who have long been used as the templates for a pair of popular comic book heroes, Bluntman and Chronic. When they learn that their alter egos are to be turned into a major motion picture without their consent or compensation, the pair sets off for Hollywood to sabotage the production. Along the way, they encounter an ape, a nun (Carrie Fisher), the cast of Scooby-Doo, a Charlie's Angels-style band of sexy women who use them as stool pigeons in a diamond heist, and an unhinged wildlife ranger (Will Ferrell). They also meet up with some regulars from the Smith canon, including Alyssa Jones (Joey Lauren Adams), Brian O'Halloran as Dante Hicks, Jason Lee as Banky Edwards, Alanis Morissette as God, and actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in dual roles as themselves and two other familiar characters. Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back co-stars numerous other recognizable performers in roles of various sizes, including Shannen Doherty, Jason Biggs, James Van Der Beek, Shannon Elizabeth, Tracy Morgan, Judd Nelson, Chris Rock, and George Carlin, among others. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kevin Smith, Jason Mewes, (more)
- 2000
- R
- Add Committed to Queue
Heather Graham stars in this indie exploration of love and marital commitment directed by Lisa Krueger. A hardcore believer in the sanctity of marriage, plucky Joline (Graham) is stunned when her husband Carl (Luke Wilson) abruptly dumps her, leaving only a vaguely-worded note to explain himself. Undaunted, Joline leaves New York to look for her man and discovers him in the wild west of El Paso, Texas, after meeting a bevy of ne'er-do-wells and weirdos along the way. She discovers that Carl is shacked up with a beautiful Hispanic woman named Carmen (Patricia Velasquez). Meanwhile, Joline's flirtatious brother Jay (Casey Affleck) shows up from the Big Apple to look after his sister. Later, two men enter Joline's life. One is Neil (Goran Visnjic), Carl's hunky, beguiling neighbor, who increasingly becomes the object of Joline's affection, and Grampy (Alfonso Arau), an aging Mexican medicine man who becomes Joline's spiritual guide. This film was screened at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Heather Graham, Casey Affleck, (more)
- 1999
Were it not for Alanis Morissette, Barenaked Ladies would probably have been the biggest pop act to come out of Canada in the 1990s. Entirely male and generally fully clothed, the band scored a number of multi-platinum albums in their home country and enjoyed a healthy following in America before their fifth album, Stunt, and its hit single "One Week" made them stars. Actor Jason Priestley, a fan of the group, took a camera crew with him as he followed the band on their U.S. tour following the breakthrough of Stunt. Barenaked in America captures the band onstage, performing the quirky but good-natured pop-rock tunes that have made them famous, and offstage, as they kill time on the bus, talk about how the band came together, discuss keyboardist Kevin Hearn's bout with leukemia, and reveal themselves to be the well-mannered, self-effacing boys they seem to be. The filmmakers also went along for several TV appearances, including a spot on Conan O'Brien's talk show and a meeting with Jon Stewart. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Stewart, Jason Priestley, (more)
Prospective parents everywhere, meet the world's least likely paternal role model: Adam Sandler! In Big Daddy, Sandler plays 30-year-old bachelor Sonny Koufax, a carefree slob who has never much taken to adult responsibilities; he works one day a week as a tollbooth collector, and spends the remainder of his time living off of a $200,000 reward he collected from an auto accident. All told, the life suits him just fine. However, as his old buddies start getting married and drifting away, Sonny realizes that if he doesn't do something soon, he could end up all alone for the rest of his life. When his most recent girlfriend, Vanessa (Kristy Swanson), indicates that she needs some time off because she's sick of being with a man who can't act like a grown-up, he decides that it's time to take drastic action to win her back. Conveniently enough, a little boy named Julian (Cole Sprouse and Dylan Sprouse) turns up on his doorstep, claiming that he's the biological son of Sonny's roommate and friend from law school, Kevin (Jon Stewart). The kid tells Sonny that he's from Buffalo, New York; Kevin has never been to Buffalo, New York, but no matter - Sonny foresees, in Julian, an opportunity to convince Vanessa that he can face adult responsibilities. He thus takes charge of the little boy over a long Columbus Day weekend, pretending to be Kevin. However, the plan doesn't work as expected, and the authorities hone in on a discovery of Sonny's real identity. Meanwhile, Sonny finds himself genuinely drawn to the tyke. Also supporting Sandler in Big Daddy are Joey Lauren Adams, Josh Mostel and Rob Schneider. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Sandler, Joey Lauren Adams, (more)
Sophomore writer/director Willard Carroll weaves together an all-star cast in interlocking stories about finding love in Los Angeles. The film's theme is spoken by young club-hopper Joan (Angelina Jolie). Taken by the mysterious Keenan (Ryan Phillippe), she tells him that "talking about love" is like "dancing about architecture" (the original title until the studio thought it would be confused with Dancing at Lughnasa), meaning speech is not the medium to adequately express the details of love. They all try, anyway. Others up for the dance include a TV cooking-show hostess (Gena Rowlands) and her husband (Sean Connery) who still fight over his one brief infidelity 25 years earlier; two lovers (Madeline Stowe, Anthony Edwards) who discuss their unhappy marriages; and a theater director (Gillian Anderson) and her architect, Mr. Right (Jon Stewart). Also searching are Dennis Quaid, Nastassja Kinski and Patricia Clarkson. For a familial sort of love, there's Ellen Burstyn as the estranged mother to her son (Jay Mohr) dying of AIDS. ~ Ron Wells, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gillian Anderson, Angelina Jolie, (more)
Returning from a food run, kindly kindergarten teacher Kenny (Harland Williams) makes the mistake of feeding a massive amount of junk food to a tired-looking, diabetic NYPD horse, which drops dead. Tossed in jail, Kenny relies on his totally stoned roommates (Dave Chappelle, Guillermo Diaz, Jim Breuer) to devise a way to raise the 100,000-dollar bail. Their solution? Sell marijuana stolen from a government research lab. Cameos in this comedy include Stephen Wright, Janeane Garofalo, Stephen Baldwin, Snoop Doggy Dogg, Willie Nelson, and Jon Stewart. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dave Chappelle, Guillermo Diaz, (more)
It's musical fun with the Sesame Street Muppets as they're joined by some of their friends for this collection of favorite songs from the long-running children's series. Guests include Jimmy Buffett, Gloria Estefan, The Fugees, En Vogue, Rosie O'Donnell and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Stewart, Shawn Colvin, (more)
- 1998
Desperate for an A-list guest as his final show draws ever closer, Larry (Garry Shandling) determines that he must overcome his discomfort with affectionate old friend David Duchovny in order to secure an appearance from the X-Files star. Meanwhile, Artie (Rip Torn) struggles to keep the emotional staff afloat in hopes of producing a memorable swan song for The Larry Sanders Show. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Given total control by the network when he returns to serve as guest host, Larry's (Garry Shandling) nemesis Jon Stewart finds his power slipping when the suits inform him that his show won't air due to a controversial Nazi skit. Meanwhile, despite Larry's best efforts to solidify his relationship with his brother Stan (Wayne Federman), he finds himself repeatedly distracted by his obsession with seeing Stewart fail. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1998
When shady network suit Kenny Mitchell (Josh Malina) is appointed "Creative Liaison" and begins to implement drastic changes in the show's format, Larry (Garry Shandling) starts to sweat, but when his agent, Stevie (Bob Odenkirk), appears to be avoiding contract negotiations and ends up having lunch with Jon Stewart, Larry really starts to feel the heat. It seems that Kenny has been dropping increasingly frequent hints that the show could get better ratings with Stewart at the helm, and it's not long before he and a frustrated Artie (Rip Torn) nearly come to blows. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1998
When Jon Stewart guest hosts and draws even bigger ratings that The Larry Sanders Show's eponymous host, Larry's paranoia starts to kick in. When the increasingly sex-obsessed host targets Winona Ryder for conquest, he is devastated upon finding Ryder and Stewart making out in the dressing room. The appearance of two network suits compounds Larry's anxiety, and his fears may be justified when it's revealed that there may be some big changes on the show. Meanwhile, Hank (Jeffrey Tambor) has difficulties changing his license plates to his trademark "Hey Now" when oddball doppelganger fan Paul (George Wyner) already has the customized plates. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Miramax Films darlings Robert Rodriguez and screenwriter Kevin Williamson teamed up for a high-school alien-horror film that they described as The Breakfast Club meets Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Dilapidated Herrington High is the location for a story about a school faculty taken over by outer-space creatures, forcing the students to take charge and kick some alien butt. School faculty members (Robert Patrick, Bebe Neuwirth, Salma Hayek, and Jon Stewart) are infested with rapidly reproducing space worms that take over their minds and bodies. But never fear, because at this school, between hazing the student body and having sex in the locker room, a Scooby-Doo-ish group of high school students is ready to fight back. The up-and-coming acting talent includes R&B singer Usher Raymond, Elijah Wood, Clea DuVall, Josh Hartnett, Shawn Hatosy, Laura Harris, and Jordanna Brewster. The story is nearly irrelevant, as the real stars are the action and lots of special effects. ~ Arthur Borman, All Movie Guide
- 1997
While organizing a roast for Larry (Garry Shandling), Norman (David Paymer) invites Dana Carvey, Bill Maher, Jon Stewart, and Al Franken to take their best shot at the self-absorbed talk-show host. When Artie (Rip Torn) invites Carl Reiner to host instead of Hank (Jeffrey Tambor), the sensitive sidekick retaliates by practicing his heckler defense skills and inviting an unexpected guest. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Writer/director Adam Park made his feature film debut with this romantic comedy-drama that shifts between several characters' points of view. Max (James LeGros) is a projectionist at an art/revival theater in New York who one days meets Elizabeth (Jennifer Beals), a veterinarian at a neighborhood animal clinic. The attraction between them is immediate, and several months later Max hands Elizabeth a small box. Overcome with emotion, she is convinced it's an engagement ring...until she opens it and discovers a prototype Max has invented for a toothpick with a flossing attachment. It quickly becomes obvious that Elizabeth is ready to get married and, while Max wants to marry her, he's not ready to do it soon, and much tension and bad feelings ensue. Meanwhile, Max's co-worker Lena (Drew Barrymore) has developed a furious crush on him and wants to use his current problems with Elizabeth to her advantage, while Max is convinced Elizabeth is interested in another man. It turns out he's right, but completely wrong about who the "other man" is. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1996
This British discussion show was taped in New York with popular American cable-TV host Jon Stewart at the helm. On each program, two guest stars -- one from the U.S., one from the U.K. -- discussed an important news event, with Stewart "translating" American slang and cultural references for the benefit of the Britisher. At the end of the program, a "remote broadcast" would announce where in the world the elusive (and dead) Elvis Presley had been spotted during the previous week. Debuting October 6, 1996, the series ran for a little over a year in England, and was briefly revived in the States a few years later. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Stewart
- 1996
When Larry (Garry Shandling) catches wind that the network reps may be grooming guest host Jon Stewart to fill a more permanent position on the show, an embittered Larry will stop at nothing to see that Stewart's career on The Larry Sanders Show is put on ice. With sabotage on the brain, Larry schemes to steal Stewart's illustrious guests and replace them with Charles Nelson Reilly. Meanwhile, Hank (Jeffrey Tambor) purchases an unreliable car from Elvis Costello, leaving the sidekick at odds with how to handle the situation. As the battle between the hosts pans out, Larry is somewhat disturbed at the affection showered upon him by David Duchovny, who seems to seek a bit more than Larry's friendship. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
The biggest headlines of the day get skewered with gleeful irreverence in this Emmy Award-winning parody news program hosted by faux-news anchor Jon Stewart. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
