John Hamburg Movies

A birthday party for the twins gives Greg an opportunity to redeem himself after he takes a job that raises the suspicions of his overbearing father-in-law, Jack (Robert De Niro), in this installment of the hit comedy series. Greg (Ben Stiller) and Pam (Teri Polo) have been together for ten years, and now they're the proud parents of two adorable twins. But money is tight, and in order to keep his family afloat, devoted nurse Greg takes a second job working for a drug company. But that development doesn't sit well with Jack, whose previous suspicions regarding his hapless son-in-law soon come back in full force after learning of this development. With the twins' birthday fast approaching, the proud parents invite the entire clan over to celebrate in style, including Kevin (Owen Wilson), who still carries a torch for his pretty ex Pam. As the festivities get under way, Greg takes every opportunity available to prove to Jack that he's fully capable of providing for his family. Now Greg has one last chance to prove that he's trustworthy. Should he fail, the circle of trust will be broken for good. Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Laura Dern, and Jessica Alba co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The CBS sitcom Welcome to the Captain may well have been inspired by Nathaniel West's searing novel Day of the Locust, which chronicled the hopeless aspirations and dashed dreams of Hollywood's "fringies". New York-bred writer Josh Flug (Fran Kranz) was a former "wunderkind" who'd been whisked to LA-LA-land on the strength of an Oscar-winning short subject he'd produced in 2003. Alas, since that time Josh had done absolutely nothing of any significance, and was on the verge of heading home in defeat when his pal Marty Tanner (Chris Klein) talked him into remaining in Tinseltown. Thus, John moved into the El Capitan, a once-legendary Hollywood apartment building which, like John himself, had fallen upon hard times, and was now populated by showbiz wannabes, hasbeens, and never-weres. Jeffrey Tambor costarred as Uncle Saul, manager of El Capitan and onetime staff writer for the long-defunct comedy series Three's Company. Also seen were Raquel Welch as faded soap-opera diva Charlene Van Ark; Joanna Garcia as acupuncturist-in-training Hope; Al Madrigal as irritable desk attendant Jesus, who refused to be referred to as Hey-Soos and insisted upon the Biblical pronunciation of his name; and Valerie Azlynn as eccentric starlet Astrid, who for reasons that must have seemed funny on paper began all her sentences with the "S" sound. Welcome to the Captain first checked in on February 4, 2008. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Screenwriter John Hamburg directs his second film (since his 1998 debut Safe Men) with the romantic comedy Along Came Polly. Ben Stiller plays Reuben Feffer, a professional risk assessor who never takes chances in any aspect of his life. When his new bride Lisa (Debra Messing) leaves him for a European scuba instructor named Claude (Hank Azaria), he finally decides to a risk of his own. At a party, he meets free-spirited Polly Prince (Jennifer Aniston), whom he remembers from his seventh-grade Model U.N. Unlike the control-freak Reuben, she's spent her life living on the edge. They reluctantly begin a romance and Polly introduces him to a new world of spicy food and suggestive dances. Along Came Polly also stars Philip Seymour Hoffman as Reuben's washed-up best friend Sandy Lyle and Alec Baldwin as the obnoxious insurance company boss Stan Indursky. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Comic actor Ben Stiller co-wrote, directed, and stars in this spoof of the fashion industry that began as a short skit for the 1996 VH1 Fashion Awards. Stiller is Derek Zoolander, an intellectually challenged but bone structure-blessed male model who's despondent after being eclipsed in popularity by an equally vacuous rival, Hansel (Owen Wilson). Upon his reluctant retirement, Derek is invited to a day spa by previously standoffish fashion designer Jacobim Mugatu (Will Ferrell), where the befuddled model is brainwashed by the mysterious Katinka (Milla Jovovich) into assassinating the prime minister of Malaysia. In addition to Stiller's real-life wife Christine Taylor, Zoolander co-stars his father Jerry Stiller, along with Jon Voight, David Duchovny, Andy Dick, and Fabio. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

A case of mistaken identity forces a pair of lounge singers to pose as safecrackers in this farce. Sam (Sam Rockwell) and Eddie (Steve Zahn) are hapless musicians; Frank (Mark Ruffalo) and Mitchell (Josh Pais) are expert safecrackers. But when local Jewish gangster Big Fat Bernie Gayle (Michael Lerner) dispatches his henchman, Veal Chop (Paul Giamatti), to trick the safecrackers into service, the hapless Veal Chop can't tell the difference. In the end, Sam and Eddie are forced to go along with Veal Chop's mistake and perform three separate robberies for the imposing Big Fat Bernie. During their very first mission -- to rob the safe of local fence Good Stuff Leo (Harvey Fierstein) -- they're apprehended by Hannah (Christina Kirk), Leo's affable, deadpan daughter. Hannah lets the guys go, but sparks fly between her and Sam. It just so happens, however, that real safecracker Frank is her ex-boyfriend, and that she's sworn off dating criminals for life. The coincidences, double crosses, and unlikely romance culminate in the bar mitzvah of Bernie's son, Little Big Fat Bernie (Michael Schmidt), whose present is the Stanley Cup -- the actual hockey trophy -- which was stolen from Good Stuff Leo by the reluctant Sam and Eddie. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, Safe Men marked the writing and directing debut of future Meet the Parents and Zoolander scribe John Hamburg. The film also gave a pre-stardom Mark Ruffalo one of his first featured roles. Sam Rockwell and Josh Pais previously appeared together in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi