Sonya Eddy Movies
An unremarkable administrative assistant finds her life going to the dogs both literally and figuratively in actor/screenwriter-turned-director Mike White's dark comedy drama. An inexplicably cheerful office worker whose somewhat sad excuse for a life seems to revolve around her pet beagle Pencil, Peggy (Molly Shannon) seems to relate better to her four-legged friend than she does to most humans. Most of her person-to-person interaction revolves around doting on other people's children and treating her co-workers to daily donuts, and Peggy just doesn't find much solace in the company of her know-it-all sister-in-law Bret (Laura Dern) or her anxiety-prone boss Robin (Josh Pais). When Peggy's dog Pencil is taken before his time, the devastated dog-lover is wracked with guilt. Now desperate to fill the gaping void that has suddenly opened in her life, Peggy agrees to a date with her gun-nut neighbor Al (John C. Reilly) that ends in disaster when she begins to suspect that the boorish brute may have in fact poisoned her ill-fated pooch. Later, after adopting every dog at the local pound and transforming herself into an overzealous animal-rights activist, the increasingly unhinged Peggy reaches out to asexual activist Newt (Peter Sarsgaard) in a last-grasp attempt at forming a human connection that is met with casual indifference. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Molly Shannon, Laura Dern, (more)
- 2004
Throwing himself into his work to get his mind off his birthday, House (Hugh Laurie) is intrigued when diagnosed schizophrenic Lucille Palmeiro (Stacy Edwards) has a pulmonary embolism at the unusually young age of 38. In fact, he's so intrigued that he breaks his own self-imposed rule and tries to talk to the woman at her home--where her 15-year-old son Luke (Aaron Himelstein) seems to know a lot more than he's saying. Elsewhere, Chase (Jesse Spencer) has serious issues with his past. This episode affords a rare opportunity to hear Hugh Laurie speak in his authentic British accent. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Directed by Mike Mitchell, Surviving Christmas finds Drew Latham (Ben Affleck) uneager to spend another lonely Christmas in his own home. Longing for holidays past, Drew travels to his childhood home intending to relive the experience of a family Christmas -- unfortunately, his family no longer lives there. This represents only a small snafu to Drew, who offers the Valco patriarch and his wife (Sopranos star James Gandolfini and Catherine O'Hara) a huge amount of money if they consent to pretend they are his parents and that he is a cherished member of the family. This entails participating in Latham family traditions, such as Christmas tree selection and crowded holiday shopping excursions. Though the Valcos reluctantly go along with Drew's requests, Alicia, their eldest daughter, arrives at home and refuses to comply with her "brother's" wishes. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Affleck, James Gandolfini, (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)
- 2003
Glenne Headly makes her first appearance as Karen Stottlemeyer, the woman whom Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) disdainfully dismisses as "my hippie wife." While filming a documentary about Miles Holling (Patrick Cranshaw), the world's oldest man, Karen is thrown for a loss when Holling dies in bed. Though her husband is certain that Holling succumbed to natural causes (he was, after all, just one day shy of his 115th birthday!), Karen is convinced that the man was murdered--and she wants Monk (Tony Shalhoub) to prove it. In the course of his investigation, Monk uncovers a surprising link between Holling's death and a hit-and-run fatality that occurred five years earlier--the only unsolved case in Captain Stottlemeyer's career. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Calvin (Ice Cube) never wanted to take over the family business, a barbershop on the south side of Chicago. Disgusted with the shop's crime-ridden neighborhood, and caught up in his moneymaking schemes, one morning Calvin decides to sell the shop to the shady Lester (Keith David). Chastised by his pregnant wife, Jennifer (Jazsmin Lewis), for his rash decision, Calvin spends the day cutting heads at the shop, and starts to understand the importance of the legacy his grandfather and father have left to him. The bickering barbers include Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer), the old-timer with his own unique perspective on black life; Terri (rapper Eve in her film debut), a hot-tempered woman with a trifling boyfriend; Jimmy (Sean Patrick Thomas), a college educated snob; Ricky (Michael Ealy) a reformed criminal; Isaac (Troy Garity, the son of Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden), a white B-Boy, whom no one is ready to let cut their hair; and Dinka (Leonard Howze), a recent African immigrant who's too shy to express his feelings for Terri. Calvin learns to appreciate them all, and discovers that the place where they work is more than just a place to get a haircut -- it's a meeting place for the neighborhood, a place where folks can speak their minds and find out what's happening. Calvin gradually changes his mind about selling the shop, but it may be too late. Meanwhile, a bumbling thief, J.D. (Anthony Anderson) spends a painful day trying to crack open the ATM he's stolen from the grocery store across the street. Barbershop was directed by Tim Story and produced by George Tillman Jr. and Robert Teitel, the producers of Soul Food. Barbershop had its world premiere at the 2002 Urbanworld Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ice Cube, Anthony Anderson, (more)
- 2001
Back from maternity leave, Chen (Ming-Na) returns to the ER just as the staff is confronting a somewhat startling case of the measles. In other developments, Benton (Eriq La Salle) offers to act as mentor for African-American medical student William White (Keith Robinson) -- until he finds out the real reason that White was accepted as an applicant. Weaver (Laura Innes) begins to question her relationship with Kim Legaspi (Elizabeth Mitchell). And despite his own deteriorating state of health, Bishop Stewart (John Cromwell) insists upon taking charge of an ordination. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Impoverished 11-year-old Tim (Christ Marquette) takes up the sport of boxing to get even with the bullies in his life--specifically, his brother Steven (J. Evan Bonifant) and his uncle Frank (Richard Burgi). Anxious to prove to Tim that there are better reasons to become a boxer, angel Rafael (Alexis Cruz) determines that this life lesson can only be provided by someone who has experienced first-hand a child's struggle for survival. The man needed for this assignment is man found: Muhammad Ali, ingratiatingly playing "himself." Though Ali is effective enough, it requires a near-tragedy for Tim to finally come to terms with his inner demons...and for his thoughtless family to see the error of their ways. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Sitcom veteran Larry David, the co-creator of TV's Seinfeld, made his big-screen directorial debut with this clever comedy featuring distinct Seinfeld overtones. Sour Grapes was released April 17, 1998, only four weeks prior to the last Seinfeld episode. Selma Maxwell (Viola Harris) is the adoring mother of boyish, fun-loving shoe designer Richie (Craig Bierko), who would like to see his more-mature cousin Evan (Steven Weber), a respected neurologist, enjoy himself more. So the two head for Atlantic City for a gambling weekend. They lose heavily at the tables and soon are down to pocket change at the slot machines. After Richie inserts his last quarter, he asks Evan for two coins to go a final round. The spinning cylinders land on three grape clusters, triggering alarms, flashing lights, and a $400,000 jackpot. Richie is ecstatic. But Evan feels that since the win was made with his quarters, he deserves 50%. Richie refuses, and heady with power, Richie soon turns nasty and is fired after he insults his boss. Richie's girlfriend Roberta (Robyn Peterman) suggests he settle down and give Evan something, while Joan (Karen Sillas) wants Evan to drop his money demands. An attempt to renew the friendship goes awry when Richie finds Evan's jogging-suit gift ludicrous, while Evan becomes incensed by an offer of only 3% of Richie's $400,000. The film's score punctuates the escalating conflict with witty excerpts from familiar classical compositions. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Weber, Craig Bierko, (more)
- 1998
Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) confronts Uncle Leo (Len Lesser), who claims "senior citizens' rights" when he shoplifts at a bookstore. Meanwhile, George (Jason Alexander) learns the terrible consequences of taking a big book to the store's bathroom. Kramer (Michael Richards) and Newman (Wayne Knight) combine their talents to open a rickshaw service in the heart of New York (all they need now is a rickshaw). And Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) strives to avoid the designation "office skank" by pretending she is dating the man she made out with at a party, Zach (Jonathan Penner), who also happens to have a drug habit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) smells a "million dollar idea" when a restauranteur notices that she only eats the tops of muffins. George (Jason Alexander) begins wearing the clothes found in a bag left in his care by a tourist who never returned. Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) shaves his chest to impress his girlfriend, but Kramer (Michael Richards) -- who for reasons made clear in the episode is currently posing as Elaine's boss, Peterman -- thinks Jerry is making a big mistake. This is the also the episode in which Steinbrenner trades George with "Tyler Chicken." (It was supposed to have been you-know-what chicken, but the NBC legal department got nervous.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Marcy (Amanda Bearse) lives to regret giving her husband Jefferson (Ted McGinley) a free membership in her health club. Before long, Jefferson has become the club's star attraction--and also a chick magnate. Meanwhile, Bud (David Faustino) directs Kelly (Christina Applegate) and Al (Ed O'Neill) in a commercial for Gary's shoe store. And a master plan to sell shoeboxes to homeless dwarves begins picking up traction. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
When she is nominated for a Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Humboldt ceremony, Murphy (Candice Bergen) cannot help but feel that her mortality is rapidly closing in on her. For this reason, she accepts a date from Scott (Joe Flanigan), a much-younger man whom she met while chaperoning son Avery's field trip. Scott's presence has Murphy feeling younger than Springtime -- but her colleagues foresee naught but a very cold Winter when she comes down to earth. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Robert Torti makes his first appearance as Jay Clemens, an old junior-high-school buddy of Drew (Drew Carey), Oswald (Diedrich Bader) and Lewis (Ryan Stiles). Having been preoccupied with her love life for several weeks, Katy (Christa Miller) shows up at Drew's house only to find that her place in "the gang" has apparently been usurped by Jay in her absence. The ensuing friction threatens to wreak havoc at Drew's upcoming birthday party--and if that weren't enough plot development, we're also confronted with a surprise guest appearance by pro basketball star Dave Winfield (he just came for the food, folks!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
With store employee Nora threatening to sue Drew (Drew Carey) for creating a "hostile workplace" by posting a harmlessly ribald newspaper cartoon, Winfred-Louder's attorneys Fenn and Geller (played, appropriately, by magicians Penn & Teller) pressure Drew to settle the suit out of court. When our hero refuses, Kate (Christa Miller) recommends that he hire her slimy ex-boyfriend Brad (Christopher Darga) as his lawyer. Ultimately, however, Drew chooses to represent himself in court--and we're going to refrain from making that "fool for a client" crack, even though it's true. Meanwhile, Oswald (Diedrich Bader) finds himself attracted to the promiscuous Peaches (Julie McCullough), who's already gone on record with her case of the hots for Drew! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Anticipating a cornucopia of sexy "eye candy", Al (Ed O'Neill) persuades his boss Gary (Janet Carroll) to open up an aerobics studio next door to the shoe store. Unfortunately, the studio's clientele is comprised entirely of women who are "metabolically challenged"--a new P.C. term for "fat as pigs." In hopes of attracting a more curvaceous flock of females, Al prevails upon Kelly (Christina Applegate) to talk her handsome boyfriend Ramon (Marco Sanchez) into getting a job as an aerobics instructor. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
