Sherri Shepherd Movies
African-American comedian Sherri Shepherd debuted on the small screen in the mid-'90s, with appearances on such popular series programs as Friends, Emeril, and Less Than Perfect -- typically as aggressive and outspoken, spunky women. Shepherd then broke through to national acclaim and recognition in the mid-2000s -- both cinematically, with prominent billing in the features Beauty Shop (2005) and Who's Your Caddy? (2007), and on television, as one of the hostesses on the popular daytime talk program The View. Shepherd grew up in the Chicago area. When her parents divorced at an early age, the mother took custody of Sherri and her three sisters and moved with them to California. An experience watching a comedian do a standup act inspired Shepherd to step behind the microphone. As an actress, she debuted on the sitcom Cleghorne!, then landed guest appearances on the aforementioned series. As an outspoken and committed, born-again Christian, Shepherd is extremely guarded about which roles she accepts and which scenes and dialogue she will perform onscreen, guidelines that distinguish her from many of her contemporaries but have reportedly not hindered her career or her popularity. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
Monster's Ball producer Lee Daniels follows up his 2005 directorial debut, Shadowboxer, with this adaptation of author Sapphire's best-selling novel about an overweight, illiterate African-American teen from Harlem who discovers an alternate path in life after she begins attending a new school. Clareece "Precious" Jones is only a teenager, yet she's about to give birth to her second child. Unable to read or write, Clareece shows little prospect for the future until discovering that she has been accepted into an alternative school. There, with a little help from a sympathetic teacher (Paula Patton) and a kindly nurse (Lenny Kravitiz), the young girl receives something that most teens never get -- a chance to start over. Mo'nique co-stars in an inspirational drama featuring the debut performance of screen newcomer Gabourey "Gabbie" Sidibe. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gabourey Sidibe, Lenny Kravitz, (more)
Hopelessly stranded on the remote shores of Madagascar, the New Yorkers hatch a plan to get back to Central Park that instead finds them soaking up sun in the picturesque plains of Africa. Madagascar may be a nice place to visit, but for the gang of animals who spent most of their lives in New York, there is truly no place like home. After discovering the remnants of a crashed airplane, the penguins quickly set about making the repairs needed to get the craft airborne again. When the plane finally takes to the sky, it begins to look like it's only a matter of time before Alex the Lion (voice of Ben Stiller) and friends are soaring over New York Harbor. Unfortunately the penguins weren't the aviation experts they claimed to be, and before long the crew is coming in for a crash-landing in the untamed plains of Africa. Now, as the animals reared in the safety of the zoo come into contact with their decidedly wild counterparts for the very first time, they get a better feel for their roots while marveling over the differences between life in the concrete jungle and life on the world's second largest continent. Of course, while there's plenty to love about wandering the open plains, romantic rivalries and the risk of running into dangerous poachers soon begin to outweigh the joys of some long-overdue family reunions. With some particularly heavy cases of homesickness causing hearts to weigh heavy, the group gradually starts to wonder whether they'll ever find their way back home. Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Cedric the Entertainer, and Andy Richter lend their voices to this animated sequel that re-teams original Madagascar co-directors Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, (more)
When a high-profile hip-hop star is denied membership into an exclusive country club in the Hamptons, he comes up with a cunning plan to subvert the questionable ruling in this comedy of manners starring OutKast's Antwan Andre Patton. By purchasing property directly adjacent to the 18th hole, popular rapper C-Note (Patton) is subsequently granted membership into the haughty club by default. As the curmudgeonly club members make it their mission in life to get him kicked out, the clever rapper infuses the stodgy old club with new life. Andy Milonakis, Jeffrey Jones, and Faizon Love co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Antwan Andre Patton, Andy Milonakis, (more)
- 2007
Reportedly based on an actual Long Island business concern called "Leonard's", the Fox dramedy The Wedding Bells was the saga of a family-owned wedding planning business, the Wedding Palace (one of the original titles for this series--along with "The Wedding Album", "The Wedding Planners" and "The Wedding Store"!) Having inherited the establishment from their divorced parents, the three Bell sisters struggled to keep their heads above water, financially and otherwise, with mixed results. KaDee Strickland headed the cast as Annie Bell, the most sensible of the sisters, whose former lover David Conlon (Michael Landes) was The Wedding Palace's chief photographer. Teri Polo played Jane Bell, who was none-too-happily married to Russell Hawkins, the company's chief operating officer. And Sarah Jones was Sarah Bell, the youngest of the siblings and an unpentant party animal who tended to salivate over handsome bridegrooms and Best Men. Also seen was Chris Williams as Ralph Snow, a versatile and eternally frustrated wedding singer. Produced by David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal, Boston Legal), The Wedding Bells premiered March 6, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- KaDee Strickland, Teri Polo, (more)
While the men of Barbershop and Barbershop 2 have plenty to mouth off about, they may have met their match in the female staff and clientele of a nearby beauty shop. Directed by Bille Woodruff, Beauty Shop revolves around these women led by Gina (Queen Latifah), who opened Beauty Shop to give all the females in the community, from a conservative Southern socialite (Andie MacDowell) to a poetry-reciting stylist, a place to talk about life, love, and the issues of the day, all while getting their hair done. Bryce Wilson puts in a supporting performance, as does Kevin Bacon, who plays the snooty owner of a rival salon. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Queen Latifah
- 2002
The charming, pleasantly plump Sara Rue starred on this ABC sitcom as Claudia "Claude" Casey, a "permanent temp" working in various low-level clerical capacities in a TV news department. Claude's amusingly self-deprecating self image was given a boost when she was appointed assistant to Will Butler (Eric Roberts), the TV station's preening peacock of an anchorman. This sudden field commission from the ranks of the "peons" did not sit at all well with Claude's snooty new colleagues Lydia (Andrea Parker) and Kipp (Zachary Levi), who began concocting schemes to topple the heroine from her lofty perch. Fortunately, Claude could count on the support and encouragement from two subordinate employees who "knew her when," Owen (Andy Dick in a less manic replay of his NewsRadio character) and Ramona (Sherri Shepherd). Sort of a Mary Tyler Moore Show with weight issues, Less Than Perfect premiered October 1, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sara Rue, Sherri Shepherd, (more)
- 2001
Master chef Emeril Lagasse, the garrulous star of one of cable TV's most popular cooking shows, played "himself" in this eponymously titled NBC sitcom. The story lines revolved around the behind-the-scenes intrigues attending Emeril's weekly TV series and his clashes with his virtually all-female production staff: producer Cassandra Gilman (Lisa Ann Walter), stage manager Melva LeBlanc (Sherri Shepard), and fussy food stylist B.D. Benson (Carrie Preston). Further yocks were generated by Emeril's domestic travails with his agent, Jerry McKenney (Robert Urich), and his funky teenaged son, James (James Laffety), who worked as an intern on the TV show. Lagasse's trademarked catch phrase "Bam!" was not unexpectedly hauled out at the slightest provocation, usually when the writing failed to come up to the usual standards of executive producers Harry Thomason and Linda Bloodworth-Thomason. Its scheduled September 18, 2001, debut date was postponed by news coverage of the World Trade Center tragedy, and Emeril finally emerged from the oven on September 25, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emeril Lagasse, Mary Page Keller, (more)
- 1998
This TV sitcom is premised on the notion that men are inept at parenthood. The storyline focuses on upper-middle-class father Gordon Stiles (Jon Patrick Walker), left to take care of six-month-old Daniel after his wife runs off with another guy. His brother, actor Jimmy (Eddie McClintock) resides at the same address but is more interested in the pediatrician than the baby. With no nanny in sight, Gordon takes Daniel to his workplace, run by boss Stan Peterson (Ron Liebman). When Kelly (Jennifer Westfeldt) interviews for the firm's receptionist job, Gordon quickly realizes he's found his much-needed nanny. Taped in LA, this series premiered August 23, 1998 on Fox. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Patrick Walker, Jennifer Westfeldt, (more)
- 1998
Launching a story thread that would ultimately dominate most of Friends' fourth season, Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) contemplates granting the wishes of her half-brother, Frank Jr. (Giovanni Ribisi), and his wife, Alice (Debra Jo Rupp) -- namely, that Phoebe carry their child in her uterus. In other developments, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) is subjected to class discrimination while working as a tour guide at Ross' (David Schwimmer) museum. And Chandler (Matthew Perry) wonders if he will be able to measure up to Joey in his relationship with Joey's former girlfriend Kathy (Paget Brewster). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
