Chris Parnell
- 2009
Lindsay Lohan stars as an office assistant who fakes a pregnancy to get on the good side of her stringent boss in this romantic comedy from Nu Image and Millennium Films. Chris Parnell, Cheryl Hines, Luke Kirby, and Connie Britton co-star in the Lara Shapiro-helmed production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lindsay Lohan, Chris Parnell, (more)
- 2008
To some people, the true definition of Hell might be: "To remain in the same high school with the same irritating people for the rest of your life." Even so, this was more or less the premise of the ABC sitcom Miss Guided. Judy Greer headed the cast as Becky Freeley, formerly the gawky, underachieving class nerd of Glen Ellen High School (she'd been president and half the membership of the school's Milli Vanilli Fan club, among other things). Now attractively grown up, Becky returned to Glen Ellen as the school's guidance counselor, determined to make a difference in the lives of other disenfranchised youngsters. Making life difficult for Becky all over again was the fact that her onetime "bete noire" Lisa Germain (Brooke Burns), the most popular girl in our heroine's graduating class, was also at Glen Ellen as the new English teacher--and worse, as Becky's rival for the affections of handsome Spanish instructor Tim O'Malley (Kristoffer Polaha). Also seen were Earl Billings as Phil Huffy, eternal principal of Glen Ellen; and onetime Saturday Night Live regular Chris Parnell as vice principal Bruce Terry, who had foresworn to get even for being relentlessly picked on during his days as a high school nerd by mercilessly persecuting the current crop of students (especially the good-looking ones). Created by Caroline Williams (The Office, High School Musical), and co-executive produced by actor Ashton Kutcher, Miss Guided debuted on March 18, 2008. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Judy Greer, Brooke Burns, (more)
A 13-year-old boy (Spencer Breslin) suffering from premature male-pattern baldness does his best to adjust to life in a new high school despite becoming the hapless target of every bully and cruel-minded teenager in town. While he's got the high-school janitor (Cuba Gooding Jr.) on his side, the follicly challenged Harold must still endure the merciless teasing of his unsympathetic peers. Rachel Dratch, Fred Willard, and Nikki Blonsky co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Spencer Breslin, Cuba Gooding, Jr., (more)
The comedy trio known as Lonely Island attempt their first feature-length comedy with Hot Rod. Andy Samberg stars as Rod Kimble, an inept would-be stuntman who believes his dad worked for daredevil Evel Knievel. His stepfather abuses him at every opportunity, but Rod keeps attempting tricks on his moped. After the stepfather becomes very ill, Rod gets the brilliant idea to attempt a stunt more dangerous that Knievel ever considered in order to raise the money to cure him. His master plan being that, after the stepfather improves, Rod will finally get his revenge and beat him in a fight. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Samberg, Isla Fisher, (more)
- 2007
Filmmaker Matthew Buzzell takes a break from documentaries to helm this mockumentary concerning an indie filmmaker who attempts to reunite a once-successful 1990s-era pop duo. Michele Mulroney and Micah Schraft share a co-writing credit for the screenplay and star in a film featuring appearances by Chris Parnell, Mink Stole, Diedrich Bader, and Arabella Field. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michele Mulroney, Micah Schraft, (more)
A slacker tries to do the right thing for his family with unexpectedly chaotic results in this independent comedy. Salman (Scott Prendergast) is an out-of-work twentysomething who has few skills and fewer prospects. However, things are significantly worse for his older brother -- his National Guard unit has been called back to Iraq, and his wife, Leslie (Lisa Kudrow), needs to go back to work in order to support their children. However, Leslie doesn't have anyone to look after her two sons, so when Salman learns of her sad situation, he volunteers to move in and help mind the kids. Salman quickly discovers the boys are nearly psychotic and will stop at nothing to get him out of the house, including putting sharp objects in his breakfast. With the household still short on money, Leslie helps Salman get a job, and soon he's become the corporate mascot for a failing Internet company, who pounds the pavement wearing a strange blue costume hoping to drum up interest in renting space in the corporate offices. The first feature film as writer and director for actor Scott Prendergast, Kabluey also stars Christine Taylor, Conchata Ferrell, Teri Garr, and Chris Parnell. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lisa Kudrow, Scott Prendergast, (more)
Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan team up to take the swagger out of the traditional music biopic with this look at the troubled life of fictional music legend Dewey Cox (John C. Reilly). Apatow and Kasdan both write and produce, while Freaks and Geeks and Orange County director Kasdan steps into the director's chair. Dewey Cox is a rock & roll legend whose songs have the power to shake a nation. Despite the fact that Cox's career has been something of a roller coaster ride, the fact remains that he never went out of style in the eyes of his many adoring fans. He's rubbed elbows with everyone from Elvis Presley to the Beatles, ingested every drug known to man (often in doses large enough to kill a healthy horse), starred in his own television show, and slept with hundreds of women, yet somehow he still finds the time to write some of the best-known songs ever to hit the airwaves. Now, after being married multiple times and fathering enough offspring to populate a small island nation, this musical icon continues to turn out the hits while attempting to win the heart of his beautiful backup singer Darlene (Jenna Fischer). While no one doubts that Dewey Cox will continue to dominate the airwaves, does this larger-than-life superstar really have what it takes to avoid the temptations of the rock & roll lifestyle and finally settle down with one woman? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John C. Reilly, Jenna Fischer, (more)
Incident at Loch Ness director Zak Penn takes the helm for this mockumentary that finds film and television star Woody Harrelson entering the Grand Championship of Poker in hopes of saving his late grandfather's popular hotel casino from a scheming real estate developer. As the wrecking ball swings ever closer, Harrelson continually ups the ante in order to take home the top prize at the world's most prestigious poker tournament. Co-stars Ray Romano, Werner Herzog, Cheryl Hines, David Cross, and Dennis Farina all put on their best poker face for a comedy where all bets are off and anything can happen. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Woody Harrelson, Cheryl Hines, (more)
The Primetime Emmy winning work-place comedy that exists behind-the-scenes of a live sketch comedy show written and starring Tina Fey. Catch up with all 15 Season 2 episodes, commentary with Tina Fey and more.
- Starring:
- Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, (more)
Reed Fish (Jay Baruchel of Million Dollar Baby and Undeclared) seems to be leading the life he's supposed to. He's followed in the footsteps of his late father, doing an early-morning radio show with the town's mayor, Maureen (Katey Sagal), through which the eccentric locals of Mud Meadows voice their complaints and have them addressed. He produces the show with his old high school buddy, Frank (Victor Rasuk), and he's engaged to be married to another high school chum, the gorgeous Kate Peterson (Alexis Bledel), whose dad (Blake Clark) seems to own every business in town. But Reed's plans are upended when his high school sweetheart, Jill (Schuyler Fisk), comes back to town. She's supposed to be away at law school, but she confides to Reed that she quit school years ago, and has been working as a waitress while she fruitlessly pursues a career in music. Reed encourages her to play on Open Mike Night at the local bar. He inspires her to find her voice, which leads to some complications in his relationship with Kate, forcing Reed to reexamine every aspect of his safe, secure life. I'm Reed Fish also features performances by DJ Qualls, Chris Parnell, and Shiri Appleby. The comedy marks the feature debut of director Zackary Adler, and had its world premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jay Baruchel, Alexis Bledel, (more)
Love at first sight has some interesting repercussions a few months down the line in this offbeat romantic comedy. Ira Black (Chris Messina) is a wildly neurotic thirtysomething who can't get his life in gear -- the son of a pair of therapists, Arlene (Judith Light) and Seymour (Robert Klein), Ira still hasn't finished his grad school dissertation, he's been in therapy for 12 years, and can't bring himself to settle down with his longtime girlfriend Lea (Maddie Corman). When both Lea and his analyst inform Ira that they don't want to see him anymore, he decides he needs to make some changes. Ira joins a health club, where he meets Abby Willoughby (Jennifer Westfeldt), who is supposed to sell memberships to the gym but is much better at listening to people's problems. The two discover they have a strong and immediate rapport, and Ira asks Abby to marry him only a few hours later. Abby says yes, and soon the couple are wed. However, it isn't until after they've been married for a few weeks that Ira discovers Abby has been divorced twice already, and it makes him very uneasy about their relationship. Despite more therapy, Ira asks Abby for a divorce, and it sends shock waves through their families -- Arlene begins having an affair with Michael (Fred Willard), Abby's free-spirited father, while Seymour commiserates with Abby's mother Lynne (Frances Conroy), and eventually parents and children are all meeting together in group therapy for couples. Ira and Abby was written by leading lady Jennifer Westfeldt, who was also screenwriter and star for the independent hit Kissing Jessica Stein. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Messina, Jennifer Westfeldt, (more)
- 2004
- PG13
- AddAnchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundyto QueueAddAnchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundyto top of Queue
Marking the directorial debut of Adam McKay, former head writer for Saturday Night Live and founder of the Upright Citizen's Brigade, Anchorman is set during the 1970s and stars Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy, San Diego's top-rated news anchorman. While Burgundy is outwardly willing to adjust to the idea of females in the workplace -- even outside of secretarial positions -- he certainly doesn't want his own job challenged. Keeping that in mind, it's no wonder that the arrival of Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate), an aspiring newswoman, is, in Ron's eyes, not the studio's most welcome addition. After Veronica pays her dues covering so-called female-oriented fluff pieces (think cat fashion shows and cooking segments), the ambitious Veronica sets her eyes on the news desk; more specifically, on Ron's seat behind it. Not unpredictably, Ron doesn't take the threat lightly, and it isn't long before the rival newscasters are engaged in a very personal battle of the sexes. Anchorman was co-written by Ferrell, and features supporting performances from David Koechner, Steve Carrell, Paul Rudd, Tara Subkoff, and Maya Rudolph. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, (more)
Two guys with different sets of problems find themselves bonding through unexpected circumstances in this independent comedy drama from writer and director Edward Burns. Jack Stanton (Edward Burns) is a former New York City cop who has been trying to establish a new career as a private detective, though his level of success is best indicated by the fact his landlord is about to evict him for not paying the rent. Jack finally lands a paying client when he's referred to Abe Fiannico (David Krumholtz), a high-school baseball coach whose wife, Kitty, has disappeared. The only clue Abe has to her whereabouts is a recent newspaper photo that shows a washed-up rock star hanging out with several women, one of whom is a dead ringer for Kitty. Jack sets out to scour the Big Apple in search of Kitty, and Abe tags along; a friendship grows between the two men, and Jack begins to wonder why regular-guy Abe ever got mixed up with a woman who doesn't seem to have much use for him. Also featuring Rachel Dratch and Chris Parnell, Looking for Kitty premiered at the 2004 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edward Burns, David Krumholtz, (more)
- 2004
After completing the final cut of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, producers were left with enough deleted material to create an entire alternate film--so they did just that. Wake Up, Ron Burgundy uses alternate takes, cleverly edited pre-existing scenes, and additional voice-over narration from the stately Bill Kurtis to establish the story, then follows a completely different plot arc that was cut from the main film. Revolving around the news team's coverage of a radical terrorist group known as the Alarm Clock, Wake Up, Ron Burgundy finds Ron (Will Ferrell), Brick (Steve Carrell), Brian (Paul Rudd), and Champ (David Koechner) arriving desperately at the home of their mentor, near cannibalism in the California wilderness, and ready to kick ass in the hideout of a terrorist group. It also features appearances by comedic actors whose characters never made it into Anchorman like Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, and Chris Parnell of SNL, and Justin Long of Dodgeball. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Ferrell, Christina Applegate, (more)
Why rent a dirty movie when you can make your own? That's the can-do philosophy embraced by a handful of girl-crazy teens in this comedy. Fred (Tony Denman), Deacon (Erik von Detten), and Matt (Daniel Farber) are three high school kids who, like most teenaged boys, are obsessed with sex. Deacon has a part time job at a video rental shop with a large selection of adult films, and he's been able to sneak porn titles out of the store on a regular basis, to the great enthusiasm of Matt and Fred, who not only enjoy the videos themselves but dub bootleg copies they sell to their classmates to make pocket money. However, when Deacon loses his job, the guys are left high and dry, until one of them gets an idea -- they've seen enough porn movies to know what the average viewer expects from one, so why don't they make one themselves? However, recruiting the performers necessary for such a project turns out to be harder than they expected, with exotic dancer Ashley (Sarah Jane Potts) and neighborhood bully Jake (Riley Smith) rising to the top of a very shallow talent pool. The first production from the guys is an unexpected success, but they soon discover that not everyone is happy with their good fortune, especially sleazy porn kingpin Vic Ramalot (Horatio Sanz), who isn't interested in having more competition. Filmed under the title After School Special, Barely Legal also stars Tom Arnold, Amy Smart, and Dey Young. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Erik Von Detten, Tony Denman, (more)
Tori Spelling, Drew Carey Show stalwart Diedrich Bader, and SNL alum Chris Parnell team up for this wacky takeoff on B-movies, written and directed by Bill and Ted co-creator Chris Matheson. True to its title, Evil Alien Conquerors involves the efforts of Matheson and Parnell's bickering characters to eliminate every member of the human race, out of fear that they themselves will be annihilated by The Croker, a giant monster intent on intergalactic domination. Evil Alien Conquerors played various festivals before its video release. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- 1998
This TV sitcom probes the personal problems of New York City ad copywriter Conrad Bloom (Mark Feuerstein), a single guy surrounded by women, including his ex-girlfriend Molly (Lauren Graham), sister Nina (Ever Carradine), co-worker Shelley (Jessica Stone), demanding boss Faye (Paula Newsome), and Conrad's irritating widowed mother Florie (Linda Lavin). In the pilot episode, Conrad struggled to get attractive Allison (Christina Moore) into bed. Premiered September 21, 1998 on NBC. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Feuerstein, Lauren Graham, (more)
