Jeff Lowell Movies
Adapted from author Lois Duncan's 1971 children's book of the same name, director Thor Freudenthal's Hotel for Dogs follows two mischievous orphans as they attempt to hide dozens of stray dogs in an abandoned hotel. Disheartened by their new guardians' announcement that pets are strictly forbidden, 16-year-old Andi (Emma Roberts) and her younger brother, Bruce (Jake T. Austin), race to find a home for their loyal dog Friday. Fortunately for Friday, there's an abandoned hotel just around the corner, and Bruce possesses just the kind of mechanical smarts needed to transform the rundown inn into a four-star retreat for canines. For a while, Friday and his friends have it made, but when the neighbors start to get suspicious, Andi and Bruce resort to every trick in the book in order to prevent their secret from being discovered. Don Cheadle, Emma Roberts, and Lisa Kudrow star in a family-friendly film penned by screenwriter Jeff Lowell. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, (more)
- 2001
Sort of a jock's version of the popular cable sitcom Dream On, Inside Schwartz stars Breckin Meyer as the title character, aspiring sportscaster Adam Schwartz. Obliged to work in his family's bar, Adam dreams of a big-time career on ESPN or some other sports outlet. On each half-hour episode, Adam's imagination spills over into reality, with real-life sports announcers Van Earl Wright and Kevin Frasier providing running commentary of our hero's triumphs and tribulations, and with a whole slew of guest stars (Mills Lane, Dick Butkus, etc.) parading through Adam's subconscious. The denizens of Adam's "real" world include his father Gene (Richard Kline), his best friend David (Bryan Callen), and his erstwhile girlfriend Julie (Miriam Shor). Created by Stephen Engel) of Just Shoot Me fame, Inside Schwartz was supposed to have made its NBC debut on September 20, 2001, but the network's ongoing coverage of the World Trade Center attack moved the series' premiere date up to September 27. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Breckin Meyer, Miriam Shor, (more)
Three teenagers two-timed by a local lothario decide to turn the tables on him in this romantic comedy. John Tucker (Jesse Metcalfe) is the big man on campus at his high school -- he's the captain and star player of the basketball team, he's got money, he's good-looking and charming, and he can have any girl he wants. However, the latter attribute is about to get him in serious trouble when three different girls at his school -- Heather (Ashanti), Beth (Sophia Bush) and Carrie (Arielle Kebbel) -- discover they've all been dating John at the same time. Determined to bring down the campus ladykiller, the girls devise a plan -- they pick a cute but socially clumsy girl who is new at school, Kate (Brittany Snow), and give her a crash course in stealing John's heart. Once Kate has John wrapped around her little finger, she's supposed to drop him like a bad habit and give him a taste of what heartbreak is really like. However, it seems that the early stages of the plan work a little too well, and John and Kate end up falling for each other for real. John Tucker Must Die also stars Jenny McCarthy, Penn Badgley, and Dan Payne. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jesse Metcalfe, Brittany Snow, (more)
Eva Longoria Parker, Paul Rudd, and Lake Bell star in first-time feature filmmaker Jeff Lowell's heavenly romantic comedy concerning a female psychic and a doubtful skeptic who find their fledgling love affair thwarted by the latter's recently deceased fiancée. Henry (Rudd) and Kate (Longoria Parker) were all prepared to live out their "happily ever after" when tragedy struck from out of nowhere and Kate was killed on their wedding day. In the aftermath of the accident, a devastated Paul reluctantly takes his sister's advice and pays a visit to local psychic Ashley (Bell). Now, despite the fact that he openly questions her ability to communicate with the dearly departed, Paul can't help but fall head over heels in love with Ashley. Despite the fact that the feelings are most certainly mutual, however, their growing relationship is threatened when Kate makes it her supernatural mission to sabotage the happy couple's fledgling relationship before it starts to get serious. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eva Longoria Parker, Paul Rudd, (more)
- 1998
This highly acclaimed but shortly lived half-hour comedy focused on the staff of a cable sports news program called "Sports Night." As the anchors and producers duck and weave through their career goals, workplace romances, rough divorces, and a love/hate relationship with professional sports, the power-plays on the court, in the office, and behind closed doors create a dynamic and often hilarious environment. Written by Aaron Sorkin, Sports Night has been praised for the balance in depicting the inner-workings of its setting, the relationships between its characters, and the unique overarching world of sports journalism that draws them together. Networks had trouble finding the show an audience and eventually it was canceled. While Sorkin was offered the chance to continue the series on cable, he declined to focus on his new series The West Wing, which found tremendous success and was praised for many of the same merits as Sports Night. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Susan Saint James guest stars as Kate's hyperjudgmental mother Lynn, who celebrates her daughter's birthday by taking Kate (Christa Miller), Drew (Drew Carey) and Lisa (Kay Selverstone) out to dinner. Throughout the evening, Kate is hesitant to tell Lynn that she is dating Jay (Robert Torti), but "helpful" Lewis (Ryan Stiles) shows up and spills the beans. Concluding that Jay is merely seeing Kate to get over the trauma of his recent divorce, Lynn proceeds to make her daugher's life even more miserable than usual. This episode is highlighted by a pivotal drunk scene between Kate and Drew, as well as a wacked-out vignette wherein Lewis tries to become the legal guardian of his roommate Oswald (Diedrich Bader). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
When the store employees go on strike just before the Christmas rush, Drew (Drew Carey) is saddled with the responsibility of hiring scabs--er, temporary workers. Laboring away as a waitress during the strike, Kate (Christa Miller) is outraged to discover that Mimi (Kathy Kinney) and Oswald (Diedrich Bader) have taken over her job in Cosmetics, nor is she thrilled to learn that Drew and Nora (Jane Morris) are working together in Women's Lingerie (uh, maybe we should rephrase that). Ultimately concluding that the workers are right and management is wrong, Drew takes a dramatic stand...sort of. Ian Gomez makes his first series appearance as the irksome Larry Almada. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Drew (Drew Carey) regrets firing store employee Suzie (Angela Dohrmann) for incompetence when he finds out that she's the girlfriend of his boss Mr. Bell. Fortunately, Bell isn't too upset because he's set his sights on another woman; unfortunately, that other woman happens to be Drew's best friend Kate (Christa Miller). And elsewhere, it's GEEKS GONE WILD when Lewis (Ryan Stiles) throws a sci-fi party. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
So what's "gnu" this week? Well, there's the first series appearance of Drew's dad George Carey (Stanley Anderson), who has returned to Cleveland to accept the Wildebeest Lodge's lifetime achievement award. Encouraged by George to join the Wildebeests himself, Drew (Drew Carey) suddenly finds that his job prospects have improved tenfold. Unfortunately, in order to take advantage of this good fortune, Drew must now curry favor with a bunch of nasty old racial bigots. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
After missing his ride with the Optimists Club carpool, Drew (Drew Carey) finds out that he just barely escaped being killed in a traffic accident. He finds this out when, upon showing up at work, he hears Mimi (Kathy Kinney) somewhat prematurely celebrating his demise! Convinced that he has been saved by Divine intervention, Drew forsakes all worldly goods and sets about to become a minister--but alas, his skills at dispensing pastorial advice leave a great deal to be desired. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
