Eric Weber Movies
- 2008
When the harried clerks at a New Jersey Christmas store discover that they're scheduled to work until midnight on Christmas Eve, their frustration at having to work the holiday soon takes a backseat to a playful debate over religious differences and cultural misunderstandings. It seems that their boss has gotten himself into a tight jam; if he fails to raise enough money to pay of his lingering crime debts, he may wind up with a pair of broken legs. Meanwhile, back at the store, the clerks work to resolve their differences while realizing that one need not be a Christian to get into the Christmas spirit. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Chance Kelly, Nicole Vicius, (more)
Writer Eric Weber (author of the infamous paperback How to Pick Up Girls) directs his screenplay Second Best. Set in New Jersey, the story concerns a group of fiftysomething men dealing with their feelings of inadequacy. Struggling writer Elliot (Joe Pantoliano) is the most desperate of the bunch, having failed in the publishing business and trying to finish writing a screenplay. The group prepares for a visit from their old childhood friend who is now a big-time Hollywood producer. Elliot hopes this visit will lead to bigger things in his own life. Also starring Boyd Gaines, Jennifer Tilly, and Bronson Pinchot, Second Best was shown at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004 as part of the American Spectrum competition. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Boyd Gaines, Jennifer Tilly, (more)
- 2003
French experimental-short filmmaker Pierre Vinour makes his feature-length debut with the low-budget mood piece Supernova (Experiment #1). Politician Simon Peyrelevade (Philippe Nahon) contemplates suicide as he is hit by some unearthly matter. Instead of heading home to Paris, he goes out to his family farm in the countryside. He's visited by a curious doctor (Catherine Wilkening) and his estranged son Julien (Clément Sibony). Supernova was filmed with both Super 8 mm film stock and digital video. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Philippe Nahon, Catherine Wilkening, (more)
- 1999
Onetime advertising director Eric Webber, who in the 1980's created campaigns for Dr. Pepper and Molson, here takes a satiric look at his former profession. Ken Tuttle (Randy Pearlstein) is a frustrated author who takes a job as a copywriter at Cranston & Co., headed by Tom Cranston (Robert Klein). Tuttle is guided through the corporate world by bitter creative director George Parkyn (Tony Hendra) as he helps craft an ad campaign for a sanitary napkin which its makers claim is so revolutionary it will change the way women view the world. However, a rival firm has also been retained to create a campaign for the same product, and tense competition between the two companies leads to infighting at Cranston & Co. and personal problems for Tuttle and his girlfriend (Ingrid Rogers). This dark and sharp-edged comedy was drawn from Webber's personal experiences in the ad game; he claims several of the film's most outrageous moments are based on true stories. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert Klein, Tony Hendra, (more)
- 1992
The Breton-born French actor Patrick Dewaere (1947-1982) was acclaimed as one of the two best actors of his generation, along with Gerard Depardieu, before his death by suicide at age 35. This documentary is an exploration of the man's life and work, featuring clips from his many films and interviews with some of his friends and relatives. Notably absent is any appearance by his friend and rival Depardieu. In addition to celebrating his gifts, the documentary explores the state of mind which led to the gifted actor's death at the height of his thirty-year career. Apparently, no one appreciated that this handsome man's gift for playing troubled losers had a profound basis in his offscreen life. This film was first shown at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival, which had instituted a special acting prize in Dewaere's name the year after his death, in 1983. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bertrand Blier
- 1978
Though Desi Arnaz Jr. gets star billing in How to Pick Up Girls, the film's true leading man is third-billed Fred McCrarren. He plays a clueless Nebraska boy whose efforts to score with chicks in the Big City come to naught. Finally he stumbles upon the "secret" to successful dating with the help of his superstud roommate (Desi Arnaz Jr.) McCrarren is transformed into a makeout king--much to consternation of the nice girl (Bess Armstrong) who likes him for himself. Based on the book by Eric Weber (which one supposes was supposed to have been taken seriously), How to Pick up Girls is a made-for-TV smarmfest. At that, it is a few notches above the standard "horny teenager" flick which glutted the market in the early 1980s. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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