Greg Germann Movies
Actor Greg Germann is probably best known as attorney Richard Fish -- the tactless, neurotic litigator who went head-to-head with Ally McBeal in law school, but soon does an about face and hires her, on that character's eponymous Fox comedy drama. Actually, that role only represented the tail end of a long ascent to stardom for the gifted actor. Germann trained as a dramatist at an early age by performing in local stage productions in his childhood home of Golden, CO. In the early '80s, Germann moved to New York City and attended auditions before film producers tapped him for supporting roles in pictures ranging from the eminently forgettable (the 1986 Whoopee Boys) to the outstanding (the 1991 Once Around, the 1994 Imaginary Crimes). Germann found his greatest success, however, in television; after landing regular roles on two short-lived programs, the legal drama Sweet Justice and the sitcom Ned and Stacey (1995), the actor caught the eye of McBeal mastermind David E. Kelley. Kelley praised Germann as an actor so versatile that he could seemingly do anything; unsurprisingly, the role, like the series, lasted five seasons. Germann followed Ally McBeal up with supporting parts in a series of mostly forgettable films, including the direct-to-video Sandlot 2 (2005) and crazylove (2005), before returning to form with a prime role in the Will Ferrell racing comedy Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006). Germann then landed a regular role as a mentally disturbed diet guru in the decidedly quirky (and short-lived) comedy drama series In Case of Emergency (2007). He also delivered an extraordinary performance as a quiet, compassionate counselor in Monty Lapica's big-screen debut, Self-Medicated (2005). ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide- 2007
If one were in a whimsical mood, one might describe the ABC sitcom In Case of Emergency as a warm-hearted comedy about a lovable gang of serious disturbed mental patients. All of the main characters had been friends since high school, and all had found it well nigh impossible to cope with the pressures and exigencies of adulthood. Jason Ventress (David Arquette) was a financial genius who, after, being sucked into an illegal corporate scam, proved to be a spectacular failure as a would-be suicide. Harry Kennison (Jonathan Silverman) was a divorced greeting-card writer who went ballistic upon discovering that his high school's ex-valedictorian Kelly Lee (Kelly Hu) was unhappily employed in a massage parlor. And Sherman Yablonsky (Greg Germann) was a diet guru who went on a disastrous eating binge after his wife walked out on him with everything they owned. Landing in the same mental-health facility at L.A. Westside Hospital, the five protagonists proved to be quite a challenge to overworked therapist Dr. Joanna Lupone (Lori Loughlin). Acting as something of a conduit to the outside world was Harry Kennison's son, Dylan, played by Jackson Bond. Incredibly, the series was inspired by the real-life experiences of co-creator Howard J. Morris and his lifelong friend Emile Levisetti. In Case of Emergency premiered January 3, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2007
It's Christmastime, and all young Jesse wants this year is a new father. But while Jesse's mother Sarah knows the importance of having a male role model for her son to look up to, she just can't seem to muster the motivation to start dating again. Reluctantly agreeing to go on a series of dates as part of a nationally publicized contest, Sarah finds herself unexpectedly swept off her feet by the contest's official chaperone. But despite the fact that young Jesse already has his future father picked out, he's going to have to work extra hard to make his Christmas wish come true this year. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gail O'Grady, Greg Germann, (more)
A man fascinated with the process of ending one's own life meets some rather disturbing kindred spirits in this dark comedy. Erik (Andreas Wilson) is a commercial photographer and would-be screenwriter who has left his native Sweden to come to Hollywood in hopes of selling his latest script. Erik quickly discovers there isn't much of a market for stories about suicide in Tinseltown, and he's looking for new inspiration when he meets Lola (Lolita Davidovich), a beautiful but wildly unpredictable woman who lures him into joining her on a road trip to Las Vegas. As it happens, Lola is drawn to Vegas by the presence of Dr. Bangley (John Larroquette), a psychologist and television chat-show host who is publicizing his latest book in Sin City -- "Stay Alive," a guide for those contemplating suicide. As part of the book launch, Bangley is arranging for a number of his more colorful patients to meet him in Las Vegas, where they'll take part in a television reality show hosted by the doctor. The clients include Katherine (Julie Benz), who has been suffering from depression since losing custody of her son; Geert (Alexander Skarsgård), a troubled cross-dresser; and Ella Toscana (Terry Moore), an elderly former movie star with remarkable mood swings. Bangley also has to deal with his teenage daughter, Sunshine (Skye McCole Bartusiak), who is willing to do anything to get her busy dad's attention. As Erik crosses paths with Bangley's entourage, he's confronted with people who are even more obsessed with killing themselves than the average Swede, and feels as if he fits in until gangster and part-time limo driver Omar (Fares Fares) reveals his sinister side. Kill Your Darlings received its North American premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lolita Davidovich, Andreas Wilson, (more)
Heart of the Beholder tells the harrowing true-life tale of an entrepreneurial young couple who owned an operated St. Louis' first videocassette rental store, and the challenges faced by their growing family when religious zealots from Rev. Donald Wildmon's National Federation for Decency (later renamed the American Family Association) launched a frightening campaign designed to intimidate them into removing movies deemed by the group to be ". . .obscene or a detriment to the community and its children." When Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ was originally released on home video, the majority of St. Louis video stores buckled to pressures by religious groups not to offer the film for rental. Ken and Carol Tipton - owners of a videocassette rental store known as the Video Library - refused to give in to the demands of the group they saw as modern day book burners, and as a result their store was picketed, and the life of their young daughter threatened. When the Tiptons refused to give in to the demands of the NFD, the case went to court. Unfortunately for the Tiptons, the NFD used scandalous information about the Prosecuting Attorney's secret sex life to blackmail the prosecutor. Later, due to the misuse of RICO racketeering laws, multiple movies from the Tiptons' store were confiscated before the jury found even a single video obscene. After the prosecutor made vague and damning references indicating that the Tiptons had ties to organized crime, the family was shunned by the community. Yet while the Tiptons subsequently emerged victorious in two court cases, the damage had already been done: Negative publicity had caused the family to become fragmented, and mounting court fees forced their business to go bankrupt. Later divorced from his wife and stuck in a suicidal depression, Ken ultimately made an accidental discovery that would not only turn his life around, but also expose the corruption and hypocrisy that nearly destroyed him. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt Letscher, Sarah Joy Brown, (more)
Comic Chris Rock co-scripted and stars in this remake of 1941's Here Comes Mr. Jordan, which was also remade with Warren Beatty in 1978 as Heaven Can Wait. Comedian Lance Barton (Rock) is struggling to get his career off the ground when he dies in an untimely bus accident; arriving at the Pearly Gates, he discovers that he's not supposed to have passed on for another 50 years. Barton is not happy with this turn of events, and eventually the Powers That Be send his spirit back to Earth, but for the time being he has to make do with the body of a middle-aged, closed-minded millionaire, Charles Wellington. Lance falls in love with a young community activist (Regina King), but he soon finds he has bigger problems at home: the millionaire's wife and her lover are both trying to kill him. The supporting cast includes Mark Addy as an actor passing himself off as an English manservant, Chazz Palminteri as Mr. King, Heaven's no-nonsense manager, and Eugene Levy as Mr. Keyes, the angel who accidentally ends Barton's life. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chris Rock, Regina King, (more)
