Jami Gertz Movies
Brown-eyed, would-be Brat Packer
Jami Gertz was discovered in a nationwide talent search by
Norman Lear and she studied drama at N.Y.U. She got a tiny part in
Franco Zeffirelli's
Endless Love in 1981, making her film debut along with
Tom Cruise. The next year she starred on the high school TV series
Square Pegs along with
Sarah Jessica Parker, and made several guest appearances on
The Facts of Life. Supporting roles followed in
Alphabet City,
Quicksilver,
Crossroads, and
Solarbabies. In 1987 she played shy vampire girl Star in
The Lost Boys, which may remain her most recognizable role. In the same year, she played the girl caught between
Andrew McCarthy and
Robert Downey Jr. in
Less Than Zero and she got to romance teen idol
Kirk Cameron in
Listen to Me. The '90s marked the decline of her leading roles in teen dramas and she turned to comedies, off-Broadway theater, and mainstream dramas. She played
Kirstie Alley's sister in
Sibling Rivalry,
Dylan McDermott's love interest in
Jersey Girl, and
Bill Paxton's girlfriend in
Twister. Working back in television, she had recurring roles on Sibs,
ER,
Dream On, and
Ally McBeal. After making several TV movies, she portrayed legendary comedienne
Gilda Radner in the ABC special
It's Always Something: The Gilda Radner Story. Living in L.A. with her husband and children,
Gertz was cast as blue-collar wife and mother Judy Miller on the CBS sitcom
Still Standing in 2002. In 2006 Gertz co-starred in director Scott Marshall's coming-of-age comedy Keeping Up With the Steins. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

- 2011
- PG13
- Add A Better Life to Queue
Add A Better Life to top of Queue
About a Boy director Chris Weitz takes the helm for this affecting drama about an illegal immigrant who struggles to give his teenage son a better life by working as a gardener in L.A. Determined to move out of the city in order to get his son away from gangs and into a decent school, the devoted father comes into possession of a truck that allows him to earn a better income by taking more gardening jobs. But with immigration agents on every corner and vicious gangsters trying to lure his son into a life of crime, it's a constant struggle just to survive in such an unforgiving city without being deported. Demián Bichir, José Julián, and Dolores Heredia star in a film written by Eric Eason (Journey to the End of the Night). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Read More
- Starring:
- Demián Bichir, José Julián, (more)

- 2006
- PG13
- Add Keeping Up With the Steins to Queue
Add Keeping Up With the Steins to top of Queue
The competition heats up as a young man on the cusp of adulthood in Brentwood, CA, prepares for his upcoming bar mitzvah, and his father strives to outdo the gargantuan coming-of-age bash recently thrown by his number-one nemesis, in a madcap tale of Hebrew rivalry from actor-turned-director Scott Marshall. Benjamin Fiedler (Daryl Sabara) is about to become a man, though the prospect of reciting a language he doesn't even really know in front of a temple full of strangers is so daunting that it makes him wish he could just stay a boy and write the whole thing off. As if his personal peccadilloes weren't enough to rack Benjamin's nerves, his father, Adam (Jeremy Piven), and mother, Joanne (Jami Gertz), are determined to send Benjamin into the adult world in true style. Recently, Adam's rival agent, Arnie Stein (Larry Miller), threw down the gauntlet for his own son's bar mitzvah by hosting a no-holds-barred bash that made New Year's Eve in Times Square look like cake-and-coffee day at the retirement community, and ultra-competitive Adam is determined to prove that he can top that now-legendary party. When Adam's aging, hippy-dippy father, Irwin (Garry Marshall), rolls into town in a broken-down RV with his dizzy young girlfriend, Sandy (Daryl Hannah), however, it appears as if all of his plans to out-class Arnie Stein may have been for naught. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
Read More
- Starring:
- Jeremy Piven, Jami Gertz, (more)

- 2005
-
This made-for-cable drama is based on the true story of Marilyn Gambrell, a former parole officer determined to give the children of habitual criminals the opportunity to live the decent and worthwhile life that had been denied their parents. Jamie Gertz stars as Gambrell, who has signed on a social worker at Houston's Smiley High School, where virtually every one of the students has a least one parent in prison. Inaugurating a "No More Victims" program, Gambrell and her colleague Perry Beasley (Ernie Hudson) dedicate themselves to mentor those students at highest risk of following the same crooked paths as their parents. Unfortunately, the school's budget has been stretched to the breaking point--and Gambrell and Beasley have been given only one year to prove that their program can be successful. When originally telecast by the Lifetime channel on August 22, 2005, Fighting the Odds: The Marilyn Gambrell Story was followed by a specially filmed public service announcement featuring both Jamie Gertz and the real Marilyn Gambrell. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Read More

- 2003
-
When Undercover Christmas first aired over CBS on December 7, 2003, a number of critics lauded the film for its "fresh" and "unique" storyline--blissfully unaware that the film bore a marked resemblance to the 1940 Fred MacMurray-Barbara Stanwyck vehicle Remember the Night. Jamie Gertz tops the cast as Brandi O'Neill, a sassy cocktail waitress who is the "great and good friend" of billionaire Scott Shift (Cameron Bancroft). Determned to nail Shift on a tax fraud charge, FBI agent Jake Cunningham (Shawn Christian) figures that Brandi will make an excellent federal witness, and takes her into protective custody. Unfortunately, not long afterward Jake receives word from his mother Anne (Tyne Daly) that his father Joe (Winston Rekert), a very wealthy and very conservative jurist, has suffered a heart attack--and that it would behoove Jack to come home for Christmas to see his dad just one more time. Naturally, Jake is forced to take Brandi along to meet his folks, who are shocked beyond measure when, to avoid compromising his case against Shift, Jake passes Brandi off as his new girlfriend! Things get dicier still when it turns out that Joe Cunningham's heart attack was just a sham to force Jake to come home and get his annual dressing-down for not living up to his parents' hopes--and all the while, Brandi begins to really enjoy her new luxurious surroundings, and seriously considers latching onto Jake for keeps. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Read More

- 2002
-
Is it possible to continue stoking the flames of a raucous high school romance 15 years after the fact? This was the question posed by the CBS situation comedy Still Standing. Mark Addy and Jami Gertz starred as Bill and Judy Miller, a fun-loving blue-collar Chicago couple who began dating as teenagers and who nearly two decades later were happily married and the parents of three children. So where was the "situation"? Well, it seemed that the Millers still thought and acted like troublemaking schoolkids, which caused any number of amusing crises as they endeavored to properly raise their three children -- notably their nerdish and uptight son Taylor Ball. For the most part, Bill and Judy made up their parental game plan as they went along, though usually things turned out all right. Created by Joey Gutierrez and Diane Burroughs, who based the series on their own enduring romantic relationship, Still Standing originally aired on September 30, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Read More
- Starring:
- Mark Addy, Jami Gertz, (more)

- 2002
-

- 2002
-
The tragically short life of one of TV's favorite funny ladies is the subject of the network-movie biopic It's Always Something: The Gilda Radner Story. The story begins in Gilda's native Canada, where as a child she develops her comic skills to overcome her shyness and feelings of inadequacy. Gravitating to show business, Gilda (played as an adult by Jami Gertz) becomes a topnotch sketch performer with the famed Second City Troupe, leading to an even more prestigious stint as one of the original "Not Ready for Prime Time Players" on the irreverent American variety series Saturday Night Live. Earning the love and devotion of TV viewers throughout the nation with such ditsy comic characters as Emily Latella and Roseanne Roseanadana, Gilda nonetheless has trouble settling down in a satisfactory romantic relationship in her private life. But after a few go-nowhere affairs and an in-name-only marriage to musician G.E. Smith, Gilda at last finds happiness as the sweetheart -- and later the wife -- of actor Gene Wilder (played by Tom Rooney), her costar in the 1982 movie Hanky Panky. Just when it seems that Gilda's life is on the right course with all cylinders clicking, she is diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Based on her 1989 autobiography (published the same year as her death), It's Always Something: The Gilda Radner Story debuted April 29, 2002, as part of an evening-long ABC network tribute to Radner and her career. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Read More
- Starring:
- Jami Gertz, Tom Rooney, (more)

- 2000
-

- 2000
-

- 2000
-

- 2000
-

- 2000
- R
- Add Seven Girlfriends to Queue
Add Seven Girlfriends to top of Queue
In this romantic comedy, a man gets an insider's perspective on his drawbacks as a boyfriend. Jesse (Tim Daly) has never had much luck sustaining a romance. When one of his former girlfriends dies, he asks his current flame (Olivia D'Abo) to marry him. After she turns him down, he decides to visit his former girlfriends to find out what he's doing wrong. Jesse's roster of former girlfriends includes Jami Gertz, Melora Hardin, Elizabeth Pena, and Mimi Rogers. Seven Girlfriends marked the feature debut of director Paul Lazarus, who has a background in such TV series as Friends, Melrose Place, and Beverly Hills 90210. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
Read More
- Starring:
- Tim Daly, Olivia D'Abo, (more)

- 1999
- R
- Add Lip Service to Queue
Add Lip Service to top of Queue
After a long absence, Kat (Jami Gertz returns to the life of her old college roommate, Allison (Sybil Temchen). The trouble is, Allison is a successful furniture designer and Kat is a strung-out nymphomaniac with no apparent means of support. Allison takes her in and before long, Kat has ruined the business, had sex with the clients, set fire to the store, had an affair with Allison's longtime boyfriend (Christian Camargo), and contributed to Allison's rape by an acquaintance she's brought home. ~ Buzz McClain, Rovi
Read More
- Starring:
- Jami Gertz, Sybil Temchen, (more)

- 1997
-
Several weeks after being assaulted and beaten, Greene (Anthony Edwards) returns to work, but it is obvious that he is the worse for his horrendous experience. When Carla (Lisa Nicole Carson) goes into premature labor, Benton (Eriq La Salle) can only stand by helplessly and wait. Carter (Noah Wyle) considers giving up his dreams of being a surgeon so that he can continue with ER work. And Ross (George Clooney) isn't about to let Carol (Julianna Margulies) have a quiet birthday. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Read More

- 1997
-
Carol (Julianna Margulies) weighs her options as she decides to either pursue medical school or remain a nurse. Carter (Noah Wyle) wonders if he should turn in a fellow intern and former romantic rival for falsifying a patient's record. A couple who delights in concocting potentially dangerous "scenarios" plagues the ER staff. Ross (George Clooney) is determined to save the life of a two-year-old boy. And a genetically altered mouse is running loose in the hospital. This episode contains one of the most shocking and startling moments of ER's third season. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Read More

- 1997
-
Fearing that something may be wrong with Carla's (Lisa Nicole Carson) unborn baby, Benton (Eriq La Salle) illegally obtains a copy of her ultrasound. Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) finds that she has much in common with would-be suicide patient Suzane Alner (Gia Carides). Anspaugh (John Aylward) refuses to operate on a dying patient, but Carter (Noah Wyle) has other ideas. And Ross (George Clooney) contends with a determined young lady who refuses to miss her senior prom -- even if it kills her. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Read More

- 1997
-
Pomerantz (Jami Gertz) refuses to put a woman with Down's syndrome on a heart-transplant list; Greene (Anthony Edwards) and Doyle (Jorja Fox) try to persuade her to change her mind. Now that he is of legal age, Jad Houston (Chad Lindberg), suffering from terminal cystic fibrosis, insists upon being taken off life support -- but Jad's mother (Veronica Cartwright) won't hear of it, forcing Ross (George Clooney) to act as "mediator" between life and death. And the relationship between Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) and Fischer (Harry J. Lennix) becomes more serious. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Read More

- 1997
-
Should Doug Ross (George Clooney) honor the wishes of 17-year-old Jad Houston (Chad Lindberg), terminally ill with cystic fibrosis, who wants to be allowed to die -- or should Ross bow to the legalities of the situation and do everything he can to save the boy's life? In other developments, Greene (Anthony Edwards) giddily sets up three dates on the same night; Haleh (Yvette Freeman) takes over the duties of the suspended Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies); and Carter (Noah Wyle) relishes the opportunity to perform an appendectomy on his longtime nemesis Benton (Eriq La Salle). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Read More

- 1997
-
The death of Gant causes a major blowup between Carter (Noah Wyle) and Benton (Eriq La Salle). Ross (George Clooney) uncovers some facts about battered homeless teen Charlie (Kirsten Dunst). HIV-positive Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) dates Greg Fischer (Harry J. Lennix), a specialist in infectious disease. And woefully understaffed during the nurses' "sick-out," Carol (Julianna Marguiles) makes a fatal error in judgment. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Read More

- 1996
- PG13
- Add Twister to Queue
Add Twister to top of Queue
Bill Paxton, Helen Hunt and Carey Elwes may be billed as the stars of Twister, but the film's real attractions are the cyclones themselves. Best experienced in a theater, the nail-biting, blow-the-audience-out-of-their-seats computer generated graphics, cutting edge sound and other special effects are designed to take viewers straight into the roaring funnel of a gigantic tornado. In order to focus on special effects and action, the story is simple and the characters are drawn in broad strokes with little depth. Jo Harding (Hunt) became a storm chaser (a meteorologist who photographs and scientifically studies tornadoes in the field) after a large twister sucked her hapless daddy into oblivion when she was a girl. Bill (Paxton) was a storm chaser too, but left to become a successful weatherman. His change of profession ruined his marriage to Jo. Before separating, the Hardings invented DOROTHY, a gizmo designed to release thousands of tiny sensors when a tornado passes over it. The Hardings hope the information transmitted by the sensors will provide insight into the nature of the whirling windstorms. Backed by a large corporation, the villainous Dr. Jonas Miller (Elwes) has created a similar machine. Neither gadget has been field tested and both groups of storm chasers are anxious to find tornadoes. At the peak of the worst twister season in decades, Bill shows up at Jo's truck with his prissy fiancee Melissa (Jami Gertz) so Jo can sign divorce papers. Suddenly a twister is spotted. With little hesitation, Bill rejoins the mad rush to reach it in time to activate DOROTHY. Jonas and his team are right behind them. Throughout the day the storms become worse and the rivalrous race becomes more intense. As they continue facing incredible dangers together Jo and Bill find renewed love while poor Melissa finds only an intense desire to get away from these storm-obsessed lunatics.
~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
Read More
- Starring:
- Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, (more)

- 1994
-
Helmed by Anthony Harvey, director of the early-70s cult classic They Might Be Giants, this made-for-television romantic drama stars Anthony Quinn and Katherine Hepburn. The pair of aging movie stars appropriately play a pair of aging movie stars named Michael Reyman and Marion Bennett. For decades the two held intense animosity toward one another, but in their golden years they begin to realize that perhaps they've simply been trying to mask their feelings of love. Jason Bateman and Jami Gertz head up the supporting cast. The film was originally broadcast on CBS, March 13, 1994. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
Read More
- Starring:
- Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Quinn, (more)

- 1993
- PG13
- Add Jersey Girl to Queue
Add Jersey Girl to top of Queue
A pre-Twister Jami Gertz heads the cast in the independently produced Jersey Girl. Born and bred in the Garden State, Gertz is overwhelmed by a desire to taste life in the Big City across the river. Once she lands in New York City, Gertz instantly meets Dylan McDermott, the man of her dreams-nearly totalling his Mercedes in the process. Likewise a refugee from New Jersey, the well-heeled McDermott feels both gratified and uncomfortable by Gertz's attentions; after all, she represents everything that he's fought long and hard to forget. Your enjoyment of Jersey Girl is utterly dependent upon your feelings towards Jami Gertz, since she's pretty much the whole show in this unpretentious PG-rated romance. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Read More
- Starring:
- Jami Gertz, Dylan McDermott, (more)

- 1992
-
Kathy Kaehler presents a solid and popular workout with The Kathy Kaehler Fitness System. Her lesson relies on simple and effective movements that get the job done. This lengthy video is comprised of several exercises at different skill levels, allowing the viewer to advance at a unique pace. The first class is a beginning step led by Jami Gertz. After warming up with the basic routine, the video moves into an intermediate workout with Justine Bateman, which is a slightly more difficult version of the first section with the option of hand weights. Julianne Phillips leads the next part, which boosts the pace and skill level. Weights and a higher step can be used. Overall, the instructors' abilities vary, but the classes themselves are easy-to-follow classics. The video concludes with a celebrity-packed cooldown of stretching and muscle building. ~ Sarah Ing, Rovi
Read More

- 1990
- R
In this melodrama, a ballet dancer discovers that she is suffering from cancer and must re-evaluate her life. When she meets up with another young woman who is also ill, the two strike up a friendship. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
Read More
- Starring:
- Jami Gertz, Martha Plimpton, (more)

- 1990
- PG13
- Add Sibling Rivalry to Queue
Add Sibling Rivalry to top of Queue
Carl Reiner directed this situation comedy about a neglected wife who, in frustration, has her first affair, with humiliating consequences. Kirstie Alley plays Marjorie, the ignored housewife of Harry Turner (Scott Bakula), an obnoxious member of a family of physicians. Marjorie's sister Jeanine (Jami Gertz), sensing her frustration, suggests she have an affair. Marjorie meets a ramrod-handsome man (Sam Elliott) in the check-out line at the local super market. They look into each other's eyes and soon they're having an afternoon of passionate lovemaking. Actually a bit too passionate -- after round five, Marjorie's lover dies from a heart attack. A kind-hearted salesman named Nicholas Meany (Bill Pullman) quickly comes to Marjorie's aid, trying to make the death look like a suicide. Complications compound as Marjorie tries to hide the incident from Harry and his family, but instead she keeps sinking deeper and deeper into a hole of deceit. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
Read More
- Starring:
- Kirstie Alley, Bill Pullman, (more)