Rodney Patrick Vaccaro Movies
- 2005
Originally titled Echoes, this made-for-cable drama is set in Napa Valley wine country, sometime in the 1980s. Patricia Heaton (who also produced the film) stars as Sara, the daughter of strong-willed vineyard owner Alicia Anselmi (Lainie Kazan). Hoping to arrange a merger between Alicia and rival vintner Nick Di Cenzo (Tony Lo Bianco), Sara must first overcome the bitter 40-year-feud between ex-sweethearts Alicia and Nick, which began when each seemingly jilted the other during WW2. The delivery of a long-lost engagement ring proves beyond doubt that Nick had intended to marry Alicia, but evidently this does little to alleviate their mutual animosity. And when it appears that Sara intends to dump her fiancé Brian (David Hunt) in favor of Nick's nephew Tony (Vincent Spano), Alicia and Nick are all the more convinced that any merger between the Anselmi and DiCenzo families--even a merger that never comes to fruition--will result only in heartache for all concerned. The Engagement Ring originally aired over the TNT cable network on November 28, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Patricia Heaton, Lainie Kazan, (more)
A regular guy adds some much-needed drama to his life in this comedy. Peter Rooker (Marcus Thomas) is a man who has come to a crossroads in his life -- he's just been given his walking papers by his girlfriend, has lost interest in his job, and is looking for something new in his life. Filled with ennui, one evening Peter walks into a small theater where a community drama company is holding auditions for a production of Cyrano de Bergerac. While Peter has no acting experience and stumbles through his impromptu audition, director Edwina (Clare Higgins) thinks there's a great Cyrano lurking inside him, and gives him the title role. Before long, Peter has gained a new circle of friends, dominated by eccentric small-time actors Michael (John Corbett) and Grace (Amy Smart), who are playing Christian and Roxanne, and a new enthusiasm for life. But as it happens, both Peter and Michael have become infatuated with Grace, and as Peter tries to find a way to win her attention, Edwina begins to wonder if casting Peter was such a good idea after all. Bigger Than the Sky was the first dramatic feature from actor-turned-director Al Corley. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Marcus Thomas, John Corbett, (more)
- 2005
In the tradition of such omnibus films as Tales of Manhattan and Flesh and Fantasy, the made-for-TV Snow Wonder features five separate stories, tenuously linked together by a single plot strand -- in this case, a freak Christmas Eve snowstorm that has blanketed the world, striking even in such traditionally snow-free areas as Malaysia and Hawaii. While Madagascar-based meteorologist Billy (Josh Randall) tries to make sense of the phenomenon, his lovely assistant, Joey (Michelle Krusiec), muses philosophically "Snow can change people's lives." How right she is. As the film progresses, we are whisked off to Kentucky, where lovelorn bridesmaid Paula (Poppy Montgomery) watches in mute astonishment as her best friend's wedding crashes and burns as a result of the sudden blizzard; to New Mexico, where recently widowed Bev (Camryn Manheim) has retreated in hopes of overcoming the bitterness attending the death of her husband exactly one year before; to New York, where young Luke (Eric Szmanda), an aspiring writer whose parents seem to take great delight in discouraging him, receives a surfeit of inspiration from his freewheeling aunt Lila (Mary Tyler Moore); and to Baltimore, where philandering husband Warren (Jason Priestley), who has prepared the "perfect alibi" with which to hoodwink his loving wife, is helplessly snowbound with his current mistress. By film's end, the good have been rewarded, the bad have been punished, and something special develops between Billy and Joey...suggesting that this is no ordinary "random" snowstorm. Based on Connie Willis' short story Just Like the Ones We Used to Know, Snow Wonder made its CBS debut on November 20, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Julie Ann Emery, Jennifer Esposito, (more)
Joanne Whalley stars in this drama set during WWII about three people on the home front whose lives have been changed by events overseas. Ruby (Whalley) is a housewife who is trying to raise her daughter and mind the family farm on her own, as her husband has been declared Missing In Action while serving in Europe. Tom (Sean Patrick Flanery) is a young man who is drifting from one town to the next while struggling to avoid the draft in accordance with his pacifist ideals; he happens by the farm and accepts an offer from Ruby to help her work in the fields. Run the Wild Fields was Paul A. Kaufman's first feature as a director after establishing himself as a producer and actor; it was scripted by Rodney Patrick Vaccaro, based on his play. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joanne Whalley, Sean Patrick Flanery, (more)
In this romantic comedy of mistaken identity, Oscar Novak (Matthew Perry) and Peter Steinberg (Oliver Platt) are a pair of struggling but talented Chicago architects given the chance of a lifetime: Charles Newman (Dylan McDermott), an extremely wealthy business tycoon, is considering hiring them to design a multi-million dollar cultural center. However, Oscar and Peter aren't the only ones who've been asked to contribute ideas for the project; Decker and Strauss (John C. McGinley and Bob Balaban), two highly successful designers that Oscar and Peter used to work for, have also been approached by Newman, who thinks that a competition between the two teams would be good fun and good press. Oscar is determined to show his dedication to the job, so when Newman asks him to start keeping tabs on his girlfriend Amy (Neve Campbell), he's happy to oblige. Oscar proves a sad excuse for a private eye, and finds himself falling in love with the woman that he's supposed to trail. To complicate matters, Charles gave Oscar the assignment because he was sure that Oscar is gay, and he hasn't been shy about telling people; soon Amy is convinced, along with most of Chicago. And while Oscar doesn't want to upset Newman, he also doesn't want to start living a lie, especially one that would keep him away from the woman he loves. So when Oscar is named Chicago's Gay Professional of the Year, what's a (straight) guy to do? Three to Tango features such familiar TV faces as Matthew Perry from Friends, Neve Campbell from Party of Five, and Dylan McDermott from The Practice. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Matthew Perry, Neve Campbell, (more)
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