Marisa Coughlan Movies

A henpecked husband locked in a dead-end job attempts to reclaim his life with a little help from a self-assured teen and a pretty lingerie sales girl in this bittersweet romantic comedy starring Aaron Eckhart, Elizabeth Banks, and Jessica Alba. Bill (Eckhart) is a walking doormat; his in-laws look down their noses at him, his wife, Jess (Banks), neglects him, and his love for chocolate is beginning to affect his waistline. When Bill discovers that Jess has recently struck up a "friendship" with hotshot local reporter Chip Johnson (Timothy Olyphant) that she can't quite explain, his fears that his wife may have strayed are quickly confirmed. One day, a group of kids from the mentor program show up at the bank Bill works at, and one particularly insightful boy (Logan Lerman) recognizes that all is not well with the hapless husband and banker. Convinced that all Bill needs to win his wife back and reclaim his life is a healthy shot of self-esteem, the quick-thinking teen teams with a perky lingerie sales girl named Lucy (Alba) to confront Bill's problems with humor and energy. In the process, Bill not only begins to break free from the inhibitions that have prevented him from achieving success in both his personal and professional lives, but also begins to realize his dreams of being financially independent and self-confident. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The unexpected death of a close friend prompts a group of developmentally arrested twenty-somethings to move beyond their youthful indulgences and face the frightening prospect of entering into the adult world in director Michael Oates' heart-rending but good-humored coming of age tale. The funeral of their faithful high-school pal Bender just days away, college hopeful Mitch (Kip Pardue), hard-working Stan (Eddie Kay Thomas), and perpetually wasted Dixon Josh Cooke) come together to pay tribute to their fallen friend by tooling around their old home town and straining to top their notorious high-school hi-jinks. Their lives seemingly pre-destined to follow some invisible but unwavering path, Mitch and Stan watch over their volatile friend Dixon as the troubled walking time-bomb attempts to bury his guilt for being at the scene of the accident but unable to save Bender's life. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A guy looking for a break in the movie biz discovers the power of word of mouth in this satirical comedy. Kevin Taylor (Jordan Bridges) is an aspiring screenwriter who has pulled up stakes and moved to Los Angeles to pursue his dream. While working a day job, Kevin meets Marianne Roxbury (Marisa Coughlan), who is trying to work her way up the Hollywood ladder as a production executive. Biz-savvy Marianne advises Kevin that it makes more sense to spend his days schmoozing and making contacts rather than writing if he actually wants to get paid for his work and see it on a screen. With this in mind, Kevin takes a job as an assistant to Muster Hansau (Dan Hedaya), a once-powerful producer whose career is in a downward spiral. Kevin comes to realize he's merely a glorified errand boy for a washed-up blowhard, and the only people he meets are fellow lackeys with little real pull in the business, so he decides to have some fun and starts talking up a screenplay called "The New Suit" by Jordan Strawberry, even though both the script and the writer exist only in his imagination. Not wanting to sound out of the loop, no one admits they don't know anything about Strawberry and his work, and before long gossip has turned "The New Suit" into the most sought-after project in town, and Kevin finds himself controlling the destiny of a hot new writer who doesn't exist. The first American film from French director François Velle, New Suit also features Heather Donahue, Paul McCrane, and Amber Smith. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A handful of state troopers are put in the uncomfortable position of having to actually enforce the law in this high-spirited comedy. Mac (Steve Lemme), Thorny (Jay Chandrasekhar), Foster (Paul Stoter), and Rabbit (Erik Stolhanske) are four Vermont state troopers whose dedication to duty is not exactly an inspiration to law enforcement officers everywhere. Stationed in a small town near the Canadian border, the troopers don't have much to do, so they while away their hours smoking dope and harassing hapless motorists. Their superior officer, Capt. O'Hagan (Brian Cox), likes the boys and they try to keep their more outrageous antics out of his earshot, but they often run afoul of fellow trooper Farva (Kevin Heffernan), who insists on doing things by the book. When Governor Jessman (Lynda Carter) announces massive budget cuts for Vermont law enforcement personnel, things look bad for the troopers and they must quickly prove their worth or they'll be forced to look for real jobs. Appropriately enough, the troopers stumble upon some information regarding a group of marijuana dealers operating along the border; the guys figure this is just the sort of high-profile bust that could save their careers, but the police department of a nearby town gets wind of the troopers' plans. The Earlville police are no friends of the troopers, and they set out to ruin their moment of glory. Super Troopers was written by the five-man comedy troupe Broken Lizard, who also star as the five troopers; the group's leader, Jay Chandrasekhar, directed. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The blurry line between a rumor and the truth is stretched to the breaking point in this drama. Three arrogant and self-centered college students, Jones (Lena Headey), Derek (James Marsden), and Travis (Norman Reedus), are brought together for a class project, in which they decide to start a rumor and keep track of how it spreads. Looking for possible gossip material, they see Naomi (Kate Hudson), a girl known for her high-minded views on saving sex for marriage, drunkenly making out with Bo (Joshua Jackson) at a party. The three students begin passing around the rumor that Naomi became a victim of date rape later that evening, embroidering the truth with allegations that Bo forcibly seduced Naomi after she was too inebriated to put up a fight. Before long, the rumor makes its way back to Naomi herself, who suffered a black-out on the night in question after too much alcohol. Naomi panics, and convinced that the rumor is true, contacts the police, who assign Detective Kelly (Sharon Lawrence) to investigate the charges of rape filed against Bo. Featuring a cast of young actors best known for their work on television, Gossip was an appropriate first feature film for director Davis Guggenheim, who previously distinguished himself on such TV series as ER, NYPD Blue, and Party of Five. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

After the success of Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, and television's Dawson's Creek, screenwriter Kevin Williamson made his directorial debut with this screwball thriller in which an honor roll student and two friends kidnap their witchy teacher. Although her single mom (Lesley Ann Warren), a waitress, struggles to make ends meet, aspiring writer Leigh Ann Watson (Katie Holmes) works hard, avoids sexual temptation, and focuses on her studies. She hopes to make valedictorian and earn a scholarship to college -- and get away from her dead-end hometown. As her senior year draws to a close, however, she's dogged by harsh grades from her vituperative history instructor, Mrs. Tingle (Helen Mirren). On the same day she finds out that she's still in second place behind fellow valedictory candidate Mary Beth Carter (Liz Stauber), Leigh Ann must endure Mrs. Tingle's fierce criticism of the final project into which she's poured her heart. After commiserating with her best friend, aspiring actress Jo Lynn Jordan (Marisa Coughlan), and hunky stoner Luke Churner (Barry Watson), Leigh Ann runs even further afoul of Mrs. Tingle; Luke stashes an advance copy of the teacher's final exam in Leigh Ann's backpack and Tingle discovers it, promising to turn Leigh Ann in for cheating and ruin her chances of a better life. When the three teens turn up at Tingle's house to try to reason with her, Luke and Jo Lynn manage to accidentally kidnap Mrs. Tingle. Soon the three students are keeping their teacher a prisoner, trying to figure out how to blackmail her into silence while maintaining the illusion that nothing strange is going on. Teaching Mrs. Tingle was filmed under the name "Killing Mrs. Tingle," but the title was changed after a rash of real-life high school killing sprees made the headlines. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi