Dorie Barton Movies

A Los Angeles defense attorney discovers that in order to marry the love of his life, he'll first have to convince her rugged father that all lawyers aren't sharks. James White (Jeremy London) is a successful young lawyer who will soon be happily married if all goes as planned. Deeply in love with country-bred doctor Sadie Ryder (Dorie Barton), James plans on asking for his true love's hand in marriage when the pair head back to rural Pine Gap to celebrate Christmas with her family. Trouble is, Sadie's gruff father Karl (James Gammon) doesn't care much for city boys, and the less said about his opinion of lawyers the better. Over the course of the next week, James is prepared to do everything in his power to win Karl over, whether it be baling hay with the good old boys or heading out for the hunt despite the fact that he's never fired a gun. All the while, Sadie's well-meaning Aunt Trudy (Sally Struthers) does her best to convince her niece to date a real man, like the girl's rough-and-tumble high school sweetheart Clint (John Littlefield). Later, when a group of environmentalists hatch a plan to turn the county into a national park, it appears that the days of Ryder Ranch may be numbered. While James realizes that a good lawyer to help get the family out of their current jam, he realizes that Sadie's father isn't willing to listen to reason. Still determined to impress Karl and win Sadie's hand in marriage, James hastily sets out into the wilderness in order to prove that he can live off the land with the best of them. By the time the rescue team is called, few will doubt that James' love for Sadie is genuine. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In the conclusion of a two-part story, would-be dictator Vandal Savage has commandeered the weaponry of the country of Kasnia, thereby enabling him to hold the world for ransom with a powerful orbiting ray gun. It is up to Bartman and Wonder Woman to stop Savage in his tracks -- and, incidentally, to rescue Princess Audrey from the ignominious fate of becoming Savage's bride. Meanwhile, J'onn J'onnz, The Flash, and The Green Lantern race against time to disarm the deadly ray. ~ Rovi

A human bone found in the desert leads to the discovery of several other bone fragments. Working on the theory that the skeleton was sliced up with a saw and scattered all over a mountain, Catherine (Marg Helgenberger) and Grissom (William L. Petersen) literally have their work cut out for them. Meanwhile, Warrick (Gary Dourdan) and Sarah (Jorja Fox) investigate the murder of a male stripper during a wedding party. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This Yuletide-season TV movie reverses the standard "three girls on the make" formula of many an old 20th Century Fox movie, of which How to Marry a Millionaire is a choice example. This time out, a trio of enterprising young men decide to go on the prowl for rich wives, after first consulting a nonplussed department-store Santa with their intentions. The plan, as hatched by the impoverished heroes, Tom (John Stamos), Jason (Shermar Moore), and Mark (Joshua Malina), is as follows: They will pose as hot-shot Hollywood movie producers, the better to entice attractive and wealthy young women to invest in their newest "production" -- and hopefully, to entrap said women into matrimony. As so often happens in stories of this nature, however, love ultimately triumphs over money. A bit too top-heavy with racy double entendres and potentially unsavory situations, the film is redeemed somewhat by the presence of Dabney Coleman and Rhea Perlman, cast as an older couple named -- believe it or not -- John and Jackie Kennedy. How to Marry a Billionaire: A Christmas Tale made its first Fox Network appearance on December 20, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Nora Ephron directed and co-wrote this updated adaptation of a classic situation comedy that also casts a satirical eye on the entertainment industry. Jack Wyatt (Will Ferrell) is a movie star whose career has been going into a slow and steady decline. Desperate for a project that will give his reputation a jump start, Jack agrees to star in a film version of the once-popular television series Bewitched as hapless hubby Darrin Stephens, under the condition that an unknown actress be cast as the female lead so he won't be upstaged. After auditioning dozens of women who fail to make the grade, Jack meets lovely and charming Isabel Bigelow (Nicole Kidman), and is immediately certain she's the perfect choice to play witch-turned-housewife Samantha. However, there's one thing neither Jack nor the producers of the film know -- Isabel really is a witch, and while she's been trying to get along without her powers to better fit in among mortals, she will use her special talents when need be. The film also stars Michael Caine as Isabel's father, Nigel, Shirley MacLaine as Iris Smythson (the actress hired to play Endora), and Jason Schwartzman as Jack's agent. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Director Peyton Reed and screenwriters Eve Ahlert and Dennis Drake pay homage to the frothy romantic comedies of the early '60s -- in particular the Doris Day/Rock Hudson vehicles -- in this light-hearted and affectionate spoof. Barbara Novak (Renée Zellweger) is a sweet but savvy small-town librarian who has arrived in New York City with big plans to take on the town. Embracing a feminist philosophy years before it becomes common or fashionable, Novak writes a book called "Down With Love," in which she presents her theory that romantic relationships cause more problems than they solve for women, and urges women to focus instead on what will truly make them happy -- self-reliance, a solid career, and a healthy sex life (or chocolate if the latter is unavailable at the moment). Almost overnight, "Down With Love" becomes a minor scandal and a major bestseller, but not every man is America is happy with the new breed of liberated (and demanding) women spawned by the book's success, and Catcher Block (Ewan McGregor), a lady-killing bachelor who writes for Know Magazine, decides to put Novak to the test. Posing as a shy, retiring type, Block is determined to make Novak fall in love with him, and then share the details with the world through an article in Know. Block's editor Peter MacMannus (David Hyde-Pierce) thinks this is a splendid idea, but to Block's distress, he discovers himself developing real feelings for Novak. Down With Love also features Tony Randall, who significantly appeared in three films with Rock Hudson and Doris Day. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi