Lukas Haas Movies
Born April 16, 1976, to a painter father and singer/screenwriter mother, actor Lukas Haas was discovered at age four in his West Hollywood, CA, elementary school. Haas' kindergarten principal spotted acting potential in the young student and encouraged his parents to set their sights on a movie career for the boy. They did so and Haas got his first film role in 1983's Testament, in which he played the youngest of the doomed children of post-apocalyptic housewife Jane Alexander. In 1985, Haas got his big break in the title role of Witness (1985), playing an Amish boy who witnesses a murder and must accept the protection of cop Harrison Ford. Haas received positive reviews for his performance in the widely lauded film and went on to further raves -- and an Emmy nomination -- four years later for his TV portrayal of AIDS victim Ryan White in The Ryan White Story. In-between came roles in such high-grade, sensitive teen fare as The Lady in White and The Wizard of Loneliness (both 1988).Haas then disappeared for awhile, making occasional appearances in films such as Rambling Rose (1991), which cast him as a sweet, sexually inquisitive adolescent. 1996 marked the beginning of a new stage in his career, when he appeared in four very different films. No longer the cute little Amish boy in Witness, the now tall, gawky actor showcased his talents in Woody Allen's musical comedy Everyone Says I Love You, Tim Burton's Mars Attacks!, the coming-of-age Boys (in which he co-starred with Winona Ryder), and Johns, in which he and David Arquette played down-and-out prostitutes in Los Angeles.
In 1998, the indignity of having his scenes deleted from Terrence Malick's The Thin Red Line was partially allayed by the praise Haas received for his lead role in David and Lisa, a made-for-TV movie co-produced by Oprah Winfrey. He went on to star as Bunny Hoover in the screen adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions, a role which put him in the company of such actors as Albert Finney, Bruce Willis, Nick Nolte, and Barbara Hershey.
After a smattering of minor roles -- and a stint in a band with Vincent Gallo -- Haas was very much in demand as an edgy supporting player as he approached his 30th birthday. Festival audiences got a double-dose of the actor in two high-profile 2005 indies: First as the gang kingpin known simply as Pin in the high-school noir Brick, then in a minor but memorable part as a friend to Michael Pitt's doomed rock star in Gus Van Sant's Last Days. Two higher-profile films of wildly different stripes followed: 2006's gritty crime drama Alpha Dog and the Duff sisters' bubblegum flop Material Girls. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Entourage star-turned-director Kevin Connolly teams with producer Leonardo DeCaprio to tell this darkly-comic tale of a twenty-something deli counter clerk (Lukas Haas) who still lives with his parents and spends most of his free time slacking with friends. After accidentally saving a neighborhood girl from a notorious serial rapist, the listless lunchmeat slinger becomes convinced that his newfound purpose in life is to become a true-life crime-fighter. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Giovanni Ribisi, Lukas Haas, (more)
A loner with a secret life discovers that someone wants to intrude on his solitude in this independent drama. Carter (Lukas Haas) is a shy and introspective young man who works as a repairman at an auto garage alongside Leroy (Lee Weaver) and his son, Bobby (Chris Williams). When he's not fixing cars, Carter devotes most of his time to following Ann (Brianne Davis), a pretty girl who plays the violin and doesn't seem to have any interest in him. Despite this, Carter trails her wherever he goes and regularly hides beneath her window so he can hear her play. While Carter worships Ann from afar (or not so afar), he has a stalker of his own, Darla (January Jones), a girl who waits tables at a diner near the auto shop and is obviously fascinated with him. A misplaced astronomy text makes Carter aware that Darla has been following him, and they edge into a cautious romance. Swedish Auto was the first feature film from writer and director Derek Sieg. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lukas Haas, January Jones, (more)
- 2006
When the former best friend of a now-successful writer suddenly appears following an extended absence, the confrontation that follows will alter their views of the past and forever transform the future in a simmering tale of lost friendship from director Matt Bissonette. It's been five long years since Daniel Bloom (Adam Scott) has heard from his longtime friend Will Morrison (Lukas Haas). After growing up together and even seeing Daniel serve as best man at Will's wedding to the beautiful Maggie (Molly Parker), no one would have suspected that the pair would part ways on such awkward terms. Now, after half a decade away, Will has suddenly appeared on the doorstep of Mary (Wendy Crewson) and Arthur's (R.H. Thompson) remote island cottage. Subsequently summoned back to his childhood haunt by a concerned phone call from his mother, Daniel departs from New York to finally find what became of the long-missing Will. But quite a bit has changed since those innocent days of youth, and just as the harsh words exchanged between the pair suddenly erupt into physical violence, Mary receives word that Maggie is waiting to be picked up at the local dock. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lukas Haas, Molly Parker, (more)
- 2005
John Steinbeck's fable of how wealth destroys the life of a simple man is given another screen adaptation in this drama. Kino (Lukas Haas) is a diver who scrapes together a meager living off the coast of Mexico. One day, Kino makes an amazing discovery -- he finds a giant pearl whose value could seemingly give his family a new lease on life. But Dr. Karl (Richard Harris), a man who deals the pearls scavenged by the local divers, wants Kino's remarkable find, and will stop at nothing to get it. As Kino struggles to hold on to his treasure, greater misfortune befalls his family, and he soon comes to regret ever pulling the pearl from the sea. The Pearl proved to be one of the last films to star Richard Harris, and the project didn't see release in the United States until three years after his death in the fall of 2002 -- hence the posthumous screen credit. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lukas Haas, Richard Harris, (more)
The sophomore outing for Mark Illsley, the writer and director of 1999's Happy Texas, Bookies is a return to the crime comedy genre of the filmmaker's first project. Starring Nick Stahl, Lukas Haas, and Johnny Galecki as college buddies Toby, Casey, and Jude, the film begins with the trio upset over a substantial gambling loss. After paying up, they decide that they are on the wrong side of the transaction and concoct a plan to become bookies themselves. Working in the shadows so as not to let on that they are anything but professionals, the young entrepreneurs devise a system that involves leaving money in unpopular books at the library where Jude works. Before they know it, the guys are rolling in the dough. Casey buys a bunch of computer equipment, Jude gets himself a drug habit, and Toby uses his newfound wealth to impress Hunter, a fellow student played by Rachael Leigh Cook. But just as fast as things started to go well, they take an unexpected turn. The boys are making so much money that they're cutting into the business of the local mafia. As one might expect, the thugs don't take too kindly to competition. Also starring John Diehl and David Proval, Bookies premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nick Stahl, Lukas Haas, (more)
The Lathe of Heaven was a made-for-cable remake of the 1980 TV movie of the same name, both based upon the futuristic novel by Ursula K. LeGuin. Former child star Lukas Haas is effectively cast as George Orr, an otherwise ordinary man who experiences extraordinary dreams. When the visions in his head begin coming true -- and even seem to be altering reality -- the anguished Orr consults psychiatrist Walter Haber (James Caan), which is the first of many miscalculations on the part of the protagonist. Dr. Haber intends to harness George's "talent" to bring his own peculiar notion of Utopia to full fruition. Will the fabric of the space-time continuum unravel as Haber plots and plans and Orr's dreams become more and more frightening? And how does Orr's extremely skeptical (and ravishingly beautiful) lawyer Heather LaLache (Lisa Bonet) figure into all this? Lathe of Heaven made its A&E cable network bow on September 8, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
The life of female district attorney Joey Amos (Claire Rankin) is irreversibly altered after she prosecutes the wealthy and influential Dr. Leonard Wolcott (Tom Irwin) for molesting his daughter Dinah (Alexandra Kyle). When Wolcott is acquitted, Joey takes matters in her own hands, escaping with little Dinah and escaping to a woodland retreat. Even here, however, Joey and Dinah are not safe: If the marauding wildlife doesn't kill them, they will surely meet their doom at the hands of the vengeful Dr. Wolcott and his thuggish henchman. Fortunately, the area is under the jurisdiction of a kindly sheriff named Hayes (Julian McMahon), who makes it his personal mission to rescue the fugitives--if only he can overcome his own personal demons. Filmed under the title In Quiet Night, this nailbiter made its American debut over the Lifetime cable network, rechristened You Belong to Me Forever. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Oprah Winfrey co-produced this psychological drama, a TV movie remake of the acclaimed black-and-white low-budget ($180,000) 1962 David and Lisa. The original earned $1 million in its first run and also earned Oscar nominations for director Frank Perry and screenwriter Eleanor Perry, who adapted the story from the case history by Theodore Isaac Rubin. The script for the remake is credited to director Lloyd Kramer, Eleanor Perry, and Rubin. Emotionally disturbed teenager David (Lukas Haas), a genius with a fear of being touched, is taken by his mother to an institution where he encounters compassionate psychiatrist, Dr. Jack Miller (Sidney Poitier) and free-spirited teen Lisa (Brittany Murphy), who speaks in rhyme. Although Miller makes a supreme effort with David, it's Lisa who succeeds in reaching out to David and making contact with him, quelling his demons with love. The remake relocates the story from the East Coast to the West Coast, where it was filmed in Los Angeles locations (Venice, Los Feliz). The telepic premiered November 1, 1998 on ABC. When this remake was filmed, Rubin was still a practicing psychiatrist in New York at the age of 75. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sidney Poitier, Lukas Haas, (more)
- 1996
In this low-budget screwball-mystery, the death of an L.A. woman leads to a surreal murder investigation on the outer fringes of la-la land. When Molly McMannis (Justine Bateman) turns up dead, still impaled with the murder weapon -- a carrot -- the police launch a probe into the colorful world Molly inhabited. The suspects range from her ex-con brother to her roommate to her high-strung friend (Heather Graham). But a more likely culprit lurks among the ranks of a therapy group full of off-the-wall serial killers and the shrinks who coddle them. The fetishistic police detectives -- including sadistic interrogator Angela Pierce (Jill Hennessy) -- prove as disturbing as the people they're investigating. In fact, their unorthodox procedures leave the door open for the killer to strike again. Written, produced, and directed by Jordan Alan, who previously helmed the similarly offbeat Love and Happiness, Kiss and Tell features a who's who of obscure and indie Hollywood talent, including veteran actor Lewis Arquette and his three famous sons. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Howitt, Daniel Craig, (more)
- 1994
A young adventurer and his Native American friend go searching for treasure in the Yukon. The bonds of their friendship are tested when they encounter opposition from a hostile tribe and must struggle to escape with their lives. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lukas Haas, Alain Musy, (more)
- 1992
Art meets adventure in this made-for-TV movie compiled from episodes of the television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. First, ten-year-old Indy (Corey Carrier) is visiting Paris with his parents (Lloyd Owen and Ruth de Sosa) in 1908 when they meet a pair of up-and-coming artists with unusual creative perspectives, Pablo Picasso and Edgar Degas, though he seems more at home with American expatriate Norman Rockwell. Later, the Jones family is on a safari in Africa when they encounter Teddy Roosevelt, and they help him hunt down a rare specimen of antelope. Young Indiana Jones Chronicles: Passion for Life was edited from two installments of the TV show: "Paris, September 1908" and "British East Africa, September 1909." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Corey Carrier, Lukas Haas, (more)
- 1991
Jason Robards, who portrayed Abraham Lincoln in a 1964 Hallmark Hall of Fame production of Abe Lincoln in Illinois, reprised the role 27 years later in the made-for-TV The Perfect Tribute. The film intertwines two separate plot threads. In one, Lincoln, plagued by the war and the conduct of his generals, prepares to deliver a speech at Gettysburg. In the secondary story, 13-year-old Lukas Haas leaves his Atlanta home to find his brother Campbell Scott, who has been mortally wounded at Gettysburg. Filmed in Georgia, The Perfect Tribute was based on a 1905 story by Mary Raymond Shipman Andrews (that's all one person). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Set upon a struggling turn-of-the-century Texas sugar-cane plantation, this brutal and realistic drama centers on the efforts of an aging plantation boss (Robert Duvall), using convicts for workers, to keep his farm afloat. The story is adapted from Horton Foote's cycle of plays The Orphan's Home. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Duvall, Lukas Haas, (more)
- 1988
Ryan White was the teenaged hemophiliac who contacted AIDS through a blood transfusion, then was barred from attending school in Kokomo, Indiana. All but ostracized by the community, Ryan's mother (Judith Light) engages the services of a high-powered attorney (George C. Scott) to win back her son's basic rights. While the film ends with Ryan triumphing over his human adversaries, no effort is made to sugarcoat the situation. Even after he has been welcomed by another school, we see how the boy is shunned by certain students and their parents; nor is there any glossing over the fact that Ryan's days are numbered, despite the boy's enthusiastic plans for the time he has left (young White died shortly after this TV movie was first telecast in 1989). Despite its inherent sadness, The Ryan White Story is a celebration of an exceptional young human being whose short life touched so many others in a positive, uplifting manner. While Lukas Haas portrays the title character, the real Ryan White appears in the small role of Chad, another hemophiliac AIDS victim. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
A father's descent into alcoholism is chronicled in this powerful made-for-TV drama. Much of the story centers on the devastating effects that his drinking has on his family. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Sheen, Melinda Dillon, (more)
- 1985
In this Stephen Cannell-produced pilot for a potential TV detective series, Mac Davis plays an ex-highway patrolman and Joseph Cortese an ex-trucker, related by marriage. Their wives were twin sisters--were, because in addition to all the other "ex" qualifications in their lives, Davis and Cortese are ex-husbands. Still pals after their group divorce, the boys become private eyes. Their first case is to get the goods on a shady tycoon (Robert Culp), who happens to be their former father-in-law. Brothers-in-Law was the first Steven J. Cannell independent production which failed to sell as a series, but it wouldn't be the last. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
See if you can predict the ending of this one. John Ritter and Cassie Yates are the next-door neighbors of Penny Marshall and Bert Convy. Ritter and Marshall can't stand each other. But presto! Ritters' wife Yates runs off with Marshall's husband Convy. The two spurned spouses meet to bemoan their individual fates. Love Thy Neighbor is a TV-movie comedy with a TV-movie cast and a TV-movie denouement. The only surprise is the absence of a laugh track. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A suburban housewife heads out for a quick trip to the local mall, only to find herself trapped in the forest and forced to fend for herself against four murderous hooligans. Kim Basinger and Lukas Haas star in a thriller produced by Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro and directed by Susan Montford. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kim Basinger, Lukas Haas, (more)
Actor-turned-director David Arquette co-scripted and directed this political horror feature concerning a group of friends who are stalked by a psychotic killer with a Ronald Reagan fixation during an outdoor music festival. Lukas Haas, Thomas Jane, Jason Mewes, Paul Reubens, Balthazar Getty, and Jamie King star in a film that was co-written by Darkness Falls screenwriter Joe Harris. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richmond Arquette, Paz de la Huerta, (more)
Writer/director Boaz Yakin explores the burdens carried by the descendants of those who survived with this family drama about a woman (Jacqueline Bisset) who managed to live through her harrowing stint in a Nazi concentration camp, and her two dysfunctional sons. Having managed to survive in a Nazi concentration camp by seducing the doctor who carried out experimental surgeries on the prisoners, a young Jewish woman moves to New York and starts a family. Years later, her two grown sons seem poised to become casualties of their mother's desperate past. Her eldest son (Josh Lucas) works at a fraudulent modeling agency that profits off the dreams of fame seekers. His psychosexual escapades and intellectual diatribes act as a barrier to the outside world, yet just when it seems that his life has lost all meaning, a charming young co-worker (Adam Brody) helps him to realize that in order to survive, he will have to embrace change. Meanwhile, the highly erratic mother and her younger son (Lukas Haas) have become locked in a compulsive, co-dependent cycle that now threatens to consume them both. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Lucas, Jacqueline Bisset, (more)
When a San Francisco homicide detective with a keen eye for criminal profiling is fired for botching the arrest of a notorious serial killer, his subsequent effort to reinvent himself as an insurance claims case-investigator leads him to study a series of perplexing wrongful deaths in this comedy starring Joseph Fiennes, Winona Ryder, Tim Blake Nelson, and Wilmer Valderrama. Michael Burrows (Fiennes) isn't your typical detective. Though Detective Burrows is a paranoid obsessive-compulsive who faints at the sight of blood, his remarkable insight into the criminal mindset has nevertheless made him a valuable asset to the San Francisco Police Department. When Detective Burrows' idiosyncrasies allow the feared "North Beach Killer" to elude capture, however, he is fired by his superiors. Upon offering his unique skills to a doubting insurance company, Burrows is given 30 days in which to prove he can sort out the legitimate claims from the false ones. Now, as Burrows makes for the Midwest in the company of hard-nosed field agent Siri Tyler (Ryder), the film student (Valderrama) who has been following the former detective for his thesis follows the pair as they investigate a series of forehead-slapping deaths, including that of a powerful executive who attempts to prove that his high-rise window is unbreakable and a pair of English tourists who fatally misinterpret the "cruise control" function on their rented RV. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joseph Fiennes, Winona Ryder, (more)
A drug dealer moves on to bigger crimes in an effort to settle a score with disastrous results in this drama inspired by actual events. Though barely out of his teens, Johnny Truelove (Emile Hirsch) has already built a lucrative career for himself selling drugs -- he has his own home, a luxury car, and posse of friends who do double duty as his crew, including Elvis (Shawn Hatosy), Frankie (Justin Timberlake), and Tiko (Fernando Vargas). While life at Johnny's house is usually a constant party interrupted by occasional dope deals, Johnny has lost all of his patience with Jake Mazursky (Ben Foster), a regular customer who has run up a large tab that he can't pay. Determined to clear Jake's account, Johnny and his boys plan to kidnap Jake and hold him for ransom, but when they happen upon his 15-year-old stepbrother, Zack (Anton Yelchin), they impulsively decide to take the youngster instead. Jake's father, Butch (David Thornton), and his stepmother, Olivia (Sharon Stone), are already furious with their junkie son when they learn about Zack's disappearance, and aren't sure what they should do. Meanwhile at Johnny's place, Frankie takes a liking to young Zack, who already admires his brother's high-flying lifestyle, and introduces the kid to the joys of grown-up partying, which he takes to with dangerous zeal. Also featuring Bruce Willis as Johnny's father, Alpha Dog was based on the real-life story of Jesse James Hollywood, who at the age of 21 became one of the youngest people to ever appear on the FBI's "Most Wanted" list. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emile Hirsch, Justin Timberlake, (more)
