Brett Hadley Movies

John Goodman is cast as the Sultan of Swat, whose excesses -- especially drinking -- and private demons can (in this context) be excused in view of his genuine love of baseball. The facts never get in the way of a good story for screenwriter John Fusco; we're even offered the umpteenth rehash of "Little Johnny", the largely fanciful tale of the invalid boy who promises to get well if Babe hits him a homer (as in Pride of the Yankees, the cured Johnny makes return a appearance as grownup). The most amusing fabrication is the casting of narrow James Cromwell as the Babe's orphanage mentor Brother Mathias, who in real life weighed 300 pounds. Many of the characters are composites, notably Bruce Boxleitner's Jumpin' Joe Dugan. At least Ruth's two wives--Trini Alvarado as Helen, who suffers Babe's many peccadilloes and dies under strange circumstances, and Kelly McGillis as Claire, who keeps Babe on a very short leash-are depicted with a modicum of accuracy. The baseball sequences are well handled (though there could have been less slo-mo) while Elmer Bernstein's charmingly old-fashioned musical score is right in tune with the film's approach to its subject. The Babe is rated PG; had this been the whole truth and nothing but, and R rating would probably have been in order. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Spoiled-rotten teenager Jessie (Ally Sheedy) can't stand the notion that the whole world doesn't jump to the crack of her whip. Her overindulgent father, millionaire Charles Montgomery (Tom Skerritt), wishes he could teach his daughter a lesson, but can't bring himself to deny his little darling everything her heart desires. Unfortunately, she gets her comeuppance when, after finding out that Jessie has been arrested, her father mutters a wish that she'd never been born. Zap! Enter fairy godmother Stella (Beverly D'Angelo), who grants the wish. With no name, no friends, and no money, Jessie has no choice but to look for work. She is hired as a maid by a filthy rich Malibu couple (Valerie Perrine and Dick Shawn), whose selfish excesses make Jessie look like Pollyanna. Worse still, Jessie is compelled by circumstance to meet up with her father, who doesn't even recognize her. The key to the film's success is the wonderfully many-sided performance of Ally Sheedy. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Fresh from his triumphant movie appearance in Blazing Saddles, Cleavon Little guest stars as James Travis Clark, the Waltons' new hired man. Upon learning that James is a prizefighter, Olivia (Michael Learned) and Grandma (Ellen Corby) strongly express their disapproval--until they find out that he plans to use the prize money from his upcoming bout to finance the building of a church for the local African American community. Unfortunately, it turns out that the fight is fixed, and James has no hope of winning. But though he's been counted out in the ring, James still may emerge a winner thanks to the help and support of his new friends on Walton's Mountain. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this crime drama, a hard-nosed cop is assigned to find a psychotic rapist in order to stop a mad bomber with delusions of grandeur who has been razing Los Angeles buildings to punish the evil sinners that live therein. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi