Idina Menzel Movies
Idina Menzel got her start on the stage, rising to fame in the Broadway productions of the musicals Rent and Wicked, the latter of which she starred in as Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West. In 2003, Menzel married Rent co-star Taye Diggs, who had already begun a successful crossover to film and television acting. Menzel followed suit, but started out in more low-profile roles, as she remained active on the stage as well. She essayed bit parts in such features as the sleeper hit Kissing Jessica Stein (2001) and Just a Kiss (2002), and appeared in guest roles on such series as Grounded for Life, Rescue Me, and Diggs' short-lived drama Kevin Hill. Menzel graduated to supporting billing as the sister of the lead in The Tollbooth (2004) -- a comedy drama about a young painter struggling desperately to find herself despite the objections of her parents -- as well as reprising her Rent role in the 2005 film adaptation of that musical. In 2007, she was cast in another supporting role, this time in the highly promoted (primarily) live-action Disney fairy tale Enchanted. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2008
This musical release captures a live performance of selections from the musical Chess, recorded live at Royal Albert Hall in 2008. With story and lyrics by Tim Rice, the songs tell the story of a love triangle in the midst of theWorld Chess Championship. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Josh Groban, Idina Menzel, (more)
Classic Disney animation meets contemporary urban chaos when a frightened princess is banished from her magical animated homeland to modern-day New York City in a romantic comedy penned by Bill Kelly (Blast from the Past), directed by Kevin Lima (Tarzan), and featuring music by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz. Princess Giselle (Amy Adams) lives in the blissful cartoon world of Andalasia, where magical beings frolic freely and musical interludes punctuate every interaction. Though Princess Giselle is currently engaged to be married to the handsome Prince Edward (James Marsden), her fate takes a turn for the worse when the villainous Queen Narissa (Susan Sarandon) banishes her to the unforgiving metropolis of New York City. As the cruelty of the big city soon begins to wear down the fairy-tale exterior of the once-carefree princess, the frightened Giselle soon finds herself falling for a friendly but flawed divorce lawyer (Patrick Dempsey) whose kind compassion helps her to survive in this strange and dangerous new world. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amy Adams, Patrick Dempsey, (more)
Adapted from a novel by John Fante, Robert Towne's Ask the Dust stars Colin Farrell as Arturo Bandini, a young writer who comes to Los Angeles during the Great Depression in order to write a novel. As the film opens, he is down to his last nickel and decides to spend it on coffee in a diner. He is served by Camilla (Salma Hayek), a Mexican beauty he is instantly attracted to even though he treats her horribly during their first interaction. Soon the pair is involved in a relationship that finds them sparring with each other at first, but slowly learning to trust each other. Bandini meets the acquaintance of a desperate woman who sees him as the most desirable man in the world. Eventually Arturo and Camilla get away from the city and their love deepens as he attempts to finish his novel. Donald Sutherland co-stars as a seedy but helpful and loyal neighbor. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Colin Farrell, Salma Hayek, (more)
- 2005
- PG
The documentary ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway journeys behind the scenes of four Broadway productions mounted during the 2003-4 theatrical season that ultimately garnered nominations for Best Musical: Wicked, the Rosie O'Donnell/Boy George collaboration Taboo, Tony Kushner's Caroline, or Change and the iconoclastic puppet review Avenue Q. The film provides a glimpse into each stage of the theatrical process for these productions - from auditions to staging to rehearsals to previews to opening night to awards season. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
This film adaptation of the Broadway musical based loosely on Puccini's opera La Bohème features many members of the original cast. It follows a year in the lives of seven friends living the disappearing Bohemian lifestyle in New York's East Village. AIDS and both its physical and emotional complications pervade the lives of Roger (Adam Pascal), Mimi (Rosario Dawson), Tom (Jesse L. Martin), and Angel (Wilson Jermaine Heredia); Maureen (Idina Menzel) deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne (Tracie Thoms), wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble; Benjamin (Taye Diggs) has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends; and Mark (Anthony Rapp), an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general, always behind the camera recording the events but never playing a part. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Rapp, Adam Pascal, (more)
A young woman struggles to find herself despite the often oppressive influence of her family in this independent comedy drama. Sarabeth Cohen (Marla Sokoloff) has recently graduated from art school, and is determined to strike out on her own and establish herself as a painter. Her first bold step toward independence is moving away from home and getting a job in Manhattan, which doesn't do much to please her mother, Ruthie (Tovah Feldshuh), or her father, Isaac (Ronald Guttman), who don't make a secret of the fact they don't care for her artwork or her ambitions. Sarabeth's first steps toward her own life aren't very impressive -- short on money, she ends up moving in with her sister Raquel (Idina Menzel) and her sister's well-meaning but clueless husband, Howie (Jayce Bartok), and discovers her bedroom is a walk-in closet. Sarabeth also finds she isn't cut out to be a waitress, which makes the constant comparisons to her other sister, Becky (Liz Stauber), a hard-working medical student who is hiding her lesbianism from the family, all the more painful. And as Sarabeth struggles to find her place in the Big Apple, her boyfriend, Simon (Rob McEhenney), begins moving away from his own creative ambitions toward an easier life as a businessmen. The Tollbooth was the first feature film from writer and director Debra Kirschner. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marla Sokoloff
They say the heart goes where it will, and six people find theirs following a very complicated road map with a seventh creating some unexpected detours in this dark romantic comedy. Dag (Ron Eldard) is a successful director of television commercials who shares his home with his beautiful girlfriend, Halley (Kyra Sedgwick). Dag, however, has a serious case of roving eye and is given to frequent flings with other women. Halley tries to turn a blind eye to Dag's infidelity, but when she discovers he had a one-night stand with Rebecca (Marley Shelton), a beautiful but troubled dancer who is dating Dag's close friend Peter (Patrick Breen), she decides things have gone too far. Halley gives Dag his walking papers and she soon makes the acquaintance of Andre (Taye Diggs), a very handsome and well-mannered classical musician. Andre, however, is married to Colleen (Sarita Choudhury), a woman with exotic sexual tastes who meets up with Peter, now suddenly without a girlfriend, on an airline flight. Meanwhile, Peter's very angry confrontation with Dag attracts the attention of Paula (Marisa Tomei), a mysterious but very sexy woman who has taken a decidedly carnal interest in Peter. However, as Paula makes her way through Peter's daisy-chained circle of friends, events begin taking a strange turn as her new acquaintances begin dropping like flies. Just a Kiss was the first feature film directed by actor-turned-filmmaker Fisher Stevens. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ron Eldard, Kyra Sedgwick, (more)
A woman searching for the perfect man instead discovers the perfect woman in this romantic comedy. Jessica Stein (Jennifer Westfeldt) is a woman with a solid career as a copy editor, but her love life isn't much to write home about; she's been through a long series of disastrous first dates that refuse to evolve into second dates, and the well-intended advice of her best friend Joan (Jackie Hoffman) and former boyfriend Josh (Scott Cohen) isn't helping a bit. One day, Jessica is scanning personal ads in the newspaper with her friends, and she sees one with a quote from her favorite poet. Jessica reads on to discover that she has a lot in common with the person who placed the ad -- too much so, since it turns out the notice is from a woman, Helen Cooper (Heather Juergensen), who manages an art gallery. Jessica figures it would at least be nice to hang out with someone who shares her interests, and she gives Helen a call. Jessica and Helen quickly strike up a close friendship that evolves into something more intimate, though neither of them has ever been involved with another woman ... and Helen is a bit more avid about her new romantic horizons than Jessica. As their relationship progresses, Jessica finds herself struggling with her feelings about her new sexual outlook, and she isn't sure how to break the news about her relationship to her mother (Tovah Feldshuh) as she tries to decide if she should bring Helen along to her brother's wedding. Kissing Jessica Stein was based on the off-Broadway play Lipschtick, which was written by Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen, who starred in the original stage production as well as this film adaptation; the film won both the Critics' Special Jury Award and the Audience Award at the 2001 Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Westfeldt, Heather Juergensen, (more)
