Jan Hooks
The world's most obnoxious celebrity talk-show host demonstrates how he rose to mediocrity in this pungent show business satire. Jiminy Glick (Martin Short) is a corpulent entertainment reporter who is looking to kick his career into high gear. Hoping to snag some celebrity interviews, Jiminy and his wife, Dixie (Jan Hooks), head north of the border to Canada, where Jiminy will attend the Toronto Film Festival. At first, Glick's attempts to ingratiate himself with stars and semi-stars are little short of disastrous, but after the easily star-struck reporter allows egocentric filmmaker Ben DiCarlo (Corey Pearson) to shamelessly self-promote his latest project on air, word gets around that Glick is an "easy interview," and his star begins to rise. However, Jiminy's good fortune is tempered by his unwitting involvement in a murder plot centered around booze-addled actress Miranda Coolidge (Elizabeth Perkins) and her wildly pretentious husband, Andre Devine (John Michael Higgins). Somewhere along the way, filmmaker David Lynch (played by Short) happens along, offering his theories on the controversial murder of Lana Turner's paramour Johnny Stompanato. A large number of Hollywood celebrities make cameo appearances in Jiminy Glick in La La Wood, including Steve Martin, Kevin Kline, Susan Sarandon, Whoopi Goldberg, Forest Whitaker, Kiefer Sutherland, and Sharon Stone. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Short, Jan Hooks, (more)
The riotous conclusion of the fantasy sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun's fourth season has a big spillover effect at the beginning of Season Five. The Solomon "family", a group of aliens in human form who've come to earth on a fact-finding mission, are relieved to discover that the baby borne by Harry Solomon's (French Stewart) earthling girl-friend Vicki (Jan Hooks) is human, despite her having been impregnated by the Solomon's extraterrestrial leading, the Big Giant Head (who in his own human form is a dead ringer for William Shatner!). But things haven't quite returned to normal yet: Overwhelmed by her experience, Vicki has threatened to take her story about the Solomons' alien status to the tabloids (too bad she didn't give birth to a bat-baby, or she'd make Page One). Season highlights include such episodes as "Dial M for Dick", in which the Solomons takes an interactive murder mystery staged at a mansion a bit too seriously; "Dick Who's Coming to Dinner", wherein the aliens come face to face with the ugly specte of racism for the first time; "Sex and the Sally" which finds Harry Solomon and his teenaged-looking cohort Tommy Solomon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) becoming novice panhandlers for fun and profit; and a shameless a spoof of the 1973 PBS documentary An American Family, in which the Solomons become the subjects of a documentary filmed by Dick's human lady friend Mary Albright (Jane Curtin)--forcing them to concoct bizarre "cover stories" for their otherworldy behavior. Best of all, William Shatner makes two encore appearances in "The Big Giant Head Returns", in which he is determined to reclaim his son from Vicki whether she likes it or not; and in the season finale, wherein the Big Giant Head and Vicki have somehow become man and wife (much to his dismay!), Harry prepares to re-enter the dating scene, and Sally helpfully tries to repair the alien-human romance between Tommy and his sweetie Alyssa (Larisa Oleynik). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Lithgow, Jane Curtin, (more)
Resolving the cliffhanger ending of Season Three, Season Four of 3rd From the Sun finds the Solomon family--actually a team of aliens who've assumed human form while on a fact-finding mission on Planet Earth--desperately searching for their kidnapped colleague Harry Solomon (French Stewart), handicapped by the loss of their extraterrestrial powers at the behest of their disgruntled leader The Big Giant Head. Once this crisis is resolved, we have time enough to become acquainted with the newest member of the cast, Larisa Oleynik, cast as Alissa Strudwick, the new human girlfriend of alien scientist Tommy Solomon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) (who is still confined to his teenaged body despite his advancing years). The off-and-on romance between group leader Dick Solomon (John Lithgow), who has taken a job as a teacher at Pendleton College, and Dick's colleague Dr. Mary Albright (Jane Curtin), undergoes more "offs" than "ons" this season. That's because Mary has been promoted to college dean, making her Dick's boss--and he doesn't like the situation one teeny tiny bit. Season Four's better episodes include "Collect Call for Dick", a broad spoof of the current Beanie Babies craze in which Dick becomes obsessed to the point of addiction over accumulating a huge collection of "Fuzzy Buddy" toys; "I Am Dick Pentameter", featuring Laurie Metcalf (Roseanne) as an airheaded eccentric who comes between Dick and Mary; "Indecent Dick", wherein Sally Solomon (Kristen Johnson) has become so comfortably in her earthly "female" form that she's willing to pose for a nudie magazine, much to the chagrin of her human beau Officer Don (Wayne Knight); and "Two Faced Dick", an all-stops-out laff riot in which Sally requests a "gender reassignment" and is allowed to exchange bodies with Dick. Also: The Solomons are threatened with being exposed as aliens when forced to file their first IRS form in "Dick and Taxes"; another near-exposure occurs in "Alien Hunter", with Kathy Bates playing the highly suspicious title character; and as the "family" comes to face to face with the Internet for the first time, Harry Solomon and his human sweetie Vicki discuss the possibility of having children, in "Y2dicK". The fourth season ends with the long-awaited arrival on earth of the Big Giant Head, who calls himself "Stone Philips" but whose human form very closely resembles that of William Shatner. Having shown up to rake the Solomons over the coals for failing to fulfill their mission, the Big Giant Head not only demotes Dick as high commander, but also manages to impregnate the hapless Vicki--who, in the process, becomes the first human on the series to tumble to the Solomons' alien status. 3rd Rock from the Sun wrapped up its fourth year on the air with two more Emmy Awards, as John Lithgow collected his third statuette and Kristen Johnson received her second. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Lithgow, Jane Curtin, (more)
This comedy-drama features a narration by Jim Carrey, looking back to childhood in a manner similar to the narration on TV's The Wonder Years. The film is the directorial debut of writer Mark Steven Johnson, scripter of Grumpy Old Men and its sequel. Johnson adapted only a small portion of John Irving's 600-page novel A Prayer for Owen Meany (1989), but Irving requested a credit other than "based on" and also asked that the character name of Owen Meany be changed. So Owen became Simon Birch -- which then required a title change. In the title role is 11-year-old Ian Michael Smith, who is afflicted with Morquio's syndrome, a genetic disorder which causes dwarfism. The story begins when Joe Wenteworth (Jim Carrey) visits the grave of his childhood friend Simon Birch, whose stone is marked 1952-64. Joe explains that Simon is "the reason I believe in God." This is followed by a flashback to their friendship during the early '60s. In Gravestown, New Hampshire, young Joe Wenteworth (Joseph Mazzello) doesn't know who his father is, and his loving mother Rebecca (Ashley Judd) won't tell him. Joe's best buddy is young Simon Birch, born so tiny that his classmates pass him about like a "doll." Neglected at home, Simon turns to Rebecca as a surrogate mother, and he often has dinner with the Wenteworths. One night, Rebecca brings her friend Ben Goodrich (Oliver Platt) home for dinner, which annoys her crotchety mother (Dana Ivey). Later, the lives of the two 12-year-olds receive a cruel twist, and the two then become more curious to learn the secret of Joe's father. Shown in competition at the 1998 Montreal Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian Michael Smith, Joseph Mazzello, (more)
Season Three of the fantasy sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun opens with another dilemma for the group of space aliens who have assumed the human form of the "Solomon" family for the purpose of gathering intelligence on the planet earth: It seems that group leader Dick Solomon (John Lithgow) has been ordered to marry Janet (guest star Roseanne), the niece of his superior back on his home planet, the Big Giant Head. Dick somehow manages to wriggle out of this because of his loyalty to his earthling sweetheart Mary Albright (Jane Curtin)--a loyalty that unfortunately proves to be a one-way street when Mary (still unaware that Dick is an alien) breaks off their relationship, thus launching a recurring motif wherein both Dick and Mary would like to get back together, but are too stubborn and prideful to admit it. In another story strand, Janet's arrival on earth proves so unnerving to Officer Don (Wayne Knight) that he immediately begins suspecting that an alien invasion is imminent--never dreaming that his own girlfriend Sally Solomon (Kristen Johnson) is herself Not Of This World. As for the other two members of the alien team, scientist Tommy Solomon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt)--a middle-ager trapped in the body of a human teenager--yearns to date someone closer to his "real" age (such as Mary) and later "retires" to a nursing home, while doltish crew member Harry Solomon (French Stewart) undergoes an offbeat reunion with his former pet, who has likewise taken on human form. Midway through the third season the Solomons must themselves fend off extraterrestrials when the earth is invaded by Venusians disguised as buxom females (including models Angie Everhart and Cindy Crawford) in the two-part episode "36!24!36 Dick". And in a later two-parter, "Just Your Average Dick", John Cleese does a screamingly funny turn as nutty professor Dr. Liam Neesam, who turns out to be an alien-in-disguise himself--not to mention a worthy adversary for Dick in the war to win Mary's hand and heart. The traditional season-ending cliffhanger finds a romantic "kiss and make up" dinner being ruined when the volatile former boyfriend of Harry's human girlfriend Vicki (Jan Hooks) bursts in and kidnaps Harry--just in time for the Solomons to miss an extremely vital transmission from their home-planet superior officer, The Big Giant Head. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Lithgow, Jane Curtin, (more)
Season two of the fantasy sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun begins where Season One left off, with Dick Solomon (John Lithgow), the leader of a group of space aliens who've assumed human form to gather intelligence on the planet earth, still locked in the basement of his home, while his alien clone Evil Dick fiendishly prepares to render pregnant every woman in Ohio. But fear not, fans! Coming to the rescue is...Dennis Rodman? Once the tone of the season is thus set, anything goes! In later episodes, the Solomon "family" tries to counterract the negative image of extraterrestrials in horror movies--but when they get the chance to write an episode of The X-Files, they pull out every monster-movie cliché in the book; Dick's second-in-command Sally Solomon (Kristen Johnson) finds a new human boyfriend in the rotund form of Officer Don (Wayne Knight, who was then also showing up as Newman on Seinfeld); for reasons best known to herself, Dr. Mary Albright (Jane Curtin) doesn't want people to know that she's dating her college colleague Dick, one of several obstacles in the path of true romance for this truly odd couple; the Solomons get a crash course in democracy when the dumbest member of the alien team, Harry Solomon (French Stewart) runs for city councilman; and Harry meets and falls in love with his Vicki (Jan Hooks), daughter of his landlady Mrs. Dubceck (Elmarie Wendel), during the Solomons' first Thanksgiving dinner. This quaint celebration proves to be quite an eye-opener for the "visitors", as does their first taste of Christmas. Finally, Tommy Solomon (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), outwardly the youngest of the aliens but actually the oldest, must suffer the raging hormones of his adolescent human body, not only in his pursuit of girlfriend August (Shay Astar), but also when experiencing a wave of sexual ambivalence when he develops a talent for flower-arranging! In the season's two-part finale, Dick impulsively asks Mary to marry him, an act which precipitates his first-ever nightmare, which spills over into the subconscious of both Sally and Tommy and prompts Harry to seek out emergency aid from his superior, the Big Giant Head--and which may force the Solomons to return post-haste to their home planet. Closing out its third season as America's 27th top-rated program, 3rd Rock from the Sun also garnered five Emmy Awards, two of them going to series regulars John Lithgow (his second Emmy) and Kristen Johnson (her first). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Lithgow, Jane Curtin, (more)
- 1993
- R
Debra Winger's performance as a slow, mentally disturbed woman in A Dangerous Woman, raises the film far above its conventional, violence-ridden plot. Winger plays Martha, a quiet, lonely woman who has adjusted to a life without a man as she toils away at her small job at a dry cleaners in a small town. She lives in the guest cottage of the home of relative Frances (Barbara Hershey). Frances is a single woman who takes up with a variety of men as a cover for her loneliness and insecurity. When Anita (Laurie Metcalf) barrels her car into Frances' porch (thinking, correctly, that her husband is inside Frances' house), alcoholic handyman Mackey (Gabriel Byrne) appears on the scene and offers to fix Frances' porch. As Mackey works on the porch, Mackey becomes involved with both Frances and Martha. Into this melodramatic brew is added Getso (David Strathairn), a petty crook who works with Martha at the dry cleaners. When the four principles interact with each other, the disturbing results include an unwanted pregnancy, a murder, and some unsparing violence. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debra Winger, Barbara Hershey, (more)
"The Coneheads" were a sketch on the Saturday Night Live television show of the late '70s which were expanded to feature-length proportions with this film. The story concerns Beldar (Dan Aykroyd) and Prymaat (Jane Curtin), who leave the planet Remulak to prepare for an invasion of Planet Earth. But due to a malfunction, they find themselves plunged into the Hudson River and forced to take up residence in Paramus, New Jersey where Beldar gets work as an appliance salesman and makes a deal for a phony social security card. Before long, all thoughts of invading Earth are left behind as Beldar and Prymaat quickly adapt to suburban life -- except for their coneheads and metallic-sounding voices, they become a typical middle-class suburban family. The Coneheads have a child, Connie (Michelle Burke) and Beldar becomes a New York cab driver and starts up his own driving school. Connie grows into a teenager and a neighborhood boy, Ronnie (Chris Farley), develops a crush on her because he likes to rub her conehead. But a nefarious INS agent, Gorman Seedling (Michael McKean), and his toady assistant, Turnbull (David Spade), are hot on The Coneheads' trail because of Beldar's false social security card. Not only that, but the Remulakian Highmaster (Dave Thomas) is beginning to wonder what ever happened to Beldar's invasion of the third rock from the sun. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, (more)
In this first sequel to 1989's Batman, the Caped Crusader (Michael Keaton) is up against the Penguin (Danny DeVito), the hideously deformed scion of a wealthy Gotham City family. The Penguin plots with evil businessman Max Schreck (Christopher Walken) to become mayor and then turn Gotham into a cathedral of crime. Upon overhearing these plans, Schreck's mousy secretary Selena Kyle (Michelle Pfeiffer) is tossed from a high-rise window by her boss. Rescued by a covey of kittens, Selena transforms into the leather-clad Catwoman. In this guise, she teams with the Penguin and Schreck to divvy up their ill-gotten gains and help discredit Batman-but she also has her own scores to settle. Paul "Pee-Wee Herman" Reubens, Vincent Schiavelli and Jan Hooks play significant bits, while Pat Hingle and Michael Gough make returns as, respectively, Commissioner Gordon and Alfred the Butler. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Keaton, Danny DeVito, (more)
- 1992
In this sequel to the much-loved "Frosty the Snowman" cartoon special, Frosty reappears to befriend a girl named Holly and help save Christmas from the invention of an evil snow-exterminating chemical. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
In this black comedy, the mysterious death of the owner of an amusement park prompts his widow to sell the property to a group of mobsters, the DiMaurios. When the DiMaurios take over, they lower everyone's salary and fire the park's clown mascot, Bruce Burger (David Lander). With his job taken away, the clown loses it and begins to stage his revenge. ~ Iotis Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Windom, David L. Lander, (more)
Blonde-haired, blue-eyed women's libber Molly McGrath (Goldie Hawn) quits her teaching job at a comfortable middle-class school to take a new position as varsity football coach at a predominantly black inner-city school. Culture and gender clashes abound; she must win over the hard-boiled youths, convince them to practice hard and show up for class, and convince them they can win football games. Her job begins to take a toll on her family, however, when her ex-husband (James Keach) attempts to take away her daughter, claiming she is neglecting her responsibilities as a mother. Wildcats marked the fourth sports film directed by Michael Ritchie. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Goldie Hawn, James Keach, (more)
Co-written by Paul Reubens and Phil Hartman, Pee Wee's Big Adventure marks the debut of director Tim Burton, who stamps the entire film with his quirky trademark style. The premise: Pee Wee (Reubens), an overgrown pre-pubescent boy sporting a molded Princeton cut, blush, lipstick, and a shrunken gray flannel suit, lives an idyllic life in his bizarre home (some have compared the remarkable set design to the expressionistic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) until someone nabs his most prized possession: a fire engine-red customized bicycle. He then embarks on an epic cross-country search to find his lost love, not to mention more than a little adventure. Along the way, he makes friends with various oddball characters, visits the Alamo, endures various hallucinatory nightmares, and has a supernatural run-in with a spectral trucker. In this reprisal of his popular standup routine, Reubens is wonderful as the nerdy man child; he plays it silly, yet he manages to imbue the role with some sensitivity without ever seeming maudlin. The score by Danny Elfman is terrific -- as is the case in nearly every film Burton has directed -- and the script is fresh and inventive. Some of the most memorable moments: the opening sequence involving Pee Wee's morning activities is a stroke of genius (note the bunny slippers and talking breakfast), as are the scenes at the truck stop, and the "Hollywood" version of Pee Wee's story at the end (starring James Brolin and Morgan Fairchild in surprise cameos). In all, Pee Wee's Big Adventure is a delightful film, enjoyable for children as well as adults. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Reubens, Elizabeth Daily, (more)
- 1984
This HBO TV special presents a live performance of the popular improvisational comedian who does some of his most popular improves from Saturday Night Live. He also does impressions of Frank Sinatra singing in a heavy-metal band, and a parody of Michael Jackson's Thriller in which the undead arising from the graves are all clones of Jerry Lewis' Nutty Professor. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
