Helen Hunt Movies

This final episode of Mad About You is set approximately 22 years in the future. Mabel Buchman (Janeane Garafolo), grown-up daughter of Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt), follows in her dad's footsteps by producing a documentary film about her family. Several former series regulars and guest stars make cameo appearances as Mabel tries to trace the progress of her parents' marriage after a startling discovery made by Paul's sister Debbie (Robin Bartlett). Series star Helen Hunt directed this one-hour closer, which since its original network telecast has been divided into two half-hour episodes for syndication. ~ All Movie Guide

Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt) agree to tend the rooftop garden maintained by building superintendent Mr. Wicker (Jerry Adler). And if that doesn't turn out to be a source of discord, there is always the toy belonging to a neighbor's child which is dearly coveted by baby Mabel. Or, perhaps, the central conflict in this episode is Jamie's dismissive reaction to Paul's latest film project. ~ All Movie Guide

Dissatisfied with their regular therapist, Sheila (Mo Gaffney), Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt) try out a new shrink named Sydney (played by Oscar-winning director Sydney Pollack). Unfortunately, the cost of this switch cannot merely be counted in dollars -- though Paul certain tries to do so. Along the way, Sydney comes up with a new plan to deal with Paul's overbearing father, Burt (Louis Zorich), who has refused to leave his son alone since Paul's mom, Sylvia (Cynthia Harris), went back to work. ~ All Movie Guide

Not surprisingly, most of Mad About You's sixth season was built around little Mabel Buchman, newborn daughter of leading players Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt). Many longtime fans of the series felt that the introduction of Mabel was the "jump the shark" moment, in which the quality of the writing began sliding downhill. Conversely, the series garnered a whole new crop of fans, else why would NBC cease its "football" treatment of the property, uncharacteristically allowing Mad About You to remain in the same (Tuesday night) time slot for two consecutive seasons? (For the record, its competition included CBS' JAG, ABC's Soul Man, FOX's Tuesday-evening movie package, and UPN's Clueless.) The series "new" regulars this year out were not all that new. Graduating from recurring character status, Robin Bartlett was now seen on a weekly basis as Paul's gay sister, Debbie; likewise, Louis Zorich's and Cynthia Harris' appearances as Paul's parents, Burt and Sylvia, became more frequent. Also, Paxton Whitehead, who had played the Buchmans' snooty British neighbor, Hal Conway, during season one, returned to the role, which for the last several years had been essayed by Jim Piddock. Still an Emmy Award "magnet," Mad About You earned Helen Hunt her third Emmy as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, and Mel Brooks his second statuette for his recurring guest appearances as Paul Buchman's philosophical Uncle Phil. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

From the highly acclaimed Hanna-Barbera animation studios comes the 10-tape video series Greatest Adventure Stories From the Bible. The episodes in this series are each viewed from the eyes of three young archeologists from the 20th Century who are taken back in time to experience Bible stories first-hand. Travel back with Derek, Mokey and Margot to the first Christmas in The Nativity. The animated version of this poignant Bible tale brings to life the profound love story of Mary and Joseph, their lives and relationship and the night when Jesus was born. Episodes in the series include Noah's Ark, The Creation, Moses, David and Goliath and others. ~ Sally Barber, All Movie Guide

After enjoying a year's worth of high ratings by virtue of its "Must See TV" Thursday night time slot, Mad About You entered its fourth season in a new prime-time berth on Sunday evening, opposite CBS's Cybil and ABC's Lois and Clark. The move neither helped nor hurt the series, which resurfaced on Tuesdays when season five rolled around. Beyond the addition of a few new recurring characters -- among Gates McFadden as Paul Buchman's new boss, Allison Rourke; Alan Ruck as Jamie's new employer, Lance Brockwell; and Hank Azaria (the then boyfriend of series star Helen Hunt) as Nat the dogwalker, Mad About You embarked on some fresh story tangents as well. Paul Buchman (Paul Reiser) was hired as a documentary filmmaker for the Explorer Channel cable service, Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt) and her friend Fran Devanow (Leila Kenzle) opened their own PR firm, and so forth. The biggest new development was the pregnancy of Jamie Buchman -- or rather, the non-pregnancy, since actual conception was held off as long as the scriptwriters (and the audience) were able to endure the weight. Having scored excellent ratings in past seasons by offering such pop-icon guest stars as Carl Reiner and John Astin, the series continued in this vein throughout season four, most memorably in the episodes featuring Yoko Ono and several former regulars of the 1960s variety show Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In. In addition to maintaining its loyal viewership during its fourth year on the air, Mad About You also garnered another Emmy award, this one for series regular Helen Hunt as Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Already a bona fide hit, though not a huge hit, Mad About You received a major shot in the arm ratings-wise when, upon entering its third season, the series was moved to Thursday evenings, just before Friends, as part of NBC's "Must See TV" lineup. By the end of the season, the series was posting its best numbers ever, and was a shoo-in for fall renewal. Though there were no cast changes amongst the series' regulars, there were several new faces in the recurring-character department. Jim Piddock replaced Paxton Whitehead as Hal Conway, the insufferable upper-crust British neighbor of Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt), while the roles of Jamie's parents, Gus and Teresa Stemple, filled by Paul Dooley and Nancy Dussault during season one, were now essayed by John Karlen and Penny Fuller. New to the cast were George O. Petrie as Paul's editor, Sid, Eric Stoltz as Jamie's ex-beau Alan, Anne Bobby as Jamie's former classmate Susannah Gould, and Meg Wyllie as the ubiquitous Aunt Lolly (though exactly whose aunt she was really remained a bit of a mystery). Season highlights included "My Boyfriend's Back!," wherein the series' characters were redefined in animated-cartoon form; "The Alan Brady Show," for which Carl Reiner, recreating the obnoxious TV comedian he'd originally played on The Dick Van Dyke Show, which won an Emmy award; and "Money Changes Everything," which likewise earned an Emmy for its guest star, Cyndi Lauper. A third Emmy was claimed by the Mad About You sound-mixing staff, headed by Peter Damski. The series closed out its third season with arguably its most bizarre episode, the hour-long "Up in Smoke," which emulated It's a Wonderful Life by showing Paul and Jamie what might have happened had they never met. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Taking note of Larry's (Garry Shandling) increasing depression in the face of slipping ratings, the lack of an Emmy nomination, and an impending divorce from wife Jeannie (Megan Gallagher), Artie (Rip Torn) and Hank (Jeffrey Tambor) decide to fix their down-in-the-dumps friend on a series of dates. Despite a bevy of attractive prospects, the only one Larry can truly find a connection with happens to be the same one he parted ways with in the past...his ex-wife, Francine (Kathryn Harrold). Special guest stars in this two-part opening of The Larry Sanders Show's second season include John Riggi, Karen Lynn Scott, Eric Briant Wells, Kristin Davis, Victor Raider-Wexler, Dana Delany, Helen Hunt, Teri Garr, and Susan Anton. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

In the tradition of This Is Spinal Tap, producer/ director/ star Tim Robbins' Bob Roberts is a satire disguised as a documentary. Robbins plays the titular Roberts, a wealthy, well-connected young man running for a senatorial seat in Pennsylvania. On the surface, Roberts is an ingratiating glad-hander, a sincere believer in the restoration of such intangibles as national pride, family values, etc. But the longer Roberts is followed about by documentary filmmaker Brian Murray, the more we become aware that the candidate is a textbook case of cynicism and contempt. Only Giancarlo Esposito, a reporter for an underground newspaper, is willing to dig beneath Roberts' veneer--a habit that leads to the film's ironic conclusion. Several well-known actors make cameo appearances as TV commentators, notably Tim Robbins' longtime partner Susan Sarandon. Bob Roberts started out as a Tim Robbins-directed short subject for the TV series Saturday Night Live, then was expanded into a $4 million feature. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Comedian Paul Reiser has always insisted that his long-running NBC sitcom Mad About You (co-created by Reiser and Danny Jacobson) was inspired by events in his own life. Naturally, a bit of dramatic license was practiced: Reiser's TV character Paul Buchman was not a comic, but instead a New York-based documentary filmmaker. Nonetheless, the character's personality was virtually "all Reiser," just as Paul Buchman's TV wife, public relations executive Jamie Buchman (played by Helen Hunt), was basically a carbon copy of the real-life Mrs. Reiser.

Debuting Wednesday, September 23, 1992, Mad About You set up its premise, setting, and characters with admirable speed and efficiency. Married five months at the beginning of the series, Paul and Jamie are already safely ensconced in their Manhattan high-rise apartment, already conversing in a naturalistic, non-jokey (but hilarious) manner about the little, apparently inconsequential events that made them who they were and shaped their outlook on the world. (Reiser's oft-quoted assessment of the series was, "The feeling of the show should be like a couple's ride home after a party, when you can finally say what you've been thinking all night.") Also already in place is the series' colorful array of supporting characters, including Jamie's unlucky-in-love sister, Lisa Stemple (Anne Ramsay), gynecologist Mark Devanow (Richard Kind) and his dissatisfied wife, Fran (Leila Kenzle) -- still married at the start of season one, but headed for divorce by the 22nd episode -- and, for the first half of the season at least, Paul's disheveled bachelor pal Jay Selby (Tommy Hinkley), with whom Lisa has a brief fling. The exit of Jay after the 12th episode permitted the producers to bring in a new character, Paul's ever-competitive cousin Ira Buchman (John Pankow).

Recurring characters making their first appearances during Mad About You's shakedown season include the Devanow's precocious son, Ryan (Spencer Klein); the Buchman's insufferable upper-crust British neighbors, Maggie and Hal Conway (played by Judy Geeson and, initially, Paxton Whitehead); Paul's father, Burt Buchman (Louis Zorich); Jamie's parents, Theresa and Gus Stemple (originally played by Nancy Dussault and Paul Dooley); apartment doorman Eddie (Lou Cutell); and various members of Paul's production staff, among them film editor Ike (Art Evans), phlegmatic photographer Warren (Stephen Wright), and production assistants Stacey (Kerri Green) and Connie (Meagen Fay). And oh, yes, the series' obligatory non-human character, the Buchman's blasé pet dog, Murray (played by Maui), was conspicuous by his presence. The series' celebrated habit of featuring pop-icon "guest stars," which would manifest itself in such notables as John Astin, Carl Reiner, Yoko Ono, and the cast of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In in later years, was tantalizingly previewed with the first-season appearances of Barbara Feldon (spoofing her Get Smart persona) and Regis Philbin. Although Mad About You did not crack the Top 25 series during its inaugural season, the program managed to accumulate a following that would remain loyal and steadfast for the next seven years. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Helen Hunt stars as Pamela Smart, the schoolteacher who seduced one of her students into murdering her husband, in this torn-from-the-headlines made-for-TV effort. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

In this drama set during the Vietnam War, a group of men working as wire-service photographers begin seeing their world in a whole new light. The film was originally made as a pilot for a television series that never aired. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide