Josh H. Etting Movies

A successful psychologist with a picture-perfect family and a best-selling self-help book that's fast racking up sales hires a dogged detective to investigate his brother's claim that he was actually adopted, only to watch as his life falls to pieces in the aftermath in a dark comedy about success and family starring Danny DeVito, Kathy Bates, Ron Livingston, and Neve Campbell. Dr. Richard Clayton (Livingston) has everything a man could ever want in life: a loving fiancée (Campbell), two loving parents who are always there to support him (Edward Hermann and Christine Baranski), and a career that's on the fast track to success. When Richard's embittered brother (Bob Odenkirk) resentfully tells his sibling that he was adopted, however, the once-thriving specialist embarks on a tireless quest to locate his true birth parents. Though his dreams of finding his biological mother and father fade into a nightmare when a private investigator reveals to Richard that he was in fact conceived by crude carnies Frank and Agnes Manure (DeVito and Bates) -- who subsequently make it their mission in life to make Richard miserable -- the desperate doctor soon finds that even if he can't stand his real parents, he has learned a valuable life lesson from them. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A longtime comedian who has repeatedly failed to break big finds his one last shot at stardom thwarted by his toughest crowd yet in director Pete Schwaba's tale of love and failure on the standup circuit. Despite being singled out for stardom early on in his comedy career, L.A. comic Joe Keegan (Schwaba) never really managed to find his footage in the ultra-tough world of show business. Informed by his best friend, Kenny (Lance Barber), that Tonight Show talent scout Harvey Skoric will be attending the upcoming "Rocktober" festival in Pine Lake, WI, Joe reluctantly decides to take a break from the West Coast and pull out all the stops for one final all-or-nothing audition. Initially dejected when his set is sabotaged by local emcee Dug (Thomas Lennon), Joe finds inspiration in the form of his former high-school English teacher Molly Mahoney (Lauren Holly), herself attempting to overcome the recent pains of a failed marriage. Concerned that he may have been wasting his life but convinced by Molly that he has simply been living his dream, Joe takes the stage once again to face a formidable crowd filled with hunters, Packers fans, and former high-school football star-turned-drug dealer Big Jake Norquist (Tony Goldwyn) -- the so-called "Godfather of Green Bay," who also has eyes for the lovely Molly. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A rich kid who likes to pretend he's from the wrong side of the tracks gets a taste of the real thing in this comedy. Brad Gluckman (Jamie Kennedy) is the son of a wealthy and socially prominent couple (Ryan O'Neal and Bo Derek) and grew up in the lap of luxury in Malibu, CA. However, Brad likes to imagine he's a street-smart gangsta from the mean streets of L.A., and he's been trying to launch a career as a hardcore rapper under the name "B-Rad." Mr. Gluckman is running for Governor of California, and both he and his campaign manager (Blair Underwood) are convinced Brad's antics could have a negative impact on the election, so they come up with a scheme to change his mind about the supposed glamour of street life. Mr. Gluckman hires a pair of African-American actors (Taye Diggs and Anthony Anderson) to impersonate a pair of gang-bangers from Compton who carjack Brad's SUV and take him to the 'hood, where he'll learn just how scary the thug life can be. However, it soon becomes obvious the actors don't know much more about life in Compton than Brad does, and as Brad gets used to his new surroundings, he falls for a girl from the neighborhood (Regina Hall) who has her own plans for moving up in the world. Malibu's Most Wanted was inspired by a character Jamie Kennedy created for his sketch comedy series The Jamie Kennedy Experiment. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide