Ashley Johnson Movies

Writer/director Joss Whedon (Serenity, Marvel's The Avengers) gives William Shakespeare's beloved battle-of-the-sexes comedy a contemporary makeover in this feature adaptation starring Amy Acker and Alexis Denisof. In the wake of an eventful trip abroad, Claudio (Fran Kranz) and Benedick (Denisof) arrive safely back in their hometown of Messina, where Claudio wastes no time declaring his love for Hero (Jillian Morgese). Alas, when clever Benedick learns that his friend has poured his heart out to the daughter of powerful governor Leonato (Clark Gregg), he chides his old friend relentlessly over the syrupy assertion while engaging Leonato's outspoken niece Beatrice (Acker) in a series of spirited debates. Meanwhile, somewhere amidst all of the pointed insults and playful barbs, something that strangely resembles true love seems to blossom between Benedick and Beatrice. Nathan Fillion, Reed Diamond, and Sean Maher co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A 1960s-era Mississippi debutante sends her community into an uproar by conducting a series of probing interviews with the black servants behind some of her community's most prominent families. Skeeter (Emma Stone) has just graduated from college, and she's eager to launch her career as a writer. In a moment of inspiration, Skeeter decides to focus her attention on the black female servants who work in her community. Her first subject is Aibileen (Viola Davis), the devoted housekeeper who has been employed by Skeeter's best friend's family for years. By speaking with Aibileen, Skeeter becomes an object of scorn to the wealthy locals, who view her actions as directly challenging to the established social order. Before long, even more servants are coming forward to tell their stories, and Skeeter discovers that friendship can blossom under the most unlikely of circumstances. Bryce Dallas Howard co-stars in a touching tale of race relations based on author Kathryn Stockett's best-selling novel of the same name. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Monk (Tony Shalhoub) agrees to investigate the "accidental" deaths of a wealthy couple who lived next door to Natalie's parents. The assignment requires Monk to go undercover as the butler for the couple's closest relative, obnoxious young billionaire Paul Buchanan (Sean Austin). His new job is perfectly suited to Monk's obsessive-compulsive nature, and soon he emerges as the "perfect" gentleman's gentleman, maintaining order in Buchanan's household with a firm but steady hand. However, Monk might not be so secure in this position were he aware that his predecessor, the late Mr. Stilson (David St. James), had been "fired" by Buchanan with a hunting pistol. Incidentally, this is the episode in which Mr. Monk discovers that he has a brand-new phobia: Frogs. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A teenage boy tries to hold his family together while the girl of his dreams drives him to distraction in this coming-of-age comedy drama. It's 1978, and Henry Nearing (Gregory Smith) and his family are in a state of flux. Henry's mother has died, and now his father, Shep (David Morse), is trying to find himself by quitting his job, buying a motorcycle, and growing out his hair. Henry's brother, Blair (David Moscow), is similarly trying to expand his boundaries by dating a free-spirited girl and experimenting with drugs. Henry, meanwhile, is just trying to get through high school, but a certain girl is making that difficult for him. Grace Chance (Jordana Brewster) is a pretty girl in Henry's class who enjoys wrapping boys around her little finger; it doesn't take long for her to notice he's smitten with her, and she begins flirting with him and getting him to do whatever she wants, even though she already has a boyfriend whom she has no intention of leaving. Meanwhile, Merna (Ashley Johnson), a cute girl who lives nearby, has a crush on Henry and is clearly a better match for him, but she can't get him to notice her, even after she starts dating an older boy to make him jealous. Nearing Grace received its world premiere at the 2005 Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

The second of two made-for-television "reunion" movies starring the cast of the popular TV series Growing Pains (1985-1992), this one begins as newly retired psychologist Jason Seaver (Alan Thicke) and his wife Maggie (Joanne Kerns, who also directed the film) prepare to sell the family house and spend their declining years elsewhere. Jason wants to "hit the road" in an RV, but Maggie has her heart set on purchasing a villa in Tuscany. Meanwhile, the Seaver's children all react different to the news that their house is for sale. Wheeler-dealer Ben (Jeremy Seaver) is delighted, since he is the real estate agent who brokered the deal; older brother Michael (Kirk Cameron) and his wife Kate (Chelsea Noble) are less than delighted, since they'd hoped to leave their children with Jason and Maggie while Michael took on a new job in Japan; oldest sister Carol (Tracey Gold) is appalled, inasmuch as she needs to have her parents around to help her juggle motherhood and a career; and youngest sister Chrissy (Ashley Johnson), an aspiring rock singer, had intended to "crash" in her parents' home while looking for show-biz gigs. Thus is set up a situation straight out of the "original" Growing Pains, with Jason and Maggie each endeavoring to win the other over to their indivudal retirement plans, Mike and Carol going to extreme lengths to sabotage Ben's sale, and Chrissy setting herself up for another disillusionment. Also known as Growing Pains II: Home Equity, this film first aired October 16, 2004, on the ABC Family Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

American filmmaker Tim Hunter (River's Edge) directs the dark comedy The Failures, shot in HD video with a script from first-time screenwriter Hal Haberman. Chad Lindberg plays William, an alcoholic who works as a parking lot attendant. He makes up comic book stories about antidepressant drugs that come to life in the form of superheroes Depressor (Michael Ironside) and Elatia (Heather Marie Marsden). Ashley Johnson plays Lilly, a former cheerleader who starts to hate life after her mother commits suicide. William and Lilly start up a romance of sorts. The Failures was shown at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival as part of the market screenings. It also stars Babylon 5 cult figure Claudia Christian. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Professional football player-turned-actor Rick Johnson makes his directorial debut with this small-town drama. Johnson plays -- naturally -- an ex-NFL star named Billy Stagen. Now working as a sheriff in rural Alabama, Stagen is thrown for a loop when a young girl arrives claiming to be his illegitimate child. Winner of the Audience Award at the 2001 Method Fest, Rustin also stars Meat Loaf Aday. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

The inimitable Tim Curry and Carol Kane provide the voices for this distinctly autumn-oriented tale of a duckling who is misfortunate enough to lose his the rest of his flock whilst trying to fly south for the winter. Our hero Sean is taken in by Voley, another bird who teaches him how to support himself as he braces for his first winter. Worse yet, Sean has to learn how to outsmart the foxes which may be after him. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

Carol Hathaway (Julianna Margulies) and Lynette Evans (Penny Johnson Jerald) try to dissuade a wounded street-gang member (Jermaine Montell) from escaping the ER to seek out vengeance. On a more personal note, Carol thinks she may be pregnant with Ross' (George Clooney) baby. Elsewhere, the apparently clueless Lucy (Kellie Martin) again incurs the wrath of Carter (Noah Wyle). Corday (Alex Kingston) has second thoughts about interning when she is ordered around by Romano (Paul McCrane). And Weaver (Laura Innes) is a candidate for the office of emergency-medicine chief. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

While doing some cleaning, Brian (Steven Weber) stumbles across a pile of love letters, sent to the former tenant of the house. Sight unseen, Brian falls in love with the mysterious letter-writer, whom he knows only as "R." And in other developments, Antonio (Tony Shalhoub) lets his enthusiasm get the better of him when he installs a burglar alarm at the behest of Joe (Tim Daly) and Helen (Crystal Bernard). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A single man faces the terrifying prospect of seeing his carefree life dashed by a visit from the stork in this comedy. Samuel Falkner (Hugh Grant) is a child psychiatrist who has no kids of his own and doesn't want any, which leaves him a bit shaken when his girlfriend of five years, Rebecca Taylor (Julianne Moore) announces that she's pregnant. Suddenly, Samuel is plagued by paranoid fantasies about how marriage and fatherhood will change his life, which are not at all soothed by frequent visits from Rebecca's chronically-pregnant friend Gail Dwyer (Joan Cusack) and her half-bright lummox of a husband, Marty (Tom Arnold). Too selfish to deal with Rebecca's needs, Samuel parts company with her and takes a last stab at playing the field, but when he sees an ultrasound of his soon-to-be-born son, he decides that it's time to face his responsibilities before it's too late. Nine Months also features Robin Williams in a small role as Dr. Kosevich, an ob-gyn with a weak grasp of the English language. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Unique among the many made-for-TV dramas about spousal abuse--most of which are about women victimized by men--Men Don't Tell dramatizes the true story of a loving husband who is terrorized by the violent behavior of his wife. Ed MacAffrey (Peter Strauss) has long endured the physical and emotional abuse heaped upon him by his neurotic wife Laura (Judith Light), not only because he loves her and is concerned over the welfare of his daughter, but also because men are traditionally regarded as weaklings if they allow themselves to be battered by their wives. Even worse, after one of Laura's destructive tantrums brings the attention of the police, Ed is suspected of being the aggressor! Finally, Laura goes too far and Ed tries to defend himself--whereupon Laura crashes through the front window of her home and is rendered comatose, and Ed is arrested for attempted murder. Although the ending of the story could be considered positive and upbeat, it is painfully clear that there are many issues that will never be resolved. First telecast by CBS on May 14, 1993, Men Don't Tell was never rebroadcast on over-the-air television, reportedly because it incurred the wrath of several women's groups. However, the film has since been shown a number of times on cable's Lifetime channel. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi