John Francis Daley Movies

Ed Helms stars in the New Line Cinema reboot of the Vacation film series as Rusty Griswald, the son of Chevy Chase's iconic character of the original four films. Horrible Bosses' helmers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein write and direct. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Picking up precisely where its hit predecessor left off Sony Pictures Animation's Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 finds Flint Lockwood (voice of Bill Hader) invited to join The Live Corp Company, and use his gift for invention for the good of mankind. Just as young Flint prepares to go to work for his hero Chester V (voice of Will Forte), however, the young genius learns that his water-to-food machine is not only still functional, but it's also began cross-breeding animals with food. Now, in order to prevent a growing army of "foodimals" from escaping isolation on an island and wrecking havoc on the mainland, Flint and his loyal group of friends will have to do battle with such delicious, but deadly, hybrids as the ferocious tacodiles, slithering apple pie-thons, and vine-swinging shrimpanzees. Saving the world from these rampaging monstrosities won't be easy, but if anyone is up to the task, it's Flint and company. Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn takes the reins for this sequel also featuring vocal contributions by Anna Faris, James Caan, Kristen Schaal, Tery Crews, Andy Samberg, Neil Patrick Harris and Benjamin Bratt. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Colin Farrell, Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman, and Charlie Day star in this workplace comedy about three frustrated employees who hatch a plan to kill their micromanaging bosses, only to find their murderous plot snowballing into disaster. Seth Gordon (The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters) directs a screenplay written by Michael Markowitz, Jonathan Goldstein, and John Francis Daley. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Inspired by the remarkable real life story of one boy's cinematic awakening, writer/director Patrick Read Johnson's semi-autobiographical drama 77 follows the story of an enthusiastic young film fanatic from Wadsworth, Illinois who sets out to produce home-brewed sequels to his favorite sci-fi films, and eventually finds himself at an advance screening of the film that will virtually define the entire genre for generations of movie lovers. Ever since his first viewing of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Patrick Read Johnson (John Frances Daley) has been a die-hard science fiction fan. But life for a movie geek isn't easy in the Midwest, so in order to pass the time, Patrick and his friends begin crafting cheaply budgeted sequels to the sci-fi classic that inspired them. Later, while visiting Hollywood, Patrick meets American Cinematographer editor Herb Lightman (Austin Pendleton), and talking special effects with an ambitious young director named Steven Spielberg. Upon receiving an invitation to an advance screening of a small science fiction film entitled Star Wars, the young film enthusiast from Illinois finds himself at the creative epicenter of a true big screen phenomenon. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The half-hour FOX sitcom Kitchen Confidential was inspired by the warts-and-all memoirs of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain. Bradley Cooper headed the cast as Jack, a infamous "bad boy" chef who had destroyed his career through a combination of bad drugs, bad booze, and bad women. After hitting rock bottom (he couldn't even hold down a fry-cook job in a theme restaurant), Jack was given a second chance by the owner of a upscale New York restaurant -- provided he could assemble a kitchen staff and serve hundreds of A-list guests within 48 hours. In desperation, Jack pulled together a number of eccentrics, goof-offs, and looney tunes from his culinary past, including troublesome chefs Steve Daedelus (Owain Yeoman) and Seth Richman (Nicholas Brendon), novice pastry chef Jim (John F. Daley), and sassy hostess Tanya (Jaime King). Hoping against hope that Jack would fall flat on his keester was the restaurant owner's vituperative daughter Mimi (Bonnie Somerville). Created by Sex and the City's Darren Star, Kitchen Confidential premiered September 19, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Though it didn't even make it through its inaugural season on NBC, this 1999-2000 cult hit helped launch the career of many a fine young actor and attracted a huge new audience upon its elaborate DVD release in 2004. An ensemble comedy drama about a group of misfits growing up in the Detroit suburbs in the early '80s, Freaks and Geeks was the brainchild of executive producer Judd Apatow. With a writing staff that included indie-film mainstay Mike White, Apatow set out to chronicle those twin crossroads of adolescence: the move from junior high to high school, and the choice between stoner antics and goody two-shoes academics. To unite his two titular cliques into a single fictional framework, Apatow created the Weir family: Lindsay (Linda Cardellini), a brainy "mathlete" newly turned on to the thrill of rebellion; Sam (John Francis Daley), her swooningly romantic pipsqueak brother; and their rock-solid if painfully earnest parents, Harold (Joe Flaherty) and Jean (Becky Ann Baker). James Franco, soon to find movie stardom in the Spider-Man flicks, portrayed freak king Daniel Desario, a charismatic layabout and the object of Lindsay's secret affections. Busy Philipps, a future Dawson's Creek star, played his volcanic girlfriend, Kim Kelly, while Seth Rogen and Jason Segel played beta-male losers Ken Miller and Nick Andopolis. As for the geeks, young Sam found himself joined at the hip by asthmatic Bill Haverchuck (Martin Starr) and dapper, if tiny, Neal Schweiber (Samm Levine). With storylines that bounced back and forth between both groups and broke down the mythic high-school hierarchy developed in the '80s oeuvre of John Hughes, Freaks and Geeks earned plenty of critical praise upon its inaugural run. Despite its rich, character-driven humor and nostalgic, retro setting, the series dealt with all sorts of weighty issues: domestic violence, drugs and alcohol, single motherhood, and simple adolescence. NBC declined to air one episode, "Kim Kelly Is My Friend," deeming its family psychodrama too disturbing. The series was soon canceled, leaving several unaired episodes. But thank to Internet fandom and growing word of mouth, Freaks and Geeks cemented its status as the coulda-been hit that was snuffed out too early, and the clamor for a DVD release reached a deafening roar. By the time the complete series, including unaired episodes, was released in 2004, the show's reputation had grown to the point where a deluxe edition -- including a fake high-school yearbook -- could be released and even the regular edition boasted more commentary tracks than there were episodes. Since the show's cancellation, star Cardellini has gone on to greater fame in the Scooby-Doo movies and on ER, while her cast mates have turned up in all sorts of unexpected places. But for a large contingent of obsessive Freaks and Geeks fans, the actress will always be identified with her character's signature green jacket. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi