Chris Diamantopoulos Movies
- 2008
Debra Messing stars in this primetime comedy/drama based on the Emmy award winning mini-series of the same name. It focuses on the frequently wild experiences of Molly Kagan, once the wife of Hollywood royalty and now, a frantic divorcee struggling to figure out life on her own terms. Molly is faced with nothing but firsts, from raising her seven year old daughter Jaden as a single mom, to starting up a career in her 40's. The waters usually seem rough, but she's determined to stay focused on her future - even when her past keeps landing her in court. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debra Messing, Hart Bochner, (more)
Peter Falk, Rip Torn, Bill Cobbs, George Segal, and Coolio star in director Charlie Picerni's geriatric road comedy following an adventurous group of four senior citizens as they set out to prevent the daughter of one from marrying the wrong guy. Gus Fitzgerald (Falk)'s daughter is about to tie the knot in Las Vegas; trouble is, she's tying it to a guy who isn't worth the price of your average buffet meal. But regardless of the fact that Gus may be retired and living the life in Florida, by no means is he averse to a little adventure. Now, after rounding up golfing buddies Joe Wallace (Torn), Marvin Jeffries (Cobbs), and Dominic Spinuzzi (Segal), Gus rents "The Ultimate Party Bus" and plots his path to Las Vegas. Along the way, Gus and his crew will dance the night away at a Miami Beach salsa club, give a ride to a rap superstar who goes by the name The Flo (Coolio), and eventually land free rooms at the lavish Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino - located directly in the luminous heart of Sin City. As the hour of the wedding draws near, Gus and his pals attempt to stay out of trouble long enough to break up the ceremony and rescue his daughter from a life of certain unhappiness. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Based on the 2005 bestselling novel by Gigi Levangie Grazer, the six-part miniseries The Starter Wife starred former Will & Grace leading lady Debra Messing as Molly Kagan, an archetypal "Hollywood wife" who for ten years had enjoyed the perks and privileges of being married to powerful studio executive Kenny Kagan (Peter Jacobson). All of this changed drastically when Kenny dumped his spouse for a much-younger pop singer named Shoshanna (Trilby Glover), adding insult to injury by informing Molly that their marriage was through via cell-phone. Having carefully timed the breakup to coincide with the expiration of the couple's pre-nuptual agreement, Kenny was able to escape without providing Molly with a huge monetary settlement, leaving our benumbed heroine high and dry. Also, Molly was now "persona non grata" in her Brentwood community, with many old doors (especially those on stores and restaurants) being literally closed in her face, and such fair-weather friends as Cricket Stewart (Miranda Otto) and Joan McAllister (wonderfully played as a self-hating lush by Judy Lewis) conspicuously unavailable. Vowing to start life anew for the sake of herself and her teenaged daughter, Molly relocated to Malibu, where she found a new best friend in the form of airheaded Malibu gate guard Lavender Caraway (Arika Noni Rose). She also entered into a brace of tempestuous relationships with aging, moody movie producer Lou Manahan (Joe Mantegna) and handsome but untrustworthy beachcomber Sam Knight (Stephen Moyer). All of the episodes were scripted by Josann McGibbon and Sara Parriott and directed by Jon Avnet--and curiously, all were filmed in Australia rather than "La-la Land". Making its USA Network debut on May 31, 2007 with a two-hour episode, The Starter Wife ran on a weekly, hourly basis until June 28 of that year. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debra Messing, Joe Mantegna, (more)
The romantic comedy Wedding Daze stars Jason Biggs as Anderson, a young man all set to ask his girlfriend to marry him when, during the actual proposal, she dies. After spending a year in a depression, Anderson impulsively asks a waitress named Katie (Ilsa Fisher) to marry him even though they have never met. When she surprisingly agrees, the two must deal with the reactions of their respective friends and families. The supporting cast includes Joe Pantoliano as Katie's convict father. Michael Ian Black, formerly of The State and Ed, made his directorial debut with this film. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Biggs, Isla Fisher, (more)
- 2004
In the course of a murder investigation at the magic school, Paige (Rose McGowan) and Agent Brody (Kerr Smith) find themselves plunked into the middle of a detective novel that was started 20 years earlier, but never completed. In order to escape their literary prison, Paige and Brody must figure out how the novel was supposed to end -- and they must also locate the book's long-missing author, Eddie Mullen (Bug Hall). As indicated by its title, this episode uses the Charmed format as a framework for an affectionate homage to the shadow-laden film noir genre of the 1940s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Krause, Dorian Gregory, (more)
- 2002
While celebrating his most recent courtroom victory, in which an accused cop killer was set free, a prominent attorney is gunned down. Though Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) are none too unhappy that the lawyer is out of commission, they dutifully investigate the murder, following the trail of evidence to an out-of-town white supremacist organization. While preparing his case for court, ADA Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) stumbles across a disturbing piece of evidence that may very well destroy the career of his longtime friendly adversary, defense attorney Danielle Melnick (Tovah Feldshuh). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
