Kristen Bell Movies
For some actors, success just seems to come naturally. In the case of talented stage and screen beauty Kristen Bell, it wasn't so much a matter of if she was going to be a star after realizing her dream during an early performance as a banana in Raggedy Ann and Andy at the tender age of 12 -- but when she would finally make the big time. Paralyzed with stage fright as she waited for her cue off-stage, Bell was offered a word of encouragement by her supportive mother that would ultimately give her the drive to realize her life's calling. A native of Detroit whose early stage experiences eventually led her to study at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, Bell saw her early dreams of on-stage success begin to come true when she was chosen to portray Becky Thatcher in a Broadway production of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer shortly after arriving in the Big Apple. Realizing that she had what it took to find success onscreen as well as on-stage, Bell was soon packing her bags for Los Angeles and landing small supporting roles in such features as Polish Wedding and Pootie Tang. She returned briefly to Broadway for a role in the 2002 revival of The Crucible, playing alongside well-known stage and screen actors Liam Neeson and Laura Linney. In 2003, Bell impressed television viewers with a solid performance in the made-for-television drama The King and Queen of Moonlight Bay before moving on to essay the unforgettable role of a young girl struggling to raise her three stepbrothers after their drug-addicted mother is sent to jail in Gracie's Choice. If television had offered Bell her most successful roles to this point in her career, the magnetic young screen presence still had feature aspirations, as evidenced by her involvement in David Mamet's 2004 thriller Spartan. Of course, Bell wasn't about to turn her back on the small screen just yet, and following appearances on such popular series as Everwood and Deadwood, she took the lead as a sort-of new-millennium Nancy Drew on UPN's Veronica Mars. If that, combined with a lively performance in the Showtime musical spoof Reefer Madness, wasn't enough to make young Bell a household name, subsequent performances in the college comedy Fifty Pills and the thriller Deepwater would at least serve to expand her feature-film resumé. With Veronica Mars still pulling in impressive ratings in mid-2006, Bell took another brief break from television for a key role in the Wes Craven-produced technological shocker Pulse, an Americanized remake of Japanese director Kiyoshi Kurosawa's landmark 2001 frightener. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2009
- PG
- Add Astro Boy to Queue
A young robot with incredible powers, super strength, and the purest spirit on the planet discovers the joys of being human while embarking on a worldwide journey to discover his true potential in this animated update of Osamu Tezuka's classic anime story. Astro Boy (Freddie Highmore) is a young robot from futuristic Metro City. Created by a brilliant scientist named Tenma (Nicolas Cage), and powered by pure positive "blue" energy that gives him such abilities as x-ray vision, inhuman speed, and flight, the wide-eyed android longs to find his true place in the world. He sets out on an epic journey that brings him face to face with an underworld army of robots and some of the strangest creatures ever to walk the Earth, and along the way learns to experience human feelings and emotions. Astro Boy's remarkable mission of discovery is suddenly cut short, however, when he learns that his friends and family back in Metro City are in grave danger. As Astro Boy prepares to face off against his greatest adversary in order to save everything he cares most about, he realizes that only through victory will he finally discover what it takes to be a hero. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Freddie Highmore, Kristen Bell, (more)
- 2009
- PG13
- Add Couples Retreat to Queue
Their relationship in danger of dissipating, a couple racing to salvage their marriage invites three other couples to join them at a tropical island resort. Upon arriving at the island paradise to enjoy some carefree fun in the sun, the other couples are disturbed to discover that participation in therapy sessions is mandatory if they hope to remain at the resort. Peter Bilingsley directs a comedy penned by Jon Favreau, produced by Vince Vaughn, and pairing the two Made collaborators onscreen with co-stars Jason Bateman and Faizon Love. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vince Vaughn, Jason Bateman, (more)
An orphaned drifter recently released from the hospital and seeking gainful employment finds that sometimes fate can play cruel tricks on the desperate in a tightly wound tale of adultery, deception, and murder starring Peter Coyote and Lucas Black. Nat Banyon (Black) is an orphan just looking to get back on his feet after an extended convalescence in a Wyoming hospital. When by chance Nat spots a bad car accident and bravely acts to save the life of the car's eccentric driver, Herman Finch (Coyote), the grateful wheelman kindly extends an offer of work to the young drifter, with the understanding that room and board will be provided free of charge. Assigned the task of cleaning up Finch's rundown Deepwater motel in exchange for a street-worthy car, Nat sets about performing his duties while slowly becoming aware that, in this ramshackle motel, nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucas Black, Peter Coyote, (more)
A fanatical group of Star Wars devotees travel across the country on a mission to steal a print of Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace from Skywalker Ranch and become the first fans to see the film in a rowdy, sci-fi-flavored road comedy starring Sam Huntington, Chris Marquette, Dan Fogler, Jay Baruchel, and Kristen Bell. Carrie Fisher, William Shatner, and Ray Park turn up for cameos in the one comedy that truly understands the fanboy mindset. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Huntington, Dan Fogler, (more)
This collegiate farce directed by Theo Avgerinos had its world premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival. After a party thrown by his roommate, Coleman (John Hensley), violates their dorm-room probation, college freshman (at a thinly veiled New York University) Darren (Lou Taylor Pucci) loses his scholarship money and scrambles to raise the funds by selling 50 ecstasy pills given to him as an apology by Coleman over the course of a hectic day. While loading the pills off on fellow college students, friends, family, and Coleman's customers -- including a dominatrix named Petunia (Monica Keena) and an insanely off-kilter stock trader (Eddie Kaye Thomas) -- Darren must also finish a paper on Dante's Inferno, deal with his parents (Jane Lynch and John Kapelos) in New Jersey, who think he's gay, elude the mysterious Soul Man (Ron Yuan), and try to convince his crush, Grace (Kristen Bell), that he's not a sleazy drug dealer. Darren's crazy day comes to a head when some stupid but vengeful thugs led by Eduardo (Michael Pena) track down both Coleman and Darren at their dorm while the stock trader shows up looking for more pills. ~ Michael Buening, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lou Taylor Pucci, John Kapelos, (more)
In desperate need of a vacation after being unceremoniously dumped by his TV-star girlfriend, a man travels to a lavish Hawaiian resort to nurse his wounds and forget his heartache, only to discover that his ex and her handsome new boyfriend are currently staying at the exact same island hot spot. Peter Bretter (Jason Segel) may be just another struggling musician, but for the past six years he's been dating Sarah Marshall (Kristen Bell), one of the hottest stars on television. Sarah is everything in the world to Peter, so when she kindly but firmly tells him that they should each go their separate ways, he is absolutely devastated. Later, after attempting to salvage his ego by awkwardly attempting to become a womanizer and nearly losing his job because of a nervous breakdown, an emotionally fragile Peter attempts to put the past behind him by escaping to the sun-soaked beaches of Oahu. While at first it seems as if Peter has discovered the perfect prescription for a bad case of lost love, his plan soon turns to dust when Sarah and her new rock-star boyfriend, Aldous (Russell Brand), turn up at the exact same resort. Though accepting Sarah's lavish new lifestyle won't be easy for the crestfallen Peter, the laid-back companionship of flirtatious resort employee Rachel (Mila Kunis) -- not to mention a continuous regimen of fruity cocktails -- goes a long way in mending the wounds of a broken heart. Forgetting Sarah Marshall was penned by Segel and produced by Judd Apatow. Fun with Dick and Jane screenwriter Nicholas Stoller makes his directorial debut. The cast also includes Paul Rudd, Bill Hader, Jack McBrayer, and Jonah Hill. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Segel, Kristen Bell, (more)
Want to know a secret? A really juicy secret? Look no further than the latest message from Manhattan's notorious blogger Gossip Girl. She keeps tabs on the city's most elite teens as they make the rounds from the preppiest school events to the most lavish, decadent parties. And between Serena and Blair's explosive friendship, Dan and Serena's budding romance, Nate and Blair's fairytale relationship (or is it?), Chuck's escapades and Jenny's introduction to the glamorous life, there's a lot to track! In this 5-disc, 18-episode Season One, friends, lovers, rivals and enemies abound. Even the darkest secrets don't stay hidden for long. You know you love it. XOXO!
- Starring:
- Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, (more)
Her childhood forever lost to a mother (Anne Heche in an Emmy-nominated performance) whose irresponsible, drug-fueled escapades forced her and her siblings to fend for themselves, 17-year-old Gracie Thompson (Kristen Bell) vows to pick up the pieces and give her brothers and sisters the mother they've never had in this touching tale of family love and devotion that was inspired by a true story. Determined to finish her education, get a well-paying job, and offer her family the stability that they've never known, Gracie wages a tireless uphill battle to reclaim her family and give them hope for a better future. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kristen Bell
In Season 2 of the superhero saga, the nascent heroes learn more about their similarly superpowered families and ancestors. Indestructible cheerleader Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere) and her family are forced to go into hiding in California in order to escape the clutches of the Company, an organization that tracks and captures superheroes. While her father, Noah (Jack Coleman), a former employee of the Company, insists she not do anything to attract attention, Claire finds herself attracted to a fellow student (Nicholas D'Agosto) with a superpowered secret of his own. After barely managing to avert a nuclear explosion in Season 1's finale, Peter Petrelli (Milo Ventimiglia) is presumed dead by his grieving family, only to awaken in Ireland with no idea who he is or how he got there. Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka) accidentally time travels to 17th-century feudal Japan, where he encounters his childhood hero, the legendary swordsman Takezo Kensei. But Hiro's joy is short-lived: He discovers that not only is Kensei a white foreigner (David Anders) living in Japan, but he's also a drunken coward who needs Hiro's help in order to achieve his destiny. Hiro eventually returns to the present and learns his father (George Takei) has been killed, the first in a series of murders of superheroes who had been active a generation ago. As the murders continue, it becomes clear that this killing spree is an act of revenge connected to a deadly virus that could spell disaster for humanity. In addition to this threat, the heroes must also deal with the return of superpowered serial killer Sylar (Zachary Quinto) and the arrival of a new villain (Kristen Bell), a mentally unstable agent of the Company with the ability to control lightning and electricity. ~ Jack Rodgers, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Masi Oka, Milo Ventimiglia, (more)
Theresa Connelly makes her directorial debut with her own screenplay, a semi-autobiographical romantic comedy-drama, set in working-class Detroit, about a large Polish-American family run by matriarch Jadzia Pzoniak (Lena Olin). Her four boys obey her, but adolescent Hala (Claire Danes) is rebellious and independent. Although happily married to bakery worker Bolek (Gabriel Byrne), Jadzia engages in an almost-open affair with Roman (Rade Serbedzija). Hala sneaks off for late-night trysts with her handsome neighbor Russell Schuster (Adam Trese), resulting in her pregnancy. After her parents learn the news, Russell is forced to marry Hala, and a big Polish wedding is planned. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lena Olin, Gabriel Byrne, (more)
This comic spoof is spun off from a character that first appeared on The Chris Rock Show, and is written and directed by Louis C.K., one of that show's producers. Lance Crouther stars as Pootie Tang, a crime fighting superhero and recording artist who speaks in an unintelligible gibberish that seems to be a combination of Ebonics and street slang. Despite his communication problem, Pootie is a hero to children, whom he attempts to protect from the evil Dick Lecter (Robert Vaughn), a corporate fat cat out to corrupt America's youth with alcohol, tobacco, and junk food. Pootie also runs up against an artistic imitator (David Cross) and a sleazy recording executive (Andy Richter) Pootie Tang co-stars Chris Rock, Dave Attell, and Bob Costas and Conan O'Brien as themselves. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lance Crouther, Jennifer Coolidge, (more)
When wireless technology puts humans into contact with an unstoppable force that's determined to claim the lives of the living for the souls of the damned, it's up to a group of determined teens to close the gate before it's too late in director Jim Sonzero's remake of Kiyoshi Kurosawa's apocalyptic horror classic. A doorway between the human realm and the spiritual realm has been opened, and now the technology that once made humankind the ruler of the planet has become its digital Achilles heel. With every call made and every e-mail checked, life is slowly being stolen from the living and claimed for the dead. With no way of turning off the connection and no means of reasoning with a force they cannot understand, a desperate group of college students must discover a means of stopping the takeover before the entire planet is transformed into a cosmic haunting ground for wayward souls in search of a home. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kristen Bell, Ian Somerhalder, (more)
The made-for-cable musical satire Reefer Madness is based on the award-winning play of the same name, which in turn was inspired by the notorious -- and deliciously awful -- 1936 anti-marijuana film originally titled Tell Your Children. A smarmy lecturer (Alan Cumming in the first of his three roles in the film) arrives in a typical small town of the late '30s to warn the populace of the dangers of the "evil weed," bringing along a lurid propaganda film to dramatize his message. In broad, unsubtle, and hilarious strokes, the movie-within-a-movie shows how even a squeaky-clean pair of highschoolers named Mary Lane (Kristen Bell) and Jimmy Harper (Christian Campbell) can become hopeless dope addicts by succumbing to the lure of marijuana. Reefer Madness is not only a savage skewering of the original black-and-white movie (some of the musical's campiest lines are taken directly from the earlier script!), but also a devastating attack on what playwrights Kevin Murphy and Dan Studney consider to be the real reason that the 1936 movie was made: to frighten the public out of their wits in order to keep them under the thumb of an oppressive government. Thus, the musical manages to take a number of not-so-veiled swipes at xenophobia, racism, McCarthyism, the Bush Administration's Homeland Security policy, and even the recent FCC clampdown on "offensive" TV fare (one of the film's highlights is a garish nightclub number featuring Jesus Christ). The ebulliently staged songs include "The Stuff," "Down at the Ol' Five and Dime," "Lonely Pew," "Listen to Jesus Jimmy," "Mary Jane/Mary Lane," "The Brownie Song," "Tell 'Em the Truth," and the title number. Officially titled Reefer Madness: The Movie Musical, this film first aired April 16, 2005, on the Showtime cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kristen Bell, Christian Campbell, (more)
May star Angela Bettis trades places with that film's director Lucky McKee for this tale of a lonely recluse who finds his obsession with a beautiful girl taking a dark turn after coming face to face with the unsuspecting object of his affections. Roman (McKee) is a quiet soul whose only escape from the tedium of life and the torment inflicted upon him by his co-workers is basking in the ethereal beauty of the elusive girl who resides next door (Kristen Bell). During a chance encounter with the fragile girl, Roman's intense desperation leads him to commit a transgression that opens the floodgates of madness and deranged fantasy. As Roman's cold reality gradually begins to melt into a grisly puddle of dripping insanity, an eccentric neighbor (Nectar Rose) stealthily begins to ingratiate herself into his increasingly unhinged world. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lucky McKee, Kristen Bell, (more)
When high-powered attorney Louise (Meg Ryan) learns that her husband, Ian (Timothy Hutton), plans to leave her after 13 years of marriage to run off with his twentysomething girlfriend, Sara (Kristen Bell), she impulsively decides to take drastic action. She ties up Ian in their country house, and refuses to let him go until they talk things through. Naturally, he resists, and things take an even worse turn for the couple when a young hooligan (Justin Long) hears Ian's cries for help, and decides to rob the couple blind instead of helping the hapless husband. Serious Moonlight was scripted by the late Adrienne Shelly. Shelly's husband, Andy Ostrow, who produced the film and has a small role in it, decided to go forward with the project, for which Shelly had been seeking a producer, after the actor-director's tragic death. Serious Moonlight marks the feature directorial debut of actor Cheryl Hines, who co-starred in Shelly's last directorial effort, Waitress. Several key crew members for Serious Moonlight -- including composer Andrew Hollander, casting directors Sunday Boling and Meg Morman, costume designer Ariyela Wald-Cohain, and line producer Brigitte Mueller previously -- worked with Shelly on Waitress. Serious Moonlight had its world premiere at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival, where it was shown in the Encounters section. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Meg Ryan, Timothy Hutton, (more)
David Mamet writes and directs the political thriller Spartan. Respected Secret Service agent Robert Scott (Val Kilmer) is assigned to the kidnapping case of Laura Newton (Kristen Bell), the missing daughter of a high-ranking political figure. Scott is teamed up with rookie Curtis (Derek Luke). Aided by the FBI and the CIA, the team discovers a human trafficking operation that may lead to Laura's kidnappers. Meanwhile, political operative Stoddard (William H. Macy) refuses to cooperate with the rescue mission. Scott and Curtis are forced to quit the investigation when the media reports Laura's death. Believing her to be alive, Curtis is motivated to start up a dangerous unofficial investigation of his own. Spartan premiered at the Bangkok International Film Festival in 2004. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Val Kilmer, Derek Luke, (more)
- 2002
- Add The King and Queen of Moonlight Bay to QueueAdd The King and Queen of Moonlight Bay to top of Queue
Filmed on location in Lake Havasu, AZ, this made-for-cable domestic drama stars Tim Matheson as Al Dodge, a burned-out intellectual working as a handyman and living in a rundown trailer in the middle of the Arizona desert. Some 15 years earlier, Al had abandoned his family and is now living the life of a truculent recluse. All this may change -- or may not -- when Al is visited by Alison (Kristen Bell), his long-estranged teenaged daughter. Doing their best to mend the fences between father and daughter are Al's current girlfriend Sandy (Sean Young) and the requisite "crusty but lovable" widower Auggie Sinclair (Ed Asner). Adapted by Michael De Guzman from his own novel, The King and Queen of Moonlight Bay debuted on the Hallmark Channel on Father's Day, June 15, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Matheson, Sean Young, (more)
Season one of Veronica Mars finds both the title character (Kristen Bell) and her ex-sheriff father, Keith (Enrico Colantoni), regarded as lepers in the affluent community of Neptune -- and it's all because Keith made public his suspicion that Jake Kane (Kyle Secor), the town's richest man, killed his own daughter (and Veronica's best friend), Lilly (Amanda Seyfried). Hoping to find Lilly's murderer and redeem her father's reputation, 17-year-old Veronica assists Keith in his efforts to run a private detective agency -- and while in school, she tirelessly crusades for justice as a reporter for the student newspaper. Early in the season, Veronica finds herself with two loyal allies when she protects nerdy new kid Wallace (Percy Daggs III) from school bully Weevil (Francis Capra) -- and then, in the spirit of "fair and balanced" dispersion of justice, she clears Weevil from an unfounded charge of theft. Meanwhile, several of Veronica's fellow Neptunians display bizarre behavior suggesting that they know more about Lilly's death than they're willing to admit, notably Lilly's seriously disturbed brother, Duncan (Teddy Dunn), and his wealthy, arrogant best friend, Logan Echolls (Jason Dohring). Also, Veronica finds time to delve into the mystery of her mother, Lianne (Corinne Bohrer), who for apparently no reason had abandoned her family a year earlier. And all the while, Veronica does the "Nancy Drew" bit, 21st century style, using her acute detecting skills to restore shattered reputations, expose the dangers of cult worship, and gather vital clues pertinent to kidnappings, switched-at-birth cases, instances of alleged sexual harassment, and illegal fight clubs. The season ends with the episode "Leave It to Beaver," in which Veronica at long last has the opportunity to solve Lilly's murder -- but in so doing she may betray the trust of one near and dear to her. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kristen Bell, Enrico Colantoni, (more)
- 2010
- PG13
- Add When in Rome to Queue
Disillusioned with romance during her whirlwind trip to Rome, an ambitious New Yorker defiantly swipes a few magic coins from a "foolish" wishing fountain, inadvertently igniting the passions of a motley crew of suitors as she's pursued by a handsome reporter with charm to spare. Beth (Kristen Bell) is at a point in her life where love seems like a luxury she just can't afford. Years of waiting for that perfect romance has made Beth bitter, and one day, while vacationing in Rome, she cynically plucks a handful of coins from a local fountain of love. Almost immediately thereafter, Beth finds herself fending off the advances of a diminutive sausage magnate (Danny DeVito), a lanky street magician (Jon Heder), a doting painter (Will Arnett), and a narcissistic male model (Dax Shepard). Meanwhile, a smitten reporter (Josh Duhamel) does his best to convince Beth that true love isn't just a topic of fairy tales and romance novels. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, (more)
