Kathy Kinney Movies

A chip designed to instantly train any dog falls into the hands of an evil scientist looking to enslave the children of the world and achieve ultimate power in directors Oren Goldman and Yariv Ozdoba's family-oriented comedy-adventure. Newyville misfit Zach Dylan hasn't had a very good day. In addition to being tormented by his ruthless classmates, his attempts to break the ice with brainy and beautiful classmate Becky Green are met with the kind of cool indifference that can only indicate rejection. Crossing through the park on his way home from school, lonely Zach finds a wandering pup that looks like he could use some human companionship. After smuggling the amiable pooch upstairs to his bedroom as to not irritate his mother's allergies, Zach makes a shocking discovery about his new four-legged friend -- this dog can talk! After explaining that he was the subject of a bold experiment by local scientist Dr. Island designed to train dogs by implanting them with a microchip, Lenny and Zach are soon interrupted by the unexpected arrival of Becky Green. When a group of nefarious scientist Dr. Wagner's henchmen burst into Zach's home, sending the young boy, Lenny, and Becky fleeing for safety, their ensuing investigation leads the trio to discover that the former colleague of Dr. Island has been kidnapping the children of Newyville in a bid to take over the world. Now, with little time left before the children of Newyville are all implanted with the secret microchip, Zach, Lenny, and Becky must work together to get the word out and stop Dr. Wagner before his dastardly plan is set into motion. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Although by prior agreement ABC was required to retain The Drew Carey Show on its prime time schedule through 2004 at a cost of $3,000,000 per episode, by the fall of 2002 it was obvious that the series' plummeting ratings no longer justified such a long-term commitment. Thus, only 15 of the 27 episodes filmed for the series' eighth season were broadcast before the network yanked the show from its lineup in January of 2003. At this point, ABC had two options: shelve the remaining episodes (and the subsequent ninth season, then in its early production stages) and take a huge financial bath, or "burn off" the 12 leftover episodes during the Summer of 2003, with two episodes shown back-to-back each week for a six-week period. The latter option was exercised, then repeated for the ninth and final season of The Drew Carey Show in the Summer of 2004. Those few viewers tuning into Season Eight had some treats in store for them, most notably the guest appearances of a different A-list musical group at the beginning and end of each episode. Also, there was an influx of new characters, precipitated by the bankruptcy of Winfred-Louder, the Cleveland department store which employed series protagonist Drew Carey (playing himself) and Drew's mortal enemy (and now sister-in-law!) Mimi Bombeck (Kathy Kinney. The store's new owners are a pair of oafish young techno-nerds named Scott (Jonathan Mangum) and Evan (Kyle Howard), who transform the place into a dot.com called "NeverendingStore." At first intending to fire everybody, Scott and Evan keep Drew on because they're amused by "the old man", and also relent and rehire Mimi (Kathy Kinney)--who immediately develops an intense hatred for newly installed keyboard operator Traylor (Kaitlin Olson), who proves so odious that Mimi ends up trying to murder the girl by stuffing her in a paper shredder! Leaving the series this season is longtime regular Christa Miller), whose character, Kate O'Brien, heads to Guam with her new husband, fighter pilot Kirk (Cameron Mathison). Replacing Kate as one of the "gang"--consisting of Drew, Oswald (Diedrich Bader) and Lewis (Ryan Stiles)--is another of Drew's former school pals, Kellie Newmark, played by Cynthia Watros. Though his marriage to Kate has fallen through, Drew stubbornly books a chapel for his wedding--then spends the rest of the season searching for an appropriate bride, with the help of former coworoker and now professional matchmaker Larry Almada (Ian Gomez). After a tentative romance with Kellie comes acropper, Drew settles upon a ditzy Southern belle named Lily (Tammy Lauren), with whom he ultimately marches down the aisle...and then... Although billed as regulars this season, John Carroll Lynch as Drew's brother and Mimi's husband Steve and Craig Ferguson as Drew's ex-boss Mr. Wick appear only sporadically. The reason for Wick's non-appearances are fairly obvious (why should he hang around a place where he's been canned); as for Steve, he abruptly vanishes from view after Mimi catches him in an extramarital affair, one that forces poor Drew to act as surrogate father for his nephew Gus for the duration of the series. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Leslie Jordan writes and stars in this autobiographical account of being gay and drug-addled in 1970s Atlanta. The film opens with the protagonist known only as Storyteller (Jordan) meeting his maker after a drug overdose and trying to explain the sorry state of his former life. Rewind 20 years, when our hero, styling himself as a lilliputian dandy à la Truman Capote, leaves home for Atlanta -- dubbed the "San Francisco of the South." There he meets debutante refugee and drug connoisseur "Miss Make-Do" (Erin Chandler) who introduces him to the wonderful world of chemicals and the film's titular hotel -- a low-rent Chelsea-like dive. After his benefactress kicks him out for taking up with a thuggish coke dealer, the hapless fop protagonist finds another protector in Tripper -- a roughneck junkie, ex-con, and pimp. The two form a weird platonic and dependent relationship that eventually spirals into an opiate oblivion. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

All prior vestiges of "real life" on The Drew Carey Show have been ravaged, murdered and buried by the time Season Five rolls around. Typically surrealistic entries this season find Drew (Drew Carey) on trial for trying to murder his longtime bete noire Mimi (Kathy Kinney), and later hosting a "webcam" show from his own home on behalf of his bosses at Winfred-Louder--a show that, in true "life imitates art" fashion, was simultaneously broadcast on the ABC network and streamed on www.abc.com. Plus, we are treated to an exercise in pure fantasy when an ailing Drew has a terse conference with his own stomach (played by Max Wright. Also featured in Season Five is the first of the series' "Drew Live" offerings, originally networkcast live by ABC, with three different versions beamed out to the three major time zones--and, of course, the third annual edition of "What's Wrong With This Episode?", permitting the home viewers to compete for huge cash prizes by spotting the 50 or so deliberate mistakes scattered throughout the episode. In the course of the year's events, Kate (Christa Miller) finally realizes that she is in love with her lifelong friend Drew--just as he is being advised to avoid dating women by the office psychologist. By the time the couple begins dating, a new crimp is put in their relationship when Drew sprains his Most Vital Organ. Elswehere, Winfred-Louder undergoes the first in a long line of corporate takeovers when Mr. Soulard (Mark Curry) assumes command of the store; Mimi is plagued by a new "number one fan", a hero-worshipping little person named Doreen (Debbie Lee Carrington), who subsequently becomes romantically involved with the geekish Lewis (Ryan Stiles); and on a (comparatively!) less creepy note, Mimi is finally married to Drew's transvestite older brother Steve (John Carroll Lynch. Fifth-season highlights include jabs at such contemporary events as the "Y2K" panic and the "second coming" of Drew's beloved Cleveland Browns. And let us not forget the season finale, in which Drew and the rest of the cast, dropping character, vow to grab a surefire Emmy Award by staging the "Very Special Episode" to end all Very Special Episodes--a shameless spectacular replete with disease, death and an Ellen DeGeneres "coming out" moment! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Drew Carey Show continues to abandon reality in favor of surrealism through the series' third season, beginning with a story arc wherein the obstreperous Mimi (Kathy Kinney), eternal enemy of series hero Drew Carey (playing himself), goes into full "Steven King" mode, holding her traumatized boss Mr. Wick (Craig Ferguson) prisoner after a tornado rips through Cleveland and nearly destroys the Winfred-Louder department store. Likewise far removed from "real life" is the first of the series' "What's Wrong with This Episode?" entries, in which the fans at home were offered huge cash prizes to spot the many deliberate errors sprinkled throughout the episode's thirty minutes. And on a less elaborate but no less unrealistic note, Winfred-Louder's barracudalike owner Mrs. Louder (Nan Martin inexplicably changes her first name from Dottie to Fran--which, come to think of it, is no less inexplicable than her torrid affair with the store's most incompetent employee, Larry Almada Ian Gomez, who makes his own distinctive mark on the proceedings by causing the entire cast to be arrested on drug charges! And then there's the oddball romance between Drew's lifelong friends Oswald Harvey (Diedrich Bader and Kate O'Brien (Christa Miller). . . New cast additions this season include John Carroll Lynch as Steve Carey, Drew's transvestite older brother; Kate Walsh as Drew's real-estate-agent girlfriend (and, briefly, fiancee) Nicki Fifer, she of the fluctuating weight and dangerous mood swings; Adrienne Barbeau as Kim Harvey, the mother of Drew's uber-neurotic best friend Oswald; and Ashley Gardner, a professional "guinea pig" at DrugCo and erstwhile sweetheart of the company's janitor Lewis Kiniski (Ryan Stiles). Among those making guest appearances are Rush Limbaugh, Dionne Warwick, Tim Conway, the rock band The Reverend Horton Heat, and the cast of the British film hit The Full Monty. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cleveland's favorite son Drew Carey stars as Cleveland's favorite son Drew Carey in the first season of the popular ABC sitcom bearing his name. Of course, Carey does not really play "himself", a successful standup comedian: The TV version of Drew Carey is the long-suffering, overworked and underpaid assistant personnel director at Cleveland's fictional Winfred-Louder department store. Given the choice, Drew would rather spend all his time at home or at the Warsaw Tavern with his lifelong best friends: hoydenish, perennially unemployed Kate O'Brien (Christa Miller), geekish DrugCo janitor and sci-fi aficionado Lewis Kiniski (Ryan Stiles), and erstwhile deejay Oswald Harvey (Diedrich Bader), who in the course of the first season launches a lengthy if unrewarding job at Global Parcel Service. These are the "regulars" in the first episode, soon to be joined by Kathy Kinney as Drew's mortal enemy, the garishly outfitted and cosmetically challenged Mimi Bombeck. Originally, Mimi was to have been a one-shot character, but proved so popular with test audiences that she was signed for a permanent post as a secretary at Winfred-Louder, giving her ample opportunity to make Drew's life Hell. Contributing to Drew's woes is his never-seen boss Mr. Bell (voiced by Kevin Pollak), whose sojourn at Winfred-Louder will last only until the season finale, thanks to the whims of the store founder's barracudalike widow Mrs. Louder (Nan Martin), whose first name is "Dottie" herein but will later be "Fran". Other prominent Season One contributors are Katey Selverstone as store employee Lisa Robbins, with whom Drew has a covert romance; Jane Morris as Nora O'Dougherty, another of Drew's coworkers, whose lawsuit against Drew for creating a "hostile workplace" (translation: for having a typically male sense of humor) provides the show with its first significant story arc; Robert Torti as Drew's old pal Jay Clemens, who has a fling with Kate; Ian Gomez as Larry Almada, Winfred-Louder's laziest employee and Mrs. Louder's current boy-toy; Stanley Anderson) as Drew's irksome dad George; and Susan Saint James as Kate's hyperjudgmental mom Lynn. Generally avoiding the surrealism prevalent in later years, Season One still has a tenuous connection with what passes for "real life", though there are glimmers of the zaniness to come in the season finale, wherein Drew, Oswald and Lewis establish their own micro-brewery for the purposes of creative a coffee-flavored beer, naming their product "Buzz" (what else?) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The series opener finds standup comedian Drew Carey in his familiar guise as...Drew Carey, overworked and underpaid assistant personnel director for Cleveland's Winfred-Louder Department Store. Hoping to cheer up his lifelong friend Kate O'Brien (Christa Miller), who has just come off another dead-end romance, Drew tries to get Kate a job in the store's cosmetics department. First, however, he is confronted by another applicant for the same job: the obnoxious, loudmouthed, makeup-laden Mimi Bombeck--who, when turned down because Drew doesn't like her attitude, threatens to sue the store for discrimination and harrassment. Initially conceived as a one-shot guest role, Mimi proved so popular with test audiences that Kathy Kinney became a series regular beginning with the very next episode, joining the august company of Ryan Stiles and Diedrich Bader as Drew's best buds Lewis Kinski and Oswald Harvey. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A single mother and her difficult son find family life isn't necessarily all it's cracked up to be in this drama adapted from writer and professor Tobias Wolff's 1989 memoir of the same name. Nomadic, flaky Caroline (Ellen Barkin) just wants to settle down in one place, find a decent guy, and provide a better home for her handful of a son, Toby (Leonardo DiCaprio). When she moves to Seattle and meets the respectful, respectable Dwight Hansen (Robert DeNiro), she thinks she's got it made. Toby, however, feels differently after spending a few months with Dwight and his children and away from Caroline. The boy's stepfather-to-be seems to want to mold Toby into a better person, but to do so he emotionally, verbally, and physically abuses the kid. The marriage proceeds, and soon Caroline, too, recognizes Dwight's need to dominate everyone around him. She sticks with it, though, convinced it's the best thing for her son, and several years of dysfunction ensue. During this time, Tobias befriends another misfit, the possibly homosexual young Jonah (Arthur Gayle), while continuing to chafe under the yoke of his repressive stepfather. This Boy's Life provided the first lead role for future superstar DiCaprio. The film was written by Robert Getchell, who also penned such mother/son fare as Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore and The Client. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

A magic-obsessed New York waitress (Rosanna Arquette) is persuaded by a colorful group of characters to help her rob the restaurant where she works. Along the way, she falls in love with the eatery's bartender (David Bowie), who just so happens to be looking for someone who will make him a permanent resident of the U.S. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

Referring to the fear of spiders, Arachnophobia features a particularly deadly species of spider that manages to make its way from the Venezuelan rain forest to a small California town, thanks to the many oversights of entomologist Julian Sands. Yuppie doctor Jeff Daniels, fed up with the dangers inherent in big-city living, has resettled in this town on the assumption that nothing untoward could ever happen here to himself and his family. Before long, however, Daniels is trying to make sense of a series of sudden deaths-and to figure out why each of the corpses has been drained of blood. The audience, of course, knows that the culprits are those pesky South American spiders, which grow larger with each kill. To make matters worse, Jeff Daniels suffers from a profound case of arachnophobia. John Goodman supports the cast as a slovenly exterminator, and Frank Marshall, longtime producer of Steven Spielberg's films, makes his directorial debut in Arachnophobia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Another of Disney's Touchstone Pictures rehashes of a lightweight French farce, Three Fugitives goes the trend one better by importing French director Frances Veber to supervise a shot-for-shot remake of his French original Les Fugitifs. Nick Nolte stars as a bank robber named Lucas, recently released from prison, who ambles into a bank to open up a checking account. Into the bank enters the inept Ned (Martin Short), who tries to rob the place and takes Lucas hostage. The police, knowing Lucas's criminal history, assume Lucas and Ned are pulling the heist together. With no choice in the matter, Lucas is compelled to engineer their getaway. Complicating the situation further is Ned's six-year-old daughter Meg (Sarah Rowland Doroff), who has been mute since the death of her mother. With his bank account depleted, Ned has robbed the bank to get money to send Meg to a special school. Meg loves her father, but finds herself drawn to the gruff Lucas. As the three go on the lam from the cops, the trio of misfits bond as a makeshift family. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

This courtroom drama was inspired by the notorious Scopes trial of 1925 concerning the teaching of Darwinism in public schools. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide