Lisa Kudrow Movies
Lisa Kudrow first made her name playing Phoebe, the ditzy, New Age member of the titular close-knit pals on NBC's highly successful sitcom Friends. Since then, she has bridged the gap between television and film with undeniable success, winning particular acclaim for her role as an uptight school teacher in Don Roos' The Opposite of Sex (1998).Born in Encino, California on July 30, 1963, Kudrow earned a degree in biology from Vassar College before beginning her acting career. After college, she joined the Los Angeles improvisational group, The Groundlings, at the urging of family friend Jon Lovitz. Improv paved the way for more work, and Kudrow was soon appearing in bit roles in a number of films. Her first real break didn't come until 1993, when she began appearing on the TV sitcom Mad About You as Ursula, the waitress from hell. Real fame came in 1994, when the actress was cast as Phoebe on Friends; the enormous success of the show gave her both wide recognition and a steady day job.
Kudrow's first leading role on the big screen was as one of the titular heroines (alongside Mira Sorvino) of the 1997 comedy Romy and Michele's High School Reunion; unfortunately, her character was little more than a film version of Phoebe. Fortunately, Kudrow got to widen her range a little further that same year with a starring role in the independent drama Clockwatchers, portraying a struggling actress alongside the likes of Toni Collette and Parker Posey. The following year, Kudrow won raves and critical respect for her turn in The Opposite of Sex, a scathing black comedy in which she gave a comic and poignant performance as an embittered woman coping with the death of her brother, the presence of her best friend's malicious little sister (Christina Ricci), and the romantic attentions of Lyle Lovett. The acclaim she received for her portrayal was complemented the same year with an Emmy Award for her work on Friends. In 1999, Kudrow shared the screen with Robert DeNiro in the comedy Analyze This, and later that year she starred with Diane Keaton and Meg Ryan as three sisters dealing with the imminent death of their irritating father (Walter Matthau) in the comedy Hanging Up, directed by Keaton and written by Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron.
~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- 2009
- PG
- Add Bandslam to Queue
A gifted young singer-songwriter recruits the new kid in town to manage her fledgling rock band in this music-driven comedy starring Vanessa Anne Hudgens and Gaelan Connell. Charlotte Banks (Aly Michalka) has what it takes to be a true rock star, and with the battle of the bands approaching she's determined to win. Her chief opponent in the upcoming competition is none other than her egotistical ex-boyfriend Ben (Scott Porter). Ben may be cocky, but there's no denying his charisma when he takes the stage. With a little help from new arrival Will Burton (Connell), Charlotte's band begins to develop a unique sound and starts writing some original songs. Meanwhile, as Will and singer/guitarist Sa5m (Hudgeons) start to make a love connection, disaster strikes, and the band is forced to choose between conceding the competition or standing tall and finally living up to their true potential. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alyson Michalka, Vanessa Hudgens, (more)
Adapted from author Lois Duncan's 1971 children's book of the same name, director Thor Freudenthal's Hotel for Dogs follows two mischievous orphans as they attempt to hide dozens of stray dogs in an abandoned hotel. Disheartened by their new guardians' announcement that pets are strictly forbidden, 16-year-old Andi (Emma Roberts) and her younger brother, Bruce (Jake T. Austin), race to find a home for their loyal dog Friday. Fortunately for Friday, there's an abandoned hotel just around the corner, and Bruce possesses just the kind of mechanical smarts needed to transform the rundown inn into a four-star retreat for canines. For a while, Friday and his friends have it made, but when the neighbors start to get suspicious, Andi and Bruce resort to every trick in the book in order to prevent their secret from being discovered. Don Cheadle, Emma Roberts, and Lisa Kudrow star in a family-friendly film penned by screenwriter Jeff Lowell. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, (more)
A slacker tries to do the right thing for his family with unexpectedly chaotic results in this independent comedy. Salman (Scott Prendergast) is an out-of-work twentysomething who has few skills and fewer prospects. However, things are significantly worse for his older brother -- his National Guard unit has been called back to Iraq, and his wife, Leslie (Lisa Kudrow), needs to go back to work in order to support their children. However, Leslie doesn't have anyone to look after her two sons, so when Salman learns of her sad situation, he volunteers to move in and help mind the kids. Salman quickly discovers the boys are nearly psychotic and will stop at nothing to get him out of the house, including putting sharp objects in his breakfast. With the household still short on money, Leslie helps Salman get a job, and soon he's become the corporate mascot for a failing Internet company, who pounds the pavement wearing a strange blue costume hoping to drum up interest in renting space in the corporate offices. The first feature film as writer and director for actor Scott Prendergast, Kabluey also stars Christine Taylor, Conchata Ferrell, Teri Garr, and Chris Parnell. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lisa Kudrow, Scott Prendergast, (more)
A grieving widow finds her husband's warmth radiating from the afterlife when she discovers that he left her a series of tasks to be revealed in ten monthly messages and designed to help her overcome her sorrow while gradually making the transition into a new life. Holly Kennedy (Hilary Swank) is a New York real estate broker whose good-humored husband, Irishman Gerry (Gerard Butler), always stood by her side. Suddenly, and seemingly out of nowhere, Gerry succumbs to a brain tumor and Holly is left to face an uncertain future. No one in the world knows Holly better than Gerry, not even her mother (Kathy Bates) or her best friends, Sharon (Gina Gershon) and Denise (Lisa Kudrow). But while Holly remains unsure if she can go on without the love of her life to help guide her, Gerry has planned ahead. On Holly's 30th birthday, she receives a cake and a special tape recording from Gerry that implores her to get out and celebrate instead of staying in and mourning. Later, as the months wear on, a series of additional messages arrive from Gerry -- always delivered in the most remarkable and surprising of ways. With each new message comes a new adventure, and each letter signs off in the same familiar way: "P.S. I love you." Despite the fact that Holly's mother and friends think these humorous, posthumous messages are keeping Holly bound to the past, the truth is that they are lovingly guiding her into the future while proving that sometimes death isn't just the end, but a new beginning as well. Director Richard LaGravenese teams with screenwriter Steve Rogers to adapt author Cecelia Ahern's best-selling novel. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler, (more)
Three loosely interrelated stories of dysfunctional relationships are played for edgy laughs in this dark comedy drama from writer and director Don Roos. An unexpected assignation between stepsiblings Mamie and Charley results in Mamie becoming pregnant, with the child being put up for adoption shortly after birth. Twenty years later, Mamie (Lisa Kudrow) is approached by Nicky (Jesse Bradford), an aspiring filmmaker with an abrasive personality who claims to know where her long-lost son is living. However, there's a catch -- Nicky wants to shoot the reunion for the student film he's working on, and won't tell her about her child unless she agrees, though her lover, Javier (Bobby Cannavale), attempts to work out a compromise. Meanwhile, Charley (Steve Coogan), now out of the closet, has a longstanding relationship with Gil (David Sutcliffe), and the couple are involved in a legal battle over whether or not Gil's donated sperm produced a baby who has been adopted by a lesbian couple they know (Laura Dern and Sarah Clarke). And finally, Jude (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a bohemian malcontent who becomes involved with Otis (Jason Ritter), a sexually ambiguous rock musician. Otis has a difficult relationship with his father, Frank (Tom Arnold), but when Jude meets Frank, she likes him fine -- in fact, she soon falls in love with him and leaves Otis for his dad. Happy Endings had its world premiere at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Arnold, Jesse Bradford, (more)
James Cox directs the sleazy Hollywood murder tale Wonderland, starring Val Kilmer as legendary porn star John Holmes. Using a non-linear plot structure, the film explores different perspectives of the quadruple homicide that occurred on July 1, 1981, in the Hollywood Hills. At the lowest point of his career and the height of his drug addiction, Holmes was implicated in the murders of the Wonderland gang: Ron Launius (Josh Lucas), Billy Deverell (Tim Blake Nelson), Barbara Richardson (Natasha Gregson Wagner), and Joy Miller (Janeane Garofalo). Launius' wife, Susan (Christina Applegate), was the only survivor. Led by Detective Sam Nico (Ted Levine), the police investigation reveals a dark criminal underworld surrounding Holmes, his disapproving wife, Sharon (Lisa Kudrow), and his innocent teenage girlfriend, Dawn Schiller (Kate Bosworth). Eric Bogosian stars as notorious Hollywood nightclub owner Eddie Nash. Wonderland premiered at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Val Kilmer, Kate Bosworth, (more)
Paul Rudnick provides the script for the Scott Rudin-produced comedy Marci X, directed by Richard Benjamin. The new song "Shoot Ya' Teacha" by controversial hardcore rapper Dr. S. (short for Dr. Snatchcatcher, played by Damon Wayans) causes a public outcry. The stress causes a heart attack for the owner of the hardcore rap record label Felony Assault (played by director Benjamin). It's up to his stylishly sunny daughter Marci (Lisa Kudrow) to take over his business. She tries to rescue the record label by changing the negative image of Dr. S. in order to appeal to a youth-oriented crowd, which leads the pair into an unlikely romance. Actress Christine Baranski appears as a conservative senator who threatens to ban the rapper. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lisa Kudrow, Damon Wayans, (more)
- 2003
Divorced Denver TV weatherman Will (Scott Wolf) only has custody of his son during holidays. Divorced mom Jane (Amanda Detmer) has custody of her daughter every day of the year except holidays. Inevitably, Will and Jane meet at the Denver airport while picking up and dropping off their respective children. And inasmuch as this is a made-for-cable romantic comedy, Will and Jane are destined to run into one another at the same airport again and again on subsequent Holiday weekends. And of course they will ultimately fall in love, despite such complications as the effort by Jane's ex-husband to win her back. The first film project of Friends star Lisa Kudrow's Is or Isn't Entertainment, Picking Up and Dropping Off made its ABC Family channel debut on December 7, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
With the official announcement that the tenth season of Friends would be its last, the series' fans loyally rallied around each episode, ensuring that the program would go out in a blaze of ratings glory. There was also little doubt that the many romantic intrigues that had evolved during previous seasons would finally be resolved -- happily or otherwise. Season ten begins with Ross (David Schwimmer), the father of Rachel's child, being upset over the burgeoning relationship between Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc) -- who, truth to tell, also feel awkward and uncomfortable about the situation. Meanwhile, Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry), having learned that they cannot have children, find a mother-to-be named Erica (Anna Faris) from whom to adopt a child; they also decide to move out of Manhattan and into a "real" home in Westchester. As for the eternally unlucky-in-love Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), she is on the brink of a happily-ever-after denouement with her marriage to a nice fellow named Mike (Paul Rudd). The series' now-famous climactic episodes find Rachel deciding to give up both Joey and Ross by moving to Paris, and Joey preparing to go to L.A. in pursuit of movie work (thereby establishing the premise of Matt LeBlanc's new spin-off series, Joey); and Erica gives birth to twins, named Erica (after herself) and Jack (after Chandler's dad). As the last scene of the last episode approaches its final fadeout, it looks as though Ross will be left all alone...but there's still one more surprise in store. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox Arquette, (more)
Everyone's favorite neurotic mafia boss (with the possible exception of Tony Soprano) is out of prison and back on the couch in this sequel to the hit comedy Analyze This. Ever since he ended up behind bars, mob leader Paul Vitti (Robert De Niro) has been in sad shape, alternately weeping like a child and singing favorite tunes from West Side Story. Fearful of his emotional stability, prison officials release Vitti into the custody of his psychiatrist, Dr. Ben Sobel (Billy Crystal), but this is far more responsibility than Sobel wants -- he's having troubles with his family after the recent death of his father, also an analyst, and has been overworked since taking over his late father's practice. Sobel becomes even more exasperated when he learns Vitti will be moving into his home, which is especially upsetting for Sobel's wife, Laura (Lisa Kudrow). As Sobel tries to get to the root of Vitti's problems -- which are very much real, even if he was faking his symptoms behind bars -- he tries to help Vitti find a straight job, which is hardly easy for a man of his temperament. And adding to all this confusion, several members of Vitti's old crew are after him, determined to insure that he doesn't pass along any incriminating information. Analyze That also features Cathy Moriarty-Gentile, Joseph Viterelli, and baseball legend Yogi Berra. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal, (more)
With season eight of Friends concluding on a lively note as Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) gave birth to Ross' baby, season nine gets off to an equally lively start as Joey (Matt LeBlanc) "accidentally" proposes to Rachel, and Rachel "accidentally" accepts. This leaves Ross (David Schwimmer) out of the picture, and he puts up a brave front about it, while the rest of the "friends" (except Joey, of course) try to bring Ross and Rachel back together. Elsewhere, former Married...With Children co-star Christina Applegate shows up in the role of Rachel's sister Amy; and as newlyweds Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) try to adjust to Chandler's new job, which will require him to commute back and forth between New York and Tulsa, word comes that the couple may never be able to have any children. The season ends with a jaunt to Barbados, a confession, and the long-awaited, long-delayed "Joey and Rachel kiss." Although its status as America's top-rated series was upset by the emergence of CBS's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Friends remained the country's most-watched network sitcom during its penultimate year on the air. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox Arquette, (more)
Heather Morgan (who also scripted the film) portrays a dog-walker who has decided to stop talking and begins to act like the animals she tends to. The film is concerned mostly with her husband Peter (Lee Tergesen) and his attempts to help his wife. The supporting cast of this whimsical comedy includes Hank Azaria as Peter's most trusted friend, Vincent D'Onofrio as a psychiatrist who is in need of some mental health care, and Friends co-star Lisa Kudrow as a veterinarian. Kasia Adamik, the child of famed director Agnieszka Holland, helms this quirky comedy that played at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Tergesen, Heather Morgan, (more)
Eddie Murphy returns as a doctor with a gift for talking to animals in this sequel to a box-office blockbuster. Murphy is John Dolittle, who this time around attempts to save an endangered Pacific forest from lumber industry forces by reintegrating an endangered species of bear back into the wild. Unfortunately, Dolittle's candidate is a performing bear (voice of Steve Zahn) with a taste for junk food and no natural skills in the wild. If Dolittle is going to save the species and its habitat, he must get him to mate with a fussy female (Lisa Kudrow) by providing lessons in winning the heart of the opposite sex. Dr. Dolittle's problems are compounded by a local animal work stoppage and furry woodland creatures who have organized their own version of the Mafia. Norm Macdonald returns as the voice of Lucky the Dog, co-starring with Kevin Pollak, Jeffrey Jones, Michael Rapaport, Molly Shannon, Reni Santoni, and Kristen Wilson. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Kristen Wilson, (more)
Actor and playwright Dan Bucatinsky wrote the screenplay for this adaptation of his play I Know You Are, But What Am I?, though for the big-screen version, his slightly fractured love story was given a same-sex twist. Eli (Dan Bucatinsky) is a journalist working with a major L.A. newspaper who is single and not loving it. Eli is also gay, and makes no secret of the fact that he's looking for a nice guy that he can settle down with. Eli's best friend Brett (Adam Goldberg) knows a woman named Jackie (Sasha Alexander), who says she has a friend who would be perfect for Eli. Thus Eli is introduced to Tom (Richard Ruccolo), a special education instructor and devoted nightlife enthusiast. Eli and Tom's first date turns out to be just short of a disaster; Tom indulges in his overweening enthusiasm for alcohol and tobacco, and Eli is disgusted to learn Tom has never seen Gone With the Wind. Things appear to be over for Eli and Tom before they even started, until they meet by chance while shopping a few days later; this time, a conversation rather than an argument develops, and the two end up spending the night together. Eli begins to think love may have finally found him, until Tom dashes off the next morning, leaving Eli to wonder if Tom has any interest at all in a long-term commitment. All Over the Guy also features small cameo roles by Lisa Kudrow, as an actress not skilled in voice-over work, and Christina Ricci as Eli's cynical sister. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Bucatinsky, Richard R. Ruccolo, (more)
As expected, the eighth season of Friends picked up exactly where season seven left off -- that is, a few minutes after the wedding of Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Monica (Courteney Cox), with Joey (in a WWI uniform for his role in an upcoming movie) serving as best man. Also as expected, the mystery surrounding the pregnancy of one of the female Friends regulars is solved, with Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) turning out to be the one in the family way. It would take a few additional episodes, though, for Ross (David Schwimmer) to step forward as the father of Rachel's child. This plot development, however, did not lead to another wedding. Though Ross and Rachel were about to become parents, they did not see the need to become husband and wife, and in fact, both of them dated other people throughout the rest of the season, with Bonnie Somerville becoming a quasi-regular in the role of Ross' steady date Mona. In the course of season eight, Joey found himself falling in love with the pregnant Rachel, an affection culminating in a proposal at the tail end of the season -- just after Rachel had delivered a healthy baby girl, named Emma. Whether or not this would lead to a lasting relationship between Joey and Rachel was something that would have to be resolved during the next season. Meanwhile, Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) had quite an eventful romantic life of her own, briefly pairing with guest stars Sean Penn (uncharacteristically cast as a nice guy) and Alec Baldwin (more characteristically cast as a well-meaning doofus whose overbearing enthusiasm drove everybody crazy). In keeping with this "celebrity guest" kick, Brad Pitt, husband of series regular Jennifer Aniston, showed up in one episode as one of Monica's high-school acquaintances. Though Pitt received no onscreen billing, his appearance was lavishly publicized throughout the civilized world, and was even deemed worthy of that loftiest of honors -- a TV Guide cover. Two Emmy awards were presented to Friends during its eighth season: the show itself received a statuette, as did Jennifer Aniston for Outstanding Lead Actress. Despite the formidable competition of CBS' Survivor, Friends remained the top-rated program on network television, posting a 15.0 in the Nielsens. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox Arquette, (more)
While lots of people dream of winning the lottery, one man hatches a more ambitious plan than just buying a ticket and hoping for the best in this satiric comedy. Russ Richards (John Travolta), a weatherman on a local TV station in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, sells snowmobiles on the side, but both careers are in a rut thanks to an unusually warm winter. Russ's girlfriend Crystal (Lisa Kudrow) appears on the State Lottery's weekly televised drawing, pulling the numbered balls out of the rotating bin. With the help of a few of his less scrupulous friends - among them sleazy strip joint proprietor Gig (Tim Roth), small time hood Dale The Thug (Michael Rappaport), and Crystal's sleazy cousin Walter (Michael Moore) - Russ figures out a way to rig the drawing and have Crystal pull numbers that they happen to own. However, Russ discovers that making the scheme work and keeping everyone quiet about it is more trouble than it's worth. The supporting cast includes Chris Kattan, Ed O'Neill, and Bill Pullman; Nora Ephron, who previously worked with Travolta on the comedy hit Michael, directed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Travolta, Lisa Kudrow, (more)
The twentysomething characters of Friends have all officially entered their thirties as the series itself enters its seventh season. Likewise "official," at long last, is the engagement of Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry), with Joey (Matt LeBlanc) agreeing to serve as best man at the wedding, and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) accepting the invitation to be maids of honor. In fact, there's good news all around during season seven: Ross begins to bond with his son, Ben (Cole Sprouse), whose mother, Carol (Jane Sibbett), had divorced Ross when she came out as a lesbian; and struggling actor Joey returns to the role of "Dr. Drake Ramoray" on the daytime drama Days of Our Lives. Originally killed off by the writers, Dr. Ramoray is revealed to have been in a coma, and when he awakes, the brain of a woman has been transplanted into his skull -- but what the heck, a job is a job! Predictably, the season ends with the big wedding, and with a few "minor" complications, notably Chandler's disappearance the night before the ceremony, and Rachel and Phoebe's discovery that one of the women in the cast is pregnant -- but who? While Friends remained the top-rated sitcom in America, in the overall numbers it ranked in fifth place, following the reality series Survivor, the medical drama ER, and the twice-weekly game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox Arquette, (more)
Diane Keaton directed and starred in this comedy/drama about a family brought together by potential tragedy. In her mid-40s, Eve (Meg Ryan) minds her house, runs a business organizing parties and events for others, and looks after her father (Walter Matthau), an alcoholic former writer who has grown argumentative and increasingly difficult to handle. Eve's sisters -- Georgia (Keaton), who is a few years older and the editor of a successful fashion magazine, and Maddy (Lisa Kudrow), a few years younger and a working actress with a spot on a soap opera -- have also had to deal with Dad, but only by long distance when he makes one of his frequent telephone calls. Dad now doesn't have long to live, and the siblings must pull together and make peace with their father and each other. Sisters Nora Ephron and Delia Ephron adapted the screenplay from Delia's novel; the supporting cast includes Adam Arkin, Cloris Leachman, and Mary Steenburgen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Meg Ryan, Diane Keaton, (more)
- 1999
Part one of Mad About You's series finale is set approximately 22 years in the future. Mabel Buchman (Janeane Garafolo), grown-up daughter of Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt), follows in her dad's footsteps by producing a documentary film about her family. The starting point is the startling revelation that, thanks to a genealogical snafu, Paul and Jamie were never really married. Originally telecast as an hour-long special, this episode has since been divided into two half hours for syndication. ~ All Movie Guide
In the same year that a hit cable television series, The Sopranos, successfully mined the same premise, this comedy about a mobster seeking advice from a psychiatrist was a box office winner for director Harold Ramis. Billy Crystal stars as Dr. Ben Sobel, a New York shrink who's becoming a little bored with his upscale but neurotic clientele. Into Sobel's practice comes a guy with legitimate problems, Mafia kingpin Paul Viti (Robert DeNiro), a godfather who is being reduced to tears and panic attacks by stress and his guilt over his beloved father's assassination. Intimidated but also fascinated by Viti, Dr. Sobel becomes frustrated when his mob boss patient becomes a full-time occupation, as Viti summons the psychiatrist for his professional help at all hours and in all places, even including the doctor's Florida wedding to TV reporter Laura MacNamara (Lisa Kudrow). In the meantime, a power struggle is brewing with Viti's long-time rival Primo Sidone (Chazz Palminteri), but Viti begins employing the feel-good self-help jargon and techniques he's learned from Dr. Sobel to keep his enemy off balance. Just as the therapist and his powerful patient are making breakthroughs, the FBI attempts to persuade Sobel that Viti is going to have him murdered, leading to a nearly lethal misunderstanding. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Billy Crystal, (more)
