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
The comedy series loved all over the world. Now for the first time on video and DVD - the top episodes of the long-running series, as voted by fans and the series' creators.
1) Pilot
2) The One with Two Parts [Parts 1 and 2]
3) The One with All the Poker
4) The One Where Ross Finds Out
5) The One with the Prom Video
1) Pilot
2) The One with Two Parts [Parts 1 and 2]
3) The One with All the Poker
4) The One Where Ross Finds Out
5) The One with the Prom Video
- 1989
Aspiring actor Woody (Woody Harrelson) lands his first starring role in a stage revival of Our Town. The prospect of making love to the production's Emily Webb (played by a pre-Friends Lisa Kudrow) has Woody nervous -- and his girl friend Kelly (Jackie Swanson) fuming. Meanwhile, the guys at Cheers wager on who can grow the longest beard. Fans of Kelsey Grammer's later series will be amused by a reference to the "late" father of Frasier Crane. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A married woman who has not been able to successfully conceive a child turns to a specialist who succeeds in inseminating her artificially. Before too long, she hears rumors of the doctor's past and present genetic experiments and when she finally aborts the fetus, finds that it is a monster as she had feared--and still alive! ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brooke Adams, Jeffrey Hayenga, (more)
- 1992
The title of this episode should have been "When Paul Met Jamie." In an extended flashback, the viewer is apprised of the first encounter between the future Mr. and Mrs. Buchman. Paul (Paul Reiser) ends up chasing Jamie (Helen Hunt) so fast that she finally catches him -- and it's a true Rembrandt Moment. Appearing as Paul's "Ten-Second Date" is Lisa Kudrow, long before becoming a series semi-regular in the role of waitress Ursula Bufay. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Hoping to return a copy of Robocop 3 to Video Village, Paul (Paul Reiser) and Jamie (Helen Hunt) inadvertently send back a sexy "homemade video." As if this weren't embarrassing enough, the Buchmans' recorded bedroom shenanigans end up being delivered to the Family Cable Network in place of Paul's G-rated zoo documentary. Ryan Stiles makes his second appearance as an unnamed video guy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
As a recording of Patsy Cline's "Crazy" wafts through the Rockefeller Center skating rink, Paul (Paul Reiser) and Jamie (Helen Hunt) prepare to celebrate Valentine's Day. This segues into an extended flashback to 1991, when bachelor Paul and bachelorette Jamie decide to move in together. Alas, Paul can't seem to make a lasting commitment -- and a pair of ice skates is a poor substitute for an engagement ring. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Despite the objections of her husband, Paul (Paul Reiser), Jamie (Helen Hunt) and her friend Fran (Leila Kenzle) are determined to hook up the Buchmans' bedroom TV with "stolen" cable service. The ladies' combined efforts result in a citywide power blackout of 1965 dimensions. Will Tom Brokaw ever get out of that stalled elevator? "Pandora's Box" was original one of three sitcom episodes telecast on the same Thursday evening over the same network (NBC), all of them built around a special "Blackout Thursday" promotion (the other two series involved in this stunt were Friends and Madman of the People). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
On the eve of the Buchmans' second anniversary, Paul Buchman (Paul Reiser) loses his wedding ring. As if this wasn't vexing enough, Paul is forced to ingest three lunches held in honor of his wife, Jamie (Helen Hunt). Originally telecast as the hour-long finale of Mad About You's second season, this episode has since been divided into two half-hour installments for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
The second wedding anniversary of Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt) is fraught with peril, beginning when Paul loses his wedding ring. Things come to a head when a meeting with Paul's nephew Noah (Andrew J. Ferchland) prompts Jamie to reconsider motherhood. Originally telecast as the hour-long finale of Mad About You's second season, this episode has since been divided into two half-hour installments for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Season three of Mad About You opens with an intolerable heat wave bearing down on New York. Escaping to the relatively temperate climate of the Jersey shore, Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt) conduct a lengthy and largely fruitless search for their all-time favorite fried clam restaurant. Though the Buchmans have commandeered the car owned by Jamie's business partner, Fran (Leila Kenzle), it is Murray the dog who ends up getting towed away (sort of). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
While cleaning out their apartment, Paul (Paul Reiser) and Jamie (Helen Hunt) come across a bundle of WWII-era love letters written by the former tenants. Sentimental Jamie believes that the story told in these tender missives has a spiritual connection with the relationship between herself and Paul. But Jamie is in for a surprise when she tracks down the now-elderly authors of the letters. Jerry Adler makes his first series appearance as apartment superintendent Mr. Wicker (though the actor had previously shown up in different roles). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
It's another evening out at Riff's, where Jamie (Helen Hunt) has arranged a blind date between her friends Fran (Leila Kenzle) and Nick (David Beron). The cozy tête-à-tête quickly goes south when Fran's ex-husband, Mark (Richard Kind), makes an unexpected appearance. But this is only the first of several startling surprises, each more hilarious than the one before. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The first season of Friends could easily have been retitled "Getting to Know You," as all the soon-to-be-familiar characters, and their equally soon-to-be familiar interrelationships, were swiftly and economically established. In the opening episode, Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) abandons her "Mr. Potato Head" spouse at the altar and moves in with her former high-school friend Monica Geller (Courteney Cox) in Monica's spacious New York loft apartment. Not long afterward, we meet Monica's brother, Ross (David Schwimmer), who is down in the dumps because his ex-wife, Carol (Jane Sibbett), has not only declared herself a lesbian, but will soon be giving birth to his son (named Ben), whom she and her partner intend to raise without any of Ross' help. Also, we are treated to the first of aspiring actor Joey Tribbiani's (Matt LeBlanc) dead-end "big breaks" when he is hired as Al Pacino's stand-in. Finally, airhead Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) is given the opportunity to perform her treacly folk songs at the gang's favorite hangout, the Central Perk coffeehouse -- only to have her debut spoiled by a citywide power blackout. In other developments, Ross "adopts" a monkey named Marcel; Joey briefly falls for Phoebe's bitchy twin sister, Ursula (also played by Lisa Kudrow); and Joey's roommate, Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), betrays a confidence by informing Rachel that Ross has a crush on her. A solid hit from the moment it left the starting gate, Friends wound up its freshman season as the eighth highest-rated program on American television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox Arquette, (more)
When an ex-con manages to schmooze her way into being a high-priced nanny for a rich family, she promptly tries to control the family's two adorable moppets. Unfortunately for her, the kids are none too keen on starting an early career in a sweat shop, and with Home Alone-like aplomb, they manage to thwart her intentions. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Looking for the perfect third-anniversary gift causes Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt) to lose confidence in their relationship. In the course of events, Jamie receives a cryptic message: "This note entitles the bearer to one magical night." Truer words were never written. Originally telecast as the hour-long finale of Mad About You's third season, this episode has since been divided into two half-hour installments for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Looking for the perfect third-anniversary gift causes Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt) to lose confidence in their relationship. In a rare "alternate reality" situation, the Buchmans are permitted to experience what might have happened had they never met. Originally telecast as the hour-long finale of Mad About You's third season, this episode has since been divided into two half-hour installments for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Friends inaugurates its second season as Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) digests the news that Ross (David Schwimmer) has a crush on her -- only to spot Ross with his new girlfriend, Julie (Lauren Tom). Forced to choose between the two women in his life, Ross goes with Rachel, and not long afterward the couple consummate their romance -- smack dab in the museum where Ross works. Meanwhile, Ross' lesbian ex-wife, Carol (Jane Sibbett), who has recently given birth to son Ben, "marries" her female lover, (Jessica Hecht). In other affairs of the heart, Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) is reunited with her husband, Duncan (Steve Zahn), a gay Canadian who'd wed her to get a green card (needless to say, the marriage is quickly dispensed with); and Ross' sister, Monica (Courteney Cox), begins dating an old family friend, Dr. Richard Burke (Tom Selleck). In a similar medical vein, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) thinks he's finally got his big showbiz break when he is cast as Dr. Drake Ramoray on the daytime drama Days of Our Lives; alas, just as he has gotten used to his affluent new lifestyle, "Dr. Ramoray" is abruptly killed off. Joey also moves out of his apartment, whereupon his roommate, Chandler (Matthew Perry), takes in a new tenant, a truly bizarre character named Eddie (Adam Goldberg), who when Joey moves back in, steadfastly refuses to go away. Friends wrapped up its sophomore season as the third highest-rated program on American TV, outflanked only by ER and Seinfeld. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox Arquette, (more)
- 1995
Jamie (Helen Hunt) decides to test husband Paul's (Paul Reiser) tape-recorded theories of dating do's and don'ts (Find 'Em, Meet 'Em Make 'Em Yours). Meanwhile, Paul's cousin Ira (John Pankow) doesn't seem to need any advice -- at least, not with Jamie's friend Susannah Gould (played by Anne Bobby in her first Mad About You appearance). This episode has been brought to you courtesy of the "Jodie Foster-Daniel Day-Lewis Look." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
As Friends enters its third season, the series' romantic intrigues intensify. Monica (Courteney Cox) breaks up with Dr. Richard Burke (played during season two by Tom Selleck); Chandler (Matthew Perry) gets serious with his new girlfriend, Janice (Maggie Wheeler), but she can't bear to part with her former husband; and the relationship between Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Ross (David Schwimmer) abruptly ends. And so it goes right up to the final episode of the season, in which, during a day at the beach, Ross and Rachel realize that they're still in love, Chandler begins mulling over the option of dating Monica, and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) learns a shocking fact about her long-lost parents. Evidently, the viewers of America couldn't get enough of these plot entanglements; Friends closed out its third season as the fourth highest-rated program on network television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox Arquette, (more)
A man tries to figure out why his best friend isn't his mother in this comedy written and directed by Albert Brooks. John Henderson (Brooks) is a neurotic, self-obsessed writer whose relationships with women have been almost uniformly disastrous. Middle-aged and single, John decides that he must come to terms with his problems with women, and he decides to start with the first significant female relationship of his life -- his mother, Beatrice (Debbie Reynolds). John arrives at Beatrice's house and announces that he's moving back into his old room until he can resolve his issues with her. Beatrice politely plays along, but she is more puzzled by John's behavior than anything else. John and Beatrice soon find that they spend less time trying to resolve their differences than arguing if salads can be frozen or if you can really tell the difference between premium ice cream and the supermarket's store brand. Rob Morrow plays John's brother, and Lisa Kudrow plays one of John's less compatible blind dates. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Albert Brooks, Debbie Reynolds, (more)
- 1996
This 1996 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Lisa Kudrow and features musical guest Sheryl Crow. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lisa Kudrow, Sheryl Crow, (more)
Resolving the cliffhanging finale of season three, the fourth season of Friends opens with Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) learning the true identity of her biological mother (played by Teri Garr). Elsewhere, Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc) have a major falling out when both roommates fall in love with the same girl; Phoebe's half-brother, Frank (Giovanni Ribisi), asks her to be the surrogate mother to his children; and, trying to uphold their new "just friends, lovers no more" relationship, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) and Ross (David Schwimmer) agree to start dating other people. Rachel's choice, albeit temporary, is Joshua (played by actress Aniston's real-life boyfriend at the time, Tate Donovan), whom she meets in her capacity as a department-store buyer, while Ross begins squiring a dour Englishwoman named Emily Waltham (Helen Baxendale). Ultimately, Ross and Emily decide to get married, clearing the stage for the season's riotous two-part finale, set in England. As the wedding ceremony approaches, Chandler and Monica (Courteney Cox) stop beating around the bush about their mutual attraction and end up sleeping together; and while taking the marriage vows in church, Ross lets slip that he's still obsessed with Rachel! Friends continued to reap healthy profits and ratings throughout its fourth season, closing out the year as America's fourth most-watched program. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox Arquette, (more)
- 1997
After several unworthy candidates, new parents Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt) believe they've found the perfect babysitter in the form of a lass named Arley (Lili Taylor). Now the Buchmans are secure enough to take their first evening out in months. Unfortunately, fate intervenes in the form of a pair of pants and an errant scoop of ice cream. Friends regular Lisa Kudrow briefly reprises her Mad About You role as Ursula Buffay. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Just in case of emergency, Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt) decide to line up a guardian for their unborn baby. Alas, no one seems to want the job -- not even the people whom Paul and Jamie don't want for the job. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Bobby Rubenfield (Seth Green) develops a hopeless crush on Jamie. Friends regular Lisa Kudrow makes a return appearance as Ursula Buffay, and the name of a long-forgotten first season regular is unexpectedly invoked ("Please don't call him!"). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
