Lisa Kudrow Movies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As Friends enters its sixth season, Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) are husband and wife -- the end result of a drunken spree in Las Vegas. It doesn't take long for the couple to realize that their impulsive marriage was a mistake, however, and soon they're divorced. This whole unfortunate episode has caused Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) to put their own tentative wedding plans in cold storage, though they do move in together upon returning to New York. In later romantic developments, Rachel panics when it looks as though Ross is going to hit it off with her sister Jill (Reese Witherspoon), and is no less concerned when Ross begins getting serious with another girl -- one of his students -- named Elizabeth (Alexandra Holden); meanwhile, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) has a brief fling with a lass by the name of Janine (Elle MacPherson). In the season finale, Chandler reconsiders marrying Monica, and is about to pop the question when her old flame Richard (Tom Selleck) shows up declaring his own love for her. Were it not for ER and the thrice-weekly Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, Friends would have been the number one network program in America, instead of merely number four; still, the series remained the nation's most popular sitcom. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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

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

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

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