Patrice O'Neal Movies
Born in Massachusetts, comedian Patrice O'Neal began honing his skills on the microphone during his early twenties at comedy clubs in his native Boston. A star athlete in high school, O'Neal turned down football scholarships in lieu of studying performing arts at Northeastern University with the help of a public housing grant. After graduating, O'Neal began moving to bigger cities, looking for a comedy scene where he wouldn't have to battle comedy-club owners over his now famously confrontational stage act, in which he often provoked audience members and pitted couples against each other. He tried New York, Los Angeles, and London before returning to New York in 2002, where he got an offer to do a stand-up special for Showtime. The pay-cable station proved a good fit for O'Neal's no-holds-barred style, and with the fame he garnered from the special, he would go on to appear on Tough Crowd with Colin Quinn and Comedy Central Presents.With his stand-up career in full force, O'Neal also began acting on-screen in the early 2000s, playing memorable roles on Arrested Development, Chappelle's Show, and The Jury. O'Neal additionally became a successful radio personality, appearing frequently on shows like Opie and Anthony and hosting his own show on XM Radio. Tragically, O'Neal had a stroke in October 2011 and died a month later at age 41. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi
Can a high-attitude African-American politician who says what he thinks stand a chance in a presidential campaign? Mays Gilliam (Chris Rock) is a straight-talking alderman representing a inner-city neighborhood in Washington, D.C. In the midst of a hard-fought race for the White House, the Democratic presidential and vice-presidential candidates are killed in an airline crash, and with little time to prepare a new campaign, the Republican candidate, Vice President Brian Lewis (Nick Searcy), seems all but guaranteed to win. With practically nothing to loose, party head Martin Geller (Dylan Baker) approaches Gilliam and asks him to stand as the Democrat's presidential candidate. While Gilliam is dubious at first, before long his streetwise style and willingness to face the issues head-on earns him surprising figures in the polls, especially after he persuades his short-fused older brother, Mitch Gilliam (Bernie Mac), to join the ticket as vice presidential candidate -- a big jump for a bail bondsman. Gilliam's love life also becomes more complicated as his ex-girlfriend Kim (Robin Givens) decides she wants him back now that he has a shot at the White House, even though Gilliam only has eyes for Lisa (Tamala Jones). Head of State marked the directorial debut for comic and actor Chris Rock, who also co-wrote and co-produced the film. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Chris Rock, Bernie Mac, (more)
Jane Campion directs the erotic thriller In the Cut, based on the best-selling suspense novel by Susanna Moore. Set in New York City during the summertime, the film is centered on Frannie Avery (Meg Ryan), a middle-class English teacher in the midst of researching a book project about colloquial language. One night she accidentally witnesses a sexual situation involving a suspected killer, which may make her valuable to a police investigation. When Detective Malloy (Mark Ruffalo) comes to her apartment to interview her about a neighborhood murder, she becomes intensely attracted to him. Although they are not sure if they can completely trust each other, Frannie and Malloy start up a passionate love affair. Meanwhile, the killer remains on the loose and the list of suspects includes Malloy's partner, Rodriguez (Nick Damici), and Frannie's student Cornelius (Sharrieff Pugh). Jennifer Jason Leigh stars as Frannie's half-sister, Pauline. In the Cut was shown at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
- Starring:
- Meg Ryan, Mark Ruffalo, (more)
When ambitious real estate developer Dan Sanders (Brendan Fraser) relocates his family to rural Oregon to supervise the construction of a massive new subdivision, one resourceful raccoon rallies his woodland friends to fight back and shut down the project. As the battle between man and beast heats up, the hapless real estate developer realizes there are some natural environments that are better left untouched. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Brendan Fraser, Brooke Shields, (more)
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