Swoosie Kurtz Movies
Whether on stage, screen, or television, award-winning supporting, character, and occasional leading actress Swoosie Kurtz has the rare gift of stealing almost every scene in which she appears. The daughter of a U.S. Air Force colonel, she was named after her father's WWII plane, which in turn was named after a popular Kay Kyser song. Following college, Kurtz studied drama in London and gained early experience during the late '60s, appearing in regional theater back in the States. In New York, Kurtz won an Obie for an off-Broadway production of The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon-Marigolds. Her success in this part led to a stage career that resulted in her winning such major New York theater awards as a Tony and a Drama Desk award. Kurtz made her Hollywood debut in the TV soap As the World Turns, playing Ellie Bradley, in 1971. She did not make her feature-film debut until she landed a role in the box-office flop First Love (1977). She next appeared in Slapshot (1977) and then in another stinker, Oliver's Story (1978). In 1982, Kurtz had her first real success in films playing a prostitute in the critically acclaimed adaptation of John Iriving's The World According to Garp.Through the 1980s, Kurtz appeared in major films in ventures ranging from Against All Odds (1984) to Dangerous Liaisons (1989) and on television in films like A Caribbean Mystery (1983) and The Image (1989). Kurtz has also had success in television series such as the short-lived Love, Sydney (1981), for which she won an Emmy, and a starring role in the long-running Sisters(1991-1996), playing eldest sibling Alex Reed Halsey. Notable movie appearances from the '90s include a turn as a crusading lesbian in Citizen Ruth (aka Meet Ruth Stoops) (1996) and a small but fun part as an exasperated lawyer taking on a crazy Jim Carrey in Liar Liar (1997). Frequently alternating between television and film in the years to follow, Kurtz would build an impressive body of work with memorable roles in such television mini-series as More Tales from the City (1998) and films including Cruel Intentions (1999) and Get Over It (2001). Her turn as a paranoid overprotective mother in Bubble Boy (2001) found Kurtz utilizing her comic talents to maximum effect, and after returning to the small screen for that same year's The Wilde Girls, the talented actress joined the cast of Roger Avary's satirical teen drama The Rules of the Game (2002). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1983
Helen Hayes plays Agatha Christie's amateur sleuth Miss Jane Marple in A Caribbean Mystery. Recuperating from an illness at a resort in the Bahamas, Miss Marple makes the acquaintance of a genial British major (Maurice Evans). When her new friend is murdered, Miss M takes on the case herself. She certainly has a carload of suspects this time, ranging from the near-bankrupt owners of the resort to a secretive hotel doctor. Originally titled Agatha Christie's The Caribbean Mystery, this TV movie first aired October 22, 1983. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
In this made-for-TV drama based on a true story, two estranged sisters, Debra (Delta Burke) and Kay (Swoosie Kurtz), are brought together when one begins to question if the death of a third sibling when they were children could have been a result of physical abuse from their parents. Using hypnosis to recover repressed memories, the two women force themselves to confront the mistreatment they received at the hands of their mother nearly 40 years earlier. A Promise to Carolyn also stars Shirley Knight and Grace Zabriskie. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Delta Burke, Swoosie Kurtz, (more)
Shock to the System is a black comedy about a middle-aged advertising executive (Michael Caine) who loses his long-awaited promotion to a younger man (Peter Reigret). In frustration, Caine accidentally pushes a panhandler in front of a subway train--and he gets away with the death. Realizing that committing murder might be a little easier than he previously had thought, he begins plotting the murder of several of his corporate enemies. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Caine, Elizabeth McGovern, (more)
- 1985
Adapted from Mary-Lou Weisman's book Intensive Care, this made-for-television movie stars Liza Minnelli (in her first TV appearance) as a woman who must remain strong and contend with her son's muscular dystrophy and all the problems within the family that accompany the illness. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Liza Minnelli, Jeffrey DeMunn, (more)
A remake of Jacques Tourneur's noir classic Out of the Past (1947), in this version a labyrinthine web of corruption touches on the world of pro football. When an injury-riddled body causes pro football player Terry Brogan (Jeff Bridges) to be cut by his team, Jake Wise (James Woods), a shady gambler friend, hires him to locate his spoiled, erratic girlfriend Jessie (Rachel Ward). Terry's attempt to glean Jessie's whereabouts from the girl's coldly aristocratic mother (Jane Greer) leads to a lucrative counteroffer to keep Jessie away from Jake if he finds her. After refusing, Terry heads for scenic Cozumel, where he eventually runs down the stunning young woman. A mutual attraction quickly develops and the pair are less than eager to return to California. Painfully, Terry tells Jessie about his involvement in a betting scandal which has put him under Jake's control. Meanwhile Jake, who is angered by the delay, senses that something is going on, and sends Terry's conditioning coach, Sully (Alex Karras), to find the couple. When he finally locates them, sweatily making love in a Mayan temple, tragedy ensues, spinning the ill-fated Terry into a world of boundless deceit and corruption. ~ Michael Costello, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rachel Ward, Jeff Bridges, (more)
In 1975, John Hurt starred in a BBC television adaptation of Quentin Crisp's autobiography The Naked Civil Servant, playing the flamboyantly gay author and actor, and in 2009 Hurt revisits the role in this comedy-drama based on the latter years of Crisp's life. Crisp rose to fame in the UK following the publication of his memoirs and the success of a one-man show, but when a series of typically frank but witty quips during an interview lead to a public scandal, Crisp is approached by an American talent agent, Connie Clausen (Swoosie Kurtz), who says she can get him work in the United States. Crisp relocates to New York City, where he stages a show entitled "How To Be Happy" and gains a new audience. However, the high camp of Crisp's persona and his habit of making deliberately provocative statements (such as calling AIDS "a fad" and calling homosexuality "a terrible disease") earns him the enmity of some gay activists and causes the show to close prematurely. Clausen arranges for Crisp to meet Phillip Steele (Denis O'Hare), the publisher of the Village Voice, and Steele offers Crisp a job as the paper's new film critic. Crisp's witty and acerbic commentary on new movies wins him a new fan base and he and Steele become close friends, but as age and broken relationships begin to take their toll on Crisp, he returns to the stage in a new show created in collaboration with performance artist Penny Arcade (Cynthia Nixon). An Englishman In New York received its world premiere at the 2009 Berlin International Film Festival; the film takes its title from a song by Sting, who struck up a friendship with Crisp when they both appeared in the movie The Bride. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Hurt, Denis O'Hare, (more)
The late journalist Randy Shilts' best-selling book on the burgeoning AIDS crisis was adapted for cable TV by Arnold Schulman. In 1981, researchers begin discerning a mysterious new disease that apparently affects only homosexual males (or so they thought at that time). Working independently, and with marked hostility toward one another, an American and a French research team manage to identify and name the dreaded HIV virus. The long-range effects of AIDS is experienced through the first- and secondhand experiences of several unfortunates, including a choreographer (Richard Gere) whose character is said to be based on Michael Bennett. The all-star cast (most of whom eschewed their usual high salaries) includes Lily Tomlin as San Francisco health official Selma Dritz, Matthew Modine as Centers for Disease Control researcher Don Francis, Alan Alda as NIH official Robert Gallo (who emerges as the villain of the piece), Ian McKellan as gay activist Bill Kraus, and Glenne Headley, Steve Martin and Anjelica Huston in cameo roles. And the Band Played On debuted September 11, 1993, on HBO. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
Based on a 1983 novel by Dan Jenkins, Baja Oklahoma is set sometime in the 1950s. Texas barmaid Lesley Ann Warren wants more than anything to be a rich and famous country-western songwriter. Unfortunately, she spends most of her time sorting out her many dead-end romances. Just when she thinks she's ready for the big move to Nashville, along comes her erstwhile old flame Peter Coyote. Deftly stealing every scene she's in is Swoosie Kurtz as Warren's hot-to-trot best pal. Willie Nelson, who cowrote the film's title song with Dan Jenkins, makes a guest appearance, along with such other C&W favorites as Emmylou Harris and Bob Wills Jr. Actress Alice Krige is superb as songstress Patsy Cline-far better, incidentally, than Jessica Lange in Sweet Dreams. Playing the supporting role of Warren's daughter is Julia Roberts, who was later touted as the film's star when Baja Oklahoma was released to video. Made for the HBO cable service, the film debuted February 20, 1988. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lesley Ann Warren, Peter Coyote, (more)
Michael J. Fox once more makes a courageous effort to shed his nice-guy image in Bright Lights, Big City. Fox plays an impressionable Kansan who comes to the Big Apple to take a job at a major magazine. It isn't long before he falls into the twin traps of drug and alcohol abuse. His only hope for redemption is in the hands of Vicky (Tracy Pollan), the cousin of his scuzzy drinking buddy Tad (Kiefer Sutherland). Jay McInerney's bestselling novel does not translate easily to the big screen, but Fox strives hard to please, as do all of his costars. The white stuff snorted by Fox wasn't really cocaine, but powdered milk. Watch for Frasier's David Hyde Pierce in a small role and Jason Robards in a significant unbilled cameo. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael J. Fox, Kiefer Sutherland, (more)
Jake Gyllenhaal, the young star of the critically well-received October Sky (1999), follows up that film with this offbeat comedy. Gyllenhaal stars as Jimmy Livingston, a teenager with an immune system deficiency who has spent his entire life living in a plastic bubble under the doting, overprotective care of his mother (Swoosie Kurtz). Jimmy is in love with his next-door neighbor Chloe (Marley Shelton), so when he learns that she has left for Niagara Falls in order to be married, he's devastated. He quickly assembles a portable "bubble suit" and sets out on a 2,755.8-mile odyssey in order to stop her and proclaim his affection. Along the way, Jimmy experiences a number of adventures, including encounters with freaks, bikers, rock stars, and a cult. Bubble Boy is a comic riff on the classic TV movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble (1976), which starred a young John Travolta. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jake Gyllenhaal, Swoosie Kurtz, (more)
- 2005
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A series of devastating storms are leveling major cities across the globe, and it's up to discredited scientist Faith Clavell (Shannon Doherty), dedicated storm chaser Tommy Tornado (Randy Quaid), and the FEMA head Judith Carr (Gina Gerson) to journey into the eye of the storm and find out just why mother nature has turned so violently on mankind in the shocking sequel to 2004's weather-gone-wild thriller Category 6: Day of Destruction. An unprecedented Category Six storm has leveled the Eiffel Tower and reduced the Great Pyramids to rubble, and as the pitch black funnel clouds lay waste to anything and everything in their path, three dedicated heroes attempt to discover whether the malevolent weather is the cause of global warming, or something far more sinister. When a vengeful gang of terrorists threaten to use the storms to their advantage by staging a large scale attack the likes of which the world has never seen, it seems as if it very well may be the end of the world. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gina Gershon, Cameron Daddo, (more)
The divisive issue of abortion is at the center of Citizen Ruth, a political satire that attempts to subject both pro-choice and pro-life forces to equal ridicule. Laura Dern portrays Ruth Stoops, an irresponsible, unemployed woman who's addicted to inhaling household chemicals and has becomes pregnant, for the fifth time. After she is arrested for substance abuse, the judge offers to lessen her sentence if Ruth chooses to abort her child. Ruth agrees, but that night she encounters a group of pro-life activists. They take her under their wing, promising to help her, while secretly planning to make her case public as a symbol for the pro-life movement . When Ruth discovers the deception, she takes refuge with a pro-choice group, sparking a media frenzy. Yet Ruth soon finds her new friends are also only interested in her value as a media icon. Realizing she has been used as a pawn in the abortion rights battle, the apolitical Ruth turns the tables, offering to join whoever will give her the best deal. What results is a frantic, comedic session of wheeling-dealing which argues that activists on both sides have become more concerned with waging political warfare than helping women. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laura Dern, Swoosie Kurtz, (more)
In an adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos' novel, Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Sebastian Valmont (Ryan Phillippe) are step-brother and step-sister living in Manhattan. With their absent parents travelling in Europe, the wealthy pair have the family penthouse to themselves as they while away their summer break before beginning senior year at a private high school. Sebastian, bad-boy lothario, has apparently slept with all the girls in town and appears numb to it all. Kathryn, who appears to be the good girl class president, is actually far more amoral and malicious than Sebastian, but maintains appearances to the contrary. When she is dumped by her boyfriend, Court Reynolds (Charlie O'Connell), for the innocent Cecile Caldwell (Selma Blair), she schemes revenge by destroying Cecile's reputation. She challenges Sebastian to deflower Cecile and transform her into a tramp to humiliate Court. Sebastian isn't as interested as Cecile -- she's spent her whole life in a Catholic girl's school and presents no challenge. The girl who has caught his attention is Annette Hargrove (Reese Witherspoon), the new headmaster's daughter. Annette had written an article for Seventeen Magazine on her plans to stay a virgin until she finds her one true love. Kathryn makes a wager. If Sebastian fails to lure Annette into bed before the summer is over, Kathryn gets his car. If he succeeds, Sebastian gets Kathryn, whom he wants anyway. Sebastian accepts the bet, but Annette turns out to be more than either of them bargained for. ~ Ron Wells, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, (more)
Adapted for stage and screen several times over the past century, French author Francois Choderlos de Laclos' 1782 novel Les Liasons Dangeureuses was the basis for this Academy Award-winning Stephen Frears film. The plot is motivated by a cruel wager between the beautiful but debauched Marquise de Merteuil (Glenn Close) and her misogynistic former lover, the Vicomte de Valmont (John Malkovitch). The Marquise challenges Valmont to seduce the virginal Cecile de Volanges (Uma Thurman) before the girl can be wed. Valmont offers a more difficult counter-challenge: He bets the Marquise that he will be able to bed the very moral and very married Madame de Tourvel (Michelle Pfeiffer). In the course of carrying out his plan, Valmont is stricken with a sudden case of honor and remorse, while the Marquise becomes all the more vicious. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Glenn Close, John Malkovich, (more)
Just how far would you go to have the home of your dreams all to yourself? A couple start asking themselves that very question in this dark comedy directed by Danny DeVito. Alex (Ben Stiller) and Nancy (Drew Barrymore) are a young couple who are happy and successful, but lack one thing that they truly want -- the perfect home in Manhattan. Alex and Nancy think they may have found just the place they've been looking for when they discover the bottom half of a beautiful old duplex has opened up. While the couple are delighted with their new flat, they discover it has one major disadvantage they hadn't counted on -- their upstairs neighbor, Mrs. Connelly (Eileen Essel), an elderly woman who soon makes their lives a living hell. Persuading Mrs. Connelly to move is fruitless, since she has a long term rent-controlled lease, and as things become more and more difficult, Alex and Nancy begin to wonder if she won't go away on her own, perhaps a more drastic (and permanent) solution may be in order. Duplex also stars Harvey Fierstein, Justin Theroux, James Remar, and Swoosie Kurtz. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Stiller, Drew Barrymore, (more)
- 1998
When the wife (Swoosie Kurtz) of televangelist Emmitt Chambliss (Gary Grubbs) is brought into the ER suffering the aftereffects of a recent face-lift, Chambliss draws up plans to telecast a fundraiser from the hospital. Elsewhere, Ross (George Clooney) and Carol (Julianna Margulies) put their careers on the line by performing an experimental treatment on six-month-old meth addict Josh McLean instead of returning the baby to his mother. Romano (Paul McCrane) reacts strongly to the relationship between Benton (Eriq La Salle) and Corday (Alex Kingston). And HIV-positive Jeanie (Gloria Reuben) may have contacted pneumonia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Lanford Wilson's dramatic play is adapted for the small screen in this made-for-television movie. Richard Thomas stars as Ken Talley, a Vietnam vet who lost both of his legs in the war. When his friends and family gather at his Missouri farm (which he shares with his lover Jed) after a death, the group examines how their lives and relationships have transformed throughout the years. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Thomas, Jeff Daniels, (more)
- 1977
- R
It's hardly likely that anyone will confuse 1977's First Love with the 1939 Deanna Durbin musical of the same name. In the earlier film, Durbin received her first screen kiss from Robert Stack. In the 1977 film, no one stops at kissing. College boy Elgin (William Katt) falls for coed Caroline (Susan Dey, light-years removed from The Partridge Family), despite Caroline's deep involvement with an older man. 1950s leading lady Virginia Leith makes a comeback appearance in a minor role. Critics applauded the sensitive direction by Joan Darling, even while carping that the title First Love seemed to be a misnomer: neither Katt nor Dey appear to be inexperienced in sexual matters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Katt, Susan Dey, (more)
Ben Foster stars in this teenage comedy as Berke Landers, an average high schooler who has achieved high status by winning over Allison (Melissa Sagemiller), reputed to be the most popular and beautiful girl in his class. After an initially winning time, Allison finds herself drawn to the hot new guy in school, leaving Berke in the lurch. At the risk of ruining his unsteady reputation, Berke concocts a scheme for getting Allison back: he will join the school production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and prove his romanticism to her. Realizing he needs an effective acting coach, he turns to Kelly (Kirsten Dunst), who was once the annoying little sister of a best friend and has suddenly blossomed into a grownup -- to whom Berke finds himself drawn. Berke must then decide if getting Allison back is the ultimate priority, as he falls for the more sensible Kelly, all while trying to maintain a credible presence both in school and in his new acting gig. Get Over It also features R&B singer Sisqo, comedian Martin Short, and Shane West in supporting roles. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirsten Dunst, Ben Foster, (more)
Richard A. Levinson and William Link took the "fantasy murder" concept popularized in the classic Preston Sturges film Unfaithfully Yours (1948) one fatal step further in Guilty Conscience. Criminal attorney Arthur Jamison (Anthony Hopkins) wants to divorce his wife Louise (Blythe Danner) but will have to clean out all his assets to meet her alimony demands. With the help of mistress Jackie (Swoosie Kurtz), Arthur plans to murder his spouse and thus stave off financial ruin. But how best to pull off the dirty deed? Conjuring up an imaginary alter ego (also played by Anthony Hopkins), the attorney cerebrally stages several murder scenarios before hitting upon the perfect scheme. The fact that linear time is ignored throughout Guilty Conscience keeps the audiences on its toes. Are we watching another imaginary killing, or is this one the genuine article? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Hopkins, Blythe Danner, (more)
Previously adapted twice before, most notably for the Oscar-nominated 1950 film starring James Stewart, Mary Chase's classic stage-play Harvey once again receives the celluloid treatment with this 1998 CBS made-for-TV movie. Night Court's Harry Anderson fills Stewart's shoes, starring as the quirky Elwood P. Dowd, a grown man whose best friend is a six-foot-tall rabbit that only he can see. Directed by George Schaefer, the film also stars Swoosie Kurtz and Leslie Nielsen. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Anderson, Swoosie Kurtz, (more)
- 1976
This Kojak episode is the second of two pilot films for Salathiel Harris, an unsold TV action series starring Rosey Grier as a two-fisted California bounty hunter. Just as in the first pilot "Bad Dude", Salathiel Harris has arrived in Manhattan in search of a particularly scabrous bail jumper. And just as before, Lt. Kojak (Telly Savalas) is determined to beat Harris to the punch and haul in the fugitive himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
