Jenifer Lewis Movies
Best known for playing unapologetically mature, assertive, and intelligent adult women, African-American supporting actress Jenifer Lewis originally launched her career as a vocalist, singing in a church choir in Kinloch, MO. Lewis' passion (and gift) for singing carried her to the Great White Way, where she appeared in a number of sell-out Broadway musicals -- including Ain't Misbehavin' and Dreamgirls. She subsequently migrated to the West Coast for a string of appearances in TV programs such as Roc, A Different World, Murphy Brown, Hangin' with Mr. Cooper, Touched by an Angel, and The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and graduated to features in 1992. The films in which Lewis has appeared run the gamut of quality, from outstanding (What's Love Got to Do With It?, 1993) to satisfactory (Sister Act, 1992; The Preacher's Wife, 1996) to downright abominable (Frozen Assets, 1992); many, however, demonstrated her fine gifts.More recently, Lewis attained some much-deserved recognition (and ascended to higher than usual billing) with her multi-season portrayal of Lana Hawkins in the prime-time medical drama Strong Medicine (2000). ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 1995
- R
This controversial political drama semi-fictionalizes the history of the radical Black Panther Party, an African-American organization that polarized America from 1966-70. Huey Newton (Marcus Chong) and Bobby Seale (Courtney B. Vance) are a pair of Oakland, California, men who form a new political party dedicated to protecting Blacks from bigoted cops through violent means. Their "Black Panther Party for Self-Protection" serves free lunch to kids, educates the community in African-American awareness, gets drug dealers off the streets, and has gun battles with the Oakland police. Two members of the Panther Party are Tyrone (Bokeem Woodbine) and Judge (Kadeem Hardison). When FBI director J. Edgar Hoover (Richard Dysart) suspects that the Black Panthers' leftist leanings are an indication of communist involvement, Judge, an affable Vietnam vet, agrees to become a double agent, reporting to both the Feds and the Panthers. After the Panthers storm the State Assembly in Sacramento, political paranoia grows, and Hoover conspires with the mafia to flood urban streets with cheap heroin, thus destroying the party. Director Mario Van Peebles, who also appears in the role of Stokely Carmichael, worked from a script written by his father, Melvin Van Peebles, based on his book about his real-life experiences with the Black Panthers. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kadeem Hardison, Bokeem Woodbine, (more)
In this comedy-drama set in the late 1950s, Manny Singer (Ray Liotta) is a songwriter who makes his living penning jingles for radio and television commercials. Manny's wife has recently died, leaving him an emotionally broken man; Manny buries himself in his work rather than deal with his grief. His young daughter Molly (Tina Majorino) is taking it even harder; since her mother's passing, Molly has refused to speak. Manny realizes that he needs help taking care of the house and looking after Molly, so he places an ad looking for a maid who can double as a nanny. After a long series of unsuitable applicants, Manny meets Corrina Washington (Whoopi Goldberg), who isn't much on cooking, cleaning, or domestic chores -- but who strikes an immediate chord with Molly. Corrina gets the job, and her vivacious, unconventional personality brings the joy of living back to the Singer home. A romance also begins to bloom between Manny and Corrina, though Manny quickly discovers that being in an interracial relationship in 1959 is not always easy or pleasant. Joan Cusack and Don Ameche highlight the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Whoopi Goldberg, Ray Liotta, (more)
- 1994
Chandler's (Matthew Perry) friends have issues with his smoking habit, which has resurfaced after a traumatic experience. Monica's new boyfriend, Alan (Geoffrey Lower), is popular with everyone -- except Monica (Courteney Cox). And try as she might, Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) can't divest herself of a huge amount of excess money (actually two huge amounts) that she doesn't feel she deserves. ("What is up with this universe?") A certain urban legend figures largely in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Penny Marshall's feel-good comedy, invoking parts of Dead Poet's Society, Sister Act, and Private Benjamin, features Danny DeVito as Bill Rago, a divorced advertising man who is fired from his job. During an appointment at the unemployment office, a counselor finds him a job as a civilian instructor at the local Army base. At the base, he is assigned a group of eight army hardcases. Rago is supposed to increase this group's "basic comprehension." Sweating it out and unable to interest his students in anything, he finally latches onto Shakespeare. He turns the lecture into a master class on Hamlet with the students converting the Shakespeare tragedy into a rap musical. Looking askance at all this is drill sergeant Cass (Gregory Hines), who feels that the whole class is a waste of time. Finally winning the respect of his students, Rago now has to win the hearts and minds of the contemptuous Cass and his staff. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny DeVito, Gregory Hines, (more)
Shake, Rattle & Rock follows the exploits of 1950s disenfranchised teens Susan (Renee Zellweger), Cookie (Patricia Childress), and Tony (Max Perlich) who find their calling when they start a hot rock & roll band at a time in America when rock was considered the devil's music. Despite the objections of Susan's prim mother (Nora Dunn) and the spinsterly town librarian (Mary Woronov), Tony opens a rock club and books for the club's big opening night his band, the Eggrolls, and the talented local vocal group the Sirens, led by the determined Sireena (Latanyia Baldwin). But the conservative forces mount against them, despite the efforts of leather-jacketed rebel Lucky (John Doe), and the club is closed at mid-performance, causing a riot in the small town. Will the forces of the Establishment win out, or is rock & roll here to stay? ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Renée Zellweger
- 1994
A friend's determination to uncover the truth is the basis for the made-for television drama. Sheila Kelley stars as Sarah Vincent, a woman who leads a bizarre double-life as a woman in business by day, and a sleazy bar-hopper by night. After Sarah is mysteriously killed, her best friend Elizabeth (Rachel Ticotin) goes on a quest to uncover the true story behind her friend's secretive life and untimely death. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Dean Davenport (Jenifer Lewis) assigns her students to write a hypothetical conversation between Martin Luther King and Malcolm X. Unfortunately, Terrell (Patrick Y. Malone) lowers the level of the assignment several degrees when, as a result of a previous run-in with a gang of punks, he brings a gun to class--and is nearly expelled on the spot. Elsewhere, Kim (Charnele Brown) hesitates at accepting Spencer's (Michael Ralph) marriage proposal (even though we've already seen her accept in an earlier episode). This final network telecast of A Different World was originally scheduled to air in February of 1993, then reshuffled to June and finally July. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Lena Horne (playing herself, of course) arrives at Hillman to dedicate a scholarship in her grandmother's name. In honor of Ms Hornes' visit, Whitley organizes a musical testimonial to the singer--haughtily refusing to let Mr. Gaines (Lou Myers) cater the affair because he isn't "classy" enough. But it is Whitley who ends up with egg on her face when Lena chooses the "modest" home-cooked dinner provided by Gaines, who turns out to be an old friend of the legendary vocalist. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
R&B star Janet Jackson made an impressive film debut in Poetic Justice as Justice, a hairdresser at a small salon in South Central Los Angeles. Justice uses her poetry to deal with her grief after her boyfriend is killed in a shooting incident at a drive-in. Hired to work at a hair stylists' event in Oakland, Justice is stranded when her car breaks down, until she remembers that her friend Ieasha (Regina King) was going to hop a ride down to Oakland with her boyfriend Chicago (Joe Torry), a postal worker who is heading there with a truck full of mail. Justice tags along to discover that Chicago's driving partner is Lucky (Tupac Shakur), the postman who delivers mail to her shop and keeps asking her out. Ieasha and Chicago have to deal with their own rocky relationship while Justice has to decide if she's ready for a new love -- and if Lucky is the man she's waiting for. Along with strong work from Jackson, Poetic Justice features a surprising turn from Shakur, whose nuanced performance as Lucky is in strong contrast to his "Thug Life" public persona. Justice's poems were written by Maya Angelou, who also appears in a small role. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Janet Jackson, Tupac Shakur, (more)
Robert Townsend's superhero action comedy underwent much tinkering during post-production, employing four editors to whip the film into shape. Townsend wrote, directed, and produced this urban fable and also stars as Jefferson Reed, a meek substitute teacher in an inner-city neighborhood dominated by a gang of leather-jacketed, peroxided blonde goons who call themselves the Golden Lords. The residents of the neighborhood feel they can do nothing about the gang. But then a meteor hits Jefferson, who finds that he can fly, has super-strength, and can retain all the information in a book in thirty seconds. As a result, Jefferson, who normally is afraid of heights and runs from danger, becomes a reluctant superhero. The word about the "Meteor Man" gets back to the Golden Lords, who intend to rid the neighborhood of this milquetoast crime-fighter. The Meteor Man contains a cornucopia of cameos appearances, including Bill Cosby, Luther Vandross, Sinbad, Big Daddy Kane and Nancy Wilson. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Townsend, Marla Gibbs, (more)
- 1993
- PG
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In the sequel to the hit comedy Sister Act, Whoopie Goldberg reprises her role of Deloris Van Cartier, a Las Vegas entertainer who hid out with in a convent of nuns to avoid a nasty bunch of gangsters. In Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Deloris is persuaded to return to the convent by the Mother Superior (Maggie Smith), because her help is needed in teaching their choral students at St. Francis High in San Francisco. However, St. Francis is in a crisis, since the administrator running the school (James Coburn) is threatening to shut the place down. If the gospel choir wins first place in a singing contest in Los Angeles, St. Francis will be saved from the priest's plans. Though the plot is rather thin and derivative, Sister Act 2 is lighthearted fun, thanks to good musical numbers and winning performances from the cast. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Whoopi Goldberg, Kathy Najimy, (more)
- 1993
- R
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What's Love Got to Do With It? is the filmed biography of R&B/pop singer Tina Turner (Angela Bassett), documenting her efforts to break away from her abusive husband Ike (Laurence Fishburne). After a few scenes detailing Tina's life as a young singer in Nutbush, TN, she's discovered by Ike Turner, an already established songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Ike takes Tina under his wing and makes her a star, but her fame makes him jealous and abusive, and she has to struggle to break free of his domination. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angela Bassett, Laurence Fishburne, (more)
Nick and Nora Charles are updated to a touchy-feely couple of the 1990s who take a break from the action to raise their eleven-month-old child. Kathleen Turner and Dennis Quaid star as Jane and Jeff Blue, two CIA super-agents who have abandoned the daily grind to devote quality time to their baby but find trouble on vacation in New Orleans. First a group of muggers try to take advantage of Jeff as he walks down the street with his baby in tow. Jeff teaches the boys a humiliating lesson, but one of the creepy bad guys, Muerte (Stanley Tucci), vows revenge, and he spends the rest of the movie dogging Jeff and Jane and getting kicked in the teeth in the process. But Muerte is small potatoes compared to Novacek (Fiona Shaw), a former Czech agent. Convinced to return to work by their superiors, Jeff and Jane have to catch Novacek red-handed buying illegal explosives from a New Orleans traitor so that the government can send her back to the Czech republic. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathleen Turner, Dennis Quaid, (more)
- 1993
Vivian (Daphne Maxwell Reid) digs a rather sizable hole for herself when she promises both of her sisters that each will named as baby Nicky's godmother. Meanwhile, Will (Will Smith), not wanting to be outclassed by his cousins' expensive christening gifts, rashly promises that the singing group Boyz II Men will appear at the ceremony. Told in a rare "flash-forward" format, this episode is highlighted by the inevitable musical performance at the finale--not to mention Will's outlandish Santa Claus disguise! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Signing on with Freddie's new mentorship program for the teenagers at Juvenile Hall, Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison)i tries to mediate between youthful parolees Billy (Chris Kelly) and Michael (Chris Smith, whose friendship has been torn asunder by gang-related violence. Dwayne's efforts to patch up the boys' differences are stymied by Billy's hostile father Loco (Ronald William Lawrence). The crisis is resolved with a lively musical number performed by guest stars Thomas and Wilson, better known as the rap duo Kriss Kross. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
- PG13
A rising young executive is ecstatic to learn that he is to be acting president at the small-town bank his company just purchased until he gets there and realizes that it is a sperm bank. This base little comedy centers on his attempts to make the place profitable and also chronicles the growing love between himself and the uptight but pretty biologist who works there. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shelley Long, Corbin Bernsen, (more)
- 1992
After making a few stupidly sexist remarks at a Halloween party, Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) has a dream in which all the candidates in the 1992 Presidential race are female: Georgia Mush, Rose Godot, et. al. In the episode's most memorable (and, as it turns out, most forward-looking) sequence, candidate "Jill Blinton", aka Whitley (Jasmine Guy), must deal with the sexual peccadilloes of her husband "Hilliard", aka Dwayne. This is one of the few episodes in which star Jasmine Guy is heard using her own, very lovely singing voice, instead of the tone-deaf caterwauling of her "Whitley" character. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
In the conclusion of A Different World's two-part Season Six opener, Whitley (Jasmine Guy and Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) continue to recall their chaotic honeymoon in riot-torn Los Angeles. At the same time, the couple's friends react to the violence (inspired by the infamous Rodney King verdict) in a variety of ways: Col. Taylor (Glynn Turman) is disillusioned over the fact that race relations haven't progressed much since the Watts riots, Lena (Jada Pinkett) places all the blame on the white population, and Freddie (Cree Summer) attempts to be level-headed--a difficult feat, inasmuch as she is being hit on by Ron (Darryl M. Bell) while his girlfriend Kim (Charnele Brown) fumes. Appearing in cameo roles are sitcom diva Roseanne and her then-husband Tom Arnold. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
New student Charmaine (Karen Malina White) is so overbearing in Dwayne's statistics class that someone slaps a sign on her back reading "Digit Ho." Convinced that punkish Terrell Walker (Patrick Y. Malone) is the guilty party, Charmaine files a formal complaint against him. Taking on the task of defending Terrell in Student Court, Freddie (Cree Summer) realizes anew that in certain cases, everyone is a little bit guilty. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Now that Ron (Darryl M. Bell) and Freddie (Cree Summer) are aware of their mutual attraction, things get dicey for Ron when Freddie continues seeing Shazza (Gary Dourdan)--and for Kim (Charnele Brown),who feels that Freddie is responsible when a disconsolate Ron moves in with newlyweds Whitley (Jasmine Guy) and Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison). As for that "loving couple," they're in the middle of their first real marital quarrel over how to decorate their apartment (she wants to keep her possessions and throw his out, and vice versa). Elsewhere, Lena (Jada Pinkett) manages to turn a coed "step" demonstation into a major controversy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A sleeper hit that received a lukewarm reception from critics but was a success with audiences, Sister Act (1992) was star Whoopi Golberg's first bona fide smash after her Oscar victory for Ghost (1990). Goldberg stars as Deloris Van Cartier, a Reno lounge singer who accidentally witnesses a brutal murder carried out by her gangster boyfriend Vince (Harvey Keitel). Under the protection of a detective (Bill Nunn) who's trying to bring down Vince's criminal operation, Deloris is placed in protective custody at a San Francisco convent. Masquerading as a nun renamed Sister Mary Clarence, Deloris shakes up the established order of the sisters' lives, particularly enlivening their choral efforts. Although running constantly afoul of the Mother Superior (Maggie Smith), the new, jazzed-up musical act becomes a huge hit in the community, even drawing the attention of the Pope, but also alerting Vince to Deloris' whereabouts. Although credited to the pseudonymous Joseph Howard, Sister Act was actually written by Paul Rudnick and Carrie Fisher. The film was followed by a sequel, Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith, (more)
- 1992
Season Six of A Different World opens with the first episode of a two-part story, in which newlyweds Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Whitley (Jasmine Guy) regale their friends with their recollection of the chaotic events surrounding their honeymoon. No sooner has the couple set foot in Los Angeles than the city is thrown into a frenzy over the Rodney King verdict. Trapped in the middle of the city-wide riots, the newlyweds are separated and Dwayne ends up in jail for no reason whatsover. And back at Hillman, incoming law-school student Freddie (Cree Summer) surprises one and all with her "new look"; Kim begins her first year in med school; and Lena has turned into a social activist, accusing practically everyone of selling out. New regulars include Cosby Show alumnus Karen Malina White) in her familiar role as garrulous Charmaine Brown; Bumper Robinson as goofy freshman Dorian Heywood; Patrick Y. Malone as punkish student Terrell Walker; and Jenifer Lewis as Hillman's dean Dorothy Dandridge Davenport. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This TV movie's original title was Danielle Steel's Daddy, which was either an invitation or a warning depending upon one's outlook. The usual Steel formula of a big city high-roller finding love in the hinterlands is followed religiously. Patrick Duffy, a chauvinistic advertising man coming off an acrimonious divorce, heads West to film a few commercials. He takes along his infant child, whom his wife (Kate Mulgrew) had up and left behind while finding herself. What Duffy finds is beautiful actress Lynda Carter, as gorgeous a surrogate mommy as you're likely to see in Prime Time. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Season Four of Murphy Brown picks up where Season Three left off, as investigative journalist Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen) comes to grips with the likelihood that she is pregnant. The staff of "FYI" reacts with a mixture of horror and dismay when Murphy breaks the news--but that's nothing compared to the reactions of the two main men in our heroine's life: Her ex-husband Jake (Robin Thomas) and her former lover Jerry (Jay Thomas). This first half of a two-part story originally aired as a part of a single 60-minute episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
