Phill Lewis Movies

Longtime friendships are put to the ultimate test when a dying woman summons her best friends from college into the wilderness for a four-day camping trip, and everyone quickly discovers that they haven't exactly been told the whole truth about her current condition. Lucy (Missi Pyle) has always been obese, and now that her health has taken a turn for the worse, she wants to spend her last days with the estranged college social group that helped her through one of the most difficult periods of her entire life. Upon learning that Lucy is on her deathbed, her loyal friends all rush to Montana in order to be by her side for one last weekend together. Immediately upon arriving, however, it's glaringly obvious to all of Lucy's friends that something isn't right. Her condition is a far cry from what she made it out to be in her desperate messages, and as tensions begin to rise Lucy realizes that the people standing before her today simply aren't the same people whom she remembered so fondly from college. With no modern conveniences to fall back on as the reunited group begins an arduous four-day hike into the wilderness, everyone's deepest fears and demons gradually claw their way to the surface, leaving Lucy to wonder whether her "final wish" was truly the brilliant idea she initially thought it to be. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

In the first of three Friends appearances, Dermot Mulroney guest stars as Gavin, the Ralph Lauren employee who's been covering for Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) during her maternity leave. Showing up at the office with baby Emma in tow, Rachel immediately gets the impression that Gavin is jockeying for her job on a permanent basis -- which may explain why, a few days later, she's back at work, watching her back all the while. Meanwhile, Joey (Matt LeBlanc) wishes he'd never invited Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) to appear as an extra on Days of Our Lives. ~ All Movie Guide

As the grand prize of the Powerball lottery increases to astronomical proportions, the friends succumb to the fever and buy a huge block of lottery tickets. Despite the fact that no one has won yet, Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) is not entirely averse to spending money she doesn't have. Meanwhile, Chandler (Matthew Perry) receives some daunting news about his much hoped for internship at the advertising firm where he works; and baby Emma seems poised to pass her first milestone in life. ~ All Movie Guide

Twenty-something L.A. hipsters make some earnest and not-so-earnest attempts at growing up in this ensemble comedy-drama from writer/director Gil Cates Jr., which premiered at the 2000 South-by-Southwest Film Festival in Austin, TX. The film's central dysfunctional relationship concerns Max (Jason London), a writer who agrees to give up his gambling habit for his significant other Brigette (Charlie Spradling) -- but only if she promises to give up her drinking habit. Meanwhile, Max's buddy Doug attempts to hound none other than Jack Nicholson (who does not appear in the film) in hopes that the perma-smirk star will produce his script. To this end, he employs the comely Brigette to woo the superstar at a Lakers game. On the home front, Max's roomie Grant (James Parks) is struggling with the issue of his closeted sexuality -- and more specifically, with the massive crush he harbors for his strapping rent-sharer. Spent is the first feature from Cates, whose father is veteran TV producer/director Gilbert Cates; his cousin is actress Phoebe Cates. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide

Faith (Eliza Dushku) thinks that a raging beast exists in all men; i.e., men are all dogs. Buffy (Sarah Michelle Gellar) doesn't agree, but when a boy is discovered mutilated, all signs point toward Buffy's friend, Oz (Seth Green), relegated to a cage in the library during the three nights a year that he becomes a wolfman. Then, Buffy encounters a strangely ferocious and maniacal Angel (David Boreanaz). Is he the killer? Meanwhile, Debbie (Danielle Weeks), an acquaintance of Oz's, and her boyfriend, Pete (John Patrick White), sneak out to a shed to make out. Like any hot blooded young male, Pete's throbbing for Debbie -- all over his body. Apparently, he turns into a rage demon when he is angered. Later, jealous that Debbie is friends with Oz, Pete attacks the werewolf and the two monster men run off -- hopefully to burn off some of that young male aggression. ~ All Movie Guide

Actor Tim Reid (WKRP in Cincinnati) made his directorial debut with this filmed adaptation of Clifton L. Taulbert's autobiography. Set in an African-American community in the segregated South, Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored follows a young Taulbert through three decades, beginning with his birth in a cotton field in 1946. As he grows up, Taulbert is faced with the harsh realities of being black in the mid-20th century: first from the lessons of his great-grandfather (Al Freeman Jr.), later in his trips to the local segregated library, and finally in 1962, when a 16-year-old Taulbert watches as his community deals with a racist white business owner trying to run a local black ice man out of town. Once Upon a Time...When We Were Colored was the recipient of the Audience Choice Award at the 1995 St. Louis International Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Premiering January 11, 1995, the WB sitcom The Wayans Bros. actually stars only two members of that large and apparently ever-expanding family of African-American entertainers. Fresh from their In Living Color success, siblings Shawn Wayans and Marlon Wayans (who also co-created this series) star as Shawn and Marlon Williams, polar-opposite brothers sharing the same New York brownstone. Shawn was the "serious" brother, who during the first season held down a solid job with an overnight delivery service and was diligently saving up enough money to marry Lisa Saunders (Lela Rochon), daughter of a prominent doctor. In contrast, Marlon lived to have fun, only occasionally showing up for his job as kitchen help at Pops' Place, a restaurant owned by the brothers' dad, John "Pops" Williams (John Witherspoon), a former boxer and R&B singer. Also working at Pops' during season one were counter girl Lupe (Joanna Sanchez) and cook Benny (Benny Quan). Losing his job and his girlfriend at the outset of season two, Shawn set up a newsstand in the lobby of the Niedermayer Building, which also housed his dad's restaurant. The building's main security guard had been diminutive Lou Malino (Jill Tasker) during the first season; she was replaced by Anna Maria Horsford as the corpulent Dee Baxter. Also added to the cast in season two was Paula Jai Parker as Monique Lattimore, a wealthy young lady who took a job in a nearby card shop when she lost her fortune -- and who during her single season on the series provided a verbal combatant for Shawn and an "unattainable dream" for the moonstruck Marlon. In season three, Ja'net DuBois joined the cast as the Williams boys' feisty Grandmother Ellington, who briefly moved in with the brothers. Weaving in and out the proceedings were a pair of shady street characters, White Mike (Mitch Mullany) and T.C. (Phill Lewis). In season four, Marlon launched an acting career and Shawn lost his newsstand to a fire. Come the next season, the brothers' "roles" had reversed: Marlon was now the responsible breadwinner, holding down steady employment as a regular on the TV sitcom "Everybody Loves Everybody," while Shawn was the wheeler-dealer, serving as Shawn's agent -- and skimming 50 percent off the top of each paycheck! The Wayans Bros. proved to be one of the fledgling WB's most popular early offerings, and went on to even greater success in off-net reruns after its September 9, 1999, cancellation. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Chappy Sinclair enlists the aid of a team of wild air show pilots after he discovers that a Peruvian drug lord has set up shop in a small village. The fly boys make off with a fleet of World War II vintage aircraft in an effort to drive the drug dealers out of business, but they come up against a former Air Force comrade of Sinclair's, who is part of the illegal operation. ~ All Movie Guide

City Slickers blends sight gags, one-liners, and sincerity, with both humor and drama arising from the characters and their situations. Mitch (Billy Crystal) is a radio station sales executive who finds himself in the throes of a mid-life crisis; accompanied by two friends, Phil (Daniel Stern) and Ed (Bruno Kirby) in the grip of similar problems, he heads to New Mexico for his birthday to participate in a two-week "vacation" cattle drive to Colorado. The three friends and the rest of their group, including an attractive, newly single young woman and two African-American dentists, are all urbanites lost when it comes to herding cattle and surviving on the prairie; it's up to authentic, almost mythic cowboy Curly (Jack Palance, who won an Oscar for the role), to whip them into shape. As various adventures occur along the way, including run-ins with outlaw cattlehands, treacherous natural mishaps, and Mitch's delivery of a newborn calf, the three "city slickers" open up to each other, learn to appreciate Curly's Old West values, and begin to resolve their midlife dilemmas. When Curly dies, it's left to Mitch, Phil, and Ed to bring in the herd. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide

A deliciously nasty black comedy, Heathers is set at a cliquish high school in Ohio. The most exclusive of those cliques is the Heathers, comprised of the prettiest and most popular girls in town. The group's leader is the manipulative Kim Walker, who orchestrates the humiliation of anyone who fails to meet her standards. Eventually, Heathers member Winona Ryder begins to exhibit a conscience; together with her hardcase boyfriend Christian Slater, Ryder plots to avenge all the unfortunate victims of the group. Before long, Heather (Kim Walker) ends up dead along with Kurt and Ram, with poignant suicide notes posted near their bodies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The friendship between Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) and Ron (Darryl M. Bell) may come to a sudden and ignominious end when they team up to write a philosophy paper. Characteristically, Dwayne ends up doing all the work, while Ron coasts along--a fact made doubly galling to Dwayne because he'd had the chance to team with a far better student. Meanwhile, incoming freshmen Kim (Charnele Brown) and Freddie (Cree Summer) apply for jobs at "The Pit", a popular campus eating place run by the redoubtable Vernon Gaines (Lou Myers in his first series appearance). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide