Ron Livingston Movies
Ron Livingston first came to the attention of film audiences in 1996, when he portrayed one of Jon Favreau's Rat Pack-obsessed cronies in Swingers. Over the next few years, the actor began taking more and more leading roles, earning recognition and making a name for himself in the process. A graduate of Yale, where he received a B.A. in Theatre Studies and English Literature, Livingston began acting at the Williamstown Theatre Festival while in college. After graduation, he headed to Chicago, where he performed at the Goodman Theatre. Livingston made his film debut in the 1992 Dolly Parton comedy Straight Talk, and the following year he had a supporting role in the independent film Some Folks Call It a Sling Blade.After catching the eyes of audiences in the cult-hit Swingers, Livingston began to take on increasingly more prominent film roles. In 1999 he could be seen in no less than three films, beginning with the comedy Office Space, in which he had the starring role. While the film performed theatrically, it slowly gained an audience on home-video and was later regarded as a modern comedy classic.
In 2001, Livingston turned to the small screen, first in the Stephen Spielberg-produced miniseries Band of Brothers, then with a short-lived starring role on ABC's The Practice. He could be seen in theaters again in 2002, stealing scenes as a smarmy agent in the critically-acclaimed Adaptation and returned to television the following year, with a recurring role as one of Carrie's boyfriends on Sex and the City.
Livingston's next starring film role would come in 2004, when he played opposite Brittany Murphy in the romantic-comedy Little Black Book. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
After making his directorial debut with the acclaimed made-for-cable movie Gia, writer Michael Cristofer helmed his first big-screen offering with this drama. When eight men and women in their early-to-mid-20s head out for a night on the town, hopping from one Los Angeles club to the next, not everything goes as planned as they discover the joys and perils of dating at the end of the 20th Century. Body Shots shifts among the perspectives of its eight characters, played by Sean Patrick Flanery, Ron Livingston, Jerry O'Connell, Amanda Peet, Emily Procter, Tara Reid, Brad Rowe, and Sybil Temchen. The film had a number of titles during production, including The Night Before and Jello Shots, the latter of which was reportedly axed to avoid legal problems with the company that makes the gelatin dessert product. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Patrick Flanery, Jerry O'Connell, (more)
- 1998
In Queens, obnoxious and bombastic blue-collar slob Mike (stand-up comic Gerry Red Wilson) gets his kicks from football, cold beers, and spousal abuse with his cute wife Patty (Kellie Overbey). In the premiere episode of this sitcom, Mike is elated by a promotion at the supermarket to "head of the meat department." The fun is short-lived as household tensions erupt when Patty's snobbish sis Catherine (Nadia Dajani) is ditched by her husband and needs a place to stay. Mike already hates her, but this interferes with his plans for the spare room. Variety reviewed this as "an uncomfortably crude...oddly politically incorrect sick-com" from former Roseanne producer Eric Gilliland. It premiered March 10, 1998 on ABC. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gerry Red Wilson, Kellie Overbey, (more)
A group of teenagers telling ghost stories while stranded in the middle of nowhere sets the scene for this collection of horror tales. A girl is terrorized by a psycho she "met" on the internet, a biker makes the mistake of visiting a haunted farmhouse, and some folks in an RV finds monsters along the highway. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
A knowing examination of the psyche of the modern American male, Doug Liman's debut comedy Swingers stars screenwriter Jon Favreau as the sensitive Mike, a struggling actor and stand-up comic looking for romance in the wake of the dissolution of a six-year relationship. Against his better judgment, he hits the town with his pal Trent (Vince Vaughn, in a star-making performance), a retro-hip smooth-talker who calls women "babies" and feels compelled to illustrate to Mike the error of his gentlemanly ways. First in Las Vegas and later in a series of hip L.A. nightspots, the duo and their other pals, including a guy named Sue (Patrick Van Horn), prowl for women, looking for kicks and cheap thrills. The difference is that while Trent wants sex, Mike wants love and romance. Only when he learns to simply be himself does he find what he's looking for. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn, (more)
In this drama set in Los Angeles, a group of Yale graduates spend their days as mindless workers at a mundane job and their nights as mooching barflies who enjoy cutting down other patrons with their smart-mouth comments. The main character John loses his roommate and must move into the filthy apartment of Andy, a strange sort who collects and paints Nazi soldier figurines. John later gets a temporary job with a conniving slum lord. Following a failed romance, John suffers a "controlled mental breakdown." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rory Cochrane, Kyra Sedgwick, (more)
Dolly Parton and James Woods as the screen's hottest new romantic team? That's only one of several casting surprises in this romantic comedy. Shirlee Kenyon (Dolly Parton) has had enough of life in her small Arkansas town, not to mention her small-minded Arkansas boyfriend Steve (Michael Madsen). So she decides to head for the big city of Chicago, where she applies for a job as a receptionist at a talk radio station. However, she arrives at the studios just as the staff are frantically searching for the psychiatrist hired to host a call-in show for people seeking advice with their personal problems. Shirlee is put on the air by mistake, and, while she lacks a degree in psychology, she has common sense to spare, and her no-nonsense advice makes the show a hit. Soon "Doctor Shirlee" is the talk of the town, but reporter Jack Russell (James Woods) senses that she might not be all she's supposed to be. Jack does some investigating and finds out the truth about Shirlee, but by this time the two have met and he's fallen in love with her. Will Jack obey his responsibilities as a journalist, or follow his heart? Straight Talk's supporting cast includes filmmaker John Sayles, monologist Spalding Gray, actor and producer Griffin Dunne, and future Lois Lane Teri Hatcher. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dolly Parton, James Woods, (more)
