Jon Lovitz Movies
Jon Lovitz is a versatile comedic actor instantly recognizable for his distinctive voice, acerbic wit, pear-shaped body, and hangdog eyes. He studied at the University of California, Irvine, and participated in the Film Actors Workshop. He then went on to do guest spots on TV and had a recurring role on Foley Square. Lovitz also played small roles in Last Resort (1986), and Ratboy (1986), and also provided a voice for the animated feature The Brave Little Toaster (1987). He got his first real break as a regular on TV's Saturday Night Live, where his characters such as Tommy Flanagan of pathological Liars Anonymous, the great Shakespearean ham Master Thespian, and the Devil himself became quite popular. His stint on Saturday Night Live put him in demand as a character actor and television guest star. His friendship with director Penny Marshall helped him get roles in some of her earlier films such as Big (1988), and his role as the fast talking baseball recruiter Ernie "Cappy" Capadino in Marshall's A League of Their Own (1992) earned him widespread acclaim. Lovitz has also appeared as a guest voice on the TV animated show The Simpsons and played lead voice in the critically-acclaimed animated show The Critic on ABC and the Fox Network. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 2008
- Add Comic Relief: The Greatest... and the Latest to QueueAdd Comic Relief: The Greatest... and the Latest to top of Queue
Comic Relief: The Greatest... and the Latest features a number of performances by some of the most talented comics of their day performing for a charity that collects money for the homeless. Among the performers who appear on this release are Sarah Silverman, Lewis Black, Jon Stewart, and David Cross. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, (more)
- 2008
- Add The Best of Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen to QueueAdd The Best of Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen to top of Queue
Byron Allen showcased numerous popular stand-up comedians as host of the program Comics Unleashed. This release compiles some of the best sets recorded on the show including routines by Dane Cook, Howie Mandel, Margaret Cho, Katt Williams, and Brad Garrett. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Brenner, Margaret Cho, (more)
- 2005
- Add Saturday Night Live: Lost and Found - SNL in the '80s to QueueAdd Saturday Night Live: Lost and Found - SNL in the '80s to top of Queue
Saturday Night Live: Lost and Found - SNL in the '80s documents a turbulent decade for the long-running sketch comedy show. The eighties began without creator Lorne Michales at the helm, but still produced Eddie Murphy. By the middle of the decade Michaels returned, but his first season back was a bumpy one for both fans and critics. This program features famous skits by a number of popular performers including Dana Carvey, Jon Lovitz, and Phil Hartman. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Phil Hartman, Billy Crystal, (more)
- 2005
- Add Saturday Night Live: The Best of Jon Lovitz to QueueAdd Saturday Night Live: The Best of Jon Lovitz to top of Queue
Viewers can find all of actor/comedian Jon Lovitz's most memorable Saturday Night Live appearances in one place thanks to this hilarious release from Lion's Gate Home Video - including such memorable characterizations as Michael Dukakis, David Crosby, The Devil, The Annoying Man and Andrew Dice Clay. Presented in 1.33:1 full frame and offering audio rendered in English Dolby Digital Stereo, this release also offers viewers a never-before seen glimpse of Lovitz's audition footage for SNL. A must have for Lovitz fans and Saturday Night Live fans alike. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2003
Jon Lovitz makes a return appearance as Steve, the dopey doper whose restaurant Monica (Courteney Cox) auditioned to be a chef for during season one of Friends. Steve turns out to be one of several "candidates" that Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) have chosen as potential sight-unseen dates for Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston). The logic behind this is sublime: by demonstrating how many bad choices there are in the world, Joey and Pheebs hope to bring Ross and Rachel back together. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Lovitz, Sam Pancake, (more)
The murder of NewsRadio regular Phil Hartman just after filming wrapped on the season's fourth season not only enveloped the rest of the cast in grief and sorrow, but also nearly prompted NBC to cancel the show. Reportedly, the producer kept the series afloat by relinquishing a financial piece of the property to the network--but even this move did not prevent the series' fifth season from being its last. The opening episode acknowledges the loss of Hartman with an unforgettable storyline deftly blending tears with bellylaughs, as the staff of radio station WNYX reacts to the fatal heart attack that claimed the life of vainglorious news anchor Bill McNeal. Well, most of the staff, anyway: Nerdish reporter Matthew (Andy Dick) is still laboring under the misapprehension that Bill has merely relocated to Afghanistan. Shortly thereafter, Jon Lovitz joins the cast as Bill's replacement Max Lewis, a neurotic "radio gypsy" who has lost 37 jobs in the last 20 years. However, no power on earth seems capable of removing Max from the anchor desk at WNYX--not even the resentful Matthew, who cooks up a bizarre scheme to get Max canned. Other than the opener, this season is remembered for a wacked-out three-part story arc, in which WNYX owner Jimmy James (Stephen Root) is arrested on the suspicion that he is actually notorious federal fugitive D.B. Cooper. This turn of events forces news director Dave Nelson (Dave Foley) to fend off the machinations of Jimmy's evil replacement Johnny Johnson, played by the ubiquitous Patrick Warburton)--at least until Jimmy is saved by the eleventh-hour intervention of Adam West (It makes sense when you see it!) The series ends with a 2-parter, built around the staff's efforts to prevent Jimmy from retiring (as if anyone could blame him after the D.B. Cooper debacle). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dave Foley, Maura Tierney, (more)
- 1997
This 1997 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Jon Lovitz and features musical guest Jane's Addiction. ~ Skyler Miller, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Lovitz, Jane's Addiction, (more)
- 1995
Monica (Courteney Cox) knocks herself out to impress a restaurant owner (Jon Lovitz) in hopes of getting a job as gourmet chef. Alas, the restauranteur is a bit beyond caring this evening, having already "blazed up a doobie." Meanwhile, Chandler (Matthew Perry) reacts strangely to a promotion at work, and Ross (David Schwimmer) has a new girl friend, Celia (Melora Hardin), whose idea of foreplay is curious indeed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Darlene's (Linda Doucett) vow never to date anyone in show business is put to the test by a persistent Jon Lovitz in this episode of HBO's Emmy-winning late-night talk show satire. When Darlene is disturbed at the extravagant gifts bestowed upon her by Lovitz, an overprotective Hank (Jeffrey Tambor) takes matters into his own hands by telling Lovitz that Darlene is a lesbian. Not wanting to hurt Lovitz's feelings, Darleen decides to let the chips fall where they may and tell Lovitz the truth about why she never dates show business types -- they're too selfish. When Lovitz spots Beverly (Penny Johnson) sporting a bracelet he had given to Darlene, he takes Hank's ruse to heart and his feeling are crushed. As he walks off the show moments before air, Darlene has a change of heart and agrees to go on a date with Lovitz. Special guest stars include Mark Roberts, Elsa Raven, and Jon Lovitz. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
"The Coneheads" were a sketch on the Saturday Night Live television show of the late '70s which were expanded to feature-length proportions with this film. The story concerns Beldar (Dan Aykroyd) and Prymaat (Jane Curtin), who leave the planet Remulak to prepare for an invasion of Planet Earth. But due to a malfunction, they find themselves plunged into the Hudson River and forced to take up residence in Paramus, New Jersey where Beldar gets work as an appliance salesman and makes a deal for a phony social security card. Before long, all thoughts of invading Earth are left behind as Beldar and Prymaat quickly adapt to suburban life -- except for their coneheads and metallic-sounding voices, they become a typical middle-class suburban family. The Coneheads have a child, Connie (Michelle Burke) and Beldar becomes a New York cab driver and starts up his own driving school. Connie grows into a teenager and a neighborhood boy, Ronnie (Chris Farley), develops a crush on her because he likes to rub her conehead. But a nefarious INS agent, Gorman Seedling (Michael McKean), and his toady assistant, Turnbull (David Spade), are hot on The Coneheads' trail because of Beldar's false social security card. Not only that, but the Remulakian Highmaster (Dave Thomas) is beginning to wonder what ever happened to Beldar's invasion of the third rock from the sun. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, (more)
- 1992
Arachnophobia rears its ugly head in the third episode of HBO's popular late-night talk show satire The Larry Sanders Show. With a spider-wrangler scheduled to appear on the upcoming show, Larry's (Garry Shandling) reluctance to gracefully accommodate his eight-legged guests finds him attempting to avoid the arachnids by arranging a skit with guest Carol Burnett. In addition to Burnett, this episode also features a guest appearance by popular comedic actor Jon Lovitz. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Looking for something to break the monotony of her life as a housewife, Marge Simpson (voice of Julie Kavner) auditions for the Springfield Community Center's upcoming production of Streetcar! -- a musical adaptation of A Streetcar Named Desire. The director, melodramatic Llewllyn Sinclair (voice of Jon Lovitz), isn't impressed at first by Marge's audition, but after hearing her talk to Homer (voice of Dan Castellaneta), he's convinced she's just the woman to play Blanche DuBois opposite Ned Flanders (voice of Harry Shearer), who was cast because he looks better with his shirt off than anyone else who tried out. Homer doesn't think much of Marge's new interest in theater, and her anger at her husband gives her performance a keen emotional edge, but will this rift in their marriage prove irreparable? Meanwhile, since Marge is busy with rehearsals, she sends baby Maggie to a daycare center, the Ayn Rand School for Tots, where the staff is determined to keep the children away from their pacifiers; Maggie, however, isn't about to give it up without a fight. A Streetcar Named Marge first aired on October 1, 1992. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1991
In the conclusion of a two-part episode, the Bundy family--minus Peg (Katey Sagal), who along with Ted McGinley (Jefferson D'Arcy), does not appear in this episode--heads to Hollywood, where Kelly (Christina Applegate) is to launch a major network version of her public-access TV show "Vital Social Issues 'N' Stuff with KELLY". Alas, the project all but dies aborning thanks to the well-meaning but ill-advised interference of network executives and censors (this is one of the few episodes in which Kelly's cleavage is NOT on display). Not surprisingly, inside jokes abound in this episode, ranging from the posters for various faux TV series adorning the walls of the network offices, to the name of the character played by Jon Lovitz (a delightfully nasty swipe at the then-head of NBC's entertainment division). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
After their TV goes on the blink, the Simpson family is faced with the grim prospect of having to actually talk to each other, and Marge (voice of Julie Kavner) decides to make the best of it by telling Lisa (voice of Yeardley Smith) and Bart (voice of Nancy Cartwright) the story of how she and Homer (voice of Dan Castellaneta) fell in love. It's 1974, and Homer Simpson is a skinny guy with a full head of hair who has no idea of what he wants to do with his future. Marge Bouvier has ended up in detention for the first time after burning a bra on school property in the midst of a brief infatuation with the women's movement. There she meets Homer, who has been kept after school yet again for smoking on school grounds. For Homer, it's love at first sight, and he's determined to find some way to get Marge's attention; pretending to be studying French, Homer gets Marge to tutor him, then asks her to the big dance. Marge says yes, but she's furious when she learns Homer isn't really taking French and that he kept her up late the night before a major forensics tournament. Marge decides instead to accept an invitation from debate club president Arnie Ziff (voice of Jon Lovitz) to go to the prom. Homer, however, never hears about this, figuring that if she never formally broke off their date, she'll still go with him, no matter how angry she is, and he finds himself going to the prom stag and watching Marge enjoy her big night with Artie. The Way We Was first aired on January 31, 1991.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
More than anything else, 13-year old New Jerseyite Josh (David Moscow) wants to be "big". That's the wish he makes at an odd-looking amusement pier fortunetelling machine. The next morning, Josh wakes up-only to discover that he's grown to manhood overnight! (At this point, the part is taken over by Tom Hanks). Still a 13-year-old mentally and emotionally, Josh decides to hide out in New York City until he can figure out what to do next. He lucks into a job with a major toy company run by kid-at-heart McMillan (Robert Loggia). By cannily bringing a child's eye view to McMillan's business, Josh rises to the top-and in process, he falls in love with fellow employee Susan (Elizabeth Perkins). But he's still a kid, and he'd like to go back to his own world and own body. Written by Gary Ross and Anne Spielberg, Big proved a crucial success for budding director Penny Marshall, who'd work harmoniously with Hanks again on the radically different A League of Their Own. The cinematography was by Barry Sonenfeld, who went on to become a director himself with The Addams Family. That Big was heavily reliant upon the input of Tom Hanks and Penny Marshall was proven by the failed attempt to turn the property into a Broadway musical. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, (more)
- 1987
Released by the now-defunct Simitar Entertainment rather than Rhino Video, which handles the other Comic Relief videos, Comic Relief II is featured on two separate 60-minute videos. A 1987 live charity event benefiting America's homeless, part one of Comic Relief II is hosted by Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, and Billy Crystal, and features comic turns by Elayne Boosler, Louie Anderson, Judy Tenuta, and Michael J. Fox. Part two of Comic Relief II is a continuation of part one, boasting an all-star lineup that includes comic luminaries Richard Lewis, Steven Wright, Steve Allen, Arsenio Hall, and Roseanne. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
Animal Planet aesthetics get infused with blush-inducing blue-humor sensibilities as director Bob Saget teams with an all-star cast of comics including Lewis Black, Tracy Morgan, Jason Alexander, Dane Cook, and Whoopi Goldberg to prove that sometimes penguins aren't as sweet as they appear to be on the silver screen. Film star Samuel L. Jackson narrates as actual footage of penguins going about their business in nature is backed by the kind of twisted voice-over work that could only come from the biggest names in comedy. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Samuel L. Jackson, Bob Saget, (more)
California is at the epicenter of a political and environmental disaster that threatens to destroy the world in this ambitious fusion of comedy, drama, dystopian science fiction, and music from writer and director Richard Kelly, his first film after gaining a cult following with Donnie Darko. In the year 2005, a nuclear attack wipes out part of the state of Texas, and three years later America is a virtual police state, with the government taking control of nearly every part of people's lives, supposedly for their own good. A German firm has found a way to generate energy using seawater, but both public and private concerns are desperate to prevent the new technology from being introduced in the gasoline-starved United States. A Marxist underground based on the West Coast is determined to bring down the federal government through violent revolution.
In this midst of this chaos, we follow a number of stories that continually return to three principle characters. Boxer Santaros (Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock) is an actor famous for his role in action films; he's trying to secure financing for a new project, but reality keeps mirroring the events in his script and he struggles to hold on to his identity following a bout with amnesia. Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is a porn star who is reinventing herself as a television pundit offering her views on politics, contemporary culture, and teenage sex. And Roland Taverner (Seann William Scott) is an L.A. police officer whose identity has mysteriously split in two, and he struggles to track down his other half. Featuring a massive supporting cast which includes Mandy Moore, Miranda Richardson, Wallace Shawn, Jon Lovitz, Kevin Smith, Amy Poehler, and Justin Timberlake, Southland Tales received its world premiere at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival; director Kelly also created an accompanying series of three graphic novels that chart these events and characters prior to this story. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
In this midst of this chaos, we follow a number of stories that continually return to three principle characters. Boxer Santaros (Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock) is an actor famous for his role in action films; he's trying to secure financing for a new project, but reality keeps mirroring the events in his script and he struggles to hold on to his identity following a bout with amnesia. Krysta Now (Sarah Michelle Gellar) is a porn star who is reinventing herself as a television pundit offering her views on politics, contemporary culture, and teenage sex. And Roland Taverner (Seann William Scott) is an L.A. police officer whose identity has mysteriously split in two, and he struggles to track down his other half. Featuring a massive supporting cast which includes Mandy Moore, Miranda Richardson, Wallace Shawn, Jon Lovitz, Kevin Smith, Amy Poehler, and Justin Timberlake, Southland Tales received its world premiere at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival; director Kelly also created an accompanying series of three graphic novels that chart these events and characters prior to this story. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dwayne Johnson, Seann William Scott, (more)
