Camryn Manheim Movies
After toiling in minor film roles for years, Camryn Manheim finally attained the fame and respect denied to many overweight women who attempt to make it as actresses in Hollywood. In 1998, Manheim came to the attention of television audiences when she won a Best Supporting Actress Emmy for her role as lawyer Ellenor Frutt on David E. Kelley's acclaimed law drama The Practice. Hoisting her award in the air and exuberantly declaring, "This is for all the fat girls!", the actress won over millions of viewers, many of whom may not have been aware of her existence before the awards ceremony.Born in Caldwell, New Jersey on March 8, 1961, Manheim was raised in Peoria, Illinois and Long Beach California, the daughter of a math professor father and school teacher mother. She developed an interest in acting after attending a Renaissance fair at the age of sixteen, and she went on to get a Masters in Fine Arts from New York University in 1987. After graduating, Manheim made her (credited) screen debut with a miniscule role in Bonfire of the Vanities in 1990. A long series of similarly minor roles in films ranging from Jeffrey (1995) to Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) followed before she was cast in The Practice in 1997. After winning fame and an Emmy for her work on the show, Manheim gained additional exposure and respect with her role as a denizen of Todd Solondz's dysfunctional New Jersey suburbia in the acclaimed Happiness (1998). The following year, in addition to winning a Golden Globe and another Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Ellenor Frutt, Manheim continued to act in films, appearing in Fools Gold and Joe the King, both of which were shown at the 1999 Sundance Festival.
In addition to acting, Manheim also authored Wake Up, I'm Fat, a memoir that began life as a one-woman show at New York's Public Theatre. By turns funny and excruciating, it details the actress's transformation from wholesome middle American to tattooed, dozen-earringed California biker, her struggles with those who told her she'd have to lose weight to fit in, and the trials and tribulations of making it in the entertainment industry. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
Stockard Channing stars in this made-for-cable comedy-drama as Dr. Beth Noonan, a female psychiatrist trying to hold her life together as she guides four of her patients through personal turmoil. Lauren Travis (Elle MacPherson), a respected lawyer, finds her sexual identity thrown into question when she discovers she's attracted to another woman, Casey (Kate Capshaw). Helen McCormick (Glenne Headly) is forced to spend a week with her two estranged sisters, Kathy (Allison Janney) and Kim (Rebecca DeMornay) after the death of their mother. Nia Morgan (Lynn Whitfield) is convinced her husband is being unfaithful to her; she hires Rachel (Linda Hamilton) to lure her spouse into infidelity, but Rachel learns that Nia's husband is actually involved with Betty (Mia Farrow), an older and unglamorous waitress. And after Dr. Noonan decides she can't handle the deep neuroses of Suzanne Nabor (Camryn Manheim), Suzanne snaps and takes the doctor hostage, along with three other people. It's a Girl Thing also stars Scott Bakula, Buck Henry, and Bruce Greenwood; it first aired in two parts on the Showtime premium cable network in January, 2001. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stockard Channing, Elle MacPherson, (more)
- 1998
The lawyers are forced to consult another law firm when they encounter a murder case. ~ TV Guide, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Calista Flockhart, Courtney Thorne-Smith, (more)
Two generations of a damaged family are brought together in this emotional drama. Einar Gilkyson (Robert Redford) was a once successful rancher whose spread went to seed after he developed a serious drinking problem. Now on the wagon, Einar looks after what's left of his spread with his friend Mitch (Morgan Freeman), a one-time cowhand who never fully recovered after being mauled by a bear. Einar once had a son named Griffin, but he died in a car wreck while Griffin's wife, Jean (Jennifer Lopez), was driving; Einar never forgave her for the death, and he had never met the granddaughter she was carrying until she arrived at his doorstep 11 years later. Jean has become involved with a violent man named Gary (Damian Lewis), and seeks refuge on Einar's ranch for the safety of her daughter, Griff (Becca Gardner). Einar reluctantly takes in Jean and Griff, giving them a place to stay as Jean looks for work and tries to put her life back together. But old trouble makes its way back to town in two ways -- Gary tracks down Jean and wants to make her pay for leaving him, while the bear who attacked Mitch comes down from the mountains looking for new prey. An Unfinished Life was adapted from the novel of the same name by Mark Spragg. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez, (more)
Directed by Walter Salles Jr., this remake of Hideo Nakata's supernatural psychological drama Honogurai Mizuno Soko Kara revolves around the plight of a single mother (Jennifer Connelly) whose messy divorce and subsequent battle for the custody of her five-year-old daughter is taking a heavy toll on her emotional well-being. Ultimately, the mother and daughter are able to relocate to an apartment, which, despite its excessively dilapidated interior, seems to be an adequate location for beginning a new life. Before long, however, what appears to be the spirit of a young girl begins to haunt them. No stranger to mental illness, the wary young woman brushes the visions aside as part of the inherent stress of making the transition from housewife to working, single mom. As time goes by and the apparent haunting does not subside, the apartment's new residents are forced to examine the history of its former tenants. Dark Water also features performances from John C. Reilly, Tim Roth, and Dougray Scott. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Connelly, John C. Reilly, (more)
In this independent comedy, David Searching (Anthony Rapp) is a would-be documentary filmmaker trying to get a project off the ground. In the meantime, David (who is gay) is looking for love, willing to settle for sex, and searching for some sort of answers in life. He shares his apartment with his good friend Gwen (Camryn Manheim), who doesn't see any reason why her weight problem should prevent her from attracting good-looking men. David and Gwen both go through a number of blind dates and chance meetings as they hope to find the man of their dreams, while David, looking at the world through his video camera, tries to deal with the complexities of funding his latest project and the labyrinth that is PBS. Playwrights John Cameron Mitchell and David Drake appear in supporting roles. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Amy Goldstein directs this hip, indie look at the ups and downs of a trio of New York roommates from 1985 to 1995. The film opens as Peter (Patrick Breen), Reggie (Nadine Van Der Velde), and Chart (Scott Kraft) take out a 10-year lease on a musty warehouse loft on Manhattan's gritty A street. Their landlord is also Reggie's beau, Hiro (Glen Chin). Set against such historic events as the 1986 Reds-Mets World Series and the Stock Market Crash of 1987, the roommates lives change as Reggie dumps Hiro for Peter -- only to marry Sylvester (Adam Arkin), Chart struggles with heroin addiction, and Peter cares for AIDS-infected children. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Arkin, Patrick Breen, (more)
Seven years after playing the David Bowie-esque glam rocker in Velvet Goldmine, actor Jonathan Rhys-Meyers tackles the role of the biggest rock-and-roller of all time -- The King -- in this television miniseries. CBS' Elvis traces Elvis Presley's rise from being a humble, poor kid in early-'50s Memphis to being an isolated, prescription-drug-addicted superstar fearful of going on-stage for his 1968 comeback special. Along the way, he's torn between his devotion to his mama Gladys (Camryn Manheim) and the machinations of his stealthy manager, "Colonel" Tom Parker (Randy Quaid). Among Presley's hurdles: his R&B music and performance style prompts cries of obscenity from community leaders; he's drafted for the Army and decides to go; and he longs to become a serious movie star, although the Colonel has different ideas. Elvis was significant in that it was the first biopic of the star to allow the use of The King's original recordings, lip-synched by Rhys-Meyers. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Camryn Manheim, (more)
Top-notch action sequences and exciting stunt work highlight this fast-moving thriller. John Kruger (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a top agent in the U.S. Marshalls' Witness Protection Program; it's his job to "erase" the pasts of Federal witnesses under his watch and deal with anyone who tries to hurt them. Kruger's latest assignment is to protect Lee Cullen (Vanessa Williams), who while working for a major weapons manufacturing firm discovered evidence that the company was selling new, high-tech weapons to intentional terrorists groups with the cooperation of a faction of enemy agents within the United States government. However, when Kruger discovers that the Witness Protection Program has a rat in the house -- and that rat is his boss, U.S. Marshall Robert Deguerin (James Caan) -- Kruger has to guard his own life while trying to protect Lee's. The supporting cast is highlighted by James Coburn, Robert Pastorelli, and James Cromwell. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Caan, (more)
- 1999
A road comedy that touches on issues of racial and personal identity, Fools Gold was the feature-length debut for writer/director Jeffrey Janger. Flimp Lopez (Billy Gallo) is Hispanic and Sam Wechter (Blair Singer) is Jewish, which makes both of them outsiders in Oiltown, OK, where they work in a salvage yard. When Flimp hears that a wealthy Latino has moved into one of the town's most expensive dwellings, he's naturally curious and wants to stop by and take a look; Sam tags along. When they get to the house, they discover that something has gone horribly wrong and suddenly they're leading suspects in a violent crime. The pair makes tracks out of town, picking up two sales clerks from a roadside stand along the way, but soon the FBI is following close behind. Fools Gold was shown as part of the American Spectrum series at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Blair Singer, Billy Gallo, (more)
Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt) communicates with earthbound spirits, ghosts who cling to the living because they have unfinished business that prevents them from moving beyond the familiar plane of existence that we call life. Inspired in part by the work of famed medium James Van Praagh and of Mary Ann Winkowski, a real-life communicator with spirits, GHOST WHISPERER explores the spiritual side of life and death as Melinda navigates among the dead and the living in her sometimes chilling, sometimes heart-rending and sometimes amusing attempts to act as an intermediary between the ghosts and those they haunt. Jim (David Conrad), her husband, worries about the emotional toll this work is taking on his wife as they embark on a new life together. Andrea, her friend and business partner in their antique store, is fascinated by Melinda's talent. Melinda is somewhat reluctant to reveal her "gift" to new friend Delia Banks (Camryn Manheim), a single mom who lives in Grandview, fearing the consequences of drawing her into this "unconventional" world. For her part, Melinda accepts her unique abilities as a blessing and sometime a curse, but always helps her clients--alive or dead--find emotional closure.
- Starring:
- Jennifer Love Hewitt, David Conrad, (more)
Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt) communicates with earthbound spirits, ghosts who cling to the living because they have unfinished business that prevents them from moving beyond the familiar plane of existence that we call life. Ghost Whisperer explores the spiritual side of life and death as Melinda navigates among the dead and the living in her sometimes chilling, sometimes heart-rending, and sometimes amusing attempts to act as an intermediary between the ghosts and those they haunt. Jim (David Conrad), her husband, worries about the emotional toll this work takes on his wife as they embark on a new life together. Melinda recently has revealed her gift to her new friend, Delia Banks (Camryn Manheim), a single mom who works in Melinda's antique shop. However, Melinda fears the consequences of drawing Delia into this unconventional world. Melinda also shared her secret with quirky Professor Rick Payne (Jay Mohr), an expert in occult beliefs and history who thrives on helping her gain insights into the more baffling paranormal phenomena she encounters. For her part, Melinda accepts her unique abilities as a blessing and sometime curse, but always helps her clients, alive or dead, find emotional closure. The 18 episodes of Season 3 aired in 2007 on CBS.
- Starring:
- Jennifer Love Hewitt, David Conrad, (more)
After his 1995 breakthrough, Welcome to the Dollhouse, director Todd Solondz was courted by a number of studios to make a big-budget film with top stars. Instead, he chose to make this aggressively dark comedy-drama of perversions and twisted lives. Andy Kornbluth (Jon Lovitz) explodes with anger after rejection in a restaurant from Joy Jordan (Jane Adams), one of a trio of middle-class New Jersey sisters. Joy's sister Trish (Cynthia Stevenson), a housewife with three kids, is married to psychiatrist Bill (Dylan Baker), who counsels the lonely, overweight Allen (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Allen is obsessed with Joy's other sister, the successful poet Helen (Lara Flynn Boyle), all the while ignoring the attentions of his seemingly sweet yet overweight neighbor Kristina (Camryn Manheim). Bill has fantasies of turning an assault rifle on families in a park, masturbates to teen magazine photos, and develops an unhealthy interest in a classmate of his 11-year-old son, Billy (Rufus Read). After a telephone sales job, Joy moves on to substitute teach at an adult education class, where she falls prey to the advances of an insensitive cabdriver, Vlad (Jared Harris). Allen's series of obscene phone calls to Helen come to an end when she challenges him to come next door and carry out his sexual threats. Meanwhile, the sisters' parents, Lenny and Mona Jordan (Ben Gazzara and Louise Lasser), find their marriage collapsing after 40 years. Lenny has sparked the interest of divorcée Diane Freed (Elizabeth Ashley), but he actually would prefer to be alone. The path to happiness, it seems, is littered with dreams, despair, and abnormalities. Winner of the International Critics' prize at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival, Happiness met with much controversy both in pre-production and upon its release, as chronicled in producer Christine Vachon's book Shooting to Kill. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jane Adams, Dylan Baker, (more)
Soul diva Jackie Washington is determined to hit the comeback trail but seems to be having trouble finding the on-ramp in the mock-documentary comedy Jackie's Back. Jackie (played by Jenifer Lewis) was a Rhythm and Blues singer who had a few late '60's and early 70's hits, including "Yield" and the memorable "Look At Me (My Love For You Has Only Made Me Love Me More)," but she's spent much of the 80's and 90's playing the "Where Are They Now?" circuit. However, Jackie has organized what she hopes will be a gala comeback concert, and filmmaker Edward Whatsett St. John (Tim Curry) is on hand to film the event, and discusses the high and (frequent) low points of Jackie's career with such friends and well-wishers as Bette Midler, Liza Minnelli, Penny Marshall, Jackie Collins and Dolomite himself, Rudy Ray Moore. Meanwhile, Jackie's big gig is not going quite the way she planned. Directed by Robert Townsend, Jackie's Back was produced for the Lifetime Cable Network and originally aired June 14, 1999. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jenifer Lewis, Tim Curry, (more)
Based on Paul Rudnick's hit Off-Broadway play, this romantic comedy centers on the chaotic love life of Jeffrey (Steven Weber), a gay man who swears off sex only to fall in love with his ideal man (Michael T. Weiss). Jeffrey's vow of chastity is inspired by a fear of AIDS, a prospect which has started to terrify him so much that he decides he'd be better off never making love again. He is happy and relieved for a time, until he meets Steve, a handsome, charming dreamboat who also happens to be HIV-positive. Jeffrey wants nothing more than to be with Steve, but his anxiety over the disease and fear of commitment stand in the way. Much of the humor falls to Jeffrey's friends, including the sharp-tongued Sterling (Patrick Stewart), an outwardly catty but surprisingly good-hearted interior decorator, and his young boyfriend Darius (Bryan Batt), a performer in the Broadway musical Cats. Nathan Lane also contributes a memorable cameo as a questionable priest. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Weber, Michael T. Weiss, (more)
The fifth installment of the Jesse Stone franchise finds the Massachusetts police chief drawing the wrath of the Town Council after inadvertently being drawn into a shoot-out on the streets of Boston. Paradise, Mass. Police Chief Jesse Stone (Tom Selleck) has just been involved in a highly-publicized shoot-out that left his friend, State Homicide Commander Healy (Stephen McHattie), seriously wounded. As a result, the Boston Police Department's Internal Affairs division launches an investigation against Chief Stone, causing the dedicated lawman to be away from Paradise for extended periods of time and drawing unwanted attention from the Town Council. When Chief Stone fires the Paradise Police Department's most enthusiastic ticket-writer, the city's main source of revenue takes a serious hit. His status with the Town Council already faltering, the chief puts his own job in serious jeopardy by agreeing to help a celebrated out-of-towner search for her missing child. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Selleck
- 2001
An aspiring comic who has to hide behind others to get her humor in front of an audience finds you can't do the same thing when it comes to romance. Samantha Berger (Camryn Manheim) works as a bartender at a New York comedy club; possessing a sharp imagination and a quick wit , Samantha writes jokes of her own in her spare time. Samantha's material is good, but she's severely self-conscious about her weight problem, so she shops her routines to up-and-coming comics who play the room, most frequently Jennie (Alexondra Lee), a friend who is slim and beautiful but can't write a good gag to save her life. Michael True (cott Cohen) is an agent who frequents the club looking for new talent, and he thinks Jennie might have what it takes to make the big time. Michael soon finds himself developing a relationship with Jennie off stage as well, but she's never sure what to say to him and is afraid that one day he'll realize the killer material she's been using isn't her own. Michael starts e-mailing Jennie on a regular basis, and Jennie convinces Samantha to play Cyrano and answer his missives posing as Jennie. But the longer Samantha finds herself "chatting" with Michael, the more she realizes he's just the sort of man she's always wanted -- but lacks the courage to approach on her own. Camryn Manheim also served as executive producer for Kiss My Act, which debuted on the ABC television network on April 23, 2001; the supporting cast includes Dabney Coleman and Marlee Matlin. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Camryn Manheim, Scott Cohen, (more)
- 1993
In the final episode of Law & Order's fourth season, a highly independent hearing-impaired woman is found murdered. Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Logan (Chris Noth) turn their sights on the dead woman's two most recent sweethearts -- one of whom was her mentor at the institute where she studied to overcome her handicap. This episode represents the last regular series appearances of Richard Brooks as Assistant D.A. Robinette and Dann Florek as Captain Don Cragen, though both actors would reprise their roles in subsequent guest appearances, while Florek would again play Cragen on the spin-off series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
The ongoing war of words between abortion advocates and right-to-life activists literally explodes into violence when an abortion clinic is bombed, killing a woman inside the building. Putting his own pro-life sentiments aside, assistant D.A. Stone (Michael Moriarty) wastes no time mounting a case against the most likely suspect. Even so, Stone's pro-choice boss, D.A. Adam Schiff (Steven Hill), cannot help but wonder if his subordinate's personal feelings can be kept out of the courtroom -- especially with public opinion mounting against Stone's remaining on the case. Featured in the supporting cast is Camryn Mannheim, who would herself portray an attorney on the long-running series The Practice. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Ten-year-old Wendy Sylvester (Stephi Lineburg) disappears from a foster home. The subsequent investigation reveals that Wendy had been subjected to neglect and abuse by her foster mother. The girl turns up in a specially designed "hiding place" within the home of her compassionate former teacher Arnette Fenady (Lisa Eichhorn), who insists that she is acting in the child's best interest -- but who is obviously an extremely disturbed woman despite her noble intentions. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2005
- PG13
- Add Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School to QueueAdd Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School to top of Queue
Randall Miller's Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School compiles an all-star cast to tell an unabashedly emotional story about life, love, and destiny. Robert Carlyle portrays Frank Keane, a man who has been in a deep depression ever since his wife passed away. One day while driving, Frank sees an accident. He investigates the scene to see if he can help and meets a dying stranger (John Goodman), who tells Frank that he was headed to a dance school in order to reunite with a woman he loved many years before. Frank decides to attend the dance school, and becomes involved with a variety of people. Originally beginning as a short film, Randall Miller's feature-length film was screened at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Carlyle, Marisa Tomei, (more)
- 1997
- R
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Two dimwitted pals attempt to fib their way through their high school reunion with disastrous results in this bubbly comedy from David Mirkin, frequent director of the cult TV sitcom Get a Life!. Los Angeles dim-bulbs Romy (Mira Sorvino) and Michelle (Lisa Kudrow) have been best friends since childhood. Their shared passions include shopping, club-hopping, and creating their own candy-colored fashions. When their tenth high school reunion looms, the friends realize that their lives are not impressive enough to cow the popular crowd that tormented them in their teen years. So Romy borrows a Jaguar, and the duo concocts a story about how they became top corporate executives by creating Post-It Notes. Once they are at the reunion, however, Romy and Michelle's scheme unravels. Saturnine classmate Heather (Janeane Garofalo), who really did make a fortune as an inventor, exposes their fraud, and the girls find themselves mocked again, by everyone except Sandy Frink (Alan Cumming), a nerd millionaire with a lingering crush on Michelle. Kudrow reprised the role of Michelle from her late 1980s stage performance in the play Ladies' Room by Robin Schiff, who expanded both the play and the part of Michelle for the feature film version. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mira Sorvino, Lisa Kudrow, (more)
