Kathleen Marshall Movies
- 2004
- G
- Add The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement to QueueAdd The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement to top of Queue
Directed by Garry Marshall, The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement picks up where its predecessor left off -- that is, with American teenager Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) reeling over the news that she is a princess within the royal family of Genovia, a little-known European nation with a population of barely 50,000. As promised, Mia, along with her best friend, Lilly (Heather Matarazzo), travels to Genovia after their high-school graduation. The unlikely princess has hardly settled into the castle, let alone begun representing the country, when she learns that a larger title is approaching more rapidly than expected; it seems as though Mia will have to take over as queen. Suddenly, in addition to further schooling on the etiquette of royalty, Mia finds herself with a daunting prospect -- according to Genovian law, all princesses must be married before they can be crowned. In addition to Julie Andrews' reprisal of her role as Queen Clarisse Renaldi, The Princess Diaries 2 also features Hector Elizondo and John Rhys-Davies in supporting roles. Though Princess Diaries author Meg Cabot did pen a sequel (The Princess Diaries: Princess in the Spotlight), this film is not an adaptation. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, (more)
This teen comedy from Disney is based on a popular novel by Meg Cabot and directed by Garry Marshall. Mia Thermopolis (Anne Hathaway) is a teenage klutz who's openly mocked by the popular Lana Thomas (pop singer Mandy Moore). In fact, Mia's only friend at her exclusive prep school is the socially outcast Lilly (Heather Matarazzo). Mia's life takes a dramatic turn, however, when her mom announces that her late biological father was in actuality the crown prince of a small European nation, Genovia. Now Mia is the sole heir to the throne, and her grandmother, Queen Clarisse Renaldi (Julie Andrews) wants to tutor the awkward teen in royal behavior. It's a daunting task given Mia's lax table manners, poise, and hair care, but the girl perseveres with some makeover help from her grandmother's security chief Hector Elizondo) and a style expert (Larry Miller). In the meantime, Mia's romantic affections are torn between the handsome, popular Josh (Erik Von Detten) and the more appropriate Michael (Robert Schwartzman), who also happens to be Lilly's brother. The Princess Diaries is the second film from Whitney Houston's production shingle after the television version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella (1997). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Hathaway, Julie Andrews, (more)
In 1990, Pretty Woman turned Julia Roberts into a star and gave Richard Gere's career a much-needed boost; for 1999, Roberts and Gere reunited with director Garry Marshall for the romantic comedy Runaway Bride. Roberts plays Maggie, who has left so many prospective husbands at the altar that she has gained notoriety as "the Runaway Bride," and a reporter (played by Richard Gere) is assigned to write a story about her. He tracks her down to a small town in Maryland where she's spending time with her family and preparing to give marriage another try. However, the more time she spends with the persistent reporter, the more second thoughts she has about her fiancé (Christopher Meloni). Hector Elizondo, another Pretty Woman alumnus, appears in the supporting cast alongside Joan Cusack, Paul Dooley, and Rita Wilson. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julia Roberts, Richard Gere, (more)
- 1998
- NR
One of the quintessential family shows of the late '70s, CHiPs featured two handsome California Highway Patrolmen: Jon, the blonde uptight one, and Ponch, the free-wheeling Latin Lover. Prowling the L.A. freeways for wrong doers and the inattentive, the duo rode cool bikes, witnessed many exciting accidents -- often ending in fireballs -- saved lives, solved mysteries and flirted with pretty girls. Off duty, they often did all the things considered hip during that time, including lots of disco-dancing.
Made-especially for the TNT cable network and featuring most of the original cast and crew, this lighthearted action-adventure is set 15 years from where the old show left off. Jon (Larry Wilcox) and Ponch (Erik Estrada) have not been partners for years, but a puzzling series of car thefts reunite them. Part of the fun of the show is watching the two leads -- no longer sporting washboard stomachs, trim waistlines and smooth faces -- as they try to adjust to the innovations of modern police work, including new bikes and wireless radios that keep them in constant contact with their senior officer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Made-especially for the TNT cable network and featuring most of the original cast and crew, this lighthearted action-adventure is set 15 years from where the old show left off. Jon (Larry Wilcox) and Ponch (Erik Estrada) have not been partners for years, but a puzzling series of car thefts reunite them. Part of the fun of the show is watching the two leads -- no longer sporting washboard stomachs, trim waistlines and smooth faces -- as they try to adjust to the innovations of modern police work, including new bikes and wireless radios that keep them in constant contact with their senior officer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Wilcox, Erik Estrada, (more)
In this comedy, a man trying to turn away from a life of crime starts performing a little larceny in the interest of helping others. Tom Turner (Greg Kinnear) is a small-time con man who makes the mistake of trying to cheat a pair of undercover cops one night. Fortunately for Tom, his case is heard by a lenient judge who orders him to get a straight job and stay out of trouble; if he can stay employed for a year, his conviction will be wiped from the record. Tom is hired at the Post Office and assigned to the Dead Letter Office, where he and his co-workers Rebecca (Laurie Metcalf), Herman (Tim Conway), and Vladek (Hector Elizondo) try to figure out what to do with the sacks of mail addressed to Santa Claus, Elvis Presley, and God. Against orders, Tom opens one of the letters to God and is moved by the sad story of the woman who sent it. He decides to reply and accidentally mails her his pay check; but when he sees how happy the answer made the recipient, Tom and his co-workers start opening more letters and trying to answer a few prayers that would be within their reach -- which leads Tom back to the courthouse again. Director Garry Marshall has a small role as Preston Sweeney. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Greg Kinnear, Laurie Metcalf, (more)
In this postmodern exploitation flick loosely based on "Little Red Riding Hood," the uneducated daughter of a drug-addicted prostitute flees the foster-care system in search of her long-lost grandmother but meets up instead with a serial killer. Vanessa (Reese Witherspoon), a nearly illiterate firebug and serial shoplifter, desperately clings to normalcy even though her mother turns tricks, does drugs, and manages to ignore the fact that the girl's stepfather Michael T. Weiss has been abusing her for years. When both of her parents get arrested, Vanessa steals the car of her family-services caseworker (Conchata Ferrell) and heads up Interstate 5 in search of her paternal grandmother, who's never met her. Car problems force her to accept a ride from Bob Wolverton (Kiefer Sutherland), a youth counselor who uses charm and sympathy to get the girl to open up. Confessing the sordid details of her childhood to Bob, Vanessa is shocked when he suddenly declares that she's one of the "garbage people" and that he plans to murder her and have sex with her corpse. Bob, it turns out, is the "I-5 Murderer," who's been slaughtering young prostitutes in the Los Angeles area. Thanks to a gun borrowed from her fiancé, Vanessa manages to turn the tables on Bob, shooting him repeatedly and leaving him for dead. He survives, Vanessa is arrested, and the two meet up again in court -- with her unrepentant, even though the police disbelieve her story, him flanked by his prim wife (Brooke Shields) and the righteous indignation of the American legal system. Locked up in the juvie for psychological evaluation, Vanessa gets in touch with her wild side and eventually escapes, heading off to her fateful meeting with grandma. Although Freeway was originally filmed for HBO, vigorously positive critical response eventually earned it a theatrical release. Alanna Ubach, who portrays Vanessa's nemesis/accomplice Mesquita, would go on to appear with Witherspoon in Legally Blonde. Freeway also features two Clueless alumni: Dan Hedaya, as a police detective, and Brittany Murphy, as the disfigured lesbian who befriends Vanessa in lock-up. Michael T. Weiss, who previously appeared in gay indie Jeffrey, appears in both Freeway and its sequel, Freeway 2: Confessions of a Trickbaby. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Sutherland, (more)
- 1995
Network president Stan Lansing (Garry Marshall) enters the hospital after an alleged heart attack, but he's actually covering his behind while executing a series of radical changes on the "FYI" format. His most controversial move is to hire an ultra-hip MTV veejay named McGovern (Paula Korologos in her first series appearance) as an "FYI" anchorperson in order to cater to youthful viewers. Though uncomfortable at first, Murphy begins to warm up to McGovern--until she finds out a deep dark secret about the girl's political persuasion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
- R
- Add Exit to Eden to Queue
This sexy farce stars Dan Aykroyd and Rosie O'Donnell as Fred Lavery and Sheila Kingston, a pair of cynical detectives investigating the disappearance of a key witness in a diamond-smuggling case. The case leads them to a Club Med-styled S&M resort where dog collars and cat o' nine tails abound; further complicating matters, the smugglers end up on the island as well. The missing witness, photographer Elliot Slater (Paul Mercurio), takes a job as a bondage boy, and he falls in love with the resort manager, Mistress Lisa (Dana Delany. Adapted from Anne Rice's novel of the same name. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dana Delany, Paul Mercurio, (more)
The All-American Girls' Professional Baseball League was founded in 1943, when most of the men of baseball-playing age were far away in Europe and Asia fighting World War II. The league flourished until after World War II, when, with the men's return, the league was consigned to oblivion. Director Penny Marshall and screenwriters Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel re-create the wartime era when women's baseball looked to stand a good chance of sweeping the country. The story begins as a candy-bar tycoon enlists agents to scour the country to find women who could play ball. In the backwoods of Oregon, two sisters -- Dottie (Geena Davis) and Kit (Lori Petty) -- are discovered. Dottie can hit and catch, while Kit can throw a mean fastball. The girls come to Chicago to try out for the team with other prospects that include their soon-to-be-teammates Mae Mordabito (Madonna), Doris Murphy (Rosie O'Donnell), and Marla Hooch (Megan Cavanagh). The team's owner, Walter Harvey (Gary Marshall) needs someone to coach his team and he picks one-time home-run champion Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks), who is now a broken-down alcoholic. After a few weeks of training, as Dugan sobers up, the team begins to show some promise. By the end of the season, the team has improved to the point where they are competing in the World Series (which is no big deal, since there are only four teams in the league). ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, (more)
