Sarah Marshall Movies

The ghost of Frank Capra must have smiled when he saw Dave, an amusing and effective update of one of Capra's favorite themes -- the scrupulously honest little guy who becomes a force for good against a corrupt system. Dave Kovic (Kevin Kline) runs an employment agency and seems to genuinely enjoy finding work for people who need it. He also bears a striking resemblance to the president of the United States, Bill Mitchell (also played by Kline) and occasionally gets work as a Bill Mitchell impersonator. One day, Dave gets a call from the Secret Service -- for security purposes, they want to hire him to act as a decoy for an upcoming appearance by the president. All goes well, but later that evening President Mitchell suffers a massive stroke while in bed with his mistress. Wanting to keep the matter a secret, two of the president's top advisors appeal to Dave to stand in as Bill Mitchell until he regains his health. One of the men behind this scheme, Bob Alexander (Frank Langella), hopes to use Mitchell's absence to promote his own right-wing political agenda, but after a few weeks "in office," Dave decides it's time to promote some changes of his own that will help increase employment and keep homeless shelters open. Dave also finds himself growing fond of Ellen Mitchell (Sigourney Weaver), the President's wife, while Ellen sees in Dave the idealism her husband left behind years ago. Dave features numerous cameo appearances by politicians, Washington insiders, and journalists; Oliver Stone also appears to explain a conspiracy theory regarding sudden changes in Bill Mitchell's behavior. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Ever anxious to impress her corporate bosses, Rebecca (Kirstie Alley) takes it upon herself to promote Norm's (George Wendt) modest painting business into a major moneymaking enterprise. Not surprisingly, Norm nearly suffocates from Rebecca's good intentions. Meanwhile, Sam (Ted Danson) has a hard time keeping up (literally) with his new, hyper-athletic girl friend Erin (Lisa Aliff). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

George Jefferson (Sherman Hemsley) exaggerates the size and importance of his business in order to get into an exclusive tycoons' club. Inevitably, George pays the price for his prevarications during the club's fundraiser for a local park fountain. Thinking he is only making a 100-dollar donation, our hero is appalled to discover that he was marked down for a 100,000-dollar bid. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Adapted from the Judith Krantz novel of the same name, the CBS miniseries Scruples zeroes in on a trendy, upscale Beverly Hills boutique. The guiding force behind the Scruples shop is beautiful Billy Ikelhorn (Lindsay Wagner), who, though born into grinding poverty, had risen to the uppermost rungs of L.A. society by virtue of her marriage to millionaire Ellis Ikelhorn (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.). When her husband dies after a long illness, Billy compensates for her grief by becoming a Boadicea of the fashion industry. Her personal and professional life is entangled with those of her closest associates, fashion photographer Spider Elliott (Barry Bostwick) and designer Valentine O'Neill (Marie-France Pisier). Originally telecast in six two-hour episodes on February 25, 26, and 28, 1980, Scruples proved popular enough to warrant a 1981 TV-movie sequel, starring Shelley Smith as Billy, Dirk Benedict as Spider and Olga Karlatos as Valentine. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The FBI launches a search for Curtis Stone (Roy Poole), a sleazy extortionist who preys upon the families of servicemen. There is someone else anxious to catch up with Stone: Sgt. Paul Devlin (John Ericson), whose wife committed suicide while he was in Vietnam. Holding Stone responsible for his wife's death, Devlin is determined to mete out his own brand of retribution--and Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) is equally determined to prevent the embittered Devlin from becoming a murderer. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Turncoat scientist Lawrence Underwood (Linden Chiles) manages to steal some top-secret documents from an atomic lab in Idaho. Picking up Underwood's trail, Inspector Erskine (Efrem Zimbalist Jr.) methodically tracks the man down. What Erskine doesn't know is that Underwood has been exposed to deadly atomic radiation--and is contaminating everyone with whom he comes in contact. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

An intelligent, eccentric high school senior devotes his life to indulging the every whim of the beautiful girl he adores in this quirky, dark-humored comedy. Roddy McDowall plays Alan Musgrave, an odd duck who immediately falls for the school's new student, Barbara Ann Greene (Tuesday Weld). Using his quick wits, he helps her win acceptance amongst the popular girls and a cushy job in the principal's office. Never demanding anything in return, Alan doesn't even complain when she falls for an upper-class college boy, and he does everything he can to bring the two together. However, as time passes, this seemingly well-intentioned dedication spins out of control, with results that become increasingly bizarre and even potentially fatal. The irreverent attitude and erratic tone may be an acquired taste, but the film's audacious humor and idiosyncratic approach have won it a cult following. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Posing as "Jim Owen", fugitive Richard Kimble (David Janssen) has fallen in love with the beautiful but neurotic Laurel Harper (Carol Rossen). Realizing the danger in staying in one place too long, Kimble reluctantly breaks off the relationship. Shortly afterward, Laurel is sexually assaulted and her sister Sheila (Sarah Marshall) accuses Kimble of the crime. With Laurel unable to remember what really happened (or at least that is what she claims), Kimble must identify the real attacker before his true identity is exposed. Future Star Trek costar James Doohan appears as a doctor. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this comedy, a Yankee musician is working in Paris when he encounters a movie star chasing after her naughty French poodle Monsieur Cognac. The name is most apropos for the little doggy is quite the lush when it comes to booze. This suits the hard-drinking musician just fine and the two go out on a bender. Later the star and her father find the toasted twosome. The star begins falling in love with the musician. Despite her father's objections, the two get married. Unfortunately, Mr. Cognac accompanies them on the honeymoon. He becomes quite jealous of the woman's new husband and ruins their wedding night. Because she refuses to relinquish the dog, their new marriage is nearly destroyed. They separate until the husband manages to bring home Pink Poupee, a charming female poodle. Suddenly Mr. C forgets all about his jealousy. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Though it is often assumed that Twilight Zone was rife with special-effects trickery, in point of fact the series used such effects sparingly -- though always effectively, as with this classic episode. Awakened by the cries of their daughter Bettina, Chris and Ruth Miller (Robert Sampson and Sarah Marshall) enter the girl's bedroom, only to find that she has apparently disappeared. Still, they can hear her Bettina's cries for help, and in desperation, they call in their physicist friend Bill (Charles Aidman) for advice. Assessing the evidence at hand, Bill comes to the unsettling conclusion that Bettina has somehow fallen through an invisible hole into the Fourth Dimension -- and as time runs out, it is Bill who puts his own life on the line to rescue the girl. So vital to the proceedings was the musical score by Bernard Herrmann that, for the first and only time in Twilight Zone history, Herrmann was billed above the name of the director. Scripted by Richard Matheson from his own short story, "Little Girl Lost" was first telecast on March 16, 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Perry (Raymond Burr) is summoned to Manzan Valley to settle a bitter land dispute. His client is Judy Bryant (Sarah Marshall), who claims the the boundary on her property was illegally changed when the river was rerouted. Judy's key witness is her no-good stepfather Amos (Robert Lowery), who agrees to testify on her behalf--but only if she ponies up $10,000. Soon afterward, Amos is blown to bits by a homemade bomb, and Judy finds herself facing a murder charge. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

While often regarded as one of America's greatest novelists, William Faulkner produced work that did not always translate well to the screen; it's ironically appropriate that this movie, based on several of Faulkner's short stories, is often regarded as one of the best films based on his work, though not especially accurate to the original source material. Ben Quick (Paul Newman), a sullen but self-confident drifter, arrives in a small Mississippi town where his father had a bad reputation as a firebug. Will Varner (Orson Welles), the town's patriarch, still holds a grudge against Quick's dad, and when the young man decides to stay in town and sharecrop on Varner's land, Will goes out of his way to make his life difficult. However, Will develops a grudging respect for Quick's guts and determination, and he wishes that his weak-willed son Jody (Anthony Franciosa) could be more like him; Jody's wife Eula (Lee Remick) happens to agree. In time, Will gets the idea that Quick might be a good match for his daughter Clara (Joanne Woodward) and a better choice to take over his business dealings than Jody. However, neither Clara nor Quick care to be told what to do, and besides, Clara already has a beau -- though Alan Stewart (Richard Anderson) is even more of a milquetoast than Jody and is led by the nose by his mother (Mabel Albertson). However, sparks begin to fly between Clara and Quick, and when Jody fears he may lose his place as heir of Will's estate, he takes drastic action, trapping his father in a barn, setting it on fire, and planting evidence that would suggest that the blaze was Quick's doing. The Long, Hot Summer was the first film that Newman and Woodward made together, and they got married the same year. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi