Andrea Martin Movies
From her debut as an improvisational comic on the hit series SCTV to her later status as a voice-over artist for such popular children's shows as Sesame Street and Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Emmy-winning actress Andrea Martin has remained a recognizable performer to generations of television viewers. A native of Maine whose relocation to the Great White North found her signing on with the Toronto branch of the famed Second City comedy troupe, Martin formed close working relationships with such fellow improv-ers as Eugene Levy and Catherine O'Hara. Fueled by a powerhouse group of comic talent that included such future stars as John Candy, Martin Short, and Rick Moranis, the Second City troupe gained a loyal following and after small roles in such features as Cannibal Girls and Black Christmas, Martin followed the troupe to the small screen with Second City TV in 1976. Equally, if not more hilarious than its American counterpart Saturday Night Live in the eyes of many comedy fans, SCTV ultimately went through three small-screen incarnations including SCTV: Network 90 and SCTV Channel before calling it quits in 1984.Though she would remain closely involved with her former cast-mates on such projects as Club Paradise, Innerspace, The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley, and Camp Candy (the latter two marking her entrance into voice-over work), Martin also branched out on her own as the title character in the 1987 television series Roxie and as a cast member in the 1991 version of The Carol Burnett Show. The '90s found her frequently alternating between television and film, and though roles in such features as Boris and Natasha and Bogus did little to further her career, fans could still catch a glimpse of the old magic when Martin joined former cast-mate Short in 1994's short-lived The Martin Short Show. On the heels of more voice-over work in such efforts as television's Recess: School's Out and the hit Disney feature Anastasia, Martin joined the cast of Sesame Street in 1998, marking something of a shift to more family-oriented material (save for an appearance in the 2001 musical comedy Hedwig and the Angry Inch) that would keep her very busy into the new millennium. Even as a voice-over artist, Martin still got the occasional opportunity to perform alongside old friends Levy (The Kid) and Martin (Prince Charming). Even if the next generation would remember her face mainly from appearances in My Big Fat Greek Wedding and New York Minute, the release of SCTV on DVD in 2004 offered parents with fond memories of the series a chance to share it with their children and show them where all the fun began. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1973
- R
Second City TV regulars Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin star in this Canadian horror spoof as a couple on a romantic holiday who settle into a quaint little bed-and-breakfast run by a trio of flesh-eating ladies who fancy them for tomorrow's menu. This is a pretty tame affair considering the subject matter, dishing up rather skimpy portions of both horror and humor. The only source of entertainment -- sadly missing from video prints -- comes from the addition of a warning bell ("When the bell rings, close your eyes if you're squeamish!") to alert urpy filmgoers to upcoming gore scenes. The film is also notable as the directorial debut of Ivan Reitman -- who kept a hand in the horror genre for a few years (producing David Cronenberg's They Came from Within and Rabid) before breaking out with high-concept comedy hits in the 1980's, then returning again to horror satire (albeit with a Hollywood mega-budget) for Ghostbusters. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
Although this Canadian production saw its widest U.S. cable TV distribution in the early '80s (primarily under the title Stranger in the House) to capitalize on the phenomenal success of Halloween and its offspring, this effective suspense-thriller actually predates John Carpenter's film by four years. The story involves a dangerous psychopath hiding out in the attic of a sorority house who torments a small group of pretty young sisters (including Olivia Hussey and Margot Kidder) who are staying behind over Christmas break. His tactics range from making obscene phone calls from their house-mother's phone, to stalking the terrified boarders with sharp objects and murderous intent. Director Bob Clark, who mistook dreariness for tension in his previous horror effort Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things! (1972), here demonstrates a tight, aggressive style that generates some very original shocks -- particularly the surprise ending -- which clearly influenced dozens of similarly-themed slasher films to follow. ~ Cavett Binion, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Olivia Hussey, Keir Dullea, (more)
- 1976
The Canadian-based sketch comedy series SCTV wastes no time in setting its devastatingly satirical tone as it enters its first season. The opening episode begins with Dave Thomas' sidesplitting commercial for the "Laser-Matic Camera," then segues into the first session of "Johnny LaRue Exercise," featuring John Candy. Later on, newscaster Floyd Robertson (Joe Flaherty) arrogantly upstages co-anchor Earl Camembert (Eugene Levy) on "SCTV A.M. News Today"; and the broadcast day concludes with "Masterpiece Theater's" dramatization of the life of Sigmund Freud. ("Smoking that phallic symbol again, eh?") Subsequent first season episodes include such classic bits as "The Leutonian Hour," hosted by the fabulous Schmenge Brothers ("Ve arrre? The happy vanderers!"); the first broadcast of "The Sammy Maudlin Show"; the cautionary children's fable (not suitable for children) "Beauty and the Beets"; the sensitive French film masterpiece "Therese et Joe" ("Ah, oui? je comprends"); "Leave it to Beaver 25th Anniversary" (almost as depressing as the genuine Beaver retrospectives of the 1980s); and all four parts in one of Ben Hur, a bargain-basement Biblical epic apparently starring Curly of the Three Stooges. And let's not forget "Paul's Workshop With Paul Fistinyourface," "The Man Who Would Be King of the Popes" (starring Richard Harris, Richard Burton, and Victor Spinetti -- sort of), and the poignant "Lust for Paint," filmed somewhere near the "Louuuuv-ruh." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, (more)
- 1978
An outgrowth of Chicago's Second City comedy troupe, which was created in 1959, the Toronto branch of Second City invaded Canada's CBC in the fall of 1976 with a weekly, half-hour sketch comedy series, making up in talent and energy what it lacked in budget and production polish. Taped in Edmondton, Alberta, Second City TV had an angle which its spiritual predecessor, NBC's Saturday Night Live, lacked. Each episode purportedly took place during a typical broadcast day at Channel 109, in the "SCTV Studios"; thus, the satire and spoofery were aimed almost exclusively at popular television of the late '70s, with savage lampoons of vapid variety programs, glitzy game shows, pretentious miniseries, pompous newscasters, cheesy children's shows, and dopey do-it-yourself programs. Each member of the series' brilliant repertory company essayed a variety of roles, some of them recurring, but most of them hilarious one-shots. The cast included Joe Flaherty, often seen in the guise of the studio's shamelessly crooked owner, Guy Caballero; Andrea Martin, whose best-known characterization was obnoxious station manager Edith Prickley, who only got the job by default when her predecessor, Moe Green, was kidnapped; Harold Ramis as that selfsame Moe Green, along with several other characters; Eugene Levy, best known as self-important news anchor Earl Camembert; John Candy, who was usually cast as the station's lazy, overweight physical fitness guru Johnny LaRue; Catherine O'Hara, a specialist at playing such strident, superficial faux celebrities as Lola Heatherton; Dave Thomas and Rick Moranis, best known for their appearances as the beer-guzzling McKenzie Brothers, hosts of "The Great White North" (a sequence contemptuously added to the proceedings when the CBC demanded that Second City TV include three weekly minutes of "exclusively Canadian content"); and in a variety of characterizations, Tony Rosato and Robin Duke. Second City TV was syndicated in the U.S. beginning in the fall of 1977, its exposure initially limited to the NBC-owned stations. After three seasons and 78 episodes produced between 1976 and 1980, the series was picked up by NBC and retooled in an expanded format (including guest stars and musical numbers) as SCTV Network 90. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, (more)
Lee Remick is Torn Between Two Lovers in this made-for-TV romantic drama. Happily married to Joseph Bologna, Remick becomes involved with handsome architect George Peppard after a chance meeting in Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. Halfway down the cast list is Second City TV regular Andrea Martin in the role of Remick's buttinsky sister-in-law. The film's title was inspired by Peter Yarrow and Philip Jarrell's syrupy 1970s song hit of the same name. Representing the third TV-movie collaboration between actress Lee Remick and director Delbert Mann, Torn Between Two Lovers debuted May 2, 1979. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
A broadly farcical comedy that attempts to ape the wickedly funny, Bible-spoofing humor of the previous year's Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979), this all-star rib-tickler top-lines Dudley Moore as Herschel, a historical also-ran whose life so closely parallels that of Moses that Herschel begins believing that he, not the other guy, is God's chosen prophet, setting out to free his people from slavery even though his services are not required. Herschel's travels are always a step or two behind Moses and bring him into the company of various period personnel, including Egypt's Pharoah (Richard Pryor), the Devil (John Ritter), an angel (Paul Sand), and the beautiful Zerelda (Laraine Newman). He also discovers that his slave, Hyssop (James Coco), is actually his biological father. Herschel eventually becomes the subject of the lost "Book of Herschel," recounted in a scroll discovered by a modern-day couple (also played by Moore and Newman) vacationing in the Holy Land. Wholly Moses (1980) co-stars several other recognizable actors in supporting roles, including John Houseman, Madeline Kahn, and Jack Gilford. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dudley Moore, Laraine Newman, (more)
- 1980
Although former stalwarts John Candy, Catherine O'Hara, and Harold Ramis are no longer part of the action, the third season of SCTV still boasts some of the Canadian-based sketch comedy series' best material. For starters, the season opener offers a special presentation of My Fair Lady...that is, a special presentation of the promotional trailer for My Fair Lady. This is just a warm-up for the first appearance of the beer-guzzling McKenzie Brothers (Dave Thomas and new series regular Rick Moranis), fulfilling Canadian broadcast requirements by hosting the free-form chat fest "Great White North" ("How's it going, eh, you hoser?"). With several minutes still to go in the opener, we're treated to "The Lee Iacocca Rock Concert." In later season three offerings, Harvey K-Tel presents a "fast talking" version of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (But wait! There's more!); Molly Earle (Robin Duke) revises her celebrated series "Crazy Crafts" after a 15-year absence, by no popular demand whatsoever; Guy Caballero (Joe Flaherty) emcees a live production of Death of a Salesman starring Ricardo Montalban (Eugene Levy) , Margaret Hamilton (Andrea Martin), George Carlin (Rick Moranis), and DeForest Kelley (Dave Thomas); "Monster Chiller Horror Theater" presents "Death Motel" with Woody Tobias Jr. (Eugene Levy) and plenty of scary 3-D effects; and "The Lone Ranger Show" finds the masked man (Rick Moranis) and Tonto (Joe Flaherty) welcoming Wishbone from Rawhide and arresting Kip Addotta for violating the Code of the West by doing a bad standup routine. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, (more)
- 1980
Although season two of SCTV appears to be higher-budgeted than season one, the series' strong suit is not its production polish but instead the brilliant ensemble work of John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, Catherine O'Hara, and Dave Thomas (Harold Ramis is largely absent this season). The hilarity begins with "In Concert with Lola Heatherton, featuring Catherine O'Hara as the squeaky-voiced, immensely undertalented Lola. In the next episode, horror star Dr. Tongue (John Candy) gives us a few frights in 3-D. Soon afterward, a zany story arc commences as the dreaded Leutonian Liberation Front kidnaps station manager Moe Green (Harold Ramis), prompting a lachrymose "Solid Gold Telethon" with an all-star lineup including Sammy Maudlin (played "in all seriousness" by Joe Flaherty) and funnyman Bobby Bittman (played by Eugene Levy: "Howareyaaaa?"). Ultimately, the appropriately named Edith Prickley (Andrea Martin) emerges as the new manager. Subsequent season two highlights include "The Writers Strike," "1978 Melonville Municipal Elections," "Triple Feature Movie" (three pictures, one plot), "Chinese Fairy Tale" (with host Lin Ye Tang [Dave Thomas] having to apologize for program content before the show even begins); "SCTV's 30th Anniversary" (Don't miss that vintage clip of Kirk Douglas guesting on "What's My Shoe Size?"), "Sid Dithers, Private Eye," "Tax Advice With Liberace," and "The Flaming Turkey Ballet." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Flaherty, Andrea Martin, (more)
- 1981
Expanding from 30 to 90 minutes per week in the process of "graduating" from Canada's Global Television Network to America's NBC, the popular sketch comedy series SCTV also boasts an expanded title -- SCTV: Network 90 -- as it launches its first NBC season. The "new" series' format is primarily the same as the "old" one, with each episode chronicling a typical broadcast day on SCTV's flagship station, Channel 109 in Melonville. Returning from the earlier series are John Candy, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Andrea Martin, Dave Thomas, and Rick Moranis; beginning with the 25th episode of season one, Martin Short joins the cast, adding his own unique comedy characterizations to the cast of "regulars" already established by his colleagues.
Among the recurring segments introduced during the shakedown season of SCTV: Network 90 are "Farm Film Report," with bucolic emcees Billy Sol (John Candy) and Jim Bob (Joe Flaherty) exhorting various ersatz celebrities to "blow up reeeal good"; "The Happy Wanderers," featuring Leutonian polka kings Stan and Yosh Schmenge (John Candy, Eugene Levy); "One on the Town," a fatuous investigative reporting series hosted by news anchor Earl Camembert (Levy); "Street Beef," the cheesy man-on-the-street interview show to which SCTV personality Johnny LaRue (Candy) is exiled after the failure of his first starring movie "Polynesiantown"; and "The Gerry Todd Show," a lampoonish music video disc jockey program that predated the debut of MTV by four months! Many of the sketches seen during SCTV: Network 90's first season are reruns, culled from three seasons' worth of the original SCTV (some of these, however, had not previously been seen on U.S. television). Of the new sketches, several are standouts, including "CCCP1," in which the SCTV satellite is hijacked by the Soviet Union; "Zontar," an extended parody of Invasion of the Body Snatchers; "The People's Golden Choice Awards," arguably the single most crooked awards show in TV history; and the hilariously self-explanatory "PBS Battle of the Network Stars." On orders from NBC, SCTV: Network 90 was obliged to accommodate musical guest stars, but for the most part these performers were smoothly integrated into the comic action. This season's crop of guests includes Levon Helm, Dr. John, Natalie Cole, Al Jarreau, The Tubes, Tony Bennett, Talking Heads, Roy Orbison, and even classical violinist Eugene Fodor and Johnny Puleo and His Harmonica Gang. Mention should also be made of non-musical guest Bill Murray, who -- to no one's surprise -- melded beautifully with the series' general zaniness. (DVD alert: Most of the aforementioned guest star turns have been removed from the half-hour syndicated versions of the individual SCTV Network episodes.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Among the recurring segments introduced during the shakedown season of SCTV: Network 90 are "Farm Film Report," with bucolic emcees Billy Sol (John Candy) and Jim Bob (Joe Flaherty) exhorting various ersatz celebrities to "blow up reeeal good"; "The Happy Wanderers," featuring Leutonian polka kings Stan and Yosh Schmenge (John Candy, Eugene Levy); "One on the Town," a fatuous investigative reporting series hosted by news anchor Earl Camembert (Levy); "Street Beef," the cheesy man-on-the-street interview show to which SCTV personality Johnny LaRue (Candy) is exiled after the failure of his first starring movie "Polynesiantown"; and "The Gerry Todd Show," a lampoonish music video disc jockey program that predated the debut of MTV by four months! Many of the sketches seen during SCTV: Network 90's first season are reruns, culled from three seasons' worth of the original SCTV (some of these, however, had not previously been seen on U.S. television). Of the new sketches, several are standouts, including "CCCP1," in which the SCTV satellite is hijacked by the Soviet Union; "Zontar," an extended parody of Invasion of the Body Snatchers; "The People's Golden Choice Awards," arguably the single most crooked awards show in TV history; and the hilariously self-explanatory "PBS Battle of the Network Stars." On orders from NBC, SCTV: Network 90 was obliged to accommodate musical guest stars, but for the most part these performers were smoothly integrated into the comic action. This season's crop of guests includes Levon Helm, Dr. John, Natalie Cole, Al Jarreau, The Tubes, Tony Bennett, Talking Heads, Roy Orbison, and even classical violinist Eugene Fodor and Johnny Puleo and His Harmonica Gang. Mention should also be made of non-musical guest Bill Murray, who -- to no one's surprise -- melded beautifully with the series' general zaniness. (DVD alert: Most of the aforementioned guest star turns have been removed from the half-hour syndicated versions of the individual SCTV Network episodes.) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Candy, Joe Flaherty, (more)
- 1982
The second and final season of NBC's 90-minute comedy-variety series SCTV Network finds the show's familiar acting troupe short of three members: Dave Thomas, Rick Moranis, and Catherine O'Hara. Fortunately, John Candy, Eugene Levy, Joe Flaherty, and Andrea Martin are still on hand, as is relative newcomer Martin Short, who this season introduces a fresh new batch of brilliant comic characterizations, among them the ultra-geeky Ed Grimley and vainglorious Australian pop star Jackie Rogers Jr. And beginning with the sixth episode, Mary Charlotte Wilcox, heretofore seen in minor roles, is elevated to full regular status. Wilcox would remain with the troupe for their next TV venture, SCTV Channel -- which also featured Jim Hemphill, who appears sporadically throughout SCTV Network's second season. The second season's 12 episodes contain some of SCTV Network's all-time best material. Highlights include "Sammy Maudlin's 23rd Anniversary," which also incorporates dead-on spoofs of the hidebound, outdated programming typical of Canadian network television; "Bowery Boys in the Band," spotlighting guest star Robin Williams as an incongruously light-in-the-loafers Slip Mahoney; a takeoff of the Streisand-Kristofferson version of A Star Is Born, featuring musical guest Crystal Gayle; the benighted efforts by perennial talk show second banana William B. (Candy) to launch his own starring series; and best of all, the Emmy-winning episode "Sweeps Week," at once a devastating lampoon of pointless all-star TV variety specials and an affectionate bouquet to the golden days of black-and-white TV. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Candy, Joe Flaherty, (more)
- 1982
This is the first of three 90-minute NBC specials offering prized vignettes from SCTV's three seasons and the first season of SCTV: Network 90. Highlights include "What's My Shoe Size?," "Play It Again, Bob," "Perry Como: Still Alive," "The Merv Griffith Show From Mayberry," "Leave It to Beaver 25th Anniversary Party," The Tubes' appearance on "The Fishin' Magician," Rick Moranis as Katharine Hepburn simultaneously discussing tea and her "first time," and Mel Tormé's scat version of "The National Anthem." The Best of SCTV (1) originally aired in the time slot generally reserved for Saturday Night Live. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Candy, Joe Flaherty, (more)
- 1982
This is the last of three 90-minute NBC specials offering prized vignettes from SCTV's three seasons and the first season of SCTV: Network 90. Highlights include Gregory Peck and Woody Allen's versions of Taxi Driver; the 2-minute adaptation of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf; Doug and Bob McKenzie's discourse on Darth Vader; "Quincy: Cartoon Coroner"; "Lola Heatherton in Concert"; "Death Takes No Holiday"; and "Ingmar Bergman's Whispers of the Wolf." The Best of SCTV (3) originally aired in the time slot generally reserved for Saturday Night Live. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Candy, Joe Flaherty, (more)
- 1982
This is the second of three 90-minute NBC specials offering prized vignettes from SCTV's three seasons and the first season of SCTV: Network 90. Highlights include the hilariously irritating Canadian game show "High Q"; Funnyman Bobby Bittman's remake of "On the Waterfront"; "The Irwin Allen Show"; "The Alpha Channel"; an illegal alien version of "My Fair Lady"; "Hats of the West"; and the very first episode of "The Johnny LaRue Show." The Best of SCTV (2) originally aired in the time slot generally reserved for Saturday Night Live. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Candy, Joe Flaherty, (more)
- 1982
- R
When a young, single, neurotic New Yorker finds the perfect woman, he tries desperately to get her to fall for him. Young director Jonathan Kaufer has been compared to Woody Allen with this, his first feature. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Saul Rubinek, Marcia Strassman, (more)
- 1983
After wrapping production on the weekly, 90-minute NBC comedy-variety series SCTV Network, six members of the Canadian "Second City TV" comedy troupe reassembled for this cable-TV effort, which premiered November 22, 1983 on Cinemax. Seen in a weekly 45-minute slot, SCTV Channel proved an excellent workout for the comic skills of SCTV "veterans" Andrea Martin, Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, and Martin Short, as well as comparative newcomers Mary Charlotte Wilcox and Jim Hemphill. Although the absence of former SCTVers John Candy, Dave Thomas, and Catherine O'Hara was sorely felt, all three of these performers were adequately represented via guest appearances.
No longer obliged to use musical guest stars as they had during the NBC run, the producers of SCTV Channel were able to focus exclusively on comedy. As in its previous incarnations, the show specialized in devastatingly on-target satires of contemporary television programs and genres, with each episode representing a "typical" broadcast day at Channel 109, the SCTV network's flagship station in Melonville. Many of the recurring characters had already been established in SCTV's previous syndicated and network shows, notably crooked station owner Guy Caballero (Flaherty), obnoxious station manager Edith Prickley (Martin), burned-out horror show host Count Floyd (Flaherty), pompous news anchor Earl Camembert (Levy), nerdish SCTV janitor Ed Grimley (Short), oily talk show MC Sammy Maudlin (Flaherty), unfunny funnyman Bobby Bittman (Levy), and smarmy Australian superstar Jackie Rogers Jr. (Short), among others. The one significant "new" character was created by Jim Hemphill; lachrymose, heavy-drinking kiddie show host Happy Marsden, who presided over his daily TV series from his favorite tavern, and who featured highlights (?) from the interminable black-and-white movie serial Six Gun Justice. As for Mary Charlotte Wilcox, her main character of note was fatuous "famous for being famous" local celebrity Idella Voudry. Although at its best SCTV Channel was every bit as good as the late, lamented SCTV and SCTV: Network 90, the series' writers tended to stretch and attenuate its material at times; also, the show seemed to run out of gas toward the end, as witnessed by its heavy reliance upon "coming attractions" consisting of vintage clips from earlier SCTV efforts. Even so, the 18-episode SCTV Channel was a worthy swan song for one of the most consistently funny and inventive sketch series in television history. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
No longer obliged to use musical guest stars as they had during the NBC run, the producers of SCTV Channel were able to focus exclusively on comedy. As in its previous incarnations, the show specialized in devastatingly on-target satires of contemporary television programs and genres, with each episode representing a "typical" broadcast day at Channel 109, the SCTV network's flagship station in Melonville. Many of the recurring characters had already been established in SCTV's previous syndicated and network shows, notably crooked station owner Guy Caballero (Flaherty), obnoxious station manager Edith Prickley (Martin), burned-out horror show host Count Floyd (Flaherty), pompous news anchor Earl Camembert (Levy), nerdish SCTV janitor Ed Grimley (Short), oily talk show MC Sammy Maudlin (Flaherty), unfunny funnyman Bobby Bittman (Levy), and smarmy Australian superstar Jackie Rogers Jr. (Short), among others. The one significant "new" character was created by Jim Hemphill; lachrymose, heavy-drinking kiddie show host Happy Marsden, who presided over his daily TV series from his favorite tavern, and who featured highlights (?) from the interminable black-and-white movie serial Six Gun Justice. As for Mary Charlotte Wilcox, her main character of note was fatuous "famous for being famous" local celebrity Idella Voudry. Although at its best SCTV Channel was every bit as good as the late, lamented SCTV and SCTV: Network 90, the series' writers tended to stretch and attenuate its material at times; also, the show seemed to run out of gas toward the end, as witnessed by its heavy reliance upon "coming attractions" consisting of vintage clips from earlier SCTV efforts. Even so, the 18-episode SCTV Channel was a worthy swan song for one of the most consistently funny and inventive sketch series in television history. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joe Flaherty, Eugene Levy, (more)
Robin Williams' comic shtick sabotages any attempt at comic development in Harold Ramis' patchy comedy farce Club Paradise. Williams plays Jack Moniker, a Chicago fireman injured in the line of duty, who uses his disability money to open up a run-down Caribbean resort. Jack eagerly awaits the planeload of tourists who will be his first patrons. This group of low-rent jackanapes include Barry Nye (Rick Moranis) and Barry Steinberg (Eugene Levy), a couple of horny geek bachelors; Phillipa Lloyd (Twiggy) and Terry Hamlin (Joanna Cassidy) as a couple of gals on the make; and Linda White (Andrea Martin), as a bossy American tourist. While the tourists shindig around Jack's ramshackle resort, a revolution is brewing on the island headed by revolutionary Ernest Reed (Jimmy Cliff). Trying to prevent the revolutionary upheaval is the dissipated British governor-general of the island, Governor Anthony Cloyden Hayes (Peter O'Toole), and the pompous Prime Minister Solomon Gundy (Adolph Caesar). ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Williams, Peter O'Toole, (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
Director Joe Dante infuses this science fiction comedy with the visual razzle-dazzle and manic, goofball performances typical of his cartoon-inspired sensibilities. Navy test pilot Lt. Tuck Pendleton (Dennis Quaid) has volunteered for a highly dangerous medical experiment. A submersible craft, with Tuck at the controls, is to be shrunk down to molecular size and inserted into the body of a living rabbit. If successful, the test could result in radical breakthroughs in surgical techniques, but some high-tech thieves attempt to steal Tuck and his ship while both are in miniature form. Enter Jack Putter (Martin Short), a mild-mannered, hypochondriac retail store clerk, a nerd who suddenly finds himself injected with Tuck and his tiny ship. Now poor Jack's got to rise above his mundane existence to help an American hero get back to safety, while also trying to reunite Tuck with his beautiful estranged girlfriend Lydia (Meg Ryan). Innerspace (1987) won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dennis Quaid, Martin Short, (more)
John Moffitt directed this silly Canadian comedy about a falsely accused Salem witch (Kelly Preston). Terry Sweeney's script seems to find most of its humor in sex, drugs, and bathroom jokes, none of which are very amusing. Genre devotees will be quite pleased, however, with a cast featuring Barbara Carrera, SCTV member Dave Thomas, Bud Cort, Stuart Pankin, and Anne Ramsey. Dr. Joyce Brothers makes one of her obligatory cameo appearances as well. Preston appeared in another witch film, Janet Greek's Spellbinder, the following year. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Patrick Cassidy, Kelly Preston, (more)
- 1988
Three women gather in a self-help group to discuss their relationships and problems in this distaff drama. Martha (Jennifer Dale) tells of the breakup of her marriage. Ruth (Andrea Martin) discusses her painful emotional struggle in dealing with her mother's death. Edie (Lois Maxwell) tells the others how she met the man she has been married to for 40 years. Margaret Langrick portrays Edie in her younger days and co-stars with Kate Trotter and Chuck Shamata in this gang-directed feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Dale, Andrea Martin, (more)
- 1989
- R
Cheech Marin and Eric Roberts play two draft-dodging hippies who flee to a commune in Central America where they stay for 20 years. When they return in 1989 and seek out some of their old NYC buddies, they find they've turned yuppie and things just aren't what they'd expected. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cheech Marin, Eric Roberts, (more)
A self-centered womanizer makes a wager that he will be able to propose to three women in a three month time and have each one accept in this romantic Philadelphia-set comedy. His three victims are an icy concert pianist, an innocent blonde receptionist for the Philadelphia Eagles, and a rich, horny hausfrau. The fellow plans to prove his success by videotaping each proposal. Sure enough he succeeds, but things quickly sour when the ladies find out that he's duped them. They then team up to get revenge and teach him a thing or two about real love. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Harmon, Madeleine Stowe, (more)
- 1990
- R
In this riotous British satire, a conniving Catholic priest convinces a dying tycoon into writing the church into his will by having him add the following proviso: the tycoon's children will only inherit the fortune if one of them can produce an heir within one year after his death. If they fail, all the money will go to the Church. The priest is well aware that the magnate's son is gay and that his daughter is a lesbian. After the ailing fellow signs the will, the priest allows him to die. The two siblings soon find themselves pursued by two aspiring real estate agents who want some of that money for themselves and agree to let the middle-aged siblings adopt them. A voluptuous seductress also has her eye on the family fortune and she tries to sway the brother into giving her a go. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Downey, Jr., Eric Idle, (more)
