Andrew McCarthy Movies

Well into the 1930s, there was an expatriate community of Americans who lived in Paris or the French countryside, and who eventually became influential artists and writers. These included the painter Edward Hopper, the writer Ernest Hemingway, and the musician Virgil Thomson. Writer and poet Gertrude Stein and her lifelong companion Alice B. Toklas (perhaps best known for her marijuana recipes) were the patrons of these and other artists, including Guillaume Apollinaire. In this PBS American Playhouse movie, the two are seen in the mid-1930s, and the unflinching loyalty and love that Toklas (Linda Hunt) offered to her irascible companion Stein (Linda Bassett) is the subject of this moving, extremely erudite drama. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

In Mannequin, a lame attempt to revive the style and panache of fantasy-tinged romantic comedies of the '30s and '40s, Andrew McCarthy stars as a department store window-dresser who discovers that one of his mannequins (Kim Cattrall) is actually a woman from ancient Egypt when she becomes animated one evening. She then inspires him to become the most expressive window-dresser the business has ever seen. Of course, there is intrigue involving a rival department store's attempt to drive the good guys out of business, and together the two store-crossed lovers must combat the forces of evil to save the day. There is no real mystery about what will happen in the course of the film; it all seems color-by-numbers. The only thing unique about Mannequin is its uniquely bad and illogical script, which has holes larger than the Grand Canyon. Mannequin was a surprise box-office hit, earning nearly 25 million dollars in just under a month of its release -- no small feat considering its miniscule budget and seeming lack of appeal to any particular demographic. It spawned an inferior sequel, Mannequin Two: On the Move, reaffirming the belief that anything is possible. In spite of being panned by critics across the board, it did manage to receive one accolade -- its theme, "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now," was nominated by the Academy for Best Song. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi

Post-collegiate angst, '80s style, is the subject of this coming-of-age ensemble piece, which traces the fortunes of a group of Georgetown grads as they enter the real world and grapple with work, infidelity, and adulthood. The most outwardly upscale member of the gang, Jules (Demi Moore), hides a plethora of emotional baggage behind a chic wardrobe, an expensive apartment, a fashionable drug habit, and lots of meaningless casual sex. Her friend Wendy (Mare Winningham) has the opposite problem; a trust-fund baby with body-image issues and little sexual experience, she's hung up on Billy (Rob Lowe), a no-good, sax-playing drunkard who can't face up to his responsibilities in the job market or at home with his wife and young child. Such open infidelity is anathema to Alex (Judd Nelson), who must maintain a sense of propriety even while engaging in compulsive womanizing; after all, the Democrat-turned-Republican's nascent political career requires the sort of picture-perfect relationship he shares with girlfriend Leslie (Ally Sheedy). That doesn't sit too well with tortured writer Kevin (Andrew McCarthy), who toils away at a newspaper job and pines away for the unattainable Leslie. Unrequited love also dogs Kirby (Emilio Estevez), a law-school student whose greatest wish is to romance classy doctor Dale Biberman (Andie MacDowell), who is, alas, way out of his league. Co-written by director Joel Schumacher and his studio intern, Carl Kurlander, St. Elmo's Fire spawned the number one pop hit "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)," which was credited to John Parr but co-written by music producer David Foster. ~ Brian J. Dillard, Rovi

Reportedly made for television, The Beniker Gang seems to have "busted pilot" emblazoned on its forehead. The titular gang consists of five orphaned siblings. Andrew McCarthy, the eldest of the bunch, acts as surrogate parent. When he's not around, the rest of the kids look out for each other. The twin planes of action occur in the Beniker home, and in the newspaper officer where McCarthy writes an advice column. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi