Kevin McDonald

A handful of kids stranded without their parents is determined to make the most of a bad situation in this comedy. It's Christmas Eve, and Oliver Porter (Lewis Black), the passenger relations manager at a busy airport in the Midwest, is looking forward to spending Christmas in Hawaii with his wife after 15 years in a row working on the busy Yuletide holiday. However, fate conspires against him when a massive snowstorm sweeps in and all flights are canceled. Porter suddenly has to deal with a number of stranded passengers, including six tween-age kids who are each flying unaccompanied from one divorced parent to another -- spoiled little rich girl Grace (Gina Mantegna), geeky but likable Spencer (Dyllan Christopher), his pesky little sister Katy (Dominique Saldana), plus-size comic book fan Beef (Brett Kelly), grumpy tomboy Donna (Quinn Shephard), and bright but mischievous Charlie (Tyler James Williams). With his hands full and determined to make his way to the islands, Porter puts his assistant Zach Van Bourke (Wilmer Valderrama) in charge of the kids. Zach doesn't care for this assignment and the kids don't care for him, and before long they've escaped from the basement conference room where he's stashed them and turned the airport into their playground. Unaccompanied Minors also features Paget Brewster, Rob Corddry and Teri Garr. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

An ordinary teenager finds out he's not so ordinary after all in this comedy-adventure. Will Stronghold (Michael Angarano) has his share of anxieties about starting high school, but once he arrives on campus, he discovers he's attending Sky High, a special learning facility for the children of superheroes. Will realizes his father is actually super-human crime fighter Captain Stronghold (Kurt Russell), while his mom is fellow champion Josie Jetstream (Kelly Preston). However, in Will's first few days at school, Coach Boomer (Bruce Campbell) is unable to discover any superior abilities in him, meaning that instead of joining the school's budding heroes, he's been relegated to the ranks of the lowly sidekicks. In time, Will discovers he happens to have super strength after all, but will he learn to hone his new gifts in time to fend off the bullies at school, get the girl of his dreams, and save his folks from a longtime nemesis? Sky High also features Lynda Carter, Dave Foley, and Kevin McDonald. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

From the twisted comic mind of Doug TenNapel (Earthworm Jim) sprang this weekly, half-hour animated series about three zany cats. Feline siblings Mr. Blik (the bossy one), Gordon (the messy one) and Waffle (the goofy one) were owned by elderly and very wealthy eccentric Mrs. Edna Cramdilly. Upon the old lady's death, the three cats inherited her vast fortune and her magnificent mansion. The comedy was precipitated by the protagonists' silly behavior upon finding themselves filthy rich, and by the efforts of faithful family butler Hovis to curb their enthusiasm. Other characters included next-door-neighbor Kimberly, an 8-year-old human girl for whom Waffle carried a torch; and a growling "monster truck" named Gear. Boasting two short segments per episode, Catscratch premiered July 9, 2005, on Nickelodeon. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This weekly, half-hour cartoon series was not only a spin-off of the Disney animated feature Lilo & Stitch, but also more directly a continuation of the direct-to-video Stitch! The Movie. Lilo is a cute little Hawaiian girl who befriends Stitch, ostensibly a "dog" but actually a multi-talented alien, the result of a once-evil scientist's lab experiment. The TV series version finds Lilo and Stitch teaming up to track down some 625 similar alien experiments, whose special skills bade fare to plunge the world into hilarious chaos. Lilo & Stitch: The Series joined ABC's Saturday morning lineup on September 20, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A lonely little girl makes a very unusual friend -- a ukulele-playing alien who likes to toss around small automobiles -- in this antic animated comedy from Walt Disney Studios. Lilo (voice of Daveigh Chase) is a young Hawaiian girl being raised by her teenaged sister Nani (voice of Tia Carrere) after the unexpected death of their parents in an auto accident. While Nani tries to hold their household together, Lilo is a child with unusual interests and a distinctive sense of humor, which makes it hard for her to bond with her peers, as well as her big sister. Nani decides Lilo might be happier if she had a pet, so the sisters go to the animal shelter to adopt a dog; however, the critter which catches Lilo's fancy is a fuzzy blue creature she names Stitch (voice of Chris Sanders). Nani isn't so sure Stitch is really a dog, and it turns out she's right; Stitch is actually "Genetic Experiment 626," a mutation created by extraterrestrial mad scientist Dr. Jumba (voice of David Ogden Stiers) to be used a weapon. Stitch is an intelligent but gleefully destructive little creature with superhuman strength who has escaped to Earth and crash-landed in the Hawaiian islands, but Lilo sees him simply as a fellow misfit and attempts to teach him to behave like her favorite American icon, Elvis Presley. Meanwhile, Nani struggles to keep Lilo and Stitch on their best behavior as stern social worker Cobra Bubbles (voice of Ving Rhames) tries to determine if Nani is fit to raise a child, while Dr. Jumba and Pleakley (voice of Kevin McDonald) attempt to capture "Experiment 626" and bring him back home. Chris Sanders, who provides the voice of Stitch, also co-wrote and co-directed the film, which features numerous Elvis Presley tunes on the soundtrack, as well as a new recording of "Burning Love" by country star Wynonna. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In 2000, the acclaimed comedy troupe of The Kids in the Hall series reunited for a live performance tour, six years after their groundbreaking television series went off the air, and four years after the release of their movie The Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy. A camera crew followed the Kids -- Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson -- as they traveled across the United States and Canada. The Kids in the Hall: Same Guys, New Dresses captures highlights of their hilarious on-stage performances, as well the sometimes prickly working relationship of five talented men who each have their own ideas about comedy. Conan O'Brien and Andy Richter also make cameo appearances as Dave Foley and Mark McKinney visit O'Brien's television show (to the consternation of Thompson, who canceled an appearance on the same show at the last minute). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A team of intrepid adventurers travels through the outer reaches of the galaxy, each week finding excitement and adventure on Galaxy Quest! Or at least that's the way it was in the mid-1970s, when brave if reckless Captain Peter Quincy Taggart, lovely Lieutenant Tawny Madison, and inscrutable alien Dr. Lazarus were the leaders of an interstellar law enforcement team on the TV series of that name. Twenty years later, the show is still in reruns, and Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen), Gwen DeMarco (Sigourney Weaver), and Alexander Dane (Alan Rickman) prop up their sagging careers by making appearances at sci-fi conventions, where they grudgingly shake hands and give autographs for the show's socially inept following. However, it turns out that nerdy sci-fi fans aren't the only ones watching: somewhere in another solar system, a group of alien rebels living under a regime of violence and repression have picked up broadcasts of Galaxy Quest, and they aren't aware that it's fiction. They travel to Earth and encounter the Galaxy Quest cast, who figure that they're just another bunch of guys who like to dress funny. However, they soon realize that they're being hired not for another autograph-signing session but for a real-life outer space rescue mission. Galaxy Quest was directed by Dean Parisot, who had a background in TV directing before his theatrical debut with the dark comedy Home Fries. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This satire on mafia pictures tells the story of the Calzones, a mob family having some troubles (including a serious lack of smarts). Guiseppe Calzone, aka "The Guppy," has taken over the family business after his older brother dies, but his aging father realizes he's not the right man for the position. Dad ships Guiseppe off to Mafia University, but leaders of other crime families see this as an opportunity to move in, and soon an all-out war breaks out. The Godson stars Rodney Dangerfield, Dom DeLuise, Kevin McDonald, and Lou Ferrigno. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Season Four of The Drew Carey Show begins with a series of bizarre work-related accidents befalling our hero Drew Carey (playing himself). It couldn't be that there is a conspiracy against Drew, could there? Oh, yes, there could--and the conspirators turn out to be a trio of Winfred-Louder coworkers (Kevin McDonald, Kevin Weisman and Tracy Letts) who for various reasons have been sabotaging Drew for nine whole years! Elsewhere, Mimi (Kathy Kinney) tries out some "mood makeup" which yields fascinating results during her brief romantic fling with a guy named Ron (Gregory Jbara; and Oswald (Diedrich Bader) still hasn't forgiven Kate (Christa Miller) for jilting him at the altar. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The strike at the bagel place ends after 12 long years -- but will Kramer (Michael Richards) go back to his old job? In trying to blow off a guy in a bad denim jacket, Elaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) may also blow her chances to win a free sub sandwich. George (Jason Alexander) harks back to the all-purpose "Festivus" holiday created by his dad to cover both Christmas and Hanukkah. And Jerry (Jerry Seinfeld) finds out that his new girlfriend is "two-faced" -- that is, her looks alter radically depending upon the time of day, the lighting, and the location. (And speaking of location, wait till you see what the bagel place does to Elaine!) ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The Canadian sketch-comedy masters hit the big screen with Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy, their send-up of psychopharmacology and its social ramifications. Each "kid" plays a plethora of roles; in fact, nearly every character in the film is played by one of the five "kids". When Roritor Pharmaceuticals finds itself on the verge of bankruptcy, research chemist Chris Cooper (Kevin McDonald) finds himself pressured to push his latest development to market without adequate testing at the risk of losing his job. The product -- Gleemonex, an anti-depressant bearing more than a slight resemblance to Prozac -- seems at first to be a wonder drug; users find themselves in a perpetual state of bliss as they relive their fondest memories time and again. Success goes awry, however, when a fatal side-effect surfaces -- users become catatonics. The craze has caught on, however, and the entire world seems to be taking Gleemonex, forcing Dr. Cooper to fight his employers and warn the masses before disaster strikes. The plot is really just an excuse for a series of funny, hallucinogenic sketches involving the memories and fantasies of its users; the funniest include a grandmother's all-too brief holiday visit with her family, and a married man's homoerotic experiences in the military. Another winning scene: a brooding grunge-rock idol (Bruce McCulloch) who's taken the drug unexpectedly changes his tune at a concert to the bewilderment of his angst-hungry fans. Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy is hit-or-miss satire, but much of the humor finds its mark in this humble, surprisingly intelligent film. ~ Jeremy Beday, All Movie Guide

Upon taking to the airwaves, the Lorne Michaels-produced series The Kids in the Hall quickly joined the likes of Monty Python's Flying Circus as one of the edgiest and funny sketch comedy shows on television. Featuring five Canadian men in the majority of the roles, the program aired on HBO and CBC from 1989 to 1995. This collection from Columbia/Tristar Video features Mark McKinney, Dave Foley, Scott Thompson, Bruce McCulloch, and Kevin McDonald in two complete episodes, portraying such popular characters as The Chicken Lady, The Head Crusher, and Buddy Cole. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide