Sam McMurray Movies
Dark-haired character actor Sam McMurray has made a career of playing gaseous windbags of low moral fiber, often adding a salacious sneer to heighten the effect. However, his comic persona also sometimes slants toward lovable obliviousness, making McMurray a desired commodity in broad comedy, as well as a sitcom mainstay.The New York native got his start in acting with bit parts on television and in the movies in the late '70s and early '80s. In 1987, McMurray had a breakout year of sorts, appearing as a regular on The Tracey Ullman Show (which led to vocal work in the early seasons of The Simpsons) and snagging the film role for which he is best known. In Joel and Ethan Coen's Raising Arizona, McMurray was cast as Glen, Nicolas Cage's factory foreman boss, who runs afoul of Cage's H.I. McDonnough after he proposes swapping wives. In only a handful of scenes, McMurray creates an indelible and hilarious image of a loud, crass, humor-impaired buffoon who resides over a brood of ill-mannered children, but wants to add at least one more to the mix.
Raising Arizona paved the way for supporting work in a number of high-profile comedies in the ensuing years, including National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989), L.A. Story (1991), and Addams Family Values (1993). In 1991, he voiced a character in the Disney/ABC live-action TV show Dinosaurs; he would later also provide vocal work for the animated Disney program Recess (1997). Television has provided McMurray with his most regular paychecks, most often in the capacity of a guest performer, both in dramas and sitcoms. He guested as Chandler's boss on several episodes of Friends in 1997, and also made repeat appearances in such shows as The King of Queens, Freaks and Geeks, and Chicago Hope. His recent film work has included a shady detective in The Mod Squad (1999) and a scoundrel cheerleader dad in Drop Dead Gorgeous (1999). ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
Eighteen years after making his feature directorial debut with the satanic telephone shocker 976-Evil, screen legend Robert England steps back behind the camera to call the shots for this story of a Hollywood Hills home with a particularly dark past. When three best friends score a big insurance claim, they decide that it's time to purchase their own place and finally fly away from the nest. Though rumors persist that they may be getting more than they bargained for, youthful enthusiasm wins out over good judgment and their initial excitement soon gives way to inescapable terror. Daniel Franzese, Eric Jungman, and Shane McRae star in a film featuring Joey Lawrence, Andy Milonakis, and Lin Shaye. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daniel Franzese, Eric Jungmann, (more)
The serine waters of Lake Placid stir once again in this sequel that finds laid-back Sheriff James Riley (John Schneider) teaming with an inquisitive Fish and Wildlife Agent (Sarah LaFleur), a quick-triggered big game hunter (Sam McMurray), and his intuitive guide (Joe Holt) to investigate suspicions that another killer crock may be on the loose in the rural community. Two years ago, a pair of thirty foot-long prehistoric crocodiles terrorized the residents of Lake Placid. While most of the locals assumed that the nightmare had ended when the murderous creatures were killed, local crocodile lover Sadie (Cloris Leachman) knows that the truth is far more terrifying. Beneath the surface of Lake Placid, the remaining predators have been quietly reproducing, awaiting the moment they will emerge from the water and cement their status on the top of the food chain. Now, as Sheriff Riley's rebellious teenage son (Shad Collins) departs for a relaxing lakeside camping trip, the desperate father realizes the danger that lies beneath the surface and races to confront a prehistoric predator that won't stop until it's consumed every last local. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Schneider, Cloris Leachman, (more)
Mickey Rooney (B.J. Lang Presents, Curse of the Red Baron) and Gary Coleman (Diff'rent Strokes) co-star in the family-oriented, direct-to-video holiday comedy A Christmas Too Many (2005). This farce concerns an aging Hollywood actress who invites her eccentric and nutty family to stay with her over the Christmas holiday - with chaotic and disastrous consequences. Marla Maples co-stars. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2004
Superman's cousin, Supergirl (aka Kara), has been having weird nightmares in which she appears to be cast in the role of an assassin. When J'onn J'onnz is unable to telepathically decipher these dreams, Green Arrow and The Question try to help Supergirl -- who soon tumbles to the possibility that she might not be dreaming at all. Fans of The Manchurian Candidate will enjoy the plot twists in this episode, which establishes a plot strand that will be explored in further chilling detail in the later episode "Ultimatum." ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicholle Tom, Kin Shriner, (more)
- 2003
Unlike her earlier comedy series and specials, in which she "took on" dozens of vivid and distinct characterizations, Tracey Ullman focuses herein on only three of her famous alter egos. First and foremost is faded glamour gal Ruby Romaine, veteran Hollywood cosmetician and shameless dispenser of libelous gossip. In her efforts to gain re-entry into Local 706 of the Hair and Makeup Guild, the heavily wrinkled Ruby crosses paths with two other Ullman creations, Russian émigré Svetlana and actress Pepper Kane, a black woman trying to pass as white (not surprisingly, both ladies are prime targets for Ruby's unending stream of ethnic slurs). Somehow or other, Ruby's return to her days of glory also brings her in contact with such real-life popular culture icons as Debbie Reynolds, Barbara Bain, Cheech Marin, Rose Marie, Jane Kaczmarek, and former Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In producer George Schlatter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tracey Ullman
- 2002
Ed Gold (Grant Shaud) is a likeable nonentity, generous and giving to a fault even though no one appreciates it--or even acknowledges his existence. All this changes after Ed rescues a woman named Marla (Rachel Lutrell), who is trapped in a mine shaft. Now an "instant celebrity", Ed allows his fifteen minutes of fame to go to his head, and before long he has all but ruined his marriage, his friendships...and his life. The only way that Monica (Roma Downey) and the angels can save Ed for himself is to arrange for him to fall as quickly as he has risen--and he does, literally hitting rock bottom! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Based on actual events, this crime comedy from Adventures of Pluto Nash director Ron Underwood details the farcical kidnapping of legendary singer Frank Sinatra's eldest son (played by Thomas Ian Nicholas). Desperate to gather the money needed to get their fledgling business off the ground, three bumbling criminals hatch a scheme to abduct the hapless Sinatra offspring and use the ransom money to fund their startup. Though they've rented a house in Los Angeles for the big event and every detail seems to be in place, the plan quickly devolves into an unbelievable fiasco that's too strange for fiction. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Writer and director John Sayles returns with another multi-layered look at an American community, subtly exploring how race, class, economics, and both national and regional history come together to shape people's lives. Plantation Island is a community on the coast of Florida; the island was once a notorious hotbed of segregationists, with most of the African-American population centered in the neighborhood of Lincoln Beach, while Delrona Beach is primarily home to white residents. Marly Temple (Edie Falco) is the sixth generation of her family to live in Delrona Beach, where she helps run a motel and cafe owned by her elderly and ill-tempered father (Ralph Waite) and drama instructor mother (Jane Alexander). Marly's former husband, Steve (Richard Edson), is a scruffy ne'er do well who's a sucker for get-rich-quick scams, while her current boyfriend, Scotty (Marc Blucas), is struggling to make something of himself as a golf pro. Meanwhile, Desiree Perry (Angela Bassett) is an actress who is returning to Lincoln Beach for the first time since she was a teenager, hoping to introduce her new husband, Reggie (James McDaniel), to her mother, Eunice Stokes (Mary Alice). Desiree was the center of a minor local scandal when she became pregnant as a teenager and moved away. Eunice has never quite forgiven her, while Flash (Tom Wright), Desiree's high school boyfriend and the man responsible, hasn't seen her since. Eunice is looking after Terrell (Alex Lewis), a troubled youth recently found guilty of arson, and Desiree and Reggie soon find themselves bonding with the misguided youth. In time, Delrona Beach and Lincoln Beach are brought together by a common concern; Greg (Perry Lang) and Lester (Miguel Ferrer) are representatives from a nearby resort community looking to expand, with Plantation Island looking like their most likely target. As homeowners debate whether to sell or stay put, local government officials and the town's business community argue the merits and faults of the resort's expansion into Plantation Island. Meanwhile, Marly becomes romantically involved with Jack (Timothy Hutton), a landscape architect affiliated with the developers who seems to believe his work is doing more harm than good. Sunshine State also features Mary Steenburgen, Alan King, and Bill Cobbs. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edie Falco, Angela Bassett, (more)
- 2000
- PG
This family drama by actress and first-time director Anne DeSalvo centers around four adult sisters who are forced to re-evaluate their situations after tragedy strikes. The oldest of the clan, Grace (Mercedes Ruehl), is called upon to be the tower of strength, even though she is widely perceived to be a replica of their mother Dolly (Cloris Leachman), a woman who, like Grace, has unfailingly devoted much of her life to a husband who doesn't appreciate her as he should. Christine (Sean Young) is separated from her job-obsessed husband Paul (Jamey Sheridan), and contemplates divorcing him even though they have a young daughter. Another sister, Denise (Dinah Manoff), rejects the idea of marriage despite the advances of boyfriend Lawrence (Mark Harmon); youngest sister Dolores (Lily Knight) has become mentally challenged due to an accident, and has trouble relating to her older siblings. Dolores has found a romantic interest, but the family feels she is unable to cope with such an attachment at her age. Through the aid of Dolly's sisters Splendora (Lee Grant) and Loretta (Edith Fields), the family tries to retain its bond and deal with unexpected tragedy. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mercedes Ruehl, Paul Sorvino, (more)
While lots of people dream of winning the lottery, one man hatches a more ambitious plan than just buying a ticket and hoping for the best in this satiric comedy. Russ Richards (John Travolta), a weatherman on a local TV station in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, sells snowmobiles on the side, but both careers are in a rut thanks to an unusually warm winter. Russ's girlfriend Crystal (Lisa Kudrow) appears on the State Lottery's weekly televised drawing, pulling the numbered balls out of the rotating bin. With the help of a few of his less scrupulous friends - among them sleazy strip joint proprietor Gig (Tim Roth), small time hood Dale The Thug (Michael Rappaport), and Crystal's sleazy cousin Walter (Michael Moore) - Russ figures out a way to rig the drawing and have Crystal pull numbers that they happen to own. However, Russ discovers that making the scheme work and keeping everyone quiet about it is more trouble than it's worth. The supporting cast includes Chris Kattan, Ed O'Neill, and Bill Pullman; Nora Ephron, who previously worked with Travolta on the comedy hit Michael, directed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Travolta, Lisa Kudrow, (more)
Police Capt. Adam Greer (Dennis Farina) needs some new cops who can go where other cops can't. Greer finds three young people on their way to jail: Lincoln Hayes (Omar Epps), the black one, is up for arson; Pete Cochrane (Giovanni Ribisi), the white one, is up for robbery; and Julie Barnes (Claire Danes), the blonde one, is up for assault. The three are given a choice: go to jail, or become a special undercover unit that will infiltrate L.A.'s underbelly and bring down the drug dealers and parasites that are preying on the young. Their only rules: no badges, no guns, and no turning in other kids. This "mod squad" encounters a major problem when a cache of drugs disappears from the police evidence locker. All clues point to dirty cops, while the cops want to close ranks and blame the new kids. With their first big case, the squad realize they'll receive no help from the L.A.P.D. and must solve it their own way. ~ Ron Wells, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claire Danes, Giovanni Ribisi, (more)
- 1999
Monica (Courteney Cox) is turned off by Chandler's (Matthew Perry) phony "work laugh," figuring that anyone who has to work that hard to pretend that he thinks something is funny is nothing more than a suck-up at the office. Meanwhile, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) pretends that she knows nothing about Monica and Chandler's relationship. And Ross (David Schwimmer) tries to console himself over the impending marriage of his ex-wife Emily by going out with the annoying Janice (Maggie Wheeler) -- who by now is less annoying than annoyed. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
So how far would you go to win a beauty pageant? That's the burning question of Drop Dead Gorgeous, in which the citizens of Mount Rose, Minnesota gear up for the year's biggest event, the Sarah Rose Miss Teen Princess America Pageant, in which Becky Leeman (Denise Richards) and Amber Atkins (Kirsten Dunst) are the contestants to beat. Becky's mother Gladys (Kirstie Alley), a former beauty queen herself, has instilled in her daughter a drive to succeed at any cost. And Gladys will do anything to help Becky's chances of success. Amber's mother Annette (Ellen Barkin) is devoted to her daughter but drinks, smokes, and swears like a sailor. And while Amber is ambitious and a skilled beautician (a talent that she uses in her part-time job at the local mortuary), her view of the pageant is pragmatic: while boys can get sports scholarships, this pageant may be her only ticket out of town. However, Amber and the other contestants may have underestimated just how badly Becky wants to win -- or just how good she is with a gun. Drop Dead Gorgeous was directed by Michael Patrick Jann, a founding member of the sketch comedy group The State (who had their own series on MTV), and written by Lorna Williams, a veteran of the beauty pageant circuit who claims that nearly everything in the film is based on an actual incident. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirsten Dunst, Ellen Barkin, (more)
At Dartmoor Academy snooty principal Morgan Brinway (B.D. Wong) has second-graders studying opera appreciation, but five feisty kids, nicknamed the "Stinkers" by Brinway, skip class to create chaos on the school grounds. Although they get a warning from Brinway, they soon rebel with more misadventures. Discovering sea lion Slappy during an aquarium field trip, they smuggle him back on the school bus and install him in Brinway's hot tub. Groundskeeper Roy (Bronson Pinchot) mistakes the sea lion for a giant gopher and plans to kill him, but before that can happen, animal thief Boccoli (Sam McMurray) makes off with Slappy, planning to sell him to the circus -- prompting the Stinkers to set forth on a rescue mission. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- B.D. Wong, Bronson Pinchot, (more)
In this family comedy, a successful man with nostalgia for his days as a soccer player, attempts to adopt an orphan so he can teach him all about his favorite sport. But soon after bringing the lad home, the new father is disappointed to discover that the lad is not interested in playing soccer. This creates tension, until a stray dog with a remarkable talent for playing soccer shows up and helps to bring father and new son together. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Marshall, Olivia D'Abo, (more)
- 1997
Pete (Jon Favreau) enters a grueling "ultimate fight," leading to a lot of hurt and a fateful decision by Monica (Courteney Cox). Ross' (David Schwimmer) new date Bonnie (Christine Taylor) once had a hair problem -- mainly, she didn't have any. Chandler's (Matthew Perry) new boss gives a whole new meaning to the word forceful. And yes, those two guys in the park are just who you think they are. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
- Add Munster's Scary Little Christmas to QueueAdd Munster's Scary Little Christmas to top of Queue
The made for television movie Munster's Scary Little Christmas, created three decades after the demise of the original series, concerns son Eddie missing his home in Transylvania. Soon the entire family bands together to teach the young boy everything great about the holiday season. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam McMurray, Ann Magnuson, (more)
- 1996
The third incarnation of TV's gloriously ghoulish "Munster" family appears in this made-for-TV movie, originally telecast December 17, 1996 by the Fox network. That lovable pint-sized werewolf Eddie Munster (Bug Hall) feels depressed as the Yuletide holiday approaches, yearning for a "Transylvania Christmas" while being stuck in Southern California. Eddie's Frankensteinish dad Herman Munster (Sam McMurray) tries to cheer the boy up by arranging for a Christmas celebration in the tradition of the Old Country. To top things off, vampirish Grandpa Munster (Sandy Baron) extends the Holiday cheer by giving Santa Claus (Mark Mitchell) a magic potion--which, unfortunately, is swiped by a pair of larcenous elves (Ed Gale, Arturo Gil). In other developments, Lily Munster (Ann Magnuson) enters a house-decorating contest (love those designer cobwebs!), and several other copyrighted Universal Pictures monsters make fleeting cameo appearances. A critical assessment of The Munsters' Scary Little Christmas is virtually impossible: Either one loves the Munsters, or one doesn't--and that's the name of that dirge! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
- R
In this imaginative sci-fi thriller, rancher Alex Verne loses his loving wife and family at the ruthless hands of computer magnate Burrough's shot-gun wielding hitmen. They think they hit Alex too, but he is merely in a coma. He remains so until he hears a far-off version of "Amazing Grace" his wife's favorite song. Staggering across the desert, he ends up in a mystical cave where ancient immortals explain Burroughs' evil scheme. It seems the techno-tycoon discovered the remains of an ancient computer, one that predates the coming of homo-sapiens. The highly evolved original operators used their technology to change apes into humans. The newly created beings were then the servants of the ancients who eventually became so evolved that they zapped themselves into the realm of virtual reality. Burroughs wants to do the same, and Verne's land plays a key role in the old computer's operation. The ancients therefore transform Verne into a Cro-Magnon man with superhuman strength and assign him to crush Burroughs before he can use the computer and make a mistake that could destroy all humanity. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Olivier Gruner, Luke Askew, (more)
A criminal trying to reform is forced to endure the most humiliating punishment of all -- hanging out with his son -- in this family comedy. Ray Gleason (Ted Danson) is a thief whose ambitions far outstrip both his skill and his intelligence; Ray is just bright enough to have realized this, and he's decided to go straight and open a bake shop (he learned how to decorate cakes during his last stay in prison). However, Ray needs to raise some working capital, so in association with his buddies Bobby (Saul Rubinek) and Carl (Gailard Sartain) he is planning his last heist, in which they hope to walk away with a highly valuable collection of rare coins. Ray also happens to have an 11-year-old son, Timmy (Macaulay Culkin), whose mother died several years ago; Timmy has been living with his aunt, but when she gets married and goes away on her honeymoon, Timmy ends up staying with Ray. Timmy is a lot smarter than his dad and quickly figures out what Ray and his cronies have been up to; he's long felt a great deal of resentment toward his father for not being around when he needed him, so Timmy steals the loot from the robbery and uses it to blackmail Ray into spending some quality time with him. Timmy also thinks that it's high time Ray settled down, so when he notices that Theresa (Glenne Headly), an undercover cop, has been following Ray's trail, Timmy tries to play matchmaker and bring them together. Getting Even with Dad would prove to be the next-to-last screen appearance for former pre-teen superstar Macaulay Culkin; he was 14 when this film was released, and within five years he was a married man attending the Rhode Island School of Design. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Macaulay Culkin, Ted Danson, (more)
The ghoulish cartoon family created by Charles Addams returns for a second big-screen outing darker and nastier than the first. When Morticia Addams (Anjelica Huston) gives birth to new baby boy Pubert, the other Addams children, Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) and Wednesday (Christina Ricci), devise any number of ways to kill off their new sibling. This leads Morticia and her husband, Gomez Raul Julia, to hire a nanny (Joan Cusack) to oversee all three children. But the nanny has an agenda of her own, packing the Addams children off to a horrid parody of summer camp and setting out to seduce Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd), all with the goal of getting her hands on the Addams family fortune. Of course, the Addams eventually triumph, with this blacker-than-most satire extolling the virtues of eccentricity and non-conformity above all. It was followed by 1999's direct-to-video Addams Family Reunion, with Darryl Hannah and Tim Curry replacing Huston and the late Julia. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, (more)
- 1991
- PG13
Kid N' Play (Christopher Reid and Christopher Martin) star in this role-reversal comedy that plays like a badly done sitcom without the laughs. The switcheroo occurs when two inner-city high school students -- one a straight-A whiz-kid and the other an angry criminal type -- have to switch identities and are forced to live each other's lives. Christopher Reid is Duncan Pinderhughes, a student with perfect grades but who can't graduate high school unless he passes gym. Christopher Martin plays Blade Brown, whose probation officer gives him an ultimatum -- graduate high school or go to jail. Due to a mix-up in their high school records, Pinderhughes and Brown are forced to take over each other's lives. Brown ends up in a class for gifted students, and Pinderhughes finds himself skulking behind the school building to a shotgun shack that houses all the high school's troublemakers. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher "Kid" Reid, Christopher "Play" Martin, (more)
Steve Martin wrote and stars in this look at the promise and dreamtime of Los Angeles culture. Martin stars as Harris K. Telemacher, a light-hearted television weatherman who does wacky comedy in lieu of reports since, being in L.A., he has very little weather to report. He spends his time roller-skating through museums and spending time with California's beautiful people. But Telemacher is fired and discovers that his girlfriend Trudi (Marilu Henner) is having an affair. He walks away from the relationship and re-evaluates his life, getting advice from a friendly electronic highway road sign. The sign suggests that he call SanDeE (Sarah Jessica Parker), a sprightly and attractive Valley Girl he met in a clothing store. With SanDeE he experiences a liberating and carefree spirit. But Telemacher comes to realize that he has actually fallen in love with Sara (Victoria Tennant), a tuba-playing British journalist who is in California to do a feature on Los Angeles lifestyles. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Martin, Victoria Tennant, (more)
- 1991
- R
In the early '90s, Brian Bosworth made the seamless transition from football bad boy to onscreen bad ass. In Stone Cold, the Boz plays cop Joe Huff, a brute force specialist. The FBI contracts him to take down a biker gang known as the Brotherhood, who have been implicated in drug trafficking and several murders. Joe assumes the personality of John Stone and goes undercover. His mission seems not to bust the gang but rather to kill with excessive force. Before he can take the law into his own hands, however, he has to get in with the gang's leader, the impressively tough Chains. The Boz doesn't disappoint, and he gets his chance in the final confrontation where he takes on several score of the Brotherhood in the street battle to end all street battles. ~ Brian Whitener, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Bosworth, Lance Henriksen, (more)
