Jeff Michalski Movies

Released from the insane asylum, Drew (Drew Carey) crosses paths with his troublesome ex-girlfriend Nicki (Kate Walsh), newly divorced and anxious to get back together again. Despite Kate's warnings that Drew is hardly ready for any sort of commitment, he proposes to Nicki and marries her in an instant. Still in love with Drew, and unaware of his quickie marriage, Kate (Christa Miller) subsequently proposes to Drew--whereupon he accepts and heads to the altar with her as well! Meanwhile, Mimi (Kathy Kinney) begs forgiveness from Steve (John Carroll Lynch) for sending his brother Drew to the looney bin; and Mr. Wick (Craig Ferguson) has a BIG surprise for Drew when he comes back to work. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This comedy-drama concerns a most unusual family of emigres, even by Hollywood standards. Douglas Spain stars as Carlos, a Mexican teenager who has just returned home to L.A. after starring in several low-budget films south of the border. His father, Pepe (Efrain Figueroa), is a Fagin-like pimp who manages a group of boy prostitutes who pose as sellers of maps to the stars' homes on Hollywood street corners. Pepe immediately sets his son to work doing the same, but Carlos has dreams of being a movie star. His goal takes a step closer to reality after he sleeps with Jennifer (Kandeyce Jensen), a soap opera actress who becomes enchanted with Carlos and orders her show's producers (one of whom is her husband) to write a part for the boy on the series. Once he's on his way to becoming a star, Carlos discovers that success has a price tag. Star Maps was the feature debut of writer-director Miguel Arteta, who went on to helm the short-lived series Freaks and Geeks (1999-2000) and his acclaimed second film, Chuck and Buck (2000), an audience favorite and Grand Jury Prize nominee at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

Terrence McNally's stage play Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune was a two-character piece, which starred Kathy Bates and F. Murray Abraham on Broadway. Garry Marshall's film version of the McNally play streamlines the title to Frankie and Johnny, expands the dramatis personae to include at least a dozen fascinating characters, and "glamorizes" the decidedly unglamorous Frankie and Johnny in the forms of Michelle Pfeiffer and Al Pacino (their first co-starring stint since Scarface). Purists carped at the changes, but overall the film is likeable enough to transcend these carps. While serving an 18-month sentence on a forgery charge, Johnny (Al Pacino) discovers the joys of cooking and classical literature. Upon his release, he is hired by gruff but good-hearted New York diner owner Nick (played by Garry Marshall "regular" Hector Elizondo). Also working for Nick is a waitress named Frankie (Michelle Pfeiffer). When Johnny expresses interest in Frankie, she keeps him at arm's length, her mistrust of men stemming from an unmentioned but obviously traumatic experience in her past. Eventually, however, Frankie and Johnny do get together, their curious relationship setting the stage for a dramatic denouement wherein both lovers bare their souls. The bulk of the original McNally play is concentrated in the film's final 20 minutes; the rest of the picture is a kaleidoscope of comic and poignant vignettes and quick-sketch character studies. Of the newly minted characters, the standout is Nathan Lane in the traditional "gay best friend/severest critic" role: he plays the character so effectively that one forgets he's essentially a cliché. As for the stars, Al Pacino is ideally cast as Johnny, but Michelle Pfeiffer, superb though she is, seems a bit ill at ease as the emotionally tattered Frankie; she totally wins the audience's hearts, however, in the film's memorable bowling-alley sequence. Smoothing over the rough spots in Frankie and Johnny is the evocative musical score by Marvin Hamlisch. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Self-involved corporate raider Edward Lewis (Richard Gere) has recently split up with his girlfriend. Seeking directions to the Beverly Hills Hotel, he makes the acquaintance of free-spirited hooker Vivian Ward (Julia Roberts) and decides to put her on a 3,000-dollar retainer as his "date." He Cinderellarizes her by bankrolling a full wardrobe and cosmetic makeover. Of course, the setup will be strictly platonic. A disarming modern-day fairy tale, Pretty Woman was the picture that made Julia Roberts a superstar. As charming as she is in her "giggling" sequences, Roberts' best scene is her triumphant return to a posh Rodeo Drive shop where she'd been previously snubbed. Keeping Pretty Woman afloat throughout is the buoyant direction of Garry Marshall and the always welcome presence of Marshall's stock company of actors, including Hector Elizondo as a stuffy but golden-hearted concierge. Pretty Woman began its life as a much darker story of prostitutes and homicidal drug dealers, but more box-office-savvy heads ultimately prevailed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi