Jerry O'Connell Movies
Like Henry Thomas and a few others of the same generation, Jerry O'Connell proves that second acts are far from impossible for Hollywood actors who began their careers as children. O'Connell first gained recognition among film fans as "that fat kid from Stand By Me," when he starred in the 1986 Rob Reiner film at the age of eleven - then experienced a massive physical transformation. Several years and many lost pounds later, O'Connell emerged as a tall, handsome screen lothario, a development that provoked substantial commentary from both film critics and any number of lay viewers.Born in New York City on February 17, 1974, O'Connell enrolled in acting classes at the age of six. He obtained his first professional assignments acting in commercials when he was ten, and a year later made his film debut in the critically acclaimed Stand By Me. Though somewhat overshadowed by the presence of teen idol co-stars River Phoenix and Corey Feldman, O'Connell still managed to win a place in the coming-of-age pantheon. After Stand By Me, he appeared in the memorable syndicated television series My Secret Identity (as a high schooler with superpowers) and enrolled at Manhattan's Professional Children's School. Following his graduation, he attended New York University, where he attained a B.A. in Film and Television in 1995. While still an NYU student, O'Connell appeared in the eminently forgettable Jason Priestley vehicle Calendar Girl (1993).
After his college graduation, O'Connell began to pursue thesping full-time. He soon landed a starring role on the sci-fi series Sliders, which, despite low ratings, had a very loyal viewership. In 1996, the actor's popularity grew beyond the confines of television when he starred in both Joe's Apartment and Jerry Maguire. The latter film was a particular success, and O'Connell began to land steady film assignments once again. Next up was the slasher movie Scream 2 (1997), in which he played Neve Campbell's boyfriend. After an uncredited role in the Jennifer Love Hewitt vehicle Can't Hardly Wait (1998), O'Connell returned to television to star as a young Vietnam War soldier in the miniseries The '60s in 1999. That same year, he starred as a neanderthal-like jock in Body Shots, a film about the search for love and/or a lay amongst a group of Los Angeles twentysomethings.
At this point, if O'Connell still carried a full resume, he often seemed to alternate between respectable A-list material - such as the disappointing but ambitious Brian De Palma sci-fi'er Mission to Mars (2000) and the generally pleasant family comedy Yours, Mine and Ours (2005) - and ridiculous studio dreck, such as the misogynistic sex comedy Tomcats (2001) and the awful 2002 "family" picture Kangaroo Jack (where the actor co-starred alongside a wisecracking CG-animated marsupial). In fall 2007, O'Connell trekked back to the small screen for one of the three lead roles in the sitcom Carpoolers - about a cadre of male buddies who share rides to and from work each day. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- 2009
Midnight Bayou is one of four made-for-TV movies adapted from Nora Roberts' romance novels for the Lifetime channel in 2009 (along with Tribute, Northern Lights, and High Noon). Jerry O'Connell stars as lawyer Declan Fitzpatrick, who decides to buy a New Orleans mansion that captured his imagination when he was still a college student. After experiencing some ghostly visions, Declan comes to believe that his new home is haunted --and that he and a local Cajun beauty, Lena Simone (Lauren Stamile), are somehow connected to events that happened at the manor over 100 years ago. This supernatural romantic thriller features a supporting turn from screen legend Faye Dunaway as Lena's psychic grandmother, Odette. ~ Sandra Bencic, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry O'Connell, Lauren Stamile, (more)
- 2008
This workplace comedy takes place at the illustrious New York destination known as the Inn - one of the most popular and exclusive hotels in the country. Always brimming with celebrity guests and the most expensive furnishings, the inner workings of the Inn are anything but smooth. The operation's obsessive manager Neal (Jerry O'Connell) makes even the most minor into a large scale catastrophe, and his anal-retentive attitude is seldom appreciated by coworkers like sassy HR rep Rhonda (Niecy Nash), who has her own set of rules, or front desk clerk Nicole (Molly Stanton), a former model who's usually in a bad mood from being in some stage of starvation. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Niecy Nash, Jerry O'Connell, (more)
- 2007
Created by Bruce McCulloch of Kids in the Hall fame, the ABC sitcom Carpoolers chronicled the zany misadventures of four male suburbanites who, twice each working day, drove to and from the jobs in the same carpool. The unofficial leader of the quartet was Gracen Brooker (Fred Goss), a professional mediator who was self-conscious over the fact that his real-estate agent wife Leila (Faith Ford) and his 22-year-old "onliner" son Marmaduke (T.J. Miller) both had higher incomes than he did. Gracen's best friend and fellow carpooler was dentist Laird (Jerry O'Connell), who was in the middle of a divorce from his spouse Joannifer (played on a recurring basis by O'Connell's real-life wife Rebecca Romjin). The third member of the foursome was Aubrey (Jerry Minor), who eagerly looked forward to his daily 90-minute round trip as a brief respite from his lazy, overbearing wife and his seven repulsive children. The youngest and least jaded of the carpoolers was Dougie (Tim Peper), recently married to sweet Cindy (Allison Munn) and the father of an adorable baby son named Reggie. An agreeable if not hilarious harkback to the "ensemble" sitcoms of old, Carpoolers debuted October 2, 2007. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fred Goss, Jerry Minor, (more)
A young schoolteacher with a serious fear of hospitals must face her worst fears when her boyfriend is injured in a car accident and spirited away to a nightmarish medical center where demons don medical scrubs and nefarious nurses bathe in the blood of their suffering patients. Amy's (Christine Taylor) boyfriend has just been involved in a major car accident, but when Amy receives word that her boyfriend has been taken to a hospital that no longer exists, she determines to face her fears and bring her boyfriend back home no matter what horrors await her. Accompanied by a concerned stranger (Jerry O' Connell) who remains steadfast in his determination to solve the mystery of St. Rosemary's, Amy is forced to enter a hallucinatory world of soul-shredding terror where nothing is as it seems and unspeakable horrors lie down every dark and lonely hallway. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christine Taylor, Jerry O'Connell, (more)
- 1999
Entering their usual jumping-off place, the Chandler Hotel, the Sliders finds that they're actually trapped in a huge computer--and that they are all miniaturized V.R. images of their "real" selves, who stand as lifeless shells just outside the building. Hotel owner Archibald Chandler (Roy Dotrice) not only refuses to release the foursome, but also threatens to permanently delete them from the hard-drive. Ultimately, the lives of Quinn (Jerry O'Connell), Colin (Charlie O'Connell), Maggie (Kari Wuhrer) and Rembrandt (Cleavant Derricks) are in the grubby hands of a goofy computer hacker. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Though their latest slide has thrust Quinn (Jerry O'Connell) and Maggie (Kari Wuhrer) headlong into a raging battle, Rembrandt (Cleavant Derricks) and Colin (Charlie O'Connell) apparently emerge from the experience with no difficulty whatsoever. Once the four travelers are reunited, Quinn and Maggie suddenly begin to grow older and sicker, ending up on the verge of death. While the two afflicted Sliders are quarantined in the Chandler Hotel, Remmy and Colin are confronted on the street by a spectral figure (David Dukes) who claims to be Thomas Mallory, Quinn and Maggie's son from a parallel universe. These curious events lead to an extremely grim prognosis for all four of the principal characters. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
It looks as if Quinn (Jerry O'Connell) and Colin (Charlie O'Connell) have finally made it back to their home world of Kromagg Prime--but upon reaching the bleak, barren "surface" of the planet, the brothers sense that things aren't quite right. Their suspicions are confirmed when their father Michael Mallory (John Walcutt) sends a message from Kromagg Prime proper, telling the brothers that they've been captured and trapped in the Slidecage, a cosmic device created to shield their world from invaders. As if being penned up in an invisible prison isn't bad enough, Quinn and Colin are also swept up in a bitter power struggle between the human inmates of the Slidecage and their Kromagg counterparts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1998
The four Sliders are separated and cast to the four corners of an Alternate Earth, with only an hour at their disposal to find each other or else be stuck on this world forever. Making matters more difficult is that the travelers have all been placed in ludicrously inescapable predicaments: Colin (Charlie O'Connell), for example, is forced to be the bridgroom in a cash-driven marriage of convenience. In a desperate effort to communicate with the others, Quinn (Jerry O'Connell) wangle a guest appearance on the planet's only TV show, a tabloid talker called "Lipschitz Live!" (Inside joke: the show's host Barry Lipschitz is played by Charlie Brill, better known for his portrayal of Larry Lipschitz on the popular crime series Silk Stalkings). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
After completing a three-year run on the Fox network, the sci-fi series Sliders appropriately resurfaced on cable's Sci-Fi Channel for an additional two seasons. When last we saw Quinn Mallory (Jerry O'Connell) and Maggie Beckett (Kari Wuhrer), the two sliders who had used Quinn's timing mechanism to travel to alternate worlds and universes throughout the time-space continuum, they had been hurtled centuries into the future. As the series' fourth season begins, Maggie and Quinn have reached his home earth, now in the thrall of the Kromaggs, a fascistic race of warrior sliders. As for the other former series regulars, prof. Arturo was killed near the end of season three, and Wade Wells has been shipped off to a Kromagg breeding camp; only Rembrandt Brown (Cleavant Derricks) is able to link up with Quinn and Maggie. Before long, Quinn discovers that his own parents had been sliders from a different world, and that he has been implanted with a microdot that will enable him to locate a powerful weapon capable of wiping out the Kromagg. As icing on the cake, this microdot will also ultimately reunite Quinn with his long-lost brother, Colin (Charlie O'Connell), who upon being rescued joins sliders Quinn, Maggie, and Cleavant in their quest to topple the Kromagg and save their world. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry O'Connell, Cleavant Derricks, (more)
- 1996
Season Two of the Fox sci-fi-fantasy series Sliders finds college student Quinn Mallory (Jerry O'Connell) and his friends Wade (Sabrina Lloyd), Arturo (John Rhys-Davies), and Rembrandt (Cleavant Derricks) using the timing device he has invented to hopscotch around dozens of alternate versions of his native San Francisco, as the foursome desperately seek a way to return to their own world. In the season opener "Into the Mystic", the sliders pop up in a contemporary San Francisco ruled by magicians, whereupon Quinn becomes a hunted man when he refuses to pay his witch doctor's bill. Other typical episodes this season include "The Good, the Bad, and the Wealthy", in which San Francisco is part of the Nation of Texas; "Obsession", depicting a bizarro Frisco controlled by evil psychics; and "Greatfellas", in which the foursome emerge in a modern world where Prohibition has never ended, with San Francisco in thrall of old-fashioned gangsters. And foreshadowing of season three, wherein Quinn and company move beyond San Francisco and slide throughout the world and the universe, our heroines (and heroine) meet a band of fellow sliders from another planet in "Invasion." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry O'Connell, Sabrina Lloyd, (more)
During the first two seasons of the Fox series Sliders, college student Quinn Mallory (Jerry O'Connell) and his companions Prof. Arturo (John Rhys-Davies), Wade (Sabrina Lloyd) and Rembrandt (Cleavant Derricks) have used the time-sliding device created by Quinn to pop up in various alternate versions of contemporary San Francisco, all the while endeavoring to return to their own world. Beginning with season three, the sliding device has been modified so that the foursome will be able to emerge in countries and worlds other than San Francisco -- meaning, in many cases, alternate editions of the universe. The two-part episode "The Exodus" introduces Kari Wuhrer as Captain Maggie Beckett, a slider from another world whose husband has been killed by the sinister Col. Angus Rickman (played variously by Roger Daltrey and Neil Dickson), who has been hopping through time and space to drain the intelligences of innocent victims in order to save his own diseased brain. Joining Maggie in her pursuit of the elusive Col. Rickman, Professor Arturo dies at the villain's hands. The season finale finds Maggie, Quinn, Wade, and Rembrandt finally reaching "their" world and cornering Rickman, who perishes by diving off a cliff. As the timing device's vortex begins to close, Quinn and Maggie manage to escape -- but are thrust far into the future, and to yet another alternate world. It sure looks like the end for Sliders, and indeed it is so far as the series' Fox network run is concerned. But it will not be long before the series returns with new episodes on the cable's Sci Fi Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry O'Connell, Sabrina Lloyd, (more)
- 1995
Based on a book by Norman Maclean, and closely based on his own youthful experiences, this made-for-TV drama concerns Mac (Jerry O'Connell), a teenage boy who gets a job working for the National Forest Service in Montana shortly after the end of World War II. With the help of veteran ranger Bill Bell (Sam Elliott), Mac learns a lot about forest management -- and about life. The Ranger, the Cook and a Hole in the Sky also features Ricky Jay and Molly Parker. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sam Elliott, Jerry O'Connell, (more)
- 1995
Originally telecast on the Fox network, season one of Slidersopens as college student Quinn Mallory (Jerry O'Connell) develops a device resembling a TV remote-control which enables him to open a portal to what seems to be a different universe. Entering the portal, he is disappointed to find that he is right back where he started, in the San Francisco of 1995. And yet, there are subtle differences: Elvis Presley still lives, the colors of traffic lights are reversed (green now means stop), and so on. Clearly he has stepped into some sort of parallel San Francisco, and upon this discovery, Quinn summons his grumpy psychic professor Arturo (John Rhys-Davies) and his computer-store co-worker (and erstwhile girlfriend) Wade Wells (Sabrina Lloyd) to test out the device again. Inadvertently swept into the trio's next foray into an alternate world is Rembrandt "Crying Man" Brown (Cleavant Derricks), a has-been pop singer en route to a gig that might have enabled him to make a comeback. In rapid succession, the four sliders end up in a contemporary San Francisco still mired in the Ice Age, then emerge in the same city at the same time -- only now San Francisco is a satellite of the old Soviet Union! For the rest of the series' first season, the protagonists hopscotch through a variety of alternate worlds in their efforts to return to their own world. In the process, they foment a second American Revolution (seems the British won the first one back in 1776); they save a parallel San Francisco from destruction by an asteroid; they enter a realm in which the '60s hippie movement is still alive and well; they show up in a Frisco where women hold all the big jobs and men are subservient; and, in the series finale, Wade is targeted for extermination when, in a utopian San Francisco, she draws a winning lottery ticket that doubles as her death warrant (shades of Shirley Jackson!). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry O'Connell, Sabrina Lloyd, (more)
- 1992
Set in Montana in 1919, this western stars Jerry O'Connell as Mac, a young man who wants to be a ranger in the high country. Mac's mentor is Bill Bell (Sam Elliott), a veteran ranger who is trying to show Mac the ropes of this demanding profession. But Mac has a strong temper and a short fuse, and soon Bill finds himself guiding another young man who seems to have greater potential. However, when a gang of unscrupulous gamblers become a menace in a nearby town, Mac is called on by Bill to help bring them in. Also shown as The Rager, The Cook And A Hole In The Sky. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss was first telecast in the Summer of 1988--appropriately enough, since its plot deals with a disaster-laden summer vacation. The "Haven of Bliss" is a ramshackle summer house where a bullheaded father insists that his family spend a few of their vacation weeks. If the slightly exaggerated goings-on resemble the 1982 theatrical feature A Christmas Story, it's not without reason. Both Ollie Hopnoodle and Christmas Story were written and narrated by humorist/raconteur Jean Shepherd. James B. Sikking plays "The Old Man" in this 2-hour nostalgiafest, originally produced for the Disney Channel cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
More a series of ragged comic anecdotes than a unified whole, the made-for-TV The Room Upstairs top-bills Stockard Channing as a Boston teacher of the hearing-impaired. Strapped for cash, Ms. Channing converts her family home into a boarding house. Six tenants with varying degrees of eccentricities and personal hang-ups take up residence, including soft spoken cellist Sam Waterston. Various crises involving her boarders inspire Ms. Channing to come out of her own emotional shell--she even stops her chain-smoking. Based on a novel by Norma Levinson and originally telecast as a Hallmark Hall of Fame special, The Room Upstairs was filmed on location in Boston and Vancouver. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Angela (Heather Graham) and Curtis (Jerry O'Connell) have it all - a loving relationship, a beautiful house and successful careers. That is, until an unexpected pregnancy sends them on a hilarious, nine-month roller coaster ride. Now, they must deal with hormonal and emotional mood swings, not to mention all the drama caused by their best friends Danny (John Corbett) and Sylvie (Katie Finneran) as well as Angela's over-demanding boss (Lara Flynn Boyle). It all adds up to an uproarious battle of the sexes in this new romantic comedy by Brian Herzlinger (My Date with Drew).
- Starring:
- Heather Graham, John Corbett, (more)
When a reformed grifter currently running a prosperous alibi service for adulterous husbands inadvertently becomes an accessory to murder, he is forced to execute one last, well-timed con as a means of clearing his name in this lightning fast caper comedy starring Steve Coogan, Rebecca Romijin, Selma Blair, and Sam Elliot. Ray (Coogan) is a smooth operator with a special knack for helping his fellow man dodge the proverbial bullet. When a married man simply can't resist the urge to have a bit of fun on the side, Ray is the man they call to ensure that word of their infidelity never gets back to their unsuspecting wives. When the spoiled son of a high-profile client accidentally kills his clandestine lover on the eve of his wedding, Ray is shocked to discover that he has been implicated in the crime. With a small-town cop targeting him on one side and a mysterious assassin known as "The Mormon" locking him into his sights from the other, desperate Ray must now enlist the aid of his beautiful new recruit Lola (Romijin) in carrying out one last con designed to both clear his name, and save his life. The debut feature from co-directors Matt Checkowski and Kurt Mattilda, Lies and Alibis also features performances by James Brolin, Henry Rollins, James Marsden, Debi Mazar, Jerry O'Connell, and John Leguizamo. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Coogan, Rebecca Romijn, (more)
An unscrupulous Hollywood agent seeks to balance the success of his professional status with the abysmal reality of his personal life in director Miek Binder's existential comedy drama. When it comes to playing the Hollywood game, no one does it better than Jack Giamoro (Ben Affleck). Yet despite having a high-powered job, money to spare, and a beautiful wife, Jack slowly begins to suspect that something is missing from his glitz and glamour life. After enrolling in a journal-writing class in hopes of gaining a deeper understanding of his feelings, the man who has it all is shocked to learn that his wife Nina (Rebecca Romijn) has entered into a heated affair with his biggest client. Though at first Jack takes solace in the fact that he is able to express his inner pain through his writing, his entire future is brought into question when ambitious journalist Barbi (Bai Ling) steals his diary in hopes of landing the year's biggest scoop. Not only does the diary contain sensitive personal information, but crucial information about his high-profile clients as well. Now, as Jack fights against insurmountable odds just to hold his life together, the man who once placed priority on power and material possessions realizes that the only path to true happiness is by spending precious time with family. John Cleese, Kal Penn, Jerry O'Connell, and Adam Goldberg star in a soul-searching comedy that explores the relationship between career success and personal fulfillment. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Affleck, Rebecca Romijn, (more)
This romantic comedy in the vein of There's Something About Mary and American Pie concerns the story of Michael Delaney (Jerry O'Connell), a struggling cartoonist who makes a bet with seven buddies over who will be the last to marry. Several years later, the pot has boiled down to two: Michael, who is battling gambling debts in Las Vegas, and diehard bachelor Kyle Bremmer (Jake Busey), who is a self-proclaimed ladies' man. Michael tries to get Kyle to wed within 30 days in order to rescue himself from financial turmoil. When Natalie (Shannon Elizabeth) enters the picture as Kyle's new intended bride (as set up by Michael), she and Michael end up falling for one another, setting up a competition for her affections by the two men. Tomcats is the feature directorial debut for screenwriter Gregory Poirier. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry O'Connell, Shannon Elizabeth, (more)
After five years of dating, David (Jerry O'Connell) gets what he feels is an ultimatum from his girlfriend, Sarah (Bridgette Wilson). She thinks they should get married. When his old buddy, Tyler (Ron Livingston of Swingers), a legendary womanizer, calls to announce his wedding plans, it only increases the pressure on David. When Sarah leaves town on a business trip, David has a chance to explore his options. He turns to his friends, Jonesey (Bill Bellamy), and the unrepentant lothario Michael (Ryan Reynolds, who also starred in director Walt Becker's National Lampoon's Van Wilder) for advice. Jonesey half-heartedly encourages David to marry Sarah. Michael, who treats women shabbily, tries to talk David out of it. David tells his friends about an epiphany that he had many years earlier, when he saw beautiful blond Julie (Erinn Bartlett) in an airport, and was instantly smitten. He knew she was the one. He courageously handed the strange girl his phone number, and a brief romantic correspondence ensued, but it ended disastrously. Uncertain about his destiny with Sarah, David spots another woman at a Mexican restaurant, and has the same feeling he had with Julie. He spends a lot of time and effort trying to track this mystery woman down, while Sarah, frustrated by their lack of progress, considers ending their relationship. Michael, meanwhile, has a real identity crisis, when he wakes up in a strange bed after a night of drinking, drugs, and debauchery, only to find a gay man in the bedroom with him. Buying the Cow also stars Alyssa Milano, Annabeth Gish, and Jon Tenney. The film was co-written by director Becker and Peter W. Nelson. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerry O'Connell, Bridgette Wilson, (more)
After making his directorial debut with the acclaimed made-for-cable movie Gia, writer Michael Cristofer helmed his first big-screen offering with this drama. When eight men and women in their early-to-mid-20s head out for a night on the town, hopping from one Los Angeles club to the next, not everything goes as planned as they discover the joys and perils of dating at the end of the 20th Century. Body Shots shifts among the perspectives of its eight characters, played by Sean Patrick Flanery, Ron Livingston, Jerry O'Connell, Amanda Peet, Emily Procter, Tara Reid, Brad Rowe, and Sybil Temchen. The film had a number of titles during production, including The Night Before and Jello Shots, the latter of which was reportedly axed to avoid legal problems with the company that makes the gelatin dessert product. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sean Patrick Flanery, Jerry O'Connell, (more)
