Michael Ontkean Movies
A ruggedly handsome Canadian actor whose somewhat imposing frame makes him ideal for authority figures, Michael Ontkean has been appearing in film and television since the early '70s. Though having actors for parents may not necessarily be a surefire sign that one will enter into the entertainment industry, the support and encouragement afforded to young Ontkean was key in building early confidence and skill. Ontkean was a mere four years old when he made his stage debut in his father's repertory company, and in addition to taking the stage at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival, he became a popular child star thanks to television roles in such series as Hudson's Bay. Aside from his ambitions as an actor, Ontkean also showed athletic prowess as a hockey player -- he won a scholarship to the University of New Hampshire and played on their team for three seasons. Little did he know that his skills on the ice would eventually come into play in front of the camera as well. His popularity eventually reached beyond the Canadian border when Ontkean gained stateside notice as a key player in the 1972 series The Rookies. Soon thereafter, Ontkean's featured role in the hockey comedy Slap Shot impressed audiences by showing that the up-and-comer could hold his own alongside such heavies as Paul Newman. Through the 1980s, Ontkean's career maintained an even keel with such moderately successful features as Just the Way You Are (1984) and Maid to Order (1987). In 1990 he returned to television to great effect with his role as Sheriff Harry S. Truman in David Lynch's acclaimed series Twin Peaks. The show provided Ontkean's career with something of a revival, and after he appeared in a minor capacity in Postcards From the Edge (1990), a series of television roles kept the versatile actor busy throughout the decade. Ontkean became somewhat lost in the shuffle in the late '90s, but his performance in the child-friendly made-for-television feature Mrs. Ashboro's Cat (2003) proved that the screen veteran still had what it took to charm on the small screen. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
It is hardly an unusual occurrence when the Minneapolis airport is snowed in...even on Christmas eve, stranding thousands of disgruntled tourists. What makes this particular snowbound evening a bit different from others is the identity of two would-be flyers who must wait out the blizzard before they can take off to their respective destinations. Maddie Parker (JoBeth Williams), on the verge of divorcing her briefly unfaithful husband, has arrived at the terminal with sister and daughters, en route to her mother (Dina Merrill)'s house in Chicago. At the same time, Maddie's sportswriter husband, Matt (Michael Ontkean), who plans to visit his dad in Miami, is likewise cooling his heels in the selfsame terminal. Thus thrust together, Maddie and Matt are given ample time to decide if they ought to give their relationship a second chance. Meanwhile, long-married older couple Earl and Ruth Pulmer (Charles Durning and Barbara Barrie), battle-scarred veterans of many a domestic skirmish, benignly stand on the sidelines and kibitz. Although the conclusion of the film is foregone, getting there is half the fun. A Chance of Snow made its cable TV debut via the Lifetime network on December 7, 1998. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- JoBeth Williams, Michael Ontkean, (more)
Originally telecast over Canada's CTV network on January 29, 2002, A Killing Spring was a one-shot attempt to revive the popular Joanne Kilbourn Mysteries series (aka Criminal Instincts), starring Wendy Crewson as the ex-police-detective-turned-university-lecturer created by Gail Bowen. Missing from this feature-length whodunit is Joanne Kilbourn's longtime co-star Victor Garber, though Shane Doyle fills in admirably as the "official" representative of the law. In this one, Joanne Kilbourn returns to Lanholm College, where she had once been a professor, when the Dean of Journalism is found dead, evidently the result of autoerotic suffocation during "rough sex." Although she risks losing an important internship, Joanne insists upon investigating the death, and in the process unearths a hotbed of moral depravity and academic backstabbing. Throughout, there is one person who is willing to commit murder rather than allow Joanne to expose his innumerable peccadillos -- and the result, inevitably, is two additional corpses. In the United States, A Killing Spring was picked up by the Lifetime cable channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wendy Crewson, Shawn Doyle, (more)
- 2000
Eleven-year-old Emily (Kaitlyn Burke) is an environmental activist in training, having saved a bear cub wounded by poachers and nursed it back to health . When Emily's 16-year-old sister Melissa (Kimberley Warnat) -- another would-be environmentalist -- and her high school pal Daniel (Kristian Ayre) go to the woods to document evidence of a shady millionaire's (Alan Thicke) clear-cutting operation, Emily follows her and promptly gets washed away down a fast-flowing woodland river. Soon everyone is looking for the lost girl, including Melissa and Scott (Eric Johnson), a hunky slice of logger beefcake. With only the trusty bear cub -- now grown into a 700-pound adult named Masha -- as her guide, Emily struggles to make it out of the woods alive. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kaitlyn Burke, Michael Ontkean, (more)
- 1989
- R
In this well-wrought drama, WW II dramatically changes the lives of the Cooper family when its patriarch is called to battle, captured, and sent to a Japanese POW camp. Back at home the heretofore coddled wife, who doesn't know if her husband is still alive, must somehow figure out how to support her family and carry on in the British tradition of courage and dignity under pressure. Her solution is to join a swing band. As she becomes increasingly confident and independent, she begins wondering whether or not she still loves her missing spouse. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rebecca Jenkins, Michael Ontkean, (more)
- 1988
- PG13
In this sentimental coming-of-age drama, directed by Richard Mulligan (To Kill a Mockingbird) and written by Mark Medoff (Children of a Lesser God), Whoopi Goldberg plays Clara Mayfield, whom Leona Hart (Kathleen Quinlan) meets up with in Jamaica, where Leona retreats to mourn the death of her baby daughter. Leona comes from a rich Maryland family and she leaves her husband, Bill (Michael Ontkean), and her young son, David (Neil Patrick Harris), back in the States in order to achieve some personal healing. She tells Clara she is in mourning and Clara responds knowingly, "I knew the fact, but not the substance." Hearing this kind of cryptic Charlie Chan-like aphorism, Leona can't resist Clara and hires her as her maid, taking her back with her, like a pet, to Maryland. "Come meet the most wonderful person," she tells her husband, and, to be sure, Clara is out-of-this-world wonderful, and since David's self-absorbed parents are neglecting him for their own private flirtations and obsessions, Clara takes up the slack and becomes, in effect, David's family. Clara dispenses worldly advice and has him spend weekends with her in the inner-city Jamaican community, where David learns how the other half lives. But just as David is letting his guard down and permitting Clara to become his 30-year-old buddy, Clara reveals a chilling past life that includes rape, incest, and suicide. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Whoopi Goldberg, Michael Ontkean, (more)
- 1989
- R
Due South it's not, but there are some nice touches in this thriller about an American drug enforcement agent on exchange assignment in Vancouver. The RCMP, the CIA and the KGB are all in pursuit of a deranged free-lance hit man who kills randomly-selected women in addition to his political targets. John Hyde (Martin Sheen) and his Mountie partner, McKenzie (Michael Ontkean) investigate the murder of a Korean embassy employee, and end up in the middle of this jurisdictional nightmare, as does Hyde's ex-wife (Beverly D'Angelo) who's the assassin's next target. ~ Michael P. Rogers, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Sheen, Michael Ontkean, (more)
- 1994
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Based on steamy novel by Danielle Steel and originally aired as a two-part miniseries on NBC television, this drama looks at the complex personal and professional life of a famed actress/director ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jaclyn Smith, Michael Ontkean, (more)
- 1973
- PG
Thomas J. Schmidt directed this little-known exploitation film getting a second life on video thanks to a double bill re-release with Werewolves on Wheels as part of the "Golden Age of Leather" series from Anchor Bay. After an unusual credit sequence featuring busty cult starlet Uschi Digart, the film follows the story of two girls (Kathleen Cody and The Fifth Floor's Diane Hull) on their way to a hippie encounter session run by Ralph Waite (The Waltons). They pick up a crazed Vietnam veteran (Michael Ontkean from Twin Peaks) who has grainy flashbacks in both black & white and distorted color, aside from having a bipolar mood disorder. He might just be the serial killer who is murdering hippies in Waite's peaceful village by the ocean, and the average viewer will figure out the answer in less than ten minutes. Familiar faces in this rather dull Fanfare International drive-in dud include Charles Picerni, Ruth Warshawsky, and Paul Sorenson. Schmidt, who had been working in films since the mid-'60s, died in 1975 with this his only credited feature as director. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide
An upwardly mobile CCT executive finds his life and career suddenly spinning out of control after he uncovers a vast corporate conspiracy in this thriller starring Marcus Graham, Thomas Kretschmann, and Alexandra Paul. Will Patterson (Graham) was set to become a powerful executive at the time he stumbled into a far-reaching corporate cover-up, but now his life has completely fallen apart. Thankfully, despite his bleak outlook, Will has a lovely and dedicated crusader (Paul) on his side who's willing to help him navigate the treacherous waters on the horizon. When Will travels to the jungles of Indonesia to locate a tribe that has been forced off of their land by CCT, the stage is finally set for a deadly confrontation. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Marcus Graham, Alexandra Paul, (more)
- 1990
This TV movie is not necessarily in defense of married man Michael Ontkean. That responsibility is taken by Judith Light, Ontkean's wife. When Ontkean is accused of murdering his mistress (Cynthia Sikes), his wife Light, a defense attorney, handles the case. Beyond the unavoidable emotional involvement, Light must wrestle with whether or not she really wants to ask her husband if he did it. In Defense of a Married Man is an exercise in the mundane, brightened by Stan Getz' jazz score. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
In this two-part made for TV movie, a woman (Valerie Bertinelli) fights for the custody of her sister's son after the sister is murdered by her husband.. ~ Tana Hobart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Valerie Bertinelli, Michael Ontkean, (more)
- 1970
Ironside (Raymond Burr) tries to prevent Noel Seymour (Richard Basehart), a respectable middle-aged accountant who is undergoing a bad case of "male menopause", from ruining the rest of his life. The trouble begins when Seymour is arrested on a charge of public intoxication, then skips his arraignment. But things really get serious when the hapless accountant becomes entangled with 18-year-old Judy Blue (Jill Banner) and freewheeling rock musician Richy Tower (Tim Considine). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Love, sex, fidelity, and the nearly endless variety of complications they can bring are played for laughs in this sophisticated comedy. Alan (Robert Mailhouse) is driving home on a dark and rainy night when he sees an attractive woman standing by the side of the road. He stops and offers her a ride; she accepts and immediately offers him fellatio for his troubles. Though Alan is married and has never cheated on his wife, he's not sure how to say no in this instance, but he doesn't get much of a chance to enjoy infidelity before he's interrupted by the police -- who inform him he's picked up a prostitute and he's under arrest. Several days later, Alan is trying to figure out how to get his wife Laura (Alison Eastwood) to take him back. His buddies Danny (Jonathan Silverman) and Brent (William Ragsdale) chide him for his naivete and advise him to stick by the old rationalization that oral sex isn't really sex. Meanwhile, Laura heads out for a night on the town with her friends Ally (Kimberly Williams) and Terianne (Jessica Lundy). Laura is thinking that adulterous turnabout might be fair play, Ally is mulling over her secret fantasy of becoming an exotic dancer, and Terianne is looking for a man who can help her with her problems in reaching an orgasm. The supporting cast includes Lauren Hutton as Laura's mother. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alison Eastwood, Robert Mailhouse, (more)
- 1984
- PG
In this standard human interest comedy, Susan Berlanger (Kristy McNichol) has been crippled since a child and has to wear a leg brace in order to get around, but that does not in any way prevent Sam (Robert Carradine) and several other men from being very attracted to her. Susan is a professional flautist with a ballet-company orchestra and is given a chance to travel to Europe for a concert tour, which she is more than happy to accept. Since she has doubts about relationships (do these men feel sorry for her?), she puts a cast on her leg and goes to a ski resort to find out what it is like to be treated "normally" by others. Once there, she meets a captivating photographer (Michael Ontkean) and falls in love -- but does not tell him the truth about her leg. Making matters even worse, a wealthy Frenchman courting Susan's roommate at the resort is an amputee -- he lost a leg in an automobile accident. Sooner or later, Susan will have to come to grips with her deception, her forthcoming marriage, and her interest in the photographer. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kristy McNichol, Michael Ontkean, (more)
- 1985
Kids Don't Tell stars Michael Ontkean as a free-lance documentary filmmaker. Concerned over the increasing sexual abuse of children, Ontkean hopes to make a film on the subject, with the cooperation of the local police and social services. For reasons unknown, Ontkean's wife JoBeth Williams becomes surly and distant as he continues work on his film. It turns out that JoBeth is far more intimately familiar with the subject of sexual abuse than she's ever let on (hence the film's title). Made for television, Kids Don't Tell handles its subject matter with an admirable absence of sensationalism, thanks to the low-key script by Peter Silverman and Maurice Hurley. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
Michael Ontkean stars as Zack Resnick, an honest Chicago cop drawn into a political assassination who discovers some shocking information about himself and his family. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
Rich but repulsive teenager Jessie (Ally Sheedy) can't stand the notion that the whole world doesn't jump to the crack of her whip. Her overindulgent father, millionaire Charles Montgomery (Tom Skerritt), wishes he could teach his daughter a lesson, but can't bring himself to deny his little darling everything her heart desires. Unfortunately, she gets her comeuppance when, after finding out that Jessie has been arrested, her father mutters a wish that she'd never been born. Zap! Enter fairy godmother Beverly D'Angelo, who grants the girl her wish. With no name, no friends, and no money, Jessie has no choice but to look for work. She is hired as a maid by a filthy-rich Malibu couple (Valerie Perrine and Dick Shawn), whose selfish excesses make Jessie look like Pollyanna. Worse still, Jessie is compelled by circumstance to meet up with her father, who doesn't even recognize her. The key to the film's success is the wonderfully many-sided performance of Ally Sheedy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ally Sheedy, Beverly D'Angelo, (more)
Arthur Hiller directed this drama exploring the disintegration of an ideal marriage after the husband discovers he is gay. Kate Jackson is Claire, a successful television producer, and Michael Ontkean is her husband Zack, an equally successful doctor. They enjoy eight years of married bliss until homosexual writer Bart McGuire (Harry Hamlin) appears at Zack's office. As Zack gets to know Bart, he discovers he is attracted to him. He asks Bart out to dinner, one thing leads to another, and soon Zack announces to Claire that he wants to explore his new-found sexuality with Bart. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Ontkean, Kate Jackson, (more)
- 1998
Based on the popular novel for young adults by Frank Sacks, this heart-warming drama concerns Billy Hastings (Kevin Zegers), an 11-year-old boy whose life is shattered after his leg is permanently damaged by a drunk driver. Billy and his mother Julie (Anne Archer) move to a new town in hopes of escaping the bad memories of the accident. Not long after they arrive, they visit a threadbare circus, where they discover a neglected horse. Feeling sorry for the animal, they arrange to take it home, only to discover that the horse is pregnant. That's the least of their surprises, though; the horse shortly gives birth to a unicorn, which appears to have magical powers. Nico the Unicorn also stars Michael Ontkean. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Archer, Michael Ontkean, (more)
- 1972
- PG
In this counter-culture melodrama, a youthful hitcher teams up with an aging vagabond on a lonely Southwestern road. The two are given a lift by an unemployed rocker. Soon the three find themselves at odds with assorted "establishment" characters until the old hobo has a fatal heart attack. As he dies, he asks to be buried on his old farm. Unfortunately, the newest owner refuses, so the rocker and the hitcher have the old guy cremated. They then scatter his ashes over the farm. Songs include: "Echos of the Road" (Stu Phillips, Bob Stone), "Electric Ethel" (Murphy and Castleman), and "Flowers For My Bed" (Nino Candido). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Mike Nichols lends some comic structure to Carrie Fisher's best-selling confessional novel concerning a woman's struggles with drug addiction and mother-daughter rivalry (subjects Fisher admits to understanding all too well). Meryl Streep, in her most full-blown comic performance up to that point, plays Suzanne Vale, a popular movie actress well on her way to a Hollywood crack-up. Suzanne suffers from blackouts and memory lapses, and awakens in the beds of men she doesn't remember; she is a barely-functioning wreck on the set of her latest movie. When a coke dealer who delivers stops by her dressing room between takes, she swiftly finds herself being rushed to the hospital, suffering the effects of a narcotics bender. While in detox, Suzanne attempts to piece her life and career back together, but her confidence is shattered when her mother arrives at the rehab clinic -- Doris Mann, a famed film icon from the 1950s and 1960s (Shirley MacLaine). Doris is soon soaking up the adulation and applause of Suzanne's fellow recovering drug addicts. Upon Suzanne's release, she must compete with her mother for attention and fame as she tries to walk a thin line as a recovering drug abuser. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Meryl Streep, Shirley MacLaine, (more)
Paul Newman plays Reggie Dunlop, the coach of a pathetic minor-league American hockey team. His career at a standstill and his marriage in tatters, Dunlop has nothing to lose by taking on a new group of players who are one evolutionary step above Neanderthals. Only when the team begins winning does he decide to get behind these players, and to encourage the rest of the team to play as down-and-dirty as the newcomers. Straight-arrow team member Ned Braden (Michael Ontkean) resents this influx of gonzo talent, preferring to play clean. As the film's multitude of subplots play themselves out, Dunlop does his best to keep the outraged Braden on the team. Slap Shot is the sort of film for which the "R" rating was invented: Its nonstop barrage of profanity and its raunchy action sequences are of such intensity that the film will probably never be shown intact on commercial television. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Newman, Strother Martin, (more)
- 1999
A husband and wife are initially thrilled to have moved to an idyllic, leafy town, but its apparent perfection -- no crime, noise, or violence -- gradually unnerves them. Even the town's male fraternity is unusually staid, which leads our protagonists to believe that something sinister is at work in their ostensibly blissful little burg. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
- 1989
- R
In this convoluted drama, a CIA agent is finally released after spending the past thirteen years imprisoned in the Soviet Union. The joy of his homecoming is shattered when he discovers his wife married to another and that his daughter has grown up. When he learns that his wife's new husband is busy battling the corrupt family who controls the town, and that this has endangered his former family, he takes action to protect them. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Ontkean, Joanna Kerns, (more)
