Jon Polito Movies

Two brothers dutifully working the days away at the family carpet business attempt to assert their independence by going to work for the king of Long Island wedding videographers, only to find their new careers floundering when they are forced to move into a cramped studio apartment. It's been five years, three months, and 26 days since Anthony and Carmine Marconi went to work at their father's carpet store, and now both brothers are beginning to fear that their lives have hit a standstill. When he's not slaving away full-time amidst endless yards of carpet, Anthony is attempting to balance a full load of classes at the local community college. Meanwhile, brother Carmine is hoping to strike it rich by playing the tables in Atlantic City and buying scratch-off cards. One day, during a routine carpet installation, the brothers' fate takes an unexpected turn when they cross paths with Maurice "Mo" Brown -- a fast-talking wedding-video producer with some flashy toys and sexy "secretaries." Though Anthony and Carmine miraculously manage to land positions as Mo's new assistants, their father doesn't take the news too well; he immediately slaps them each with a 500-dollar-a-month boarding fee.

Now, for the first time in their lives, Anthony and Carmine are on their own, and they're working for a certifiable lunatic who calls wedding shots like he's Cecil B. DeMille and flies into an uncontrollable rage at the sight of his alcoholic ex-partner and wife, Sonya -- the in-house wedding photographer. To make matters even worse, Anthony has started an affair with Sonya's assistant and Carmine has just screwed up the audio on the wedding vows. With time running out before Mo catches wind of the latest disaster, Anthony and Carmine will have to work overtime if they hope to keep their jobs and save their necks. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Filmmaking duo Frank and Joe Ciota follow up 1997's The North End and 2001's Ciao America with this black comedy about an Italian-American funeral home struggling to remain afloat as an influx of young, healthy bodies into the neighborhood finds business slowing. Ragucci's the nation's oldest Italian-American funeral home, and owner Felix Ragucci (Joe Sicari) is determined to stay in business. At the heart of Frank's business is Frank Tramontana (Danny Aiello), a former public relations executive who now drives a hearse for a living. Frank is a handsome man who prides himself on both his spotless reputation and his remarkable ability to seduce young women like statuesque beauty Lauren (Heather Tom). Ragussi's holds a special place in Frank's heart, not only because so many people he knows received their final farewells there but also because it serves as a community center for the close-knit family that works there. When Frank learns that Ragucci's may finally be closing their doors, he recruits fellow employees John "The Prince" Monaco (Jon Polito) and Nino Degeneroso (Louis Vanaria) in concocting a scheme to keep the funeral home afloat. But Frank is about to find out that it isn't easy to save the day while attempting to keep up with a much younger girlfriend and negotiate your son's tuition with your demanding ex-wife, and when the gang's shady scheme draws the attention of local gossip writer Sid Buford (Frank Bongiorno), all three will be begging to bury the past. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

As Valentine's Day dawns, Susan (Teri Hatcher) eagerly awaits her date with Mike Delfino (James Denton) -- or at least she does until a new plot development rears its ugly head. Elsewhere, Bree (Marcia Cross) doesn't know as much about her husband, Rex (Steven Culp), as she thought she did. Lynette (Felicity Huffman) has kid and neighbor trouble again. And Gabrielle (Eva Longoria) finds a job uniquely suited to her special talents when she is hired to model mattresses. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

On the verge of a job interview with Procter & Gamble, Drew (Drew Carey) refuses to return to Winfred-Louder, which is crashing and burning under the less than stellar leadership of Mr. Wick (Craig Ferguson). In a desperate effort to lure Drew back, Wick's muscular and masculine mother (played by Richard Chamberlain! offers her body to our hapless hero--and when Wick finds out what his mom is up to, he goes crazy and disappears from sight. This already weird episode gets even weirder with a climactic reversal of fortune for Drew and his ex-boss. And elsewhere, Lewis (Ryan Stiles) and Oswald (Diedrich Bader) try to impress girls with a "personals" video directed by Kate (Christa Miller). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Network television's first "interactive" mystery-suspense series, Push, Nevada got under way somewhat in the manner of the 1945 theatrical feature Murder, He Says, with stalwart IRS agent Jim Prufrock (Derek Cecil) venturing into the hinterlands in search of a huge cache of stolen money. Prufrock followed the trail of evidence to the cloistered community of Push, NV, which seemed to be populated exclusively by weirdos with deep, dark secrets. Each time that Prufrock thought he'd figured out what was going on, a new riddle or enigma was added to the mixture, such as a motel which looked like a dump on the outside but was luxurious on the inside, or a bizarre casino where everyone was forced to speak in lousy French accents. As Jim tried to piece things together, the viewers at home were invited to interpret the clues right along with the protagonist. If the viewer was able to solve the mystery before the first 13 episodes had played out, he or she would win one million dollars. Co-created by actor Ben Affleck and boasting a production staff gleaned from Affleck's popular cable-TV documentary series Project Greenlight, Push, Nevada debuted on September 17, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In the conclusion of a three-part story, a comatose Drew (Drew Carey) is taken off life support, and his soul ascends to Heaven. En route to the Pearly Gates, Drew meets his future nephew (voice provided by Jon Polito), who is heading earthward to be born to Mimi (Kathy Kinney) and Steve (John Carroll Lynch). Thanks to Drew's snide comments about Mimi, the kid changes his mind about being born, forcing Drew to undo the damage by having his soul briefly inhabit the baby's body--and letting the real baby observe his future mother from the vantage point of Heaven. Will Mimi pass the "mommy test", or will the baby reject the whole deal and go back to where he feels safe? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A film student discovers the action movie project of his dreams is happening around him in real life in this offbeat independent drama. Alex (Erik Palladino) is a nerdy student studying film production and not doing especially well with it. One day, Erik and his roommate Lars (Billy Jayne) discover they have a new neighbor, an attractive and self-confident woman named Blue (Jennifer Rubin). After they share a few beers and discover a mutual fondness for the films of Sam Peckinpah, Alex makes a startling discovery about Blue -- she's a hired killer, who has a hit scheduled the following week in Miami. After that, Blue plans to get out of the business and leave the United States for good. Alex has a brainstorm: he'll tag along for Blue's last "project" with a camera and make a documentary about her. Blue agrees to cooperate, but en route Alex finds out more about Blue than he was planning on, and when the killing doesn't go smoothly, he finds himself suddenly aiding Blue and not just recording her actions. Jennifer Rubin gives a standout performance in this film, which also features Brian Vander Ark from the rock band The Verve Pipe in a supporting role. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This is the celebrated "cartoon" episode, with animation provided by Sony Imageworks. Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt) is nonplussed when she learns that her former boyfriend Alan (Eric Stoltz) has been hired as a graphics artist for her new ad campaign. The result is a special edition of Alan's fabled comic-book character Talon, Queen of Outer Space -- a supremely bitchy extraterrestrial who bears a remarkable resemblance to someone we all know quite well. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Enjoying critical success but only so-so ratings during its nine-episode inaugural season in 1993, Homicide: Life on the Street tentatively returned to the airwaves for four additional episodes in January of 1994. The opener features a poignant guest-star turn by Robin Williams as a tourist whose wife has been gunned down in a shoot-out on the streets of Baltimore. In other developments, the homicide squad's head honcho Giardello (Yaphet Kotto) goes to great lengths to "tame" the unit's loosest cannon, Stanley Bolander (Ned Beatty), who in turn unexpectedly develops an artistic streak while squiring an attractive waitress (Julianna Margulies); and hotheaded Detective Crossetti (Jon Polito) completely, and mysteriously, drops out of sight. ~ All Movie Guide

Giardello (Yaphet Kotto) would rather not hear Pembleton's (Andre Braugher) theory that drug dealer C.C. Cox was murdered by a cop. One of the suspects in the killing is Sgt. Jimmy Tryon (Michael S. Kennedy), a former lover of Kay Howard (Melissa Leo) -- and a man who seems too eager to confess. Meanwhile, Munch (Richard Belzer) has issues with his present girlfriend (surprise!); and Bolander (Ned Beatty) is encouraged by waitress Linda (Julianna Marguiles) to take up the cello again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Robin Williams guest stars on the first of Homicide's four second-season episodes. Williams is cast as tourist Robert Ellison, who can't cope with the fact that his wife was killed in a holdup right in front of him and their children. Angrily demanding justice, Ellison may well get it when the prime suspect confesses. But Howard (Melissa Leo) cannot shake her premonition that the killer, a young man from an excellent home environment and with seemingly everything to live for, may not be entirely guilty. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Beginning its first (short) season just after ABC's telecast of the 1993 Super Bowl, Homicide: Life on the Street gets under way as rookie detective Tim Bayliss (Kyle Secor) joins the Baltimore, MD, police department's homicide division. Almost immediately, Bayliss is teamed with veteran cop Frank Pembleton (Andre Braugher) to investigate the murder of 11-year-old Adena Watson -- a frustrating case that will haunt Bayliss for the rest of his career. In other story arcs, the normally indolent Steve Crossetti (Jon Polito) is galvanized into action when his former partner, Officer Chris Thormann (Lee Tergesen), is blinded in a shoot-out; ambitious female detective Kay Howard (Melissa Leo) finds herself attracted to States' Attorney Danvers (Zeljko Ivanek); and resident "old timer" Det. Stanley Bolander (Ned Beatty) (aka "The Big Man") falls in love with forensics specialist Dr. Carol Blythe (Wendy Hughes). The inaugural season's nine-episode run ends as one of the detective's wives announces her pregnancy. Two Emmys were bestowed upon Homicide: Life on the Street during season one; producer/director Barry Levinson won for his helming of the opening episode, while producer/writer Tom Fontana was honored for his script work on the episode "Three Men and Adena." ~ All Movie Guide