Randy Quaid Movies
Whether he is playing a clumsy redneck, spoofing an American president, or portraying a quietly psychotic father, Randy Quaid has a screen and stage presence that is difficult to ignore. Part of this is due to his physical appearance. The curly headed Quaid stands a muscular 6'4" tall, and unlike his handsome younger brother, Dennis, he is an ordinary-looking man with a flexible face that enables him to disappear into a wide variety of characters.An electrician's son, the Houston-born and raised Quaid was majoring in drama at the University of Houston and working as a standup comedian with actor Trey Wilson when he met Peter Bogdanovich. The young director was impressed with Quaid and cast him in a number of his films, beginning with Targets (1968), then The Last Picture Show (1971), Paper Moon (1973), and Texasville (1990). In 1973, Quaid received an Oscar nomination for his moving portrayal of a convicted, bewildered sailor escorted to prison by guards Jack Nicholson and Otis Young in The Last Detail. Other notable Quaid performances can be found in Midnight Express (1978), the National Lampoon Vacation films of the '80s and '90s, The Curse of the Starving Class (1994), and Kingpin (1996). In 1999, he stepped in front of the camera for his wife, Evi Quaid, in High Expectations, her directorial debut. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival that year.
Though successful in feature films, Quaid has had even better luck on television. The burly actor has excelled on the small screen since making his debut in the 1971 movie Getting Away From It All. He has been nominated for an Emmy for playing President Lyndon B. Johnson in the NBC miniseries LBJ: The Early Years (1986), a role that also won him a Golden Globe award. Quaid's television work extends beyond the dramatic: During the 1985-1986 season, he was a regular on NBC's sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live, and starred in the sitcom Davis Rules from 1991 until 1992. In addition to his film and television career, Quaid has also found success on-stage in both New York and Los Angeles. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In the tradition of such elliptical thrillers as The Dead Zone and Memento, prolific television director Michael Watkins' tense tale of murder and intrigue is certain to have viewers firmly planted on the edge of their seats. Physics professor J.T. Neumeyer (Timothy Hutton) is well-renowned for his extensive knowledge and exceptional teaching skills. When J.T. receives a police file detailing his own murder, he notes that the report is dated five days into the future -- triggering a frantic race against the clock to solve the time-bending mystery and escape death's ever-tightening grip. If he had any doubts of the report's validity, any questions are soon put to rest when events in his life begin to mirror those of the ominous report. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Hutton, Randy Quaid, (more)
- 1984
Ann Margret looks too healthy to portray Blanche DuBois, the physically and mentally fragile Southern-belle protagonist of Tennessee Williams' A Streetcar Named Desire, but we forget this discrepancy five minutes into her marvelous performance. This TV-movie version of Streetcar costars Treat Williams as faded aristocrat Blanche's rude 'n' crude brother-in-law Stanley Kowalski; Williams is persuasive, though he tries so hard not to be Marlon Brando that he comes off as a bit mechanical. The 1984 Streetcar is more realistically staged than the near-impressionistic 1951 Vivien Leigh/Marlon Brando filmization. The storyline, concerning the battle of wills between the earthy, pragmatic Stanley and the delusional Blanche, remains the same in both films, as does the script's tendency to avoid the homosexual elements that were so important to Williams' original play. The newer film's photography is bathed in an ambler tint throughout, conveying both nostalgia for the era in which it is set (the late 1940s) and a visual literalization of Blanche's "yellowed with antiquity" former lifestyle. The 1984 Streetcar Named Desire is less a remake of the 1951 version than a companion piece--a praiseworthy alternate version of the same sturdy material. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ann-Margret, Treat Williams, (more)
- 2000
Daniel McCabe and Paul Steckler direct this scrupulously-balanced and exhaustively-researched documentary on reactionary Alabaman firebrand George Wallace. The film opens with the outset of Wallace's public career, when -- surprisingly -- he had a reputation of being progressive in regards to race. After a bruising defeat in a 1958 gubernatorial election in which his fire-breathing racist rival John Patterson painted him as something terrifyingly close to being a liberal, Wallace vowed to be seen as soft on race. In 1962, Wallace was swept into office promising "segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever." In spite of this confrontational stance and his outspoken opposition to the NAACP, Wallace was, as McCabe and Steckler argue, genuinely furious over the brutal violence against civil rights activists -- if only because it made Alabama look bad. Of course, it was this very violence that eventually gave him a national platform. By the 1968 presidential election, George Wallace garnered 46 electoral votes as a third party candidate, nearly forcing the race into the House of Representatives. For the 1972 race, he was a serious presidential contender, this time for the Democrats, before he was crippled by an assassin's bullet. After being wounded, Wallace claimed that he had found God, and he abandoned his politics of hate. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randy Quaid
In this comedy, Jake (Rodney Dangerfield) is the warden of Rockwood Prison, a private minimal security correctional facility which has fallen into disrepair. Jake has appealed to Eli (Randy Quaid), the owner of Rockwood, to give him enogh money to get the place back up to code, but Eli doesn't want invest any more in the facility -- and tells Jake he has only two months left on his contract. Short on options, Jake gets the idea of turning Rockwood into a country club and sets out to make the place look spiffy by stealing furniture and supplies from Eli's estate. Back By Midnight features a number of noted comics and actors in supporting roles, including Paul Rodriguez, Kirstie Alley, Louis Anderson, Gilbert Gottfried, Tony Cox, Ed Begley Jr., Yeardley Smith, and Ron Jeremy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2008
- R
- Add Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach to QueueAdd Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach to top of Queue
An overenthusiastic high-school maintenance man attempts to lead an unlikely group of misfits to the Nebraska state tennis championship in Dude, Where's My Car? director Danny Leiner's underdog sports comedy. American Pie star Seann William Scott stars as the ambitious janitor who believes he has what it takes to coach the winning team. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Seann William Scott, Randy Quaid, (more)
Supposedly inspired by events experienced by director John Murlowski, Black Cadillac centers on a trio of friends who are left stranded after their car malfunctions on a winding mountain roadway. Although they are fortunate enough to happen upon a deputy, they are constantly menaced by the headlights of the title vehicle. Soon the environs and the friends' frayed emotions make their struggle as difficult as the troublesome car does. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randy Quaid, Shane Mikael Johnson, (more)
Produced for theatrical released by PBS' American Playhouse, Bloodhounds of Broadway is not exactly a remake of the 1952 film of the same name, though both pictures use the same Damon Runyon stories as inspiration. The scene is Broadway: the time is New Year's Eve, 1928. Madonna plays small town girl-turned-hoofer Hortense Hathaway, who loves gambler Feet Samuels (Randy Quaid) more than somewhat. Since it is known far and wide that Feet has not a penny to his name, he must find some way to pay off his debts in a hurry. So he offers to sell his huge feet to a demented-an operation which will, alas, cost Feet the use of his life. Upon waking up to the fact that Hortense loves him, Feet decides that he prefers breathing to pushing up daisies. Meanwhile, a society doll named Harriet MacKyle (Julie Hagerty) turns on the spigots when her pet parrot is laid low by a clumsy gunman. And while all this is transpiring, high-roller Regret (Matt Dillon) has to beat a murder rap. Even while Regret is sweating it out, "The Brain" (Rutger Hauer), who is bleeding profusely after confronting the business end of a shiv, searches high and low for someone willing to donate blood to save his life. If you can, keep an eye out for author William Burroughs as a butler. Bloodhounds of Broadway was the first non-documentary effort of filmmaker Howard Brookner-and the last, since he died before the film was released. To gloss over the film's plot holes, the distributors added a Winchell-like narrator to the proceedings, courtesy of actor Joseph Sommer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Hagerty, Randy Quaid, (more)
Adapted by Robert Getchell from Woody Guthrie's autobiography, Hal Ashby's biopic portrays a few pivotal years in the life of the celebrated folk singer and social activist. In the Depression 1930s, Midwesterner Guthrie (David Carradine) plays music locally but cannot make enough as a sign painter to support his wife (Melinda Dillon) and children. With only his paintbrushes, Woody joins the migration westward from the Dust Bowl to supposedly greener California pastures via boxcar and hitchhiking. When penniless Woody is turned back from the California border, he sneaks into the state alone and meets Luther (Randy Quaid), who takes Woody to a farm where hundreds of workers scrounge for a few ill-paid harvesting jobs. When singer Ozark Bole (Ronny Cox) arrives both to entertain and to urge the workers to unionize, Woody joins Ozark in song, fleeing with him after thugs break up the assembly. He lands a job singing with Ozark on the radio, and the two become partners in union agitation. Unable to commit in his personal life as he finds his political voice, Woody brings his family west, but his wife can't tolerate Woody's wandering ways. Reluctant to sell out his ideals for a lucrative career, Woody hits the road again, bringing his songs of freedom and protest to a nationwide audience on his own terms. Opting for atmospheric story-telling over strident polemic, the filmmakers present Guthrie as a complex individual with contradictory virtues and faults. Despite critical praise and nominations for several Oscars, including Best Picture, Bound for Glory proved less than glorious at the box office. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Carradine, Ronny Cox, (more)
The star-director team of Charles Bronson and Tom Gries (Breakheart Pass) combine their efforts again on Breakout. Bronson plays Nick Colton, a reckless pilot who heads to an unnamed South American country, in hopes of rescuing imprisoned Jay Wagner (Robert Duvall). Villain Harris Wagner (John Huston), who has framed Jay, has an unlimited supply of henchmen at his disposal, but they're no match for the dauntless Colton. Jill Ireland, Bronson's real-life wife, costars as Duvall's missus. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Charles Bronson, Robert Duvall, (more)
Ang Lee's adaptation of E. Annie Proulx's story Brokeback Mountain stars Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger as young cowboys named Jack Twist and Ennis Del Mar. Each of them is hired to corral sheep on the title location and they soon bond very closely. Their platonic relationship explodes into a physical one, but eventually the two are separated when their job comes to an end. Although the two follow different life paths -- one becoming a father of two and the other marrying into a successful business -- they have a reunion years later. Each is affected profoundly by the rekindling of their old feelings for each other. Those feelings lead each to consider what continuing their hidden relationship would cost them. The screenplay was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, (more)
When a typical teenager discovers her family is moving from a large city to a small town in the country, there are plenty of changes she's planning on ... but battling swarms of murderous insects isn't one of them. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Three divorced fathers, played by Paul Reiser, Matthew Modine, and Randy Quaid, experience the joys and hardships of their former marriages, their relationships with their kids, and getting back into the dating scene in this whimsical comedy. Dave (Modine) is diligently playing the field, while Vic (Quaid) is enraged over his ex-wife's spending problem and Donny (Reiser) is struggling with the love he still feels for his ex and his own feelings of rejection. However, what develops over the weekend changes each man's life forever. Vic goes on a nightmare date with a neurotic woman (Janeane Garofalo), Dave loses control of his female interests when they all show up at the house simultaneously, and Donny finds himself literally out on a limb in order to communicate with his teenage daughter. Though it deals with serious subject matter, Bye Bye Love is a lighthearted look at modern American divorce and the often humorous ways in which people adjust to a new life. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matthew Modine, Randy Quaid, (more)
This comedy returns to the exclusive but crazy country club golf course seen in the original Caddyshack. This time its the blue-bloods against the blue collars as a loud, vulgar self-made millionaire tries to join the stuffy upper-crust club after his daughter falls in love with the son of one of the members. Naturally, the boisterous millionaire is rejected by the genteel jerks. He retaliates by buying the golf course and turning it into an ultra-tacky amusement park. Merry mayhem ensues, but in the end, the snobs learn a valuable lesson, the millionaire gets to join, and his daughter and her lover are finally united. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jackie Mason, Dyan Cannon, (more)
Dutch filmmaker Marleen Gorris directs the romantic comedy Carolina, written by Los Angeles-based screenwriter Katherine Fugate. Julia Stiles stars as Carolina Mirabeau, a young woman who grows up in an eccentric southern family. She and her two sisters -- Georgia (Azura Skye) and Maine (Mika Boorem) -- have been raised by their well-meaning if meddling grandmother (Shirley MacLaine). Carolina's family seems to think that she should marry the novelist Albert (Alessandro Nivola), whom she has known since childhood. However, when she starts dating the well-to-do Heath (Edward Atterton), Albert becomes very jealous. Carolina has to choose which man she wants without letting her grandmother take over. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julia Stiles
Of all of the ways humankind can destroy the planet, none can hold a candle to the awe-inspiring and earth-shattering power of Mother Nature. As chief meteorologist for the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center, Andy Goodman (Brian Dennehy) has seen his share of storms. Now, just days shy of his eagerly anticipated retirement, Goodman is disturbed to discover three separate storm fronts approaching Chicago: a cluster of tornados from the west, a warm storm front from the south, and an Arctic system from the north. As Goodman enlists the aid of his longtime storm-chasing friend "Tornado Tommy" (Randy Quaid) in tracking the storms, ambitious Chicago television reporter Amy Harkin (Nancy McKeon) is busy researching the mysterious drought and record heat wave that has plagued the city for nearly six weeks. Though the citizens of Chicago are warned to reduce their energy consumption by secretary of energy Shirley Abbott (Dianne Wiest) the Windy City is thrust into darkness when severe thunderstorms destroy the city's main power-generating plant. With no means to warn the outside world of the dangers fast approaching, Harkin and Midwest Electric chief of operations Mitch Benson (Thomas Gibson) must race against time to get the word out to citizens and emergency workers before the snowballing blackout causes a complete collapse of the entire North American power grid. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thomas Gibson, Nancy McKeon, (more)
- 2005
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A series of devastating storms are leveling major cities across the globe, and it's up to discredited scientist Faith Clavell (Shannon Doherty), dedicated storm chaser Tommy Tornado (Randy Quaid), and the FEMA head Judith Carr (Gina Gerson) to journey into the eye of the storm and find out just why mother nature has turned so violently on mankind in the shocking sequel to 2004's weather-gone-wild thriller Category 6: Day of Destruction. An unprecedented Category Six storm has leveled the Eiffel Tower and reduced the Great Pyramids to rubble, and as the pitch black funnel clouds lay waste to anything and everything in their path, three dedicated heroes attempt to discover whether the malevolent weather is the cause of global warming, or something far more sinister. When a vengeful gang of terrorists threaten to use the storms to their advantage by staging a large scale attack the likes of which the world has never seen, it seems as if it very well may be the end of the world. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gina Gershon, Cameron Daddo, (more)
- 1989
- NR
In this black comedy starring Randy Quaid, a dead dog, a red-hot date, and a Zen-quoting cabbie with strange connections provide the ingredients for the most frustrating night in poor Michael Latchmer's heretofore dull life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Randy Quaid, Frank Whaley, (more)
- 1994
- R
Based on the award-winning play by Sam Shepard, this drama offers an unblinking look at a family desperately clinging to the last threads of the American dream. Weston Tate (James Woods) is an alcoholic Viet Nam veteran struggling to hold on to the family's farm; he often brags about his grand plans for the place, but in truth the land is just one step away from foreclosure. His wife Ella (Kathy Bates) is determined to hold her family together, though she often dreams of running away and isn't above sleeping with corrupt land developer Taylor (Randy Quaid) if it will help keep the farm in her family's hands. Their son Wesely (Henry Thomas) has the soul of a poet and dreams of a better life, while his sister Emma (Kristin Fiorella) has inherited her mother's strength, but also her mother's burden in holding the Tates together. Noted filmmaker Bruce Beresford adapted Shepard's play for the screen and served as executive producer; Michael McClary directed. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Woods, Kathy Bates, (more)
The Top Gun team of producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, director Tony Scott, and superstar Tom Cruise reunite for this excursion into stock-car racing that incorporates the vroom and rumble of deafening car engines with a rehash of the same elements that worked so effectively in Cruise's Top Gun, The Color of Money, and Cocktail. Cruise plays stock-car driver Cole Trickle, a young fireball on the Southern stock-car circuit who has loads of talent but no conception of how to channel that talent in to racing success. When Tim Daland (Randy Quaid) commissions veteran stock-car racer Harry Hogge (Robert Duvall) to built a car and hires Cole to drive it, Harry must instill in Cole his philosophy of winning and teach him how to channel his raw talent into success -- or, as Harry puts it, "controlling something that's out of control." Cole immediately comes into conflict with the circuit's star driver, Rowdy Burns (Michael Rooker), and their hijinks on the track causes them to smash up their cars and lands them both in the hospital. Because of his injuries, Rowdy is forced to withdraw from the circuit competition. With no rival to torment, Rowdy becomes Cole's supporter and friend, while Cole revs up his motors for Dr. Claire Lewicki (Nicole Kidman), the attractive brain specialist who supervises Cole's recovery from the crackup. Cole's health is restored, and he begins to race again, chastened and hanging onto Harry's every word. Cole appears to have centered himself for success, but in an orgasmic grand finale, Cole must compete against Russ Wheeler (Cary Elwes), a dastardly driver who not only wants to see Cole defeated but permanently disabled. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Cruise, Robert Duvall, (more)
- 1988
A cocky, irresponsible professional golfer discovers that he will have to clean up his act if he wants to compete in the PGA tour. Based on a novel by Dan Jenkins, this drama originally aired on cable television. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1987
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Dear America: Letters Home From Vietnam was first telecast April 3, 1988, over the HBO cable service. Based on the book of the same name, the program is devoted to poignant recitations of letters to and from American participants of the Vietnam war. The letters are heard over images culled from news footage, home movies and still photography, with contemporary music added to put things in the proper historical context. The 2-hour film, featuring readings from various well-known actors (see cast list), was a co-production involving Bill Couturie, a previous Emmy winner for Vietnam Requiem, and the Vietnam Veterans Ensemble Theatre Company. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Berenger, Ellen Burstyn, (more)
- 1995
This made-for-TV drama, based on a series of popular novels by Ed McBain, stars Randy Quaid as Steve Carella, a police detective investigating a series of grisly murders. A serial killer is targeting women who compete in track and field events, and Carella and his team have to find the perpetrator before he can strike again. Supporting cast includes Ving Rhames, Alex McArthur and Eddie Jones; directed by Bruce Paltrow, whose daughter Gwyneth has done all right for herself in the film industry. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Seven years after playing the David Bowie-esque glam rocker in Velvet Goldmine, actor Jonathan Rhys-Meyers tackles the role of the biggest rock-and-roller of all time -- The King -- in this television miniseries. CBS' Elvis traces Elvis Presley's rise from being a humble, poor kid in early-'50s Memphis to being an isolated, prescription-drug-addicted superstar fearful of going on-stage for his 1968 comeback special. Along the way, he's torn between his devotion to his mama Gladys (Camryn Manheim) and the machinations of his stealthy manager, "Colonel" Tom Parker (Randy Quaid). Among Presley's hurdles: his R&B music and performance style prompts cries of obscenity from community leaders; he's drafted for the Army and decides to go; and he longs to become a serious movie star, although the Colonel has different ideas. Elvis was significant in that it was the first biopic of the star to allow the use of The King's original recordings, lip-synched by Rhys-Meyers. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Camryn Manheim, (more)
Randy Quaid plays the mayor of a small town in Alberta. Quaid also doubles as a the local high school history teacher, and it is in this capacity that he poses a threat to housewife Lindsay Wagner. Ms. Wagner takes a peek at her teenaged son's classroom notes, and comes to the correct conclusion that Quaid is espousing a philosophy of anti-Semitism. She is successful in having Quaid removed from his teaching job, but finds herself blocked by her own neighbors in getting Quaid ousted as mayor. Standing her ground against community hostility and physical threats, Wagner takes Quaid to court, hoping to exercise the Canadian laws against promoting race hatred. Based on a true story, the made-for-TV Evil in Clear River is a frightening glance at what can happen when "revisionist history" is filtered through the mind of a bigot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
