David Rasche Movies
A graduate of Elmhurst College and the University of Chicago, David Rasche's off-Broadway debut was in the 1976 production John. Rasche went on to co-star in Michael Cristofer's Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Shadow Box. In movies since 1979's Manhattan, Rasche was especially active in made-for-TV features like Special Bulletin, in which he was cast as anti-nuke activist Dr. David McKeeson. Obsessive roles of this nature led to David Rasche's most famous characterization: the merciless, gun-worshipping eponymous detective in the satirical TV sitcom Sledge Hammer (1986-88). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
This comedy, set in the barrios East L.A. is loosely based upon Mark Twain's parable The Million Pound Bank Note. The new version tells the tale of Juan Lopez a nice, but uneducated hombre trying to earn enough money to support his little boy. Though Juan was born in the States, he lacks proper documentation and is sent back to Mexico. Now he sells oranges at an intersection. His life looks hopeless when a limousine pulls up and he is handed an envelope containing a check for one million dollars. He is told that he has one month. If he uses the money correctly he will get an award. Juan is suspicious and takes it to his immigration worker who encourages him to check it out. A Beverly Hills banker almost has apoplexy upon examining the check and Juan knows he has the real thing. Now the good-hearted Juan must avoid the temptations, and the greedy people that suddenly surround him. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Rodriguez, Polly Draper, (more)
In Peter Yates' crime drama An Innocent Man, Tom Selleck plays Jimmie Rainwood, a stock figure airline maintenance supervisor with a perfect family. Then, one day, Jimmie decides to take a shower. While scrubbing himself clean, two crooked cops are getting themselves dirtier. Mike Parnell (David Rasche) and Danny Scalise (Richard Young) are the kind of bad cops who bust the drug dealers, steal their supply, and sell it back to the local drug lords. On this day, unfortunately for Jimmie, they get the wrong address and bash down his door. When Jimmie comes out of the bathroom wielding his hair dryer, Parnell and Scalise think it is a gun and shoot him. Realizing their mistake, they cover themselves and frame him as a drug dealer. Jimmie refuses to take a plea and he is sentenced to six years in the slammer. In the brutal prison environment, he is taken aside by long-timer Virgil Kane (F. Murray Abraham), who gives him a bleak collection of options to chose from in order to survive prison. After seeing a prison gang rape, Jimmie chooses the kill-or-be-killed selection and stabs to death the nasty black convict who has been bothering him. After three years, Jimmie is released on parole, and he tries to pick up his life again. But Parnell and Scalise return to threaten Jimmie and his family. Realizing that his prison lessons must be carried over into civilian life, he sets up a situation in which the bad cops' drug dealings are revealed, and Jimmie prepares for a final reckoning between the cops and himself. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Selleck, F. Murray Abraham, (more)
This TV movie recounts the true-life story of a corporate takeover in the greed-driven 1980s. James Garner is F. Ross Johnson, CEO of RJR-Nabisco. Having just been burned by an expensive failure of a smokeless cigarette product, Johnson doesn't wish to incur the wrath of the stockholders. He begins drawing up plans to buy RJR-Nabisco outright so he'll have no one to answer to but himself. Unfortunately for Johnson, his company is also being coveted by sharkish "buyout king" Henry Kravis (Jonathan Pryce), who turns out to have $25 billion at his beck and call. Barbarians at the Gate was adapted by Larry Gelbart from the book by Bryan Burrough and John Helyar. Advertised as a "docucomedy", the film premiered March 20, 1993, over the HBO cable service. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Garner, Jonathan Pryce, (more)
Dudley Moore and Eddie Murphy try but fail to bring this flat comedy to life, while the story itself is hampered by intercutting between the years of 1982 in Los Angeles (Moore) and 1984 in Kuwait (Murphy), with no explanation of how these two disparate people and locations are related. Wylie (Moore) is an inept engineer trying to perfect a gyro system for his employers who contract projects with the U.S. defense department. Wylie accidentally gets some blueprints for another type of gyro -- and his company successfully manufactures the part, much to almost everyone's benefit. Unfortunately, these plans are coveted by a certain ruthless industrial spy (David Rasch), and the FBI itself is suspicious about the origins of the blueprints in Wylie's hands. Meanwhile (and in constant interspersed segments), Landry (Murphy) is trying to get his tank to stay on course, but no matter what he does the machine swerves and lunges at random -- could there be a gyro at fault here? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dudley Moore, Eddie Murphy, (more)
- 1995
- Add Bigfoot: The Unforgettable Encounter to QueueAdd Bigfoot: The Unforgettable Encounter to top of Queue
Lost in the Northwest woods, a young boy ends up caught in a bear trap and threatened by a ferocious grizzly. Fortunately, he is saved by a friendly Sasquatch. Later the boy unwittingly plays a role in the Bigfoot's capture. Now it is the lad's turn to save his shaggy friend from those who would exploit him. This action-packed outdoor adventure was designed especially for young children. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt McCoy, Crystal Chappell, (more)
A boy saves and befriends a mangy ex-circus dog and adopts him as a pet--without his father's knowledge. As the family moves across the country, the dog attempts to follow, getting into close calls and lots of adventures along the way. Will Bingo end up in the arms of his favorite boy? This spoof/adventure/comedy contains some violence and profanity. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cindy Williams, David Rasche, (more)
Joel and Ethan Coen's jet-black comedy Burn After Reading begins with CIA agent Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) losing his job. This prompts his long-suffering, unfaithful wife (Tilda Swinton) to consult a lawyer about divorcing him. Osborne decides to write a book about his exploits, but an early draft of his work ends up lost at a gym where it's found by the dim-witted Chad (Brad Pitt, and the plastic-surgery obsessed Linda (Frances McDormand). They decide to blackmail Osborne in order to help Linda pay for the numerous procedures she wants to undergo. Things grow even more complicated when Linda starts an affair with Harry (George Clooney), who also happens to be sleeping with Cox's wife. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Clooney, Frances McDormand, (more)
Crime is the disease and Sylvester Stallone is the cure in Cobra, a high-octane rehash of the Clint Eastwood/Dirty Harry films, burnished to a 1980s action sheen. Stallone is Marion Cobretti, a cop called in when regular police methods have failed. Cobra is sent to get a cult of Charles Manson-like serial killers and to protect Ingrid (Brigitte Nielsen), a beautiful, statuesque witness who is set to testify against them. Cobra deposits Ingrid in an out-of-the-way town for safe-keeping, but a mole in the police department tips off the killers. The gang comes racing into town to get Ingrid, but Cobra is there waiting for them, ready to spring into action. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sylvester Stallone, Brigitte Nielsen, (more)
- 2000
The title of this NBC sitcom refers to its protagonist, Secret Service agent Jerome "Dag" Daggett (by an amazing coincidence, the letters in the title also form the initials of the series' star, David Allen Grier). During an assassination attempt on the president of the United States (David Rasche), Dag's efforts to protect his charge, though eminently successful, serve to make him look like a fool (he dodges right instead of left ). Quickly reassigned to a detail where he won't be able to do any harm, Dag is placed in charge of protecting Hillary-like first lady Judith Whitman (elta Burke) and her troublesome teenage daughter Camilla (Lea Moreno Young). As Dag dreams of restoring his former prestige in the Service, he is forced to content himself with walking the First Lady's dog and purchasing her groceries. Gradually, Dag realizes that he will never escape his exile: Despite their initial protestations, Judith and Camilla decide that they enjoy his company and, funnily enough, he enjoys theirs. Originally scheduled for an October 31, 2000, debut, DAG was delayed until November 14 due to some last-minute format-tinkering. The series' production staff included Andrew Gordon, Eileen Conn, and Jack Burdett, all veterans of the popular sitcom Just Shoot Me. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Alan Grier, Delta Burke, (more)
- 1995
- R
Sex and science fiction are again combined in this sophomoric fantasy set somewhere in the future in an unnamed US city. The tale begins as the media announces the unwelcome arrival of an alien spacecraft, from which a beautiful Asian woman disembarks. She has come to the gang-ravaged city for a little vacation. The head of the city's police regime, General Hayden, wants to catch her and get rid of the gangs simultaneously. To do so, he sounds an earthquake alarm and then orders a mass evacuation of the town. Only the police and the gangs remain, and it is lucky Officer Weed who gets to meet the toothsome alien Amelia first. Since her arrival, Amelia has changed herself into a seductive black woman in a silver metallic suit. Unable to resister her bountiful charms, Weed and she do the nasty, and he learns that among her many talents is her ability to change into any kind of woman she wants to be; he also learns that she needs sex like he needs food. Lucky her, she found a veritable banquet in the lusty Weed. Meanwhile, the gang wars rage on. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
John Candy plays Jack Gable, a soap-opera writer who finds himself trapped inside his own television program with a magic typewriter in this toothless comedy. Jack finds himself embroiled in protecting his beloved Laura (Emma Samms), an actress who plays Rachel Hedison in Jack's show -- "Beyond Our Dreams" -- from having her character being killed off by the program's producers, the Sherwoods (Jerry Orbach, Renee Taylor). Laura has recently broken off with her co-star and lover Dennis (David Rasche) and is heading off for a weekend with Jack. As Jack unloads Laura's luggage, he conks himself on the head and knocks himself out. He awakens in a town bearing a name similar to the town in his soap opera. Dennis is on hand, but as his character in the show -- Dr. Paul Kirkland. Jack realizes that he has found himself in an alternative world made up of his soap opera world -- particularly apparent when he is recognized as Jack Gates, "the Wolf of Wall Street." Jack then meets Laura, who, in this soap opera world, is actually Janet Dubois, the daughter of a late biochemist who invented a pill that allows anyone to eat whatever they want and not gain any weight. The unscrupulous Hedison family (Raymond Burr, Charles Rocket, Dylan Baker) want to steal the formula for the pill and make a fortune for their pharmaceutical company. Jack then discovers that he can exit and re-enter the show at will and can alter the narrative of the show however he wants by typing up new plot points on his typewriter. In order to save Laura's character from the Sherwoods, Jack re-writes the show to save Janet by having his own character come to her rescue at the last minute. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Candy, Mariel Hemingway, (more)
- 2002
- PG13
- Add Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood to QueueAdd Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood to top of Queue
Screenwriter Callie Khouri makes her directorial debut with this adaptation of a pair of popular novels by author Rebecca Wells, Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Little Altars Everywhere. Sandra Bullock stars as Sidda Lee Walker, a New York playwright who opens a can of emotional worms with her estranged, boozy mother, Vivi (Ellen Burstyn), when she discusses her painful childhood and particularly Vivi's less-than-enviable mothering skills in a Time magazine article. The eccentric Louisiana drama queen Vivi has already been barred from her daughter's oft-delayed wedding to her fiancé, Connor (Angus Macfadyen), so the article sends her into a rage. Coming to the rescue of the relationship are Necie (Shirley Knight), Caro (Maggie Smith), and Teensy (Fionnula Flanagan), a trio of bickering women, who, along with Vivi, formed a secret society of feminist empowerment and friendship 60 years earlier that they dubbed the "Ya-Ya Sisterhood." The Ya-Yas kidnap Sidda and bring her home to Louisiana, where they reveal to Sidda via a carefully maintained scrapbook her mother's painful past (with Vivi portrayed in flashback by Ashley Judd), effecting a rapprochement between mother and daughter. Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood also stars James Garner. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sandra Bullock, Ellen Burstyn, (more)
The time has come for the annual Woman of Distinction award to be bestowed upon the most compelling female personality in media, and as the ceremony looms on the horizon and each of the three nominees practice their acceptance speeches, entertainment news television show host Bob Smith probes mercilessly into the personal lives of all three women to seek out scandal and boost ratings by any means necessary. From Martha Stewart wannabe Susan Andrews (Brenda Strong) to sensationalist-minded British talk-show host Jade Blake (Gia Carides) and Mexican-American morning show co-host Laura Silvera (Lumi Cavazos), it seems that each of the distinguished media personalities have something to hide. As the wheels of the media keep turning and everyone looks to exploit someone else for their own personal gain, the struggle to earn the Woman of Distinction award finds each woman taking a look inside themselves to find out just what it really takes to stay on top in a career where there's always someone waiting on the sidelines for you to stumble. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tate Donovan, Gia Carides, (more)
- 1982
- R
An Italian deli owner (Tom Skerritt) gets fed up with the petty hoodlums in his south Philadelphia neighborhood who have been terrorizing his friends. He decides to form a neighborhood watch group to fight off the crooks. While his intentions are the very best, the group of vigilantes he forms resorts to beating up offenders before bothering to call the police, the police themselves are irritated that the citizens are interfering, and the deli owner starts to like the publicity he is getting for his vigilante work. As things unravel, a television news crew is there to present all sides of the story. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Skerritt, Patti LuPone, (more)
Clint Eastwood's adaptation of the non-fiction book Flags of Our Fathers concerns the lives of the men in the famous picture of soldiers raising the American flag over Iwo Jima during that historic WWII battle. Battle scenes are intercut with footage of three of the soldiers - played by Ryan Phillipe, Jesse Bradford, and Adam Beach -- who survived the battle going on a goodwill tour of the United States in order to sell war bonds. Many evening they are forced to reenact their famous pose, something each of them finds more and more difficult to do as they suffer from survivor's guilt. Eastwood frames the story by having one of the men's grown son (Tom McCarthy) interview his father's old comrades in order to find out more about what happened to his father. Eastwood followed this film with Letters from Iwo Jima, a second film about the battle of Iwo Jima, but told from the Japanese perspective. Flags of Our Fathers was produced by Eastwood and Steven Spielberg. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ryan Phillippe, Jesse Bradford, (more)
The Christmas holidays are fast approaching when Los Angeles native Ian (George Newbern) gets an unexpected invitation from his father (David Rasche) to join him for a vacation in Park City, Utah. The two don't get along especially well, but Ian goes partly in hopes of patching up the relationship, and partly because his friends figure it would be a nice vacation. In fact, they're so convinced that several of them end up tagging along. Good looking guy Jon (Stephen Baldwin) is determined to seduce good looking gal Carla (an obviously well-cast Claudia Schiffer), despite heavy competition from German ski instructor Hans (Robert Downey Jr.), while David (Danny Nucci) is equally determined to do something about his pesky virginity. Meanwhile, Keaton (Neill Barry) discovers his sister (Suzanne Cryer) is dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, and she wants Keaton to resolve his issues with their father before it's too late. But Keaton has other emotional issues to deal with when he finds out his longtime friend Lisa (Alison Eastwood) wants them to move past friendship into a deeper relationship. This romantic comedy-drama was the debut feature from writer/director George Haas. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stephen Baldwin, Danny Nucci, (more)
- 1994
In this made-for-TV movie inspired by the popular series Hart to Hart, jet-setting Jennifer and Jonathan Hart (Stephanie Powers and Robert Wagner) are attending a party for a successful publisher on his private island resort. Jennifer happens to overhear two men discussing a murder they plan to commit -- and their intended victim appears to be Jonathan. Suddenly the Harts have to find out why Jonathan has become a marked man while staying out of harm's way as they track the killers. Hart to Hart: Old Friends Never Die also stars Mike Farrell and Paul Williams. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
In this involved send-up of two American icons -- the automobile and the tourist trap -- the tiny Florida town of Ticlaw strives desperately for success after it has been denied the most essential of all tourist amenities -- a freeway exit. The insane, and mostly successful, schemes of the mayor (William Devane) and other distinctly unbalanced citizens interrupt, often hilariously, the lives of various eccentric travellers forced into a place they never intended to be. Critics disagree violently on whether this is a neglected classic or sophomoric nonsense. The winning record of director (John Schlesinger) (Midnight Cowboy, Marathon Man, Cold Comfort Farm, etc.,) and first-class performances by William Devane, Beau Bridges, Beverly D'Angelo, Hume Cronyn, JessicaTandy and a plethora of great character actors -- not to mention the water-skiing elephant and the wild rhino -- argue that it's worth a look. ~ Michael P. Rogers, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Beau Bridges, Hume Cronyn, (more)
- 1999
Produced for the TNT cable network, this is the last in a short series of TV movies starring Burt Reynolds as retired police detective Logan McQueen. Something of a bargain-basement Die Hard, the plot is set in motion when a disturbed, vengeance-seeking Vietnam veteran named Arlin Flynn (Keith Carradine) takes over the landmark California hotel where congressman Robert Sinclair (David Rasche) is delivering a speech, then kidnaps Sinclair's family. The situation becomes personal for maverick former cop McQueen when his ex-partner Charlie Duffy (Charles Durning) is also kidnapped while trying to negotiate with Flynn. Despite the many deadly booby traps set in and around the besieged hotel by the crazed but clever villain, McQueen endeavors to defuse the crisis and rescue the hostages himself. Directed by longtime Burt Reynolds crony Hal Needham, Hostage Hotel first aired November 14, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burt Reynolds, Charles Durning, (more)
The run-up to war makes for curious rivalries and uneasy alliances in this political satire from director and co-screenwriter Armando Iannucci. Simon Foster (Tom Hollander) is a minor minister of international development with the British government who, in the midst of a radio interview, casually tells a reporter "war is unforeseeable." However, the prime minister is being pressured to commit British troops to support American forces in the Middle East, and communications director Malcolm Tucker (Peter Capaldi) goes into a tirade when the press turns Foster's passing comment into a major news story. Foster becomes an unwitting media figure, and he and his personal communications director, Judy (Gina McKee), are joined by political damage control expert Toby (Chris Addison) as they're sent to Washington, D.C., to meet with American political and military leaders. Despite Judy's and Toby's help, Foster displays a stubborn inability to say what he's supposed to, and he finds himself caught in the middle between pro-war factions -- including diplomat Karen Clarke (Mimi Kennedy) and State Department official Linton Barwick (David Rasche) -- and those who oppose the conflict, including Pentagon attaché General Miller (James Gandolfini) and activist Liza (Anna Chlumsky). As if matters weren't already complicated enough, Liza used to date Toby when they were college students, and Gen. Miller was once involved with Clarke, adding bitter romantic history to an already rocky playing field. In the Loop received its North American premiere at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Capaldi, James Gandolfini, (more)
Can a new marriage survive meddling friends, disapproving families, and some of the worst accommodations in Europe? That's the question posed in this broad comedy. Tom Leezak (Ashton Kutcher) is a regular guy who likes sports and beer and tries to make ends meet working as a nighttime radio traffic reporter. Sarah McNerney (Brittany Murphy) is a beautiful young woman from a wealthy and privileged family who is trying to make a name for herself as a writer. Tom and Sarah have seemingly nothing in common, but that doesn't stop them from falling in love. Sarah's family doesn't much care for Tom's boorish ways, and Tom's buddies think Sarah is too highbrow for him, but, if anything, this makes the couple all the more determined to be together, and they decide to get married and head off to Italy for a month-long honeymoon despite the pleas of those closest to them. However, even after the knot is tied, Sarah's former beau, Peter Prentiss (Christian Kane), is dead set upon breaking up the happy couple, though as it turns out, a seemingly endless stream of bad luck and post-marital jitters may do the job for him. Just Married was written by Sam Harper, who claims to have loosely based the script on his own experiences on an ill-starred European honeymoon with his wife; fortunately, the couple's marriage survived the experience. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ashton Kutcher, Brittany Murphy, (more)
- 1980
- R
In this Sidney Lumet romantic comedy, Max Herschel (Alan King) is a powerful businessman who keeps a bevy of beauties for pleasure to escape his alcoholic wife, Connie (Dina Merrill). His main minx is Bones Burton (Ali MacGraw), a successful television producer who is tiring of Max's lack of commitment. When she takes up with Steven (Peter Weller), Max does everything in his power to win her back. Silent screen star Myrna Loy plays Max's faithful secretary, in her last big-screen role, and steals the show. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan King, Ali MacGraw, (more)
- 1987
- PG
Alan Rudolph directed this offbeat, boy-meets-girl romance in which boy dies, dead boy meets dead girl, dead boy loses dead girl, and dead boy tries to find dead girl again. The tale begins is a small Pennsylvania town, where Mike Shea (Timothy Hutton) dreams of escaping small town life and moving to California with his girlfriend Brenda (Mare Winningham). But Brenda leaves him with his motor running and Mike takes off alone. On the way, he rescues a woman and her children from an icy river but perishes himself. He finds himself in Heaven, where he is greeted by Aunt Lisa (Maureen Stapleton), who explains the rules and regulations. Once in the ethereal realm, Mike falls in love with a heavenly lass with flaxen locks named Annie (Kelly McGillis). But their love is torn asunder because Annie has not yet earned her wings on Earth; she must leave on a tour of duty and put in time inhabiting a human body. Mike is beside himself in despair, but the heavenly powers, in the form of Emmett (Debra Winger), chain-smoking and sporting an orange crewcut like a ghostly Laurie Anderson, offer him a deal. Mike can return to Earth, but only on the stipulation that neither he nor Annie will remember each other. They then have thirty years in which to find one another again. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Timothy Hutton, Kelly McGillis, (more)
Set in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, this magical family tale centers on a divorced radio talk show psychiatrist who has been so immersed in his career that he has neglected his two kids, Ashley and Josh. To rectify the situation, he takes them to a beautiful lakeside cabin in Glenorky, BC, the supposed home of a giant mythological reptilian monster. Though he has ostensibly come to spend time with the kids, the lure of working on his book is too strong and soon he is locked away in the cabin amidst papers, a cellular phone and a lap-top, busily clacking away while the children head out to explore. It is Ashley who first sees the mythical monster. She tells her dad, and of course, he initially disbelieves her, but the girl seems so earnest that he begins to wonder. His investigation of the matter leads him down a magical road to reconciliation with his children and the rediscovery that there is a wonderful life outside of his career. He even manages to find a little love along the way. This film is also known as Glenorky. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mark Harmon, Joshua Jackson, (more)
