Lynn Redgrave Movies
Specializing in comedic roles, Lynn Redgrave has made significant contributions to her illustrious family's five-generation-long reputation for producing fine British actors. The daughter of actors Sir Michael Redgrave and Rachel Kempson and the sister of actors Corin and Vanessa Redgrave, the London-born Lynn studied acting at the Central School of Music and Drama. She first appeared on-stage in a 1962 production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at the Royal Court Theatre. She was next invited by Sir Laurence Olivier to become one of the first members in Britain's National Theatre. There she appeared in Hamlet opposite her father and Peter O'Toole for three years as well as in many other prestigious productions. Redgrave made her feature-film debut in Tony Richardson's ribald Tom Jones (1963). She then had a starring role in The Girl With Green Eyes (1964), but did not become an international star until she played the plump and pathetic protagonist in Georgy Girl (1966). Her work earned her an Oscar nomination and a Best Actress award from the New York Film Critics and led to her playing leading roles in a number of films on both sides of the Atlantic. In 1974, Redgrave immigrated to the U.S. She eventually lost a lot of weight and became a fine comic actress, noted for her unabashed naughty sense of humor. For a while, she was a popular guest on the television talk show/game show circuit as well as a popular spokesperson for the Weight Watchers diet organization. Her '70s film appearances ran the gamut from Woody Allen's Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex, But Were Afraid to Ask (1972) to playing the title role in The Happy Hooker (1975). Redgrave has also appeared in television movies and in the series House Calls (1979-1981), Teachers Only (1982-1983), and Chicken Soup (1989). In the late '90s, Redgrave staged a successful one-woman show, Shakespeare for My Father. In 1996, Redgrave won acclaim for her portrayal of the loving astrologer who married troubled pianist David Helfgott in Scott Hicks' Shine. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1999
Veteran Canadian filmmaker Mort Ransen follows the critical and commercial success of Margaret's Museum (1995) with this unusual romance between a young man and a much older woman in the backwaters of British Columbia. Carrie (Lynn Redgrave) is an aging, hard-drinking widow. Her estranged daughter Sylvie (Lolita Davidovich) is trying to sell Carrie's café, the locals are trying to kick Carrie out of her house, and Carrie's dead husband's friend Burt is making romantic advances on her. All seems bleak until a dashing young stranger named Shawn (Tygh Runyan) suddenly ingratiates himself into Carrie's house, life, and eventually her bed. Soon she awakens from her drunken tailspin and reaches out to her daughter. Though Shawn seems utterly unfazed by the 40-some year gulf between he and Carrie, he also proves to be deeply unbalanced. This film was screened at the 1999 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lynn Redgrave, Tygh Runyan, (more)
- 1999
- R
Charles Burnett directed this offbeat comic romance about a pair of aging eccentrics whose imaginary companions sometimes interfere with their "real" lives. Fish (James Earl Jones) is an elderly Jamaican expatriate who has spend much of his adult life in a mental institution in New York. One of the clearest manifestations of Fish's madness is Hank, an imaginary nemesis whom Fish must often beat until he obeys. After he's released, Fish heads to Los Angeles, where he takes a room in a boarding house run by Mrs. Muldroone (Margot Kidder). Living across the hall from Fish is Poinsetta (Lynn Redgrave), an older woman who may be crazier than Fish: she drinks a great deal, loves to listen to Puccini, and is convinced that the long-dead composer is following her around (and is in love with her). In time, Fish and Poinsetta become friends and then lovers, but when she accidentally "kills" Hank, Fish is suddenly robbed of one of the only constants in his life. The Annihilation of Fish was screened in the 1999 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lynn Redgrave, James Earl Jones, (more)
- 1999
20 years ago, a car crash left Hope Goodell (Annabeth Gish) with permanent brain damage. Hope's ultra-perfectionist mother Amanda (Lynn Redgrave) has since responded to the girl's handicap by virtually rejecting her, lavishing all her affection on Amanda's "normal" sister. Refusing to follow her mother's lead, the adult Hope intends to raise her own, healthy daughter with the unconditional love that has always been part and parcel of her personality. Made for cable, Different was first seen over the Lifetime channel on May 10, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1999
The Yuletide Season is anything but merry for Emily (Carla Gugino), who is forced to take charge of her nephew J.T. (Evan Sabara) and niece Alanna (Mae Whitman) when their drug-addicted mother (Laura Dern) O.D.'s and the kids are dispossessed. When it looks as though the kids will be sucked into the merciless maelstrom of the foster-care system, Emily packs them up and heads out of her home state, ending up in a little town that happens to be named Bethlehem Even though the authorities have been temporarily left behind, Emily will need a miracle to keep her family together. Enter a versatile guardian angel (Patty Duke), who assumes a variety of earthly guises to save the day for Emily, J.T. and Alanna--and also orchestrates a romance between Emily and a sympathetic local cop (David Conrad). Based on a novel by Marilyn Pappano, A Season for Miracles first aired as a CBS Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation on December 12, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Carla Gugino, David Conrad, (more)
- 1998
- PG13
Sarah Kernochan wrote and directed this nostalgic coming-of-age comedy-drama with some autobiographical touches. In 1963, budgetary problems at the East Coast boarding school Miss Godard's School for Girls, prompt a merger with a boy's academy. The girls are stunned at the prospect of going co-ed and devise a campaign to sabotage the plan. Screenwriter Kernochan, scripter of Sommersby and 9 1/2 Weeks, won an Oscar when she co-directed the 1972 documentary Marjoe, but this film marks her feature directorial debut creating comedy-drama. The upstate New York seen here is actually Toronto. The title created some confusion, since Kernochan's film received reviews the same month the 1998 New York Film Festival unspooled a new 35mm print of Sergei Eisenstein's silent classic Strike (1924). ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lynn Redgrave, Gaby Hoffmann, (more)
In this made-for-TV drama, Sarah Polley plays Catherine, a college freshmen who is ignored by her family and feels like an outcast among her fellow students. While browsing the Internet, she comes across the website of a white supremacist group and finds herself drawn into their spiral of hatred. She becomes a spokesperson for the organization, only to find herself questioning their views as she becomes more aware of the group's violent nature. The supporting cast includes Lynn Redgrave and Jonathan Scarfe. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sarah Polley, Tanya Allen, (more)
- 1998
This TV comedy series, an attempt to find humor in 1990s self-help, rehab and recovery programs, focuses on hard-drinking, former actress Billie Frank (Sherilyn Fenn), once the teen queen of primetime soaps, who now works for lowlife "B"-movie producer Harve Schwartz (Richard Lewis). Johnny (Michael Rapaport) is only one of an unending parade of predatory males standing in line to hit on Billie, and viewing the world through an alcoholic haze, she often has to check on the identity of the man next to her when she awakens. Matching Billie, drink for drink, is her mother Trudy (Lynn Redgrave). Sitcom segments are separated by onscreen titles, such as "Mother's Milk -- 80 Proof" and "Going Down -- This Time in the Elevator." Friends intervene to show Billie where she's headed, but their efforts go nowhere. Finally, the "rude awakening" happens when Billie drinks and drives -- and then collides with a fire hydrant. The next step is the first of 12, as she attends an Addictions Anonymous meeting, where Dave (Jonathan Penner) tries to score with her, and she encounters a wild lesbian, Jackie (Rain Pryor). Episodes titled "Lucky for Me Her Breast Exploded," "Three Dykes and You're Out," and "Vagina" followed the August 1, 1998 premiere on Showtime. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sherilyn Fenn, Lynn Redgrave, (more)
Gods and Monsters was promoted from the outset as an artistic drama, but the publicity tended to play coyly on the possibility of a homosexual romance between the retired film director James Whale, played by Ian McKellen and his hunky gardener Clayton Boone (Brendan Fraser). While the film does involve romance, the central relationship between the director and his gardener is about the development of a genuine friendship between two outwardly dissimilar but inwardly kindred spirits. In the story, Whale has been living for many years in peaceful, if not entirely contented retirement, under the loving and watchful eye of his contentious and argumentative Hungarian housekeeper (Lynn Redgrave). His earlier celebrity as the director of the original Frankenstein movie and its sequel, The Bride of Frankenstein, results in his being visited occasionally by disagreeable young men who have come to bask in the reminiscences of this creator of two "camp" classics. His reputation as a fairly outrageous homosexual comes into play here, when one particularly unpleasant and effeminate young man comes by seeking cinematic tidbits: the director challenges the boy to a game of stripping off one article of clothing for every revelation he shares about his moviemaking past. He had gotten the boy down to his briefs when he is stricken with one of his ever-recurring bouts of epilepsy, the result of a series of strokes. By way of contrast, while he is clearly interested in his gardener as a sex-object, gradually luring him into ever closer association, the openness and vulnerability of this awkwardly aggressive heterosexual boy inspires him to reveal the history of his heart. It turns out that, like the young man who is modeling for his supposed artworks, he came from a poor and difficult background. By the time naïve gardener learns of the director's homosexuality from the housekeeper, he has been drawn too deeply under the man's spell to stay away from their meetings for long. While the tension between the men never departs, a genuine relationship of caring develops between them. Meanwhile, Whale has been clearly observing the progressive deterioration of his mental faculties, and is increasingly being overwhelmed by vivid memories and visions. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, (more)
In this lighthearted family-oriented fantasy, originally made for the ABC anthology series The World of Disney, all business and unsympathetic dentist (Kirstie Alley) dies too young. Her angelic hosts believe she is not quite ready for heaven and return her to earth as the tooth fairy to give her a chance to redeem herself. At first she makes a rather acerbic wraith, but things change after she makes friends with a troubled child. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kirstie Alley, Dale Midkiff, (more)
- 1997
Brian Dennehy not only stars in this made-for-TV drama, but also serves as director and executive producer. Accused of raping his associate Rebecca Daly (Alice Krige), powerful attorney Eddie Brannigan (Brian Dennehy) elects to defend himself in court. Dismissing Rebecca's charges, Eddie insists that he merely "seduced" the willing woman, and that she is trying to make a name for herself at his expense. As the litigation proceeds, Eddie and Rebecca each build up a strong and vocal army of public supporters--while Brannigan's son Eddie Jr. (Reed Diamond) finds himself uncomfortably caught in the middle. Its title tinged with irony considering the outcome of the story, Indefensible: The Truth About Edward Brannigan was originally telecast November 25, 1997, on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brian Dennehy, Reed Diamond, (more)
The true story of a gifted Australian piano prodigy, this biographical drama was nominated for seven Oscars, with actor Geoffrey Rush winning for Best Actor. Rush stars as David Helfgott, a pianist with a history of mental problems. As a fragile boy genius at math, chess, and piano, David is driven hard by his overbearing father (Armin Mueller-Stahl), a tyrant who forbids him to accept a scholarship offered by the great violinist Isaac Stern. Although he studies briefly in London under tutor Cecil Parks (John Gielgud), David has a nervous breakdown after performing Rachmaninoff's daunting "Piano Concerto No. 3" (known as the "Rach 3"). Years later, the adult David keeps up a steady patter of nervous stammering at all times and has been reduced to playing in a bar. Through a friend, he meets astrologer Gillian (Lynn Redgrave), and falls in love with her. With Gillian's help, David embarks down the road to regained fame and mastery of the "Rach 3." The international popularity of Shine caused a sensation leading to a musical tour for Helfgott, whose performances were less adroit than many audiences expected, sparking criticism that writer-director Scott Hicks had exaggerated his subject's talent for dramatic purposes. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor, (more)
- 1993
This documentary, based on the book by Judy Taylor, takes a biographical look at the author and artist who created much-loved storybook characters including Peter Rabbit. ~ Kristie Hassen, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Narrated by Lynn Redgrave, the made-for-television Silent Mouse recounts the origin of the famous Christmas carol "Silent Night." Filmed in the mountains of Czechoslovakia and Austria, the movie is about a young boy who rescues a field mouse and the animal repays the child by becoming the church mouse. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Good thing they told us this Jury Duty: The Comedy; we might have thought it was Jury Duty: The Term Paper. This comedy salad features a whole slew of TV luminaries--Alan Thicke, Bill Kirchenbauer, Lynn Redgrave, Heather Locklear, Tracy Scoggin, Reginald VelJohnson etc.--playing judge, jury, defenders and prosecutors in an embezzlement case. The clue as to the film's sobriety level is the fact that Bronson Pinchot plays four roles: Sanford, Arthur Lloyd, Jorge Jimenez, and Magda. Highlights include a mid-trial pizza delivery, a faulty oxygen tank, and a kid holding up a "Hi Mom" sign for the benefit of the courtroom cameras. This dumb-but-lovable TV movie first aired January 15, 1990. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Michael Schultz's courtroom comedy The Great American Sex Scandal concerns jurors engaged in a complicated embezzlement trial. Through a combination of boredom and other emotions, soon many of the jurors are involved with each other in ways that do not help anyone find justice. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- 1989
- R
Based on Elizabeth Jane Howard's novel, Getting It Right this charming comedy follows the story of Gavin Lamb (Jesse Birdsall), a 31 year-old virgin who is terrified with women and still lives with his parents. Nevertheless, he becomes the subject of desire for a variety of women, including a single mother (Jane Horrocks), a wealthy pregnant girl (Helen Bonham Carter) and a middle-aged socialite (Lynn Redgrave). Gavin eventually finds love with one of the three women in this engaging, low-key romantic comedy. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jesse Birdsall, Helena Bonham Carter, (more)
- 1989
- R
A TV horror-movie hostess (Lynn Redgrave) is threatened when people close to her turn up dead. The standard version of the film went straight to video, though a director's cut later earned a limited theatrical release. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lynn Redgrave, Tony Curtis, (more)
- 1989
A 3 year court case was the result of a mother's fight to convict the man who killed her son with a lethal drug overdose injection as told in this true story. ~ All Movie Guide
An ambitious father thinks nothing of using his own son to achieve his political goals in this adolescent comedy. The lonely boy has spent the last seven years tucked away and ignored by his parents, Senator Tom Morgan and his social-climbing wife Nancy, in a distant boarding school. As the story begins, he receives the depressing news that once again they will be too busy to have him home for the holidays. But then, out of the blue, they change their minds and invite him home to stay there for good. The boy is elated, but soon after his arrival, he learns the bitter truth: his father only brought him back because it is an election year and his campaign manager thought he might do better if the public saw him as more of a family man. The boy then decides that it is high time some changes were made around the house and mayhem ensues. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Cryer, Lynn Redgrave, (more)
- 1986
Mariette Hartley stars in this groundbreaking TV movie as Gail Springer, a widowed mother on the horns of an outwardly familiar romantic dilemma. Equally in love with two different people, Gail has the devil's own time choosing between them. What made this film unique (at least when it initially aired over the ABC network on April 7, 1986) is that one of Gail's amours is her late husband's business partner Ben Taylor (Barry Newman)--while the other is Gail's female best friend, Marjorie Lloyd (Lynn Redgrave). Impeccably tasteful in its treatment of a potential volatile subject, and refreshingly honest and uncompromising at its conclusion, My Two Loves was filmed on location in San Antonio, Texas. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
