Joely Richardson Movies

Director David Moore collaborates with screenwriter Sarah Williams to explore the forbidden love that ultimately drove King Edward VIII to become the only British monarch ever to voluntarily step down from the throne. It was at a fashionable party in 1931 that Edward, Prince of Wales first met outspoken American Wallis Simpson. Though married at the time of their initial meeting, Simpson and her husband would subsequently accompany Edward to numerous parties and social gatherings. Aware of Edward's increasing infatuation with his unquestioningly faithful wife but unwilling to give up the perks that come with being in the royal inner circle, Simpson's husband willingly went along with the ruse before eventually abandoning the marriage to be with another woman. Much to the consternation of the royal family - who viewed a twice-divorced American as an improper match for the future king - Edward and Simpson would subsequently enter into a romance that was still going strong when Edward's father died in 1936. Now faced with the prospect of abandoning the woman he loves for the sake of fulfilling his royal birthright, Edward's refusal to end his relationship with Simpson was seen as a baffling and infuriating weakness driven by selfishness and recklessness by the rest of his family. Later, as Simpson is demonized by the press, the royal family, and the public at large, she offers to leave the country quietly so that Edward can assume his rightful position on the throne. But her offer had fallen on deaf ears, and on December 10, 1936 Edward renounced the throne for both himself and his descendents in order to follow his heart and be with the woman he truly loved. As a result of his decision, not one member of the royal family would attend the wedding of the Duke and Dutchess of Windsor. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Tom Berenger and Joely Richardson star in this live-action adaptation of Susan Wojciechowski's beloved children's tome, The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey. The fable centers around two lonely, broken people. Jonathan Toomey (Berenger) is a woodcutter who buried his ability to love when he lost his wife and child in a horrid accident, and thus earned the nickname Gloomy at the hands of misunderstanding local children. Thomas McDowell (newcomer Luke Ward-Wilkinson) watched quietly as the death of his father ripped away his childhood innocence - and destroyed his world. Now, Thomas's single mother, Susan (Richardson) must sell their urban home and move, son-in-tow, into the countryside to live with her sister. When Thomas grows virtually inconsolable over the loss of a wooden manger scene bequeathed to him by his dad, Susan asks Jonathan to carve a new one for the young boy. In time, a most unexpected friendship blossoms between Thomas and the old woodcutter, that heals the wounds and melts the heart of each broken soul. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Forget about Hitchcock's Birds, because in this made-for-television disaster film an outbreak of the dreaded Avian Flu mutates to cause a worldwide pandemic that will shake the very foundations of modern society. The worst case scenario has finally become a reality. Born in Hong Kong and gradually adapting the traits which allow it to transfer from human to human, the Avian Flu causes mass panic as tens of millions of men, women, and children rapidly succumb to the its ravaging effects. As panic sweeps through the streets and entire cities are quarantined, humankind will discover that the dreaded Black Death of the 14th century was merely a minor precursor to the virus that would decimate the entire planet as it threatens the very existence of the human race. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Rather surprisingly inspired by a true story, this made-for-cable movie stars Joely Richardson as Laren Sims, a career con artist who jumps probation and takes it on the lam with her long-suffering young daughter, Haylei (Hayden Panettiere). Using a stolen car and stolen credit cards, Laren ends up in Las Vegas, where she manages to persuade wealthy lawyer and horseman Lucas Mckenzie (Colm Feore) into marriage. Careful not to reveal her sordid past to her new husband, Laren insists to the doubting Haylei (who has been violently opposed to the marriage from the start) that she intends to turn over a new leaf -- and further, that all of her past crimes were committed out of love for her daughter! The trail of lies begins to unravel when Laren's previous life comes back to haunt her, leading inexorably to murder. Lies My Mother Told Me premiered March 7, 2005, on the Lifetime network. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The owners of Miami's trendy McNamara-Troy cosmetic surgery clinic face multiple midlife (and other) crises as the FX comedy drama series Nip/Tuck enters its second season. Now that they have both reached the age of 40, longtime business partners Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) must make some crucial decisions that will affect their future lives, to say nothing of their professional futures as expert surgical face-lifters. For Sean, the big four-oh means that he will no longer allow himself to be bullied and cowed by his demanding wife Julia (Joely Richardson) and his insolent teenage son Matt (John Hensley) -- at least not as much as he used to be. One aspect of Sean's newer, bolder outlook on life is his brief romantic fling with a self-reliant blind woman, played by guest star Rebecca Gayheart.
As for Christian, he remains as avaricious as ever when it comes to money and creature comforts, but he is also beginning to exhibit a hitherto well-hidden streak of responsibility, as manifested in his desire to adopt the son of his girlfriend Gina (Jessalyn Gilsig). Major developments this season include the revelation of a devastating secret about Sean's son Matt, one that not only threatens to destroy his marriage, but also to permanently split up the firm of McNamara-Troy. Also, Sean invites New Age life coach Ava Moore (Famke Janssen) into his home to help deal with the personal travails of his wife Julia, only to stand by in shock and awe as Ava inaugurates a romance with Matt. Figuring into this delicate situation is Ava's own son Adrian (Seth Gabel), who has some serious issues of his own. And weaving throughout the proceedings is an elusive serial rapist known only as The Carver, who disfigures the faces of his victims -- and who is willing to slash up both women and men, as both Sean and Christian discover to their horror. Among the more fascinating clients passing through the doors of McNamara-Troy during season two are Julia's mother, played by Joely Richardson's real-life mom Vanessa Redgrave; Jill Clayburgh as a dissatisfied customer who is willing to make a public spectacle of herself to ruin Sean and Chris; Lori and Reba Schappell as a pair of conjoined twins who wish to be separated; and in the season finale, Joan Rivers as herself, insisting upon having her multitudinous face lifts "revoked" for the sake of her grandson! ~ Rovi

The first season of F/X's Nip/Tuck finds doctors Sean McNamara (Dylan Walsh) and Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) enjoying success at McNamara-Troy, the plastic surgery practice they built after having gone through medical school and much of their young adult lives together. While Christian is perfectly happy making tremendous amounts of money and using his status to bed all the beautiful women Florida has to offer, Sean is desperate to take on pro bono cases. Though this eventually comes to fruition, the limitations in his personal life continue -- his relationship with his son, Matt (John Hensley), is strained, while his marriage to Julia (Joely Richardson) is mediocre at best; both he and Julia have seriously contemplated extramarital affairs. This season also marks the entrance of a ruthless Columbian drug lord, who at one point was blackmailing Sean and Christian into helping him transplant drugs into the U.S. via heroin-filled breast implants. Though he eventually is brought to justice, it makes life even more difficult for the surgeons. Luckily, the constant stream of patients into McNamara-Troy all have something to offer -- their outside flaws, whether real or merely a result of societal pressure, help Sean and Christian examine their own internal imperfections. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

Laurie Weltz directed this period drama, set in 1959 at a seaside New Jersey town where former silent-screen actress Lulu Fraker (Claire Bloom) runs Lulu's Look Out, a women's rooming house. Teen Maddy Hawkins (Aleksa Palladino of Manny & Lo), employed at a local garage, feels abandoned after the wedding party for her best friend, Mary (Adrienne Shelly), who's moving to Colorado. However, Maddy's attention is soon directed toward carnival worker Will (Sam Trammell), and she also gets involved in the problem of Lulu's boarder Claire (Joely Richardson), a French war bride and widow now pregnant by gregarious garage owner Rick (Jay O. Sanders). The problem is that Claire doesn't love Rick, so Claire and Maddy set off on a journey to visit an abortionist. Shown at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

Set in Wales a few hundred years ago, Rebecca's Daughters stars Paul Rhys as an aristocratic member of the ruling class. Rhys is not happy with the way that the members of his social order, particularly dissipated nobleman Peter O'Toole, are taxing the Welsh peasants into nonexistence. Thus, he decides to become a man of the people-or, more accurately, a woman of the people. Disguising himself as a crusading female named Rebecca, Rhys leads a peasant revolt against the aristocracy. No, of course this isn't meant to be taken seriously. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on a novel by Catherine Heath, the four-part British miniseries Behaving Badly starred Judi Dench as Bridget, a typically dutiful upper middle-class wife and mother. Upon learning that her husband is a philanderer, Bridget is shocked but willing to forgive. But when hubby walks out, she decides to kick over the traces and have some fun of her own, which -- in time-honored "double standard" fashion -- thoroughly scandalizes her family and friends. Behaving Badly first aired in 1988 over Britain's Channel 4. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A discredited journalist (Daniel Craig) and a mysterious computer hacker discover that even the wealthiest families have skeletons in their closets while working to solve the mystery of a 40-year-old murder in this David Fincher-directed remake of the 2009 Swedish thriller of the same name. Inspired by late author Stieg Larsson's successful trilogy of books, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo gets under way as the two leads (Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara) are briefed in the disappearance of Harriet Vanger, whose uncle suspects she may have been killed by a member of their own family. The deeper they dig for the truth, however, the greater the risk of being buried alive by members of the family, who will go to great lengths to keep their secrets tightly sealed. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In this light comedy directed by British writer-comedian Ben Elton, Sam and Lucy Bell (Hugh Laurie and Joely Richardson) are an upwardly mobile London couple who are trying desperately to conceive a baby. Along for the ride, which is laden with sperm-count and hormone-injection jokes, is a cast that reads like a Who's Who in British comedy. Rowan Atkinson makes an appearance as an obstetrician, Dawn French and Joanna Lumley show up as an Australian nurse and Lucy's snooty boss, and Emma Thompson has a stint as a New Age health freak. Adrian Lester and Tom Hollander also co-star, the latter as a Brit-loathing Scottish director. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi

Meg Richman made her feature directorial debut with this modernization of Henry James' Wings of the Dove, set in Seattle where musician Cynthia (Molly Parker) breaks up with drug-addict Buck (Aden Young). After Cynthia answers an ad for a live-in caretaker, she meets Eleanor Dunston (Joely Richardson), who is dying of cancer. The two becomes friends, despite Cynthia's obvious envy of Eleanor's life of luxury at her large estate. Realizing that she still loves Buck, she introduces him to Eleanor as her half-brother, and he gets work as a gardener on the grounds. Observing Eleanor's interest in Buck, she moves to manipulate the situation and has the reluctant Buck begin a relationship with Eleanor. Made for telecasting by Showtime, this feature was shown at the 1998 Sundance film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi