Tony Roberts
Hosted by Jamie Foxx, Laffapalooza! 8 features stand-up performances by a variety of comics including Darius Bradford, Rodney Perry, Mike Estime, and Leon Rogers. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
An intimate gathering staged to bring the host and his girlfriend closer together explodes into an all out house party due to the jealousy of his best friend in director Ceon Forte's snowballing comedy if misunderstandings. Derrick is desperate to have an intimate moment with his new girlfriend Reashon, and a candle lit, couples-only gathering seems like it would provide the perfect opportunity to romance to blossom. The only problem is that Derrick's best friend Jay can't find a date for the party. Bitter at being snubbed by his best friend for a girl, Jay invites everyone in the hood to Derreck's party and it's not too long before the house is overflowing with eager party seekers. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
A trio of troubled suburbanites attempts to come to grips with the personal issues that surface following the tragic death of one of their own in this introspective adolescent drama from L.I.E. screenwriter/director (Michael Cuesta). In the months following the death of Jacob's (Conor Donovan) likeable, athletic twin brother, Rudy (also Donovan), Jacob and friends Malee (Zoe Weizenbaum) and Leonard (Jesse Camacho) struggle to make sense of the unfortunate youth's fiery demise at the hands of local bullies. As Jacob quickly loses himself to revenge fantasies and sets into motion a series of destructive plans designed to destroy the kids responsible for his brother's death, Malee focuses her attention on a dejected patient of her psychotherapist mother, and obese Leonard struggles about weight and health issues with his equally obese mother. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Conor Donovan, Zoë Weizenbaum, (more)
- 2003
On the cusp of stardom, standup comic Maija DiGiorgio suffered an emotional breakdown while performing before a room packed with a number of the comedy industry's head honchos -- whom were on the receiving end of DiGiorgio's obscenity-laced outburst -- at the Aspen Comedy Festival. Subsequently faced with a nearly industry-wide blacklisting as a result, the comic (and film school graduate) came upon the idea of creating a film journal to document her struggles within the industry, as well as within her own psyche. The result is Bitter Jester, DiGiorgio's 2003 film that started as a document of self-examination and evolved into an examination of success and achievement within the standup circuit. Greatly assisted by the contacts and prestige of executive producer Richard Belzer -- a friend and former employer of DiGiorgio's boyfriend and co-conspirator Kenny Simmons -- DiGiorgio proceeds to gain access to a surprising berth of comedy legends, including Chevy Chase, Richard Pryor, Phyllis Diller, Whoopi Goldberg, and George Carlin, all of whom dispense insightful and sometimes surprising opinions about their individual achievements. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
JT, the lead character in Delvin Molden's Out on Parole, finds out on the final day of his parole that his mother is about to be evicted. He risks going back to jail in order to win a local lo-rider competition and pay off his mother's debt. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Attika J.Torrence and Donavan Lambert co-direct Brotherly Love, a film about two very different siblings who each learn a little bit about how the other one lives. Travis Parker (Attika Torrence) and Bryant Parker (Talent Harris) are the yin and yang brothers. One is a respected successful businessman, while the other is a low-level con artist. When another street hustler decides to get revenge for a scam pulled on him, the brothers must work together to sop the threat. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
Inspired by true events, Durdy Game is the urban tale of three women who become fed up with the continual abuse they've taken from men over the years. CoaCoa, Sha, and Meeka have only one concern: sweet revenge on their male counterparts. By using their own seductive powers as a means to betray their former abusers, the girls exercise their plan at breakneck speed. Things become messy, however, when a brutal murder throws their plans awry. They need to figure out the next step, and fast. Durdy Game is directed by Mody Mod and stars Tawny Dahl, Janisha Faith, Jay Barron, Najawaun Ali, Tony Roberts, and Karima Holloway. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- 2001
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Richard Rodgers was one of the finest and most influential composers the American musical theater ever produced; with such distinguished collaborators as Lorenz Hart and Oscar Hammerstein II, Rodgers crafted such classics as Oklahoma, The Sound of Music, Pal Joey, Carousel, South Pacific, Babes in Arms, The Boys From Syracuse, and Cinderella. Richard Rogers: Sweetest Sounds is a documentary produced for the PBS series American Masters which examines Rodgers' remarkable career, which spanned six decades, as well as his often troubled personal life, which was clouded by spells of alcoholism and depression. Richard Rogers: Sweetest Sounds includes interviews with composers Andrew Lloyd Webber and Richard Rodney Bennett, vocalists Julie Andrews and Maureen McGovern, jazz artist Billy Taylor, actress Celeste Holm, and critic John Lahr. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Four standup comics offer up a night of comedy that's rough, rugged, and raw in this home video featuring Tony Roberts, Kool Bubba Ice, Gerald Kelly, and Jay, who've appeared on such TV spotlights as Def Comedy Jam and B.E.T. Comic View. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
This filmed stage production of Victor/Victoria came to be through the collaboration of director Blake Edwards and his wife, singer and actress Julie Andrews. Andrews reprises her role as a female pretending to be a male who is impersonating a female, while Edwards once again directs. As with the 1982 film and 1996 Broadway productions of Victor/Victoria, Andrews' character rises through the entertainment circuit by means of her unique gimmick, leaving a Chicago gangster and the rest of her audience thoroughly confused about her true sexuality and its implications. Filmed shortly before her vocal chords were unfortunately injured, this production of Victor/Victoria marks the last musical performance by Andrews prior to the damage incurred to her singing voice after undergoing subsequent surgery. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Andrews, Tony Roberts, (more)
The potential witnesses to a mysterious murder all become suspects when a determined detective fails to crack the case in a hard-boiled mystery directed by Edward Vilga and starring Jill Hennessy, Paul Sorvino, and John Glover. When gunshots pierce the black stillness of the night and a body plunges into the icy depths of a deserted pier, an unidentified call to 911 sets into motion a curious series of chilling events. Though a subsequent murder outside of the Polite Persistence debt collection agency adjacent to the pier leads detective Sam (John Glover) to sense a connection between the two crimes, the tight-lipped employees of the agency seem to be taking extra caution to hide something big. Someone has to hold the key to this mystery, and whether it's the mob-connected Harvey (Sorvino), agency black sheep James (Justin Theroux), short-fused Frankie (Patricia Scanlon), anal-retentive Walter (Tony Roberts) or once-shady single mom Kate (Hennessy), Sam vows to crack the tough case even if it costs him his life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Sorvino, John Glover, (more)
- 1998
Investigating the stabbing death of a psychologist, the detectives find themselves in the middle of a bitter domestic dispute between a man and wife, Catholics both. The key to the investigation is the fact that the victim worked closely with the Archdiocese to arrange annulments. Once all the evidence is in, the DA's office must fence with an extremely resourceful defense attorney. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Sam Waterston joins the cast as Executive Assistant D.A. Jack McCoy in Law & Order's fifth-season opener. The case at hand is a "revolutionary" breast-cancer treatment that may have caused a woman's death. The D.A.'s office pursues the woman doctor who developed the treatment -- and who may very well be the "quack" that her colleagues have claimed her to be. In his pursuit of the accused, Jack McCoy demonstrates early on that his zeal for justice does not always adhere to the letter of the law. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
This made-for-cable version of Arthur Miller's play The American Clock was adapted for television by Frank Galati. Inspired partly by Studs Terkel's oral history Hard Times, and partly by Miller's own recollections, the film is set at the beginning of the Depression. When the stock market crashes, the well-to-do Baumler family (John Rubinstein, Mary McDonnell, Loren Dean) loses everything. The Baumlers are forced to move from their plush penthouse apartment to the less-attractive Brooklyn digs of Mrs. Baumler's sister (Joanna Miles). Twelve-year-old Lee Baumler (Dean), the Arthur Miller counterpart, hits the road to find out how others are coping with the Long National Nightmare. The alternately depressing and uplifting storyline moves along briskly to a surprisingly abrupt climax. Kelly Preston, David Strathairn, Eddie Bracken, Darren McGavin, and Estelle Parson co-star in The American Clock, which premiered over the TNT Cable Network on August 23, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1992
The set of a popular daytime drama proves to be rife with intrigues that go far beyond the script. At the center is the show's temperamental star Joanna Rollins (a pre-Star Trek: Voyager Kate Mulgrew), whose millionaire husband turns up murdered. In her efforts to solve the case, Jessica (Angela Lansbury) receives assistance from a surprising source: Joanna's former costar and ex-lover, whom she had fired from the show. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
A young aspiring actress is killed by a lethal drug overdose. At first glance, it seems the girl was driven to her death by her mother, the proverbial "stage mom from hell." But as the detectives and the D.A.'s office pursue the investigation, it becomes painfully clear that both mother and daughter are inextricably linked with the sleazy producer of porno films. This episode offers an interesting change-of-pace role for frequent Woody Allen co-star Tony Roberts. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Julie Andrews and Ann-Margaret combine their not inconsiderable talents for Our Sons. In her TV-movie debut, Ms. Andrews plays a San Diego businesswoman and self-styled liberal whose open-mindedness is put to the test when she discovers that her son (Hugh Grant) is homosexual. This brings Andrews in reluctant contact with Ann-Margaret, a brash Arkansas cocktail waitress whose own son (Zeijko Ivanek) is Andrews' son's lover. The occasion for the meeting between the two mothers is the revelation that Ann-Margaret's son has AIDS. Andrews and Ann-Margaret go through a lengthy period of self-denial and self-blame before coming to grips with the tragedy now facing them. William Hanley's screenplay for Our Sons was supposed to spotlight the mothers, but the strong rapport between the sons throws the emphasis off at times. The director was John Erman, whose previous successful collaborations with Ann-Margaret included Who Will Love My Children and A Streetcar Named Desire. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Ellen Barkin stars in this mystical comedy about a detestable male chauvinist temporarily reincarnated into the body of a woman. Steve Brooks (Perry King) foolishly accepts an invite for an evening of debauchery from three former girlfriends, and thinks he's got it made when he shows up to find them waiting for him in a hot tub. Eager to exact revenge on the scoundrel, the women proceed to drown him, and Steve is cast into a purgatory in which two unseen voices are deciding whether to send him to heaven or hell. Steve is given one chance to save himself from damnation -- if he can find a woman alive who actually liked him. To complicate his task and teach him a lesson, Steve is reincarnated as a sexy woman (Barkin), just the type who would have been the target of his cheesy advances. Sloppily adjusting to his new body, Steve (now Barkin) tells people he is the sister of the missing Steve Brooks, and begins working at his old advertising agency as a means toward completing his arduous task. As Steve's sister, he also enlists the help of his best friend, Walter (Jimmy Smits), despite the complication that Walter is noticeably attracted to the woman he has become. Steve's homophobia -- and several of his other hateful traits -- are put to the test. ~ Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ellen Barkin, Jimmy Smits, (more)
In this off-beat horror outing, a band of film students decide to scare up some cash by holding a film festival celebrating horror films from the '50s. Its all great fun until they discover that the projectionist is a homicidal maniac. Gory violence ensues as audience members begin dying in horrible ways. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jill Schoelen, Tom Villard, (more)
On his 81st birthday, grandpa George Burns, bemoans the fact that he's wasted his life, and wishes he had it to do all over again. He gets his wish when he and his 18-year-old grandson Charles Schlatter are involved in an auto accident. When he awakens, Burns' personality has been transferred to Schlatter's body, and vice versa! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Burns, Charlie Schlatter, (more)
- 1987
Anne Archer stars in the made-for-TV movie A Different Affair--and, surprise, she doesn't play a long-suffering victim. Anne is cast as a chic radio psychologist who has lived alone and liked it since the death of her husband. All this changes when the plot requires that she take in a troublesome 12-year-old foster child, played by Bobby Jacoby. Tony Roberts fills the standard best friend/lover/severest critic role, while other parts are essayed by Stuart Pankin and Alan Fudge. Filmed in 1985, A Different Affair didn't land an airdate until March 24, 1987. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Archer, Tony Roberts, (more)
Woody Allen's gentle and nostalgic tribute to the glory days of radio and coming-of-age during World War II plays like Fellini's Amarcord filtered through Neil Simon. The nominal star is Seth Green as Joe, a teenage Jewish boy, growing up with a house full of relatives in Brooklyn. Allen cuts between Joe's working class neighborhood of Rockaway Beach, Queens, and the glittery and glamorous world of radio in Manhattan. Joe's favorite radio hero is The Masked Avenger (Wallace Shawn), and he dreams of getting The Masked Avenger Secret Decoder Ring. Using all the money they have collected for Israel, Joe and his friends buy the ring, much to the shock of his mother (Julie Kavner) and the local rabbi. His father (Michael Tucker), a business failure embarrassed to be seen driving a taxi, is an ineffective and distant man. His uncle Abe (Josh Mostel) is obsessed with eating. His Aunt Bea (Dianne Wiest) is obsessed with getting married. All together, these relatives make up a rather chaotic life in Brooklyn for Joe. Interspersed with these family relations are vignettes of radio lore --from the cigarette girl (Mia Farrow) who wants to strike it big in radio, to the "Name That Tune" jackpot telephone call answered by a burglar, who guesses the right answer and wins the victimized homeowners a cornucopia of valuable prizes. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mia Farrow, Seth Green, (more)
The PBS series Great Performances first presented the made-for-TV feature Seize the Day. The time is the success-driven '50s; Robin Williams plays Tommy Wilhelm, a middle-ager who has just lost his salesman's job. Margaret, his wife (Katherine Borowitz), is on the verge of divorce and fully intends to take him to the cleaners whether he has an income or not. Doctor Adler (Joseph Wiseman), Tommy's judgmental father, cannot abide having a failure in the family and refuses to lend his son a single penny. In desperation, Tommy heads to New York City, where his old wheeler-dealer pal Dr. Tamkin (Jerry Stiller) has promised him a job. Even there, however, Tommy is defeated by the cold-shoulder treatment afforded him by the people whose opinions he values most. Seize the Day was adapted by Ronald Ribman from the novel by Saul Bellow. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Williams, Jerry Stiller, (more)
