Mimi Rogers Movies
A versatile Hollywood actress, Mimi Rogers did not step before the camera until she was in her early twenties. As a civil engineer's daughter, Rogers had a peripatetic childhood, living in several different states and England. Eventually she and her family settled in Southern California. An unusually bright person, Rogers graduated from high school at age 14. Instead of going straight to college, she spent the rest of her teen years involved with community service work. She debuted in television movies in 1982 and the following year appeared in her first film, the romantic Blue Skies Again opposite Harry Hamlin. It was an inauspicious debut and her next two films did little toward making her a star. Up until she played a seductive socialite who falls in love with a policeman in Someone to Watch Over Me (1987), Rogers was considered a rather wholesome, even plain beauty, but in that film, done-up to the nines, she proved herself as sexy and alluring as any actress onscreen. She got some positive reviews for playing Christopher Reeve's lover in Street Smart (1987). Though she has appeared in many subsequent films, her ascension to stardom proved a slow one despite gaining some level of notoriety for her brief marriage to Tom Cruise.In 1991 audiences were treated to their first true taste of the actresses formidable dramatic talent when she essayed the role of a spiritually bankrupt swinger turned religious zealot in writer/director Michael Tolkin's religious-themed drama The Rapture. Her transformation and subsequent spiritual conflict was nothing short of devastating, and though she would only appear in supporting roles in the years that immediately followed, she had made her mark and it was only a matter of time until her star caught fire. Roles in Killer (1994) and Full Body Massage successfully balanced Rogers' smouldering sensuality with her undeniable dramatic talent, and in 1996 her breakthrough finally arrived with the Barbra Streisand drama The Mirror Has Two Faces. With a performance that threatened to steal the spotlight from a star as bright as Streisand, the dramatic role proved an unlikely precursor to her performance in the following year's blockbuster comedy Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery. Though savvy filmgoers were well aware of her dramatic capacity at this point, few had pegged her as being a solid comedic actress - and her role as the snaggle-toothed secret agent's trusty sidekick revealed a heretofore unseen versatility. After taking the lead in a pair of respectable made-for-television features, Rogers blasted into space with the sci-fi misfire Lost in Space in 1998. Perhaps somewhat disenchanted with her blockbuster status, Rogers spent the next few years turning in solid performances in such low-budget fare as Ginger Snaps (2000) and moving into television on the short-lived sitcom The Geena Davis Show.
A dedicated mother of two, Rogers earned a Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Children's Special as a result of her role in the Holocaust drama The Devil's Arithmetic before later appearing in the family adventure Cave In (2003). Following a somewhat forgettable role in the abysmal Dumb and Dumberer, Rogers was cast in a key role opposite Jeff Bridges and Kim Basinger in the family drama Door in the Floor (2004). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Robert Altman takes a scalpel to Hollywood ethics in the 1990s (or the lack thereof) in his acidic satire The Player, adapted from Michael Tolkin's novel. (Tolkin also wrote the screenplay.) The film concerns a sleek and smooth Hollywood studio executive who starts receiving death threats from a disgruntled writer because he has committed the ultimate Hollywood sin -- he promised the writer he would call him back and he never did. This is particularly ironic because the studio executive, Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins), is considered "writer-friendly," spending his days listening to pitches from such noted screenwriters as Buck Henry, who is pushing "The Graduate, Part II" and Alan Rudolph, who is hawking a Bruce Willis action film described as "Ghost meets The Manchurian Candidate." But The Player finds Griffin's comfortable life style in danger of collapse. He is trying to find a way to unload his girlfriend (Cynthia Stevenson) whose independence and intelligence make her a poor candidate for a trophy wife. More importantly, it seems that Larry Levy (Peter Gallagher), a slippery executive from Twentieth Century Fox, is angling for his job. And then there are those nasty postcards and faxes from a screenwriter threatening to kill him. Altman cast over 65 stars in cameo roles as texture for his scabrous tale. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, (more)
An audacious film about faith, The Rapture is a contemporary fantasy that keeps its feet unnervingly planted in reality even as reality starts to collapse. Mimi Rogers, in a strikingly accomplished performance, stars as Sharon, a telephone operator who spends her off-hours engaging in casual group sex to blot out her boredom. By chance, she becomes aware of a small Christian sect whose members believe that they have found a child with the gift of prophecy who has seen the upcoming end times. Slowly but steadily, Sharon finds herself drawn to this group, and one night she abruptly turns a corner, renounces her old life, and embraces fundamentalism with passion. She marries one of her former lovers, Randy (David Duchovny), who takes up Sharon's evangelical fervor to atone for his past as a hired killer, and they have a daughter. All seems peaceful until Randy is unexpectedly murdered, and Sharon takes her child to the desert to await the rapture that will bring the chosen to heaven. The film neither supports nor scoffs at Sharon's views, and the superb performances add immeasurably to a film that presents the unbelievable (and unthinkable) at face value, making it seem oddly plausible in the process. Michael Tolkin has also written and/or directed such films as The Player (1992), directed by Robert Altman, and The New Age (1994), both of which also skewer contemporary American society as shallow, materialistic, and desperate for something authentic to believe in. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mimi Rogers, David Duchovny, (more)
In this futuristic action drama directed by Lewis Teague, Frank Warren (Rutger Hauer) is a man accused of stealing millions of dollars worth of gems. In prison, all the inmates wear collars which are electronically joined to those of an unknown partner. The collars will explode if either partner gets more than 300 feet away from the other. Warren is determined to escape, however, and finds that his partner is Tracy Riggs (Mimi Rogers). They plan and execute an elaborate escape and head off to search for the stolen diamonds. But members of Warren's former gang pursue them. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rutger Hauer, Mimi Rogers, (more)
Val Kilmer delivers what was considered one of 1991's best performances as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's hallucinatory bio-pic of the seminal 1960s rock group The Doors. Stone cuts a jagged swath through Morrison's life, starting with a childhood memory where Morrison sees an elderly Indian dying by the roadside. It picks up with Morrison's arrival in California and his assimilation into the Venice Beach culture, followed by his film school days at UCLA; his introduction to his girlfriend Pamela Courson (Meg Ryan); his first encounters with Ray Manzarek (Kyle MacLachlan); and the origin of The Doors -- made up of Manzarek, Robby Kreiger (Frank Whaley), and John Densmore (Kevin Dillon). As the fame of The Doors grows, Morrison's obsession with death increases. The band grows weary of Morrison's missed recording sessions and no-shows at concerts. Morrison, meanwhile, sinks deeper into a drug-induced haze, having mystical sexual encounters with Patricia Kennealy (Kathleen Quinlan), an older rock journalist involved with sadomasochism and witchcraft. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, (more)
- 1990
Originally shot as a television series pilot, the made-for-television Rousters is about Wyatt Earp's great-grandson (Chad Everett) who is a bouncer for Captain Jack Slade's carnival in Sladetown. The carnival is upset when a rascal named Clayton drops by, looking to cause some trouble. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Chad Everett, Hoyt Axton, (more)
- 1990
- R
Hider in the House is a well-made and produced but ultimately unsatisfying and formulaic slasher thriller. Tom (Gary Busey) was an abused child who learned to avoid the abuse by hiding under sinks, in closets or anywhere he could be out of sight. After spending 10 years in a mental institution for setting a fire that killed his parents, Tom is released and finds a newly built house where he makes his home in the attic. The house is bought by Julie (Mimi Rogers) and Phil Dryer (Michael McKean) and their children. Tom begins to feel that he is part of the family, but when Phil is unfaithful to Julie, Tom plots his revenge. Busey is compelling in his role and builds Tom's character with skill to show him as both a dangerous and sympathetic psychopath. Unfortunately, the film does not fulfil its potential and slides into a predictable, formula ending, but the skillful direction and the good performance of Busey make this film well-worth viewing. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gary Busey, Mimi Rogers, (more)
The Desperate Hours directed by Michael Cimino, is an attempt to remake the Humphrey Bogart classic of the same name with indifferent results. Bosworth (Mickey Rourke), a brutal criminal on the run with his partners, takes over a house occupied by an unhappily married couple Nora (Mimi Rogers) and Tim (Anthony Hopkins) and their young son and daughter. Bosworth has escaped from jail with the help of his defense attorney Nancy Breyers (Kelly Lynch). The film focuses on the interactions of the family and Bosworth as he plans his escape to Mexico. Cimino wastes little time in developing the characters or explaining the implausible premise that Bosworth would chose an occupied house and hold an innocent family captive when the logical choice would be to lay low and wait for his chance to escape. Both Hopkins and Rourke, usually excellent actors, give wildly over-the-top performances, aided by the lurid, over-written dialogue of the screenplay and the badly paced, ill-conceived direction by Cimino, which instead of creating tension and suspense, simply confuses the already muddled and incomprehensible plot. The Desperate Hours is a pale example of the original with little to recommend it. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Mickey Rourke, Anthony Hopkins, (more)
- 1990
In this complicated and exciting above-average made-for-cable suspense thriller, a woman searches for her missing husband with surprising results. When Valerie's (Mimi Rogers) husband Darryl (Cliff De Young) leaves for work one morning and never returns, she hires private-eye Shepard (Mark Harmon) to find him. Valerie learns that David has a second identity and might be hiding out. As the investigation continues, Shepard and Valerie become increasingly attracted to each other and begin an affair. Director Ivan Passer gets an excellent performance from Mimi Rogers who makes the most of her enigmatic character. This thriller delivers when it needs to and builds a great deal of suspense with some surprising plot twists. Fourth Story was also released as Basic Deception. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
Xavier Quinn (Denzel Washington) is police chief of a tiny Caribbean island. Quinn's efforts to straddle the fence between the local blacks and the moneyed whites have lost him the respect of both groups. When a murder is committed, Quinn suspects that the killer is Maubee (Robert Townsend), a notoriously elusive criminal who has become a folk hero to the locals. Despite various political pressures -- and the fact that he and Maubee were childhood friends-Quinn vows to solve the murder, and, if necessary, bring Maubee to justice. A mess of merry plot twists distinguish this diverting fox-and-hound caper. Filmed entirely on location, The Mighty Quinn was based on Finding Maubee, a novel by A.H.Z. Carr. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Denzel Washington, Robert Townsend, (more)
- 1989
- PG13
This political drama chronicles the corruption of a mayoral candidate for New York City. His ordeal begins when he launches a campaign for the legalization of heretofore illegal narcotics. Alarmed by the support it gets, Mafiosos frame the candidate for a crime he did not commit and force him to choose between joining their ranks or going to jail. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Belushi, Mimi Rogers, (more)
Jonathan Fisher (Christopher Reeve) is a newspaper reporter who becomes a celebrity when he writes a fictitious exposé on prostitution. The story of the high-living pimp is too close a resemblance to real-life flesh pedlar Fast Black (Morgan Freeman), and Jonathan is jailed when he refuses to turn his papers over to the local district attorney. In jail for suspicion of murder, Black tries to silence the reporter who created the sensational fabrication. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher Reeve, Morgan Freeman, (more)
Someone to Watch Over Me, a mystery thriller directed by Ridley Scott is the story of a police officer who falls in love with the woman he is hired to protect and the effect of this affair on his marriage and his life. Claire (Mimi Rogers) an extremely wealthy socialite is the sole witness to a mob murder and is in great danger. Mike (Tom Berenger), a happily married NYC police officer is assigned to protect her and takes up residence in her foyer while she waits to testify. A romance develops between the unlikely couple which threatens Mike's marriage to Ellie (Lorraine Bracco). All of this sounds more exciting than it is, and while the film fails to generate much suspense, the love story and Mike's dilemma are interesting. All the performances are excellent, particularly that of Bracco as the no-nonsense wife. The score is exceptional and the photography and set decoration are all fine. Someone to Watch Over Me is a fine police thriller and love story. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Berenger, Mimi Rogers, (more)
Michael Keaton stars as a wheeler-dealer who hopes to save a failing Pennsylvania automobile-assembly factory from having to close its doors. Keaton persuades a Japanese auto firm to reopen the factory, retrain its staff, and streamline the operation. It isn't long before the American-born workers grow to resent the disciplinary demands of their new Japanese bosses, setting the stage for a comic clash of cultures. The day is saved when it turns out that the poker-faced owner of the auto company possesses a really strange sense of humor. Gung Ho was later spun off into a short-lived TV sitcom, starring Scott Bakula of Quantum Leap fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Keaton, Gedde Watanabe, (more)
- 1985
Nick Mancuso stars in the made-for-TV Embassy. Cast as an American ambassador stationed in Rome, Mancuso's life is thrown into turmoil by a crucial computer chip. When not trying to keep U.S. defense secrets from falling into the wrong hands, he must juggle the affections of his press-attache-girlfriend, (Mimi Rogers), and his girlfriend's chief rival (Blanche Baker). Embassy was intended as the 2-hour pilot for a weekly series; it didn't sell, but Nick Mancuso's next venture in the TV-pilot field, Stingray, proved successful. Embassy was initially telecast on April 21, 1985. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1984
This short-lived TV series was based on the 1982 television movie of the same name and focused on two young women and their mothers negotiating the New York modeling scene with the rich, the fashionable, and the powerful. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nicollette Sheridan, Terry Farrell, (more)
- 1983
This is a baseball comedy with a twist. This time, the young player striving to make it big in the major leagues is a plucky, talented young woman who attends spring training camp. The team's wealthy owner is a male-chauvinist bachelor who finds himself attracted to the young second baseperson's personal manager and finds he must re-evaluate his gender bias. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harry Hamlin, Mimi Rogers, (more)
- 1982
Robin Masters dispatches Magnum (Tom Selleck) to Sicily to rescue the beauteous Katrina Tremaine (Ann Dusenberry) from the clutches of a nobleman with alleged mob ties. Once his job is done, Magnum returns to Hawaii and his current girlfriend Margo Perrina (Mimi Rogers). Unfortunately, Katrina has fallen in love with Magnum and follows him home--not only jeopardizing our hero's love life, but also his life, period! Further complicating matters is that shady-looking group of "tourists" whom T.C. (Roger E. Mosley) is guiding around the Islands. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
This superior ABC Theatre of the Month presentation is not so much about the reasons for divorce as it is about the tensions surrounding the actual litigation. Tom Selleck plays a topnotch Seattle divorce lawyer, juggling several delicate cases at once. Arrogantly secure in his legal prowess, Selleck suffers a major ego blow when his own wife (Jane Curtin) files for divorce. In a half-comic, half-serious manner, the travails of Selleck and Curtin are counterpointed with those of Selleck's clients. Donald Wrye and Linda Elstad's high-quality script for Divorce Wars: A Love Story bears a very faint resemblance to the recent movie hits Kramer vs. Kramer and Ordinary People--a resemblance pounced upon and amplified by the print ads for this TV movie. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1982
A drug-running biker gang is the target of a San Francisco police detective who was rendered deaf by the gang. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1981
In the first episode of a two-part story, Quincy (Jack Klugman) and his lady friend Janet (Diana Muldaur) are enjoying a luxury cruise to Tahiti, when tragedy strikes. One man suddenly jumps overboard and drown, while another is murdered--and the murderer subsequently dies himself. It turns out that a mysterious but deadly illness is rapidly spreading throughout the cruiser...and unless Quincy is able to isolate the source of the disease, no one will ever set foot on shore again. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
