Rita Rudner Movies
A favorite of the talk show circuit and a rarity in the age of brassy, outspoken female comics, Rita Rudner has a soft-spoken, low-key style that fronts for an incisive wit unmatched by the majority of her contemporaries. A Miami native who had starry-eyed, childhood dreams of dancing under the bright lights of Broadway, Rudner left home at the age of 15 and bypassed college to seek fame on the stage. Initial exposure in a traveling production of Zorba preceded Broadway roles in Annie and Promises, Promises, and a bid to go solo a few years later sparked an interest in standup comedy. Though the prospect of "dying" on-stage (popular comedian-speak for bombing in front of an audience) frightened Rudner at first, she eventually gathered her nerves and became quite popular; in the years that followed, she gained nationwide exposure on the Johnny Carson and David Letterman shows. Her wry brand of observant and insightful comedy was inspired by the early work of Woody Allen, and in 1990 she received an award for Best Female Standup Comedian. Her unique comic persona also gained a notable following in the U.K., where in 1990 Rudner headlined a short-lived BBC series. While in Britain, Rudner also found love with former BBC comedy writer Martin Bergmann, who became her frequent writing partner. In addition to penning the screenplay for Kenneth Branagh's film Peter's Friends, the two also collaborated in the Bergmann-directed comedy A Weekend in the Country (1996). Though she made history by becoming the first female comic to be invited to a Friar's Club "roast," her frustration with the lack of roles for smart women was often evident in interviews. In 2003, Rudner took a stab at U.S. television with Ask Rita, a daily talk/advice program. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 2008
For the better part of the Twentieth Century, Victor Borge carved a unique niche for himself as a performer, deftly blending piano music and side-splitting comedy in a way that few have done before or since. As narrated by Rita Rudner, this program brings into a single collection many of Borge's greatest moments, pulled from the Borge family vault- including such beloved bits as "Autumn Leaves," "Inflationary Language," "The Opera Singer" and "Phonetic Punctuation." ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rita Rudner
- 2008
- Add Rita Rudner: Live from Las Vegas to Queue Add Rita Rudner: Live from Las Vegas to top of Queue
At one point, stand-up comic and screenwriter Rita Rudner took a regular gig at Harrah's casino in Las Vegas. This release documents her 2,000th performance during that long-lasting and highly successful run. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rita Rudner
- 2008
- Add The Best of Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen to Queue Add The Best of Comics Unleashed With Byron Allen to top of Queue
Byron Allen showcased numerous popular stand-up comedians as host of the program Comics Unleashed. This release compiles some of the best sets recorded on the show including routines by Dane Cook, Howie Mandel, Margaret Cho, Katt Williams, and Brad Garrett. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Brenner, Margaret Cho, (more)
"A family walks into a talent agent's office..." So begins "The Aristocrats," a joke kept mostly secret by stand-up comedians for decades. An intentionally "bad" joke, the laughs in The Aristocrats aren't in the punch-line (one of the only elements that's the same every time), but in the set-up, made unique by each comedian who tells it in an attempt to fashion the world's dirtiest joke. The cat was finally let out of the bag by Penn Jillette and Paul Provenza, the seasoned funnymen who gathered together a hundred people to tell a hundred different renditions of the bit. Among those presenting their personal take on The Aristocrats in this film of the same name are Jason Alexander, Robin Williams, Gilbert Gottfried, Jon Stewart, Emo Philips, and Chris Rock. The Aristocrats premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
- 2003
Comedienne/author Rita Rudner was the moderator of this daily, half-hour talk/advice program. On each episode, Rudner and four celebrity panelists -- two male, two female -- responded to viewer mail. The results were aptly described by the hostess as "'Dear Abby' Meets Politically Incorrect." Its opening episode carried by 58 percent of existing U.S. television markets, Ask Rita debuted in syndication on January 27, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Rita Rudner
- 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, Rovi
- 1996
Rita Rudner was both co-writer and co-star of this multi-plotted romantic comedy, set in a bed and breakfast in the middle of Southern California's wine country. In the course of the film's 90 minutes, a number of curiously matched couples will find true romance -- and sometimes even true happiness. Standout performances amongst the star-studded cast include Rita Rudner's turn as a pregnant food critic, Jack Lemmon as a desperate concert promoter, and Dudley Moore as a lonely vintner. Made for cable television, A Weekend in the Country debuted June 12, 1996, on the USA network; a mildly R-rated version was later prepared for home video release. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Faith Ford, Christine Lahti, (more)
This comedy drama, a sort of British version of The Big Chill (1983), was directed by Kenneth Branagh. Ten years after they were members of a music and comedy troupe at Cambridge University, a diverse group of friends in their early 30s gather at the expansive estate of Peter Morton (Stephen Fry), who's invited them there for a reunion. Among the guests are Andrew (Branagh), who has married Carol (Rita Rudner), the star of the American situation comedy he writes; lonely Maggie (Emma Thompson), who thinks she may be in love with Peter; Roger (Hugh Laurie) and Mary (Imelda Staunton), a couple in advertising who have lost a child; and single Sarah (Alphonsia Emmanuel), who's always attracted to the wrong men, including her latest boyfriend, the married Brian (Tony Slattery). Also on hand is Vera (Phyllida Law, the real-life mother of Thompson), a housekeeper who has protectively watched over Peter since childhood. Over the course of the weekend, various jealousies and fears are revealed between joyous feasts, but a startling, tragic announcement from Peter puts everyone's petty dramas into proper perspective. American stand-up comedienne Rudner wrote the screenplay with her husband, (Martin Bergmann). ~ Karl Williams, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, (more)
- 1989
- PG13
- Add Gleaming the Cube to Queue
Gleaming the Cube does for skateboarding what Over the Top did for arm wrestling -- i.e. not a hell of a lot. Christian Slater is the skateboarding star, playing Brian Kelly, a sneering and laconic teen outcast. He feels left out and envious of his adopted Vietnamese brother Vinh's (Art Chudabala) success as an honor roll student and as the center of attention in his family. When Vinh commits suicide, Brian is suspicious and rolls away on his skateboard to find out what really happened -- and ultimately to avenge his murder. Brian's investigation is aided and abetted by a sardonic detective named Al Lucero (Steven Bauer), a collection of skateboard aficionados, and an incredibly attractive Vietnamese girl, Tina (Min Luong). ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi
- Starring:
- Christian Slater, Steven Bauer, (more)
- 1989
- R
Fans of movie industry satire will want to see That's Adequate, an all-star production which spoofs the popular series of documentary films honoring MGM's musical comedies, That's Entertainment. Narrated by Tony Randall, this mock-history chronicles the film output of the second-rate "Adequate Film Studios" during its six precarious decades of existence. At times the humor gets very broad, including a fair amount of vulgarity. We see clips from such Adequate Studios monstrosities as "Singing in the Synagogue," and "Sluts of the South." Some of the stars enlivening these parodies are Bruce Willis, Robert Downey, Jr., James Coco, Anne Meara, Professor Irwin Corey, Jerry Stiller and Robert Vaughn. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tony Randall, James Coco, (more)
- 1988
- PG
- Add The Wrong Guys to Queue
In this comedy, a group of former Cub Scouts (Louie Anderson, Richard Belzer, and Richard Lewis) get together for a reunion over twenty years later and land themselves in a mess of trouble when a deranged convict (John Goodman) takes them for FBI agents. ~ Iotis Erlewine, Rovi
- Starring:
- Louie Anderson, Richard Lewis, (more)
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