Mercedes Ruehl

The new girl in town is 16-year-old Jacey Jeffries (Danielle Panabaker), who lives with her divorced mother, Terry (Mercedes Ruehl), and her two siblings. A popular and highly intelligent student, not to mention a talented athlete, Jacey nonetheless seems to be harboring a private, profound sadness -- or at least that's the perception of her high-school guidance counselor, Donna Cooper (Jane Krakowski). Ultimately Donna figures out the truth behind Jacey's melancholia: her baby "brother" Charlie is actually her own son, born out of wedlock and raised by Jacey's overbearing mother in a misguided effort to shield her daughter from disgrace. Upon discovering Jacey's secret, Donna takes a special interest in the girl's welfare -- an interest undoubtedly fueled by the fact that Donna herself is unable to have children. The scenes taking place in the sex-education class have an air of reality often lacking in made-for-TV films, due to the fact that the young actors playing the students were encouraged to improvise their dialogue. Produced for the Lifetime cable network, Mom at Sixteen first aired on March 21, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

When a tough-talking FBI agent goes undercover to infiltrate a mob loan-sharking operation in the Big Apple, a fling with his informant's sister threatens to derail the entire investigation in this dark crime comedy from veteran film and television director Adam Bernstein. A streetwise agent who knows how to talk the talk and walk the walk, G-man Mike Tozzi (Chris Noth) is hot on the trail of high-ranking mobsters "Buddha" Stanzlone (Elliott Gould) and Tommy "Bells" Bellavita (Robert Patrick). Though Tozzi and his partner, Cuthbert Gibbons (Colm Meaney), are well on their way to finding the evidence they need to break the case, a severe lapse in judgment finds the womanizing Tozzi entering into an ill-advised fling with his informant's alluring sister, Gina (Dagmara Dominczyk). As the disastrous romance draws the FBI agents and the mobsters into a deadly game of cat and mouse, the only thing that's certain is that viewers will have a pulse-pounding good time finding out who will come out on top. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

Based on a true story, the made-for-cable Guilt by Association was the first "original" movie to be presented by the Court TV network. Mercedes Ruehl stars as Susan Walker, a widowed nurse with two kids and a disreputable boyfriend named Russell (Alex Carter). Unbeknownst to Susan, Russell has been dealing drugs for quite some time, and when the cops close in, he claims that Susan has been his accomplice all along. Though totally innocent, Susan is condemned by her previous actions, which circumstantially put her in the thick of Russell's criminal activities. Thanks to the government's 1986 "mandatory sentencing" law, Susan is sentenced to 20 years in prison, without hope for early parole. As her sister Angie (Alberta Watson) looks after the children, Susan fights a long and frustrating battle to secure her freedom, clear her name, and prevent her loved ones from suffering any further anguish. Guilt by Association was originally broadcast on March 13, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This family drama by actress and first-time director Anne DeSalvo centers around four adult sisters who are forced to re-evaluate their situations after tragedy strikes. The oldest of the clan, Grace (Mercedes Ruehl), is called upon to be the tower of strength, even though she is widely perceived to be a replica of their mother Dolly (Cloris Leachman), a woman who, like Grace, has unfailingly devoted much of her life to a husband who doesn't appreciate her as he should. Christine (Sean Young) is separated from her job-obsessed husband Paul (Jamey Sheridan), and contemplates divorcing him even though they have a young daughter. Another sister, Denise (Dinah Manoff), rejects the idea of marriage despite the advances of boyfriend Lawrence (Mark Harmon); youngest sister Dolores (Lily Knight) has become mentally challenged due to an accident, and has trouble relating to her older siblings. Dolores has found a romantic interest, but the family feels she is unable to cope with such an attachment at her age. Through the aid of Dolly's sisters Splendora (Lee Grant) and Loretta (Edith Fields), the family tries to retain its bond and deal with unexpected tragedy. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide

This made-for-cable docudrama stars Penelope Ann Miller as the infamous Mary Kay Letourneau, the married-with-children Seattle schoolteacher who made national headlines when she had an affair with one of her sixth-grade students, 13-year-old Vili Fualaau (Omar Anguiano). Landing in jail on a statutory rape charge, and ultimately bearing Fualaau's baby, Letourneau is released with a warning to stay away from her youthful inamorta. But she is unable to do so, and the result is another out-of-wedlock baby by the same young man. The teleplay, by Julie Herbert, suggests that Letourneau's inability to control her emotions and impules stemeed from her relationship with her mother, a woman who regarded any sign of affection as a form of weakness. Ultimately, however, Mary Kay Letourneau remains an enigma, and it is up to the viewer to determine whether her behavior was motivated by true love or by a psychotic need for "approval". The Mary Kay Letourneau Story: All American Girl debuted over the USA network on January 18, 2000. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this period drama laced with music and romance, Keith Carradine plays Dan "Magic Legs" Scott, a tap dancer who has enjoyed great success on the vaudeville circuit and the Broadway stage. However, Scott's tremendous ego, coupled with his compulsive skirt-chasing and bottomless thirst for alcohol, cripple his career, and by the late 1930s, he's convinced that his career as a hoofer is over. However, Scott's mother was originally from Estonia, and his manager Axelrod (Judd Hirsch) discovers that Scott is considered a hero in his mother's homeland. Axelrod arranges a tour of Estonia, where Scott is a tremendous success. Scott also finds romance overseas when he meets Deborah (Mia Kirschner), the daughter of a prosperous Jewish businessman; Deborah asks for private dancing lessons, and Scott, more than happy to oblige, soon begins instructing her in the ways of love, much to the chagrin of Deborah's fiancé, Max (Bronson Pinchot). But Scott is ignorant of Hitler's rise to power in Europe, and his new career in Estonia comes to a halt when he offends a Nazi official. The country is soon occupied by Russian forces, and Deborah, now carrying Scott's child, escapes to the United States. However, when Scott's passport is destroyed, he's unable to prove his identity or American citizenship; he's sent to a labor camp in Siberia, and while he's able to escape to Moscow, by the late 1950s he's still looking for a way to get back to America. This film debut of noted Russian stage director Sasha Buravsky also features Brian Dennehy, Kim Hunter, and Mercedes Ruehl. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Novelist Jay McInerney and playwright Michael Cristofer (who also made his feature film directorial debut) collaborated on the script for this bio of doomed supermodel Gia Carangi. In a star-making performance, Angelina Jolie stars as Gia, a gorgeous Philadelphia native who arrives in New York City to become a model and immediately makes an impression on high-powered agent Wilhelmina Cooper (Faye Dunaway). Gia's fierce good looks make her a star, as does her willingness to pose nude. Gia becomes entangled in a passionate affair with a photographer's assistant, Linda (Elizabeth Mithcell), but Linda is more conflicted about her bisexuality, driving Gia away and fueling the model's craving for mood-altering drugs. Failed attempts at reconciliation with both Linda and her mother Kathleen (Mercedes Ruehl) drive Gia further over the edge from cocaine to heroin, her emaciated body and sunken eyes becoming the catalyst for the "heroin chic" look. Although Gia is eventually able to kick her powerful habit, she learns that an infected needle has resulted in her contracting the AIDS virus. For the second year in a row, a made-for-TV film resulted in an Emmy nomination and a Golden Globe victory for Jolie (the first was George Wallace, 1998). ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

A man trying to honor the last wish of his beloved wife has to keep an entire city alive in this bittersweet romantic comedy. Marcello (Jean Reno) is the owner of a restaurant in a small village in Italy. His wife Roseanna (Mercedes Ruehl) has received some awful news: she has learned that her weak heart has gotten worse, and she has only a few weeks to live. Roseanna has given Marcello a final request: she wants to be buried next to her daughter, who died some years before. Marcello wants nothing more than to comply with her wishes, but there's a problem; the town's cemetery is quite small, and right now funeral plots are on a first-come, first-served basis. The spot next to Roseanna's daughter does happen to be open, but she'll only get it if no one else dies first. So Marcello suddenly becomes the village's watchdog of health and safety, trying to make sure no one needlessly dies, and even shuffles around a few bodies of people who do happen to pass on. Meanwhile, Roseanna is worried about both Marcello and her sister Cecilia (Polly Walker) and would like them to marry after her death so they won't have to be alone. However, Marcello and Cecilia don't always get along very well, and besides, Cecilia is in love with Antonio (Mark Frankel), whose father has prevented the town's cemetery from expanding. For Roseanna was filmed under the title Roseanna's Grave and was briefly publicized as For the Love of Roseanna. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Kate Costas (Mercedes Ruehl), headstrong manager of radio station KACL and erstwhile lover of Frasier Crane (Kelsey Grammer), announces that she is leaving Seattle and moving to Chicago. It is at this point that Frasier realizes just how much he loves her. While waiting for her plane at the airport lounge, Kate and Frasier have a long, long talk -- with many, many surprises. This episode marked the final Frasier appearance of Oscar-winning actress Mercedes Ruehl. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

New KACL station manager Kate Costas (Mercedes Ruehl) thinks that encouraging her on-the-air talent to play practical jokes on each other will improve ratings. When Frasier (Kelsey Grammer) falls victim to a nasty prank perpetrated by sports-show host Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe (Dan Butler), he decides to get even in a peculiarly personal matter. Taking advantage of Bulldog's phobia about lizards, Frasier plants a slithery little critter just where his nemesis will find it. What he hadn't counted on was that Kate would stumble upon the lizard first -- and the results are nearly fatal! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally broadcast on HBO, Indictment: The McMartin Trial is a docudrama concerning the infamous McMartin child abuse case. In 1984, seven employees of Los Angeles' prestigious McMartin Preschool, including four members of the McMartin family, were arrested and charged with child abuse and sexual molestation. The film centers on the story of lawyer Danny Davis, an opportunistic attorney who agrees to defend the McMartins. Initially, Davis takes the case solely for the publicity, but as he investigates further, he becomes convinced of his clients' innocence. Meanwhile, however, the family is pronounced guilty by the media, which airs heated allegations of "Satanic rituals" and a "nationwide conspiracy of sexual predators," in an increasing frenzy that the film compares to a modern-day witch trial. To convince the jury of the falsehood of these charges, however, he must overcome opposition from zealous prosecutor Lael Rubin and discredit Kee McFarlane, the child therapist that Davis believes has unfairly manipulated the McMartin Preschool children into giving damaging testimony. At the time of its airing, the film met with controversy; while some found its case convincing, others alleged that the filmmakers were unfairly biased in favor of the McMartin family. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide

Arnold Schwarzenegger appears as a pumped-up Shakespearian hero while an announcer bellows, "Something is rotten in Denmark -- and Hamlet is taking out the trash!" This gag sets the stage for the post-modernist action epic The Last Action Hero. The film concerns Danny Madigan (Austin O'Brien), a lonely eleven-year-old boy who escapes from his bleak New York City reality by glorying in the action adventure movies of his favorite film character, Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger). Danny's friend is an elderly movie projectionist, Nick (Robert Prosky), who lets Danny into the shabby Times Square movie theater where he works so Danny can see Slater's new movie. He hands Danny a magic ticket given to him years ago by Houdini, and when Nick rips the ticket and gives Danny the stub, Danny finds himself catapulted from the theater into the back seat of Slater's speeding sports car in "Jack Slater IV." Danny becomes Slater's helper as Jack battles a trio of nefarious bad guys --Benedict (Charles Dance), Vivaldi (Anthony Quinn) and The Ripper (Tom Noonan). But things get out of hand when Benedict steals Danny's magic ticket stub and transports himself into Danny's reality. Benedict and The Ripper proceed to wreak havoc along Broadway, forcing Slater to cross into reality to get the villains and, in the process, learn about blood and pain. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide