Deborah Rush Movies

Nora Ephron adapts Julie Powell's autobiographical book Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen with this Columbia Pictures production starring Amy Adams as an amateur chef who decides to cook every recipe in a cookbook from acclaimed celebrity chef Julia Child (played by Meryl Streep) in order to chronicle it in a blog over the course of a year. Streep's Devil Wears Prada co-star Stanley Tucci re-teams with the actress as Child's husband. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

A lonesome widower and college economics professor finds his mundane existence suddenly shaken up when he befriends a pair of illegal immigrants, one of whom has recently been threatened with deportation by U.S. immigration authorities, in the sophomore feature from The Station Agent director Tom McCarthy. Years after losing his wife, 62-year-old Walter Vale (Richard Jenkins) has also lost his passion for writing and teaching. In an effort to fill the empty void that his life has become, Walter makes a half-hearted attempt to learn to play classical piano. Later, when Walter's college sends him to a conference in Manhattan, he is surprised to discover that a young couple has moved into his seldom-used apartment in the city. Tarek (Haaz Sleiman) and his Senegalese girlfriend Zainab (Danai Gurira) have fallen victims to an elaborate real-estate scam, and as a result they no longer have a place to call home. When Walter reluctantly allows the couple to remain in his apartment, talented musician Tarek insists on repaying his host's kindness by teaching him to play the African drum. Over the course of Walter's lessons, the ageing academic finds his spirits revitalized while gaining a newfound appreciation for New York jazz clubs and Central Park drum circles. Later, Tarek is arrested in the subway and threatened with deportation after police learn that he is an undocumented citizen. Suddenly, in his attempt to help his new friend, Walter's passion for life is unexpectedly awakened. When Tarek's radiant mother Mouna (Hiam Abbass) arrives in the city in search of her son, that passion turns to romance -- something that Walter had previously thought he would never experience again. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director/co-screenwriter John Stuart Muller helms this lively comedy concerning the quirks of modern romance, and the complications that come when an outwardly loving couple becomes polyamorous. Appearances would suggest that published novelist Mason (Steve Sandvoss) and twenty-something fashion designer Samantha (Courtney Ford) are the perfect couple; though unmarried, they live together, sleep together and shower together. At Samantha's sister Allison's (Ellen Hollman) beautiful spring wedding, however, Sam reencounters her ex-boyfriend, James (Brandon Routh), a surprise guest at the event. The two rekindle their old romance. But Samantha isn't the only one in this marriage with a wandering eye, because Mason begins flirting heavily with the 18-year-old Olivia (Shoshana Bush); the committed scribe and his younger paramour sneak into the hot tub for a particularly steamy encounter. Later spotted by Mason as she attempts to slink out of James' room undetected, Samantha decides to coming clean about the affair. Mason's response proves entirely unexpected. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The cult-favorite television series which offered a fun-house version of '70s "after-school specials" returns in this big-screen prequel to the show Strangers With Candy. Middle-aged ex-prostitute, former drug addict and all-around lowlife Jerri Blank (Amy Sedaris) emerges from prison at the age of 46 ready to start her life over again. Jerri arrives at her parents' home to discover that her father Guy (Dan Hedaya) divorced Jerri's mom and remarried before slipping into a coma. Jerri's stepmom Sara (Deborah Rush) decides to let her stay with the family in the hope her presence might bring Guy around, though she doesn't seem very fond of her new "daughter." Jerri decides to complete the education she abandoned years ago by enrolling at Flatpoint High School, where Principal Blackman (Greg Hollimon) has bigger fish to fry than a middle-aged sex offender as a student. It seems Flatpoint's science scores have been dreadful, and only a first-place entry in the county science fair will maintain the school's accreditation. Science fair guru Roger Beekman (Matthew Broderick) is brought in with hopes of creating a winning project, but science teacher Mr. Noblet (Stephen Colbert) objects to using outside talent and starts a separate team of his own, bringing in Jerri to give her something to do. As it happens, Noblet's team comes up with a potential prize-winner with their Soup Can Superconductor, while Beekman foolishly accepts the help of art teacher Mr. Jellineck (Paul Dinello) and ends up with a dance routine instead of a science presentation. Determined to win out over Noblet's team, Beekman tries to get his hand on the plans for Noblet's project by convincing handsome Brason (Chris Pratt) to charm them away from weak-willed Jerri. Strangers With Candy also features cameo appearances from Philip Seymour Hoffman, Allison Janney, Ian Holm, and Kristen Johnston. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Director Miguel Arteta and writer Mike White, who had previously collaborated on Chuck and Buck, turn an eye toward suburban boredom with the quirky comedy The Good Girl. Jennifer Aniston stars as Justine, a woman who is feeling constrained by her life. Her husband, Phil (John C. Reilly), is a house painter who spends the majority of his time smoking marijuana with his friend Bubba (Tim Blake Nelson). Longing for something more in her life, Justine becomes involved with a younger co-worker named Tom (Jake Gyllenhall), but because of his fascination with The Catcher in the Rye, he likes to be called Holden. Her new sense of freedom and release are threatened when a co-worker dies, and when Bubba learns of her infidelity. This film was screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Jerri (Amy Sedaris) discovers she has a previously unknown talent in this episode of the off-color Comedy Central series. Kicked out of the Flatpoint High orchestra by Mr. Jellineck (Paul Dinello) for pounding on the timpani and refusing to follow directions, a distressed Jerri remains behind after class and begins experimenting with the various instruments. Eavesdropping on the horrible sounds coming from the orchestra room, Mr. Noblot (Stephen Colbert) is stunned when Jerri picks up the violin and starts playing beautifully. Soon taking her under his wing and forcing her to practice tirelessly, Mr. Noblot isolates Jerri from her friends and peers in order to vicariously experience the success that eluded him as a child. Distressed by the scratches on Jerri's hands from attempting to groom the family cat, Mr. Noblot brings Jerri to live with him so that she may focus entirely on her practicing. With Mr. Noblot's newfound obsession driving a wedge between him and Mr. Jellineck, and the disapproval of Jerri's father adding to the negative impact that practicing has had on her social life, Jerri decides to give up the "stringy paddle" (her name for the violin) the very night of the Tri-County Music Championship. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The temptations of the past resurface to haunt Jerri (Amy Sedaris) in the season one closer of Comedy Central's Strangers With Candy. When comely stoner Trish (Stephanie Sanditz) offers to share a joint with Jerri in the bathroom after gym class, the lustful Jerri quickly caves to temptation and begins her decent down the same slippery slope that found her homeless over 30 years ago. Subsequently baking brother Derrick's (Larc Spies) basketball and attempting to throw the turkey intended for dinner through the basketball hoop, Jerri faces real trouble when she shows up at Sara's (Deborah Rush) MMAD (Mad Mothers Against Drugs) meeting noticeably high and then fails Mr. Noblot's (Stephen Colbert) final exam the following day. As the final class of the semester draws to a close, undercover cop Savillon (Mitch Rouse) arrives in class under the guise of being a transfer student and promptly maces Mr. Noblot after noticing the word "opium" written on the chalkboard (Mr. Noblot had been teaching his class about China's Opium War). Mr. Noblot offers Jerri a make-up lest he have to put up with her for another semester, and despite Orlando's (Orlando Pabotoy) best efforts to sway Jerri toward her studies that night, a party invite from Trish proves too much to resist for Jerri. Though Jerri promises Orlando that she won't get high at the party, she promptly breaks her word and ends up failing Mr. Noblot's exam when she arrives in the classroom five hours late. Attempting to prove to Orlando that she wasn't high, Jerri puts him in the hospital by nearly slashing him to death, and when she visits him, Orlando can't remember how he got there, so Jerri makes up a lie but eventually admits that it was her fault. Officer Sullivan then arrests Jerri after overhearing her confession, and as the season closes, Jerri is doomed to once again repeat her freshman year of high school. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

The premier episode of Comedy Central's warped take on the after-school special introduces viewers to series protagonist Jerri Blank (Amy Sedaris) as she attends a high school anti-drug rally. Recently released from jail and having lived the life of a teenage runaway for 32 years, 46-year-old Jerri has decided to clean up her act, move back home and re-enroll as a freshman at Flatpoint High. Announcing her upcoming party during Mr. Noblot's (Stephen Colbert) history class in a bid to win over the popular crowd, it seems that no one is interested and, to make matters worse, Mr. Noblot informs Jerri that, although it's only three days into the term, Jerri is in danger of failing his class. After Jerri is once again shot down in her bid to befriend popular Poppy Downs, her lone ally Orlando (Orlando Pabotoy) confides to her that her classmates are saying terrible things about her behind her back. Undaunted, Jerri seeks the advice of art teacher Mr. Jellineck (Paul Dinello), who insists that Jerri should, "go with what you know." Imbued with a newfound sense of confidence, Jerri runs into Poppy in the Girls' Room and offers to whip her up a primo batch of homemade Glint (a homemade narcotic made by mixing household chemicals and subsequently spreading the mixture on your lips). When Poppy takes a bit too much of Jerri's concoction the following day, her speed on the track impresses Coach Wolf (Sarah Thyre), though things take a bad turn when Poppy, believing herself to be a bumble-bee who must return to the hive, induces a coma while attempting to fly though a keyhole. Sneaking into the hospital that night to pull the plug on Poppy's life supports system lest she finger Jerri as her supplier, Jerri is relieved to learn that Poppy died earlier in the evening. As Principal Blackman (Greg Hollimon) rallies the students to discuss the tragedy and dedicate a time capsule to the fallen student, Jerri takes advantage of the situation by announcing a "Poppy Downs Memorial" party, to which the students eagerly respond. Kicking off the party by attempting to make out with Poppy's ex-boyfriend Brad, things soon go from bad to worse as Jerri realizes that she accidentally mixed the hot fruit in the same bowl she had used for the Glint. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Jerri's (Amy Sedaris) role in the Flatpoint High Shool production of A Raisin in the Sun leads her stepmother into an alcoholic haze in this installment of the irreverent and outrageous Comedy Central series. Passing over Flatpoint's African-American students to give the lead roles to the three sole white students in his class, Mr. Jellineck (Paul Dinello) casts the remaining students as trees. Elated that she has been chosen as the lead, Jerri rushes home to share her excitement with her stepmother, Sara (Deborah Rush), who had once taken the stage as Peter Pan. With Sara soon diving headlong into a haze of jealousy, regret, and hard liquor, Jerri worries that her upcoming Parent-Teacher day is heading for disaster. Her fears are soon confirmed when her slurring stepmother drunkenly comes on to Mr. Noblet (Stephen Colbert) and insults Jerri in front of the her peers, their parents, and the teachers. Though Jerri is soon buried in denial and preparation for the play, Mr. Jellineck threatens to replace her following a disastrous rehearsal the following day. When Jerri arrives home that night to find Sara passed out in a Peter Pan costume, she decides to attend an Ala Colholics meeting in a desperate bid to remain in the play. With Mr. Jellineck feeding Jerri her lines the night of the play, everything seems to go as planned until a drunken Sara storms the stage resulting in a total fiasco. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Susan Sarandon stars in this made-for-cable-TV adaptation of Anne Tyler's novel about a housewife who thinks her life is going nowhere. However, she suddenly gets a lot more adventure than she bargained for when she's taken hostage during a bank robbery. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

When a racial epithet is spray-painted on the wall of Flatpoint High Scholl, Paul Cotton (Jared Ryan) is the only witness and everyone wants to know who did it. As Mr. Jellineck (Paul Dinello) attempts to recover from the trauma and Principal Blackman (Greg Hollimon) discusses the incident in the shower with Mr. Noblot (Stephen Colbert) and Coach Wolf (Sarah Thyre), Jerri attempts to grill Paul for information by offering to get closer with him after school. Jealous of the attention that Paul is receiving from Jerri, Orlando (Orlando Abdo Pabotoy) starts a rumor that Paul is racist. Later, as Jerri shows Paul her Liberty Bell genital piercing, a can of spray-paint falls out of her backpack, making Jerri the prime suspect. In a last bid to force Paul to admit to spray-painting the graffiti, Principal Blackman and former grief counselor Percy Kittens (Tim Meadows) show him an anti-racism video that they made featuring Principal Blackman dressed as a squirrel. Confounded after seemingly seeing cans of black spray-paint everywhere, Paul is unable to finger Jerri as the culprit though Jerri quickly jumps to Paul's defense by taking the blame. Responding that she simply doesn't like black people when asked why she would do such a thing, Paul reveals himself as a black person himself (due to a recessive gene) despite his outwardly white appearance. In the end, Jerri realizes that she does indeed like black people; it's just that it took a white one for her to realize it. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In this romantic comedy of mistaken identity, Oscar Novak (Matthew Perry) and Peter Steinberg (Oliver Platt) are a pair of struggling but talented Chicago architects given the chance of a lifetime: Charles Newman (Dylan McDermott), an extremely wealthy business tycoon, is considering hiring them to design a multi-million dollar cultural center. However, Oscar and Peter aren't the only ones who've been asked to contribute ideas for the project; Decker and Strauss (John C. McGinley and Bob Balaban), two highly successful designers that Oscar and Peter used to work for, have also been approached by Newman, who thinks that a competition between the two teams would be good fun and good press. Oscar is determined to show his dedication to the job, so when Newman asks him to start keeping tabs on his girlfriend Amy (Neve Campbell), he's happy to oblige. Oscar proves a sad excuse for a private eye, and finds himself falling in love with the woman that he's supposed to trail. To complicate matters, Charles gave Oscar the assignment because he was sure that Oscar is gay, and he hasn't been shy about telling people; soon Amy is convinced, along with most of Chicago. And while Oscar doesn't want to upset Newman, he also doesn't want to start living a lie, especially one that would keep him away from the woman he loves. So when Oscar is named Chicago's Gay Professional of the Year, what's a (straight) guy to do? Three to Tango features such familiar TV faces as Matthew Perry from Friends, Neve Campbell from Party of Five, and Dylan McDermott from The Practice. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A suicide investigation is turned over to homicide when it is revealed that the white victim may have been killed because she adopted a black baby. While trying to determine the baby's paternity, the detectives and the lawyers unearth some unpleasant secrets in the past of one of the suspects. But do these secrets have any bearing on the killing -- and even if they do, will they ever be heard by a jury? ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi