Adam Shankman Movies
An inventive dance and physical comedy choreographer who turned his knack for planning out a scene into a successful directorial career, filmmaker Adam Shankman rose through the ranks as one of the best music video dance choreographers in the business before stepping behind the camera to helm such high-profile mainstream comedies as The Wedding Planner, Bringing Down the House, and The Pacifier. A true fan of all things theater from his childhood years, Los Angeles native Shankman moved to the East Coast to enroll in Juilliard dance program after graduating high school, and spent the next five years as a dancer and actor in and around New York. After returning to sunny entertainment capitol Los Angeles, Shankman performed frequently in music videos for such artists as Janet Jackson and Paula Abdul, with his impressive moves eventually culminating in a role as a featured dancer at the 1989 Academy Awards ceremony. Subsequently establishing a partnership with music video director Julian Temple, the then-24-year-old Shankman entered into a tirelessly productive period which found him choreographing music videos for a variety of popular artists including Whitney Houston, the B-52's, and Stevie Wonder. Film work was quick to follow, and Shankman racked up choreography credits on such popular features as Addams Family Values, Don Juan DeMarco, Boogie Nights, and Scream 2. In 1998, it was time to venture into the realm of directing with the acclaimed short film Cosmo's Tale.As adept behind the camera as he was in front of the lens, Shankman quickly made the leap to features with the 2001 Jennifer Lopez comedy The Wedding Planner. Though he would still serve as choreographer on occasion, it seemed as if Shankman had finally found his calling as a director with such features as the teen romance A Walk to Remember, Bringing Down the House, and Cheaper by the Dozen 2, the latter two of which found him forming a successful working relationship with longtime comic Steve Martin. In 2005, Shankman expanded his credits to include the role of executive producer for the suburban comedy The Pacifier, a role that he continued to develop with producer credits on such features as Cheaper by the Dozen 2 and the 2006 dance drama Step Up. After turning toward television to helm the pilot episode of Worst Week of My Life, Shankman next began preparations to bring the hit Broadway musical Hairspray back to the big screen. Through it all, Shankman never shied away from his performance-based past, with occasional acting roles in both his own films as well as Rockula, Scream 2, and Stuck on You allowing the lifelong dancer the occasional pleasure of simply cutting loose in front of the camera. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2011
Two love-struck dreamers fall in love during the height of the hair-metal scene as they navigate the seedy world of drugs, mullets, and stripping while at a club on the Sunset Strip in this adaptation of the hit off-Broadway musical. Chris D'Arienzo adapts his own stage book, with Hairspray's Adam Shankman handling direction and choreography duties for the New Line production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
Drew Barrymore and Justin Long star as a couple who find their long-distance relationship wearing thin in this romantic comedy from director Nanette Burnstein. Geoff LaTulippe provides the screenplay for the New Line production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2010
John Waters returns to familiar territory with this follow-up to the blockbuster 2007 musical with this New Line Cinema production. The veteran Baltimore filmmaker provides the story for the film, which also sees the return of director/choreographer Adam Shankman, along with songwriters Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
Miley Cyrus stars as a teenager who reconnects with her father years after her parents go through a nasty divorce in this adaptation of the Nicholas Sparks novel. The novelist also provides the screenplay for the production, which is directed by Julie Ann Robinson. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2009
Anne Hathaway stars as an ex-bride-to-be whose parents insist on getting her and her perfect fit of a fiancé back together after a dissolved wedding in this romantic comedy from Warner Bros. Burr Steers (Seventeen Again) directs from a script by Tropic Thunder's Etan Cohen. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2009
Hairspray's Adam Shankman takes the field in this adaptation of John Grisham's novel surrounding a former NFL player's second life as a quarterback in an Italian pro league. J. Mills Goodloe adapts the script for the big screen in this Phoenix Pictures/Offspring Entertainment co-production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2009
Miley Cyrus headlines this Disney production tailor-made for her by author Nicholas Sparks (The Notebook), who is writing both the novel and screenplay for the Offspring Entertainment picture. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2009
Produced by Adam Shankman and Jennifer Gibgot, from a screenplay by scribe Flint Wainess, the teen-oriented fantasy comedy Monday Monday concerns an adolescent boy who experiences an utterly catastrophic day at his new high school. The next morning, however, he wakes up to discover that the day has begun all over again -- with his memories of the first experience intact. He has unwittingly entered some sort of time-warp scenario, and must survive the same day ad infinitum until everything works out perfectly for him. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2009
The Step Up series gets the 3-D treatment in this third installment from returning director Jon Chu for Offspring Entertainment and Buena Vista. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- 2008
Singer-turned-actress Queen Latifah stars as an outspoken politician who is suddenly removed from her physical being and forced to share a body with a stanch conservative in producer Adam Shankman's remake of the 1984 Steve Martin/Lily Tomlin comedy. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Queen Latifah
- 2002
A minor Bay Area earthquake yields only one fatality: San Francisco philanthropist Henry Rutherford (Ross Petty), who was apparently killed by a falling object. A longtime friend of the Rutherford family, Sharona (Bitty Schram) brings Monk (Tony Shalhoub) along to pay a condolence call to Henry's young widow Christina (Janine Theriault). But as a result of this "friendly" drop-in, Monk begins obsessively dogging Christina's trail, certain that she has committed murder. Amy Sedaris of Strangers with Candy fame makes her first series appearance as Sharona's sister Gail. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Yet another Saturday Night Live alumnus makes his bid for big-screen success as Rob Schneider, best remembered as the "Making copies!" guy, tackles his first leading role in this broad comedy. Deuce (Rob Schneider) earns a meager living as a professional fish tank cleaner until he's asked to housesit for a gigolo. Deuce mistakenly answers the gigolo's business phone and finds himself having sex with a woman he's never met and getting paid for it (not a bad deal, since women generally avoid Deuce like the Ebola virus). It's not long before Deuce learns that there's more to selling your body than one might expect: for example, being re-styled by your pimp or having to explain your new source of income when the owner of the house gets home. Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo was the first feature film produced by Adam Sandler's production company, Happy Madison; Sandler himself makes a cameo appearance, while Oded Fehr, William Forsythe, Eddie Griffin, and Marlo Thomas highlight the supporting cast. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rob Schneider, William Forsythe, (more)
The acclaimed Trainspotting trio (director Danny Boyle, producer Andrew Macdonald, scripter John Hodge) reunited for this update of '30s screwball comedies and '40s fantasies, such as Here Comes Mr. Jordan(1941), Angel on My Shoulder(1946), Down to Earth(1947), and the 1946 Stairway to Heaven (co-directed by Macdonald's grandfather, Emeric Pressburger). Tossed together for $12 million, the result is a combination salad, a surreal salmagundi with an added animated sequence for lagniappe. In Heaven, Gabriel (Dan Hedaya) sends angels O'Reilly (Holly Hunter) and Jackson (Delroy Lindo) down to Earth to make two people fall in love. If the angels fail, they must remain on Earth. The target couple: well-to-do Celine (Cameron Diaz) and impoverished, aspiring novelist Robert (Ewan McGregor), a janitor at the corporation owned by her wealthy father, Naville (Ian Holm). Robert loses his job, kidnaps Celine, and the two retreat to a mountain hideout where they discuss splitting the ransom. O'Reilly and Jackson plan to make Robert and Celine love each other by putting them in jeopardy, so the two angels get hired on by Naville as bounty hunters. Although Robert and Celine argue, they also sing and dance together at a local karaoke bar, a scene evocative of both Dennis Potter's Karaoke and the memorable karaoke performance by Cameron Diaz in My Best Friend's Wedding. The angels make few gains, but when Jackson is on the brink of killing Robert, Celine comes to his rescue. Naville cancels Celine's credit card, so she robs a bank. Robert is shot during the robbery, and Celine has dentist Elliot (Stanley Tucci) remove the bullet. Robert awakens, finds the two together, and knocks out Elliot, prompting an argument that leads Celine and Robert to separate. Plagued by their own problems, the angels kidnap Celine themselves, and as complications mount, Gabriel eventually has God intervene. Filmed in Utah, although Hodge originally planned the story to take place in France and England. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ewan McGregor, Cameron Diaz, (more)
Based on a popular British cult comic book, this film is the story of a futuristic feminist superhero and her fight to preserve the environment against an evil government bureaucracy. The action is set in the year 2033, after an ecological disaster of drought and pollution has ravaged the countryside, and water is scarce. Tank Girl (Lori Petty) is a sassy punker who has her own vintage tank in tow, along with other high-tech weapons. Her mutant friends join her in bizarre battles against the corporate-statist Department of Water and Power and its villainous chief, Kesslee (Malcolm McDowell). At stake is the world's water supply, which the Department is hoarding and which the rebels frequently raid. Rock star Iggy Pop has a cameo as Rat Face, one of the half-human, half-kangaroo Rippers. Courtney Love coordinated the post-punk soundtrack. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lori Petty, Malcolm McDowell, (more)
- 1990
- R
A horror film set in a New York nightclub, Midnight Cabaret is the story of an actress (Laura Herrington) suspected of killing several of her cast-mates. The police investigator assigned to the case (Bruce Wright) finds that the truth involves a Satanic cult trying to bear the Anti-Christ. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
A former high school basketball star gets a second shot at life when he's miraculously transformed into a teenager and offered the opportunity to redefine his future. Back in 1989, Mike O' Donnell (Matthew Perry) had it all; not only was the 17-year-old senior the king of the basketball court, but college scouts were circling as well. But just as Mike's future began to glow brighter than ever before, he sacrificed everything in order to stay by his expectant girlfriend, Scarlet, and be a good father. Nearly 20 years later, Mike has just been passed over for a big promotion at work, his marriage is failing, and his teenage kids can't stand him. His dreams long gone and his family falling apart, Mike takes to staying with his best friend, Ned (Thomas Lennon), a former high school geek-turned-techno billionaire. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Mike is transported back into his teenage body and given the given the unique opportunity to relive his salad days. But while Mike may look 17 again, his thirtysomething outlook at life puts him hopelessly at odds with the class of 2009. When Mike discovers that by attempting to recapture his best years he could risk losing all the best things he ever experienced in life, the time comes to make a decision that could have a drastic impact on both his past and his future. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Zac Efron, Leslie Mann, (more)
Director Jon M. Chu takes the helm for this Step Up sequel set at the Maryland School for the Arts and following the journey of a rebellious street dancer who struggles to fit in at the prestigious school. Andie (Briana Evigan) may show great promise as a dancer, but she just can't seem to let go of her old life and get a fresh start. With Baltimore's hottest underground dance contest looming on the horizon, Andie joins forces with top dancer Chase (Robert Hoffman) while simultaneously helping to sharpen the skills of her outcast classmates. Perhaps if Andie, Chase, and their talented team of misfit dancers can earn the top slot at The Streets, the troubled new arrival can finally make her dreams a reality while also letting go of the past, and bounding confidently forward into the future. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Briana Evigan, Robert Hoffman, (more)
Devastated upon receiving the news that her husband has been killed in a tragic car accident, a woman wakes up to find him still very much alive as she begins to slip into a confusing world where the past and the future become increasingly difficult to distinguish. Linda Hanson (Sandra Bullock) was an average housewife with a loving family, but when a policeman comes knocking on her door with news that her husband, Jim (Julian McMahon), was involved in a fatal car accident, Linda's world slowly begins to unravel. While her grief is at first overwhelming, Linda assumes that the whole thing was nothing more than a vivid dream when she wakes to find her family still very much intact. With each passing day, however, Linda's reality shifts and her circumstances grow increasingly surreal; one day Jim is dead and the next he is right there by her side. As her investigation leaves her convinced that her husband's death wasn't a dream and that her picture-perfect life may not have been quite as flawless as she thought, Linda embarks on a mind-bending journey to prevent her grim premonition from becoming a reality. Now, in order to save the man she loves, Linda will have to piece together a perplexing mystery that seems to span two separate planes of reality. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sandra Bullock, Julian McMahon, (more)
An aspiring ballerina from a wealthy family learns some lessons about both dancing and life from a roughneck with soul in this teen drama. Tyler Gage (Channing Tatum) grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in a rough section of Baltimore, and has been in and out of trouble with the law most of his life. Finding himself before the judge yet again, Tyler is sentenced to 200 hours of community service, and he ends up mopping floors at the Maryland School of the Arts. Tyler catches the eye of Nora (Jenna Dewan), a gifted ballet student who is trying to incorporate hip-hop moves into her classical routines. None of Nora's fellow students seem to be on the same page as her, but Tyler is a talented street dancer with strength, moves, and enthusiasm. Despite the misgivings of the school's administrators, Nora persuades Tyler to team up with her for a major class project. Tyler gains a new self-respect as he gives in to the discipline of the dance academy, but he wonders if this new opportunity means turning his back on who he really is. Matters become all the more complicated when Tyler and Nora realize they're falling in love. Step Up was the first directorial credit for choreographer Anne Fletcher, who designed dance routines for the films Bring It On, She's All That, and Boogie Nights. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Channing Tatum, Jenna Dewan, (more)
A man looking for a woman just like himself ends up with someone quite different in this farcical comedy. Peter Sanderson (Steve Martin) is a lawyer who is having trouble getting his life back on track after his wife, Kate (Jean Smart), divorces him; he's also adjusting to his new status as a single father. Looking for companionship, Peter tries an internet dating site and virtually meets "lawyer-girl," an attractive and single fellow attorney. Peter makes a date with her, but the woman who arrives at his door turns out to be Charlene Morton (Queen Latifah), who not only isn't a lawyer, she turns out to be an escaped convict. Charlene is also a brash and brassy African-American, while Peter is perhaps the most tightly wound white guy in L.A. Charlene explains to Peter that she's strung him along because she's innocent of the crime for which she was convicted, and she needs a top-notch attorney to help prove her case. Peter isn't the least bit interested at first, but Charlene isn't the sort of woman to take "no" for an answer, and in time she wears him down and agrees to help. As Charlene moves into Peter's home, she helps him to loosen up and unleash his inner groove, which quite surprises Kate, and her down-to-earth advice comes in handy for Peter's son and daughter. But Charlene may end up going too far when Peter is asked to entertain Mrs. Arness (Joan Plowright), a wealthy woman looking for a new law firm. Bringing Down the House also features Eugene Levy as Howie, one of Peter's friends who takes a keen interest in Charlene, and Betty White as one of Peter's neighbors. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Martin, Queen Latifah, (more)
After tackling schizophrenia, obesity, and the inner workings of the vascular system (as represented by an animated Chris Rock), Peter and Bobby Farrelly set their comedic sights on a set of conjoined twins in this broad comedy. Written and directed by the non-twin Farrellys, Stuck on You stars Greg Kinnear and Matt Damon as, respectively, Walt and Bob Tenor, brothers who are so close, they're quite literally joined at the hip. While life in their sleepy, welcoming Martha's Vineyard burgh is comfortable -- the Tenor brothers are the quickest short-order chefs in town, unstoppable hockey goalies, and the most unlikely pair of dinner-theater thespians -- Walt longs to make good on his lifelong dream of becoming a professional actor. The shy, reticent Bob acquiesces to his self-assured brother's wish to move to Hollywood, in part to meet his longtime Internet romantic interest, May (Wen Yann Shih). The twosome finds Tinseltown to be less accommodating than life back east, however, as Walt and Bob come up against flea-ridden apartments, surly bar patrons, and a paucity of roles for actors with an extraneous person attached to them. Things begin to look up when they run into Cher on a studio backlot: Eager to end her commitment to star in a cheesy detective show, she casts Walt as her co-star, hoping the program will fail. When her plan backfires, however, the brothers find themselves on the cusp of fame and fortune -- and consider undergoing the risky surgery that could separate them forever. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear, (more)
This lighthearted romantic comedy in the tradition of Runaway Bride (1999) casts Jennifer Lopez in the Julia Roberts mold. Lopez stars as Mary Fiore, an ambitious and successful San Francisco wedding planner who works only for the most wealthy and exclusive clients but who is also a perpetual single. Pressured by her father Sal (Alex Rocco) to settle down, Mary is saved from a collision with an out of control dumpster by Steve Edison (Matthew McConaughey), a successful pediatrician. After sharing a romantic evening and a dance together, Mary learns that Eddie is engaged and that she's being hired by his controlling fiancée Fran (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras), an Internet tycoon, to plan their lavish wedding. The directorial debut of former choreographer Adam Shankman, The Wedding Planner costars Kevin Pollak, Judy Greer, and Kathy Najimy. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Lopez, Matthew McConaughey, (more)
The discovery of marital troubles in her family causes a young woman to question her own upcoming nuptials in this clever romantic comedy. Sarah Jessica Parker stars as Gwyn, a bright, slightly neurotic advertising copywriter who is initially thrilled when her boyfriend Matt (Gil Bellows) finally proposes. Soon afterwards, however, she learns that her mother Nina (Mia Farrow) is indulging in an extra-marital affair with a handsome Latin stud (Antonio Banderas). This is only the first of several shocking revelations, as Gwyn soon learns of infidelity by her father (Paul Mazursky), brother (Kevin Pollack), and even newlywed sister (Carla Gugino). These indiscretions make Gwyn question the validity of the entire institution of marriage and doubt her own future. Director David Frankel, who also penned the screenplay, follows in the footsteps of Woody Allen in using introspective dialogue to detail the romantic troubles of a wealthy, neurotic Jewish family; practiced performances and a colorful use of Miami locations give the film its own personality. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sarah Jessica Parker, Gil Bellows, (more)
The ghoulish cartoon family created by Charles Addams returns for a second big-screen outing darker and nastier than the first. When Morticia Addams (Anjelica Huston) gives birth to new baby boy Pubert, the other Addams children, Pugsley (Jimmy Workman) and Wednesday (Christina Ricci), devise any number of ways to kill off their new sibling. This leads Morticia and her husband, Gomez Raul Julia, to hire a nanny (Joan Cusack) to oversee all three children. But the nanny has an agenda of her own, packing the Addams children off to a horrid parody of summer camp and setting out to seduce Uncle Fester (Christopher Lloyd), all with the goal of getting her hands on the Addams family fortune. Of course, the Addams eventually triumph, with this blacker-than-most satire extolling the virtues of eccentricity and non-conformity above all. It was followed by 1999's direct-to-video Addams Family Reunion, with Darryl Hannah and Tim Curry replacing Huston and the late Julia. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, (more)
Director Ron Underwood follows up his crowd-pleasing hit City Slickers (1991) with this likable, feel-good comedy drama about a selfish businessman who discovers that he's permanently being followed by a group of ghosts. In 1959, a bus accident links the spirits of four fatally injured passengers to a newborn baby whose birth is caused by the crash. For 25 years, Milo (Tom Sizemore), Harrison (Charles Grodin), Penny (Alfre Woodard) and Julia (Kyra Sedgwick) remain bound to Thomas Reilly (Robert Downey Jr.), who believes the quartet to be imaginary childhood friends that have long since disappeared. When the four spooks suddenly realize that they are meant to use Thomas as a conduit to bring closure to their unfinished corporeal lives, they reemerge, causing Thomas to think that he's gone insane. As he becomes reattached to his supernatural companions, however, Thomas' innate decency asserts itself and he begins helping them to right the wrongs in their lives, allowing them to possess his body to achieve their goal of settling accounts and moving on into the afterlife. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Downey, Jr., Charles Grodin, (more)
