Sinbad Movies
A hardworking funnyman whose clean, family friendly persona and animated antics have endeared him into the hearts of dedicated fans worldwide, Sinbad has worked tirelessly to rise to the top of the standup circuit, finding success in both television and film in addition to his popular stage act.Born David Adkins on November 18, 1956, in Benton Harbor, MI, the energetic youngster spent much of his youth entertaining his three brothers and two sisters and refining his unique sense of humor. A passion for basketball and the Harlem Globetrotters won the red-haired youth (affectionately christened "Red" Chamberlain by his teammates) a basketball scholarship to the University of Denver, but a knee injury later sidelined his professional sports aspirations. Turning back to his humorous instincts, Sinbad hit the road for his "Poverty Tour," working the comedy circuits while taking the Greyhound from city to city and living hand-to-mouth. Adapting the moniker of a legend that embodied the spirit of strength, adventure, and optimism symbolized all that the hardworking comedian aspired to be. Putting his faith in God and his ability to make others laugh paid off, and following seven appearances on Star Search the now-established Sinbad was given his television break by comedy legend Redd Foxx. Playing Foxx's son on The New Redd Foxx show in the mid-'80s found the aspiring actor expanding his talents, and though the show didn't last long, it did bring said talents to the attention of yet another comedy legend, Bill Cosby. Following a few other television appearances, Sinbad joined the cast of Cosby Show spin-off A Different World in 1987. Concurrently serving as host for It's Showtime at the Apollo continued his career momentum on the right track, and before long he had developed his own television show, Sinbad and Friends All the Way Live...Almost.
On the world of the silver screen, Sinbad made an appropriate debut as a standup comedian in 1989 with That's Adequate. Following with notably funny bone-tickling minor roles in Necessary Roughness (1991) and Coneheads (1993), he took the lead for 1995's Houseguest and has since turned up memorably alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in Jingle All the Way and with James Coburn and Burt Reynolds in the made-for-television film The Cherokee Kid (both 1996), all the while making frequent appearances in standup cable specials and continuing to tour tirelessly. The 2000's would find him appearing on shows like Resurrection Blvd. and Slacker Cats, as well as in films like Stompin' and Leila.
In addition to his constant efforts to bring laughter to the masses, Sinbad has dedicated his free time and personal efforts to such causes as the Children's Defense Fund and the Omega Boys Club. Sinbad also made his bid to increase AIDS awareness with his involvement in the Time Out: The Truth About HIV, AIDS and You video in 1992. His intense dedication to family is evident in his hiring of his brothers and sisters to assist him in his numerous endeavors. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Fed up with Dwayne's lame "pickup" lines, graduate student Peggy (Claudette Wells) decides to humilate him in front of everyone by pretending to fall for his charms. Getting wind of Peggy's scheme, Denise (Lisa Bonet) tries to warn Dwayne , but he refuses to listen. For a while, it looks like Dwayne is being set up for a spectacularly painful fall--but Denise teams up with student advisor Walter (Sinbad) for a most unorthodox last-minute rescue. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
To impress her father Cliff (Bill Cosby, crossing over from his own TV series), Denise (Lisa Bonet) goes out for the Hillman College track team. Alas, our heroine can't keep up the pace, and considers giving up the team. . .until the star runner, a good-looking guy named Virgil (Guy Killum), makes a startling confession. Meanwhile, Maggie (Marisa Tomei) is convinced that she'll mess up her Economics term paper unless she is able to track down a specific--and very elusive--textbook. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Denise (Lisa Bonet) is appalled by the snobbery inherent in the annual Miss Hillman pageant. As a means of protesting the festivities, she talks Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison) into entering himself as a contestant--resulting in yet another battle royal between Denise and the insufferable Whitley (Jasmine Guy), with poor Dwayne stuck in the middle. Somehow or other, everyone concerned learns a valuable lesson about what is really important in life . . . but not before the Pageant nearly collapses in chaos. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Season two of A Different World finds the overall quality of the series improving immensely, which many insiders attributed to the fact that the multi-talented Debbie Allen had taken over as producer-director. Originally intended as a vehicle for former Cosby Show co-star Lisa Bonet in her familiar role as college student Denise Huxtable, the series would be forced to undergo a major format change when Bonet dropped out of the series due to her real-life pregnancy. Also gone from the cast is Marisa Tomei, who had played Denise's naïve white college roommate Maggie Lawton. With Bonet and Tomei gone, the emphasis shifts to Denise's former dorm-mates at Hillman College's Gilbert Hall: streetwise 27-year-old divorcée Jaleesa (Dawnn Lewis) and spoiled, haughty Whitley (Jasmine Guy). Likewise carried over from the first season are Gilbert Hall's worldly dorm director Lettie (Mary Alice), self-styled campus Romeo Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison), Dwayne's irresponsible roomie Ron (Darryl M. Bell), and local community-center leader Walter Oakes (Sinbad). New to the series are Whitley's new roommate, the iron-willed, slightly promiscuous pre-med student Kim Reese (Charnele Brown); fashion-challenged but cute and artistically gifted student Freddie Brooks (Cree Summer); and tough-as-nails calculus professor Col. Clayton "Dr. War" Taylor (played by Glynn Turnan, the husband of Aretha Franklin, who this year takes over from Phoebe Snow as the singer of the series' catchy theme tune). Major season two plot developments include the growing attraction between Whitley and Dwayne, although both continue dating others; the budding romance between Walter and Jaleesa; and the many benighted business schemes cooked up by Ron and Dwayne. Also, the characters begin spending more and more of their spare time at a local eatery called The Pit, presided over by philosophical chef Vernon Gaynes (Lou Myers). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jasmine Guy, Sinbad, (more)
- 1989
As the third season of A Different World rolls around, Hillman College's venerable Gilbert Hall is now a coed dorm. Lettie Bostic has quit her job as dorm director, succeeded by local community-center leader Walter Oakes (Sinbad), with whom divorced, 28-year-old college senior Jaleesa (Dawnn Lewis) had fallen in love (Jaleesa is also now assistant resident advisor at the dorm). Spoiled, self-centered student Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy) is surprised at how much her friend and fellow student Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) has matured over the summer, but she still isn't ready to go beyond the platonic stage of their relationship. As for Whitley's tough-minded roommate Kim (Charnele Brown), she has made the first steps toward mending the fences between herself and her overprotective policeman father (played by none other than Mr. Shaft himself, Richard Roundtree). Making his first appearance this season is Julian (Dominic Hoffman), a South African exchange student who begins stirring up political consciousness at staid old Hillman -- and also begins to stir up something quite different within Whitley Gilbert. Although Whitley's romance with Julian is over virtually before it begins, he has succeeded in instilling a sense of responsibility and social awareness in the rich and pampered coed, who isn't quite as "me-oriented" at the end of the season as she was at the beginning. Season three ends with the graduation of Whitley and Jaleesa -- not to mention the two-part escapade "Getaway," in which all the leading characters become innocently involved with dangerous drug leaders who are searching for their ill-gotten loot! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jasmine Guy, Dawnn Lewis, (more)
- 1990
It's official -- the formerly self-centered Hillman College graduate Whitley Gilbert (Jasmine Guy) is definitely in love with her fellow collegiate Dwayne Wayne (Kadeem Hardison) as A Different World begins its fourth season. Unfortunately, during the summer, Dwayne has met and fallen for someone else: a Japanese-American girl named Kinu. So disconsolate that she forgets to pay her room rent on time, Whitley temporarily moves in with another of her Hillman College confrères, the worldly Jaleesa (Dawnn Lewis) -- in an apartment right across the hall from Dwayne's! Hoping to make Dwayne jealous, Whitley finally agrees to go out with Dwayne's dweebish roommate Ron (Darryl M. Bell), but the scheme doesn't work. Incidentally, Ron is far more interested in the artistically inclined coed Freddie (Cree Summer), who isn't quite as waif-like as in previous seasons, and is beginning to emerge as something of a social activist thanks to the influence of her Black History professor. Meanwhile, the romance between Jaleesa and local community-center leader Walter (Sinbad) has gone south, with Jaleesa now hitching her star to hard-driving calculus teacher Colonel Clayton Taylor (Glynn Turnan), whose son Terrence (Cory Tyler) is currently driving everyone crazy as a new Hillman freshman. As the season progresses, Whitley lands a marketing job and later becomes assistant to an art gallery curator; Dwayne and Kina split, with Dwayne finally realizing he is as much in love with Whitley as she is with him; Ron is invited to join his dad's car business, but he opts instead to become a drummer in a band ; and Whitley's former roommate Kim is temporarily working at a mortuary. Season four ends with the possibility of Ron failing to graduate from Hillman, Walter accepting a job in Philadelphia; and Whitley laboring under the misapprehension that Dwayne wants to break off their relationship. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jasmine Guy, Dawnn Lewis, (more)
- 1987
Conspiring with Jaleesa (Dawnn Lewis) and Maggie (Marisa Tomei), Denise (Lisa Bonet) decides to participate in the tradtional Hillman homecoming prank of stealing the head from the costume of the rival mascot (a bear). But she has second thoughts upon finding out that her grandfather Russell (Earle Hyman), a distinguished Hillman alumnus, is planning to pay her a visit. The situation takes a bizarre turn when Russell expresses great interest in the celebrated prank--and insists upon absconding with the bear head himself. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1987
Facing the possibility of flunking out of calculus, Denise (Lisa Bonet) agrees to be tutored by Dwayne (Kadeem Harrison). Though one might expect that Dwayne would use this opportunity to "make the moves" on Denise, he takes his responsibility seriously. Even so, Dwayne finds himself in an embarrassing situation when he is locked inside the all-female dorm after curfew and is forced to make his getaway through Whitley's room--and horror of horrors, he's caught in the act by gimlet-eyed dorm director Stevie Rallen (Loretta Devine), who threatens to tell the Dean that Dwayne and Whitley (Jasmine Guy) have been up to no good. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1986
This romantic made-for-TV movie chronicles episodes from the varied lives of visitors to the popular Mexican seaside resort. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Scalia, Linda Hamilton, (more)
- 1996
Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, and Billy Crystal donate their time and talent to host Comic Relief in this 1996 production documenting the seventh edition of this live charity event aimed at benefiting America's homeless people. Directed by Walter C. Miller (who helmed many of TV's All in the Family episodes), one of the highlights of this program is a reunion of the original cast of the golden-age television series The Steve Allen Show. The star-studded lineup of performers includes Dennis Miller, Sinbad, Steve Allen, Louie Anderson, Margaret Cho, Robert Klein, Richard Lewis, and more. The organization Comic Relief has gone on to raise and distribute nearly 50 million dollars, providing direct health care services to homeless men, women, and children throughout the United States. Originally cablecast on HBO. ~ Steve Blackburn, All Movie Guide
"The Coneheads" were a sketch on the Saturday Night Live television show of the late '70s which were expanded to feature-length proportions with this film. The story concerns Beldar (Dan Aykroyd) and Prymaat (Jane Curtin), who leave the planet Remulak to prepare for an invasion of Planet Earth. But due to a malfunction, they find themselves plunged into the Hudson River and forced to take up residence in Paramus, New Jersey where Beldar gets work as an appliance salesman and makes a deal for a phony social security card. Before long, all thoughts of invading Earth are left behind as Beldar and Prymaat quickly adapt to suburban life -- except for their coneheads and metallic-sounding voices, they become a typical middle-class suburban family. The Coneheads have a child, Connie (Michelle Burke) and Beldar becomes a New York cab driver and starts up his own driving school. Connie grows into a teenager and a neighborhood boy, Ronnie (Chris Farley), develops a crush on her because he likes to rub her conehead. But a nefarious INS agent, Gorman Seedling (Michael McKean), and his toady assistant, Turnbull (David Spade), are hot on The Coneheads' trail because of Beldar's false social security card. Not only that, but the Remulakian Highmaster (Dave Thomas) is beginning to wonder what ever happened to Beldar's invasion of the third rock from the sun. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dan Aykroyd, Jane Curtin, (more)
A psychiatrist confronts a new client whose problems may not be all in his head in this drama. Dr. Ty Adams (Michael Beach) is a well-known psychiatrist who has earned no small amount of controversy for his blunt and "anti-medicinal" approach to treatment. Adams is also dealing with some emotional problems of his own after the death of his wife and child. Parker (John C. McGinley), a documentary filmmaker, has arrived at the hospital where Adams works to make a movie about his work, just in time for Adams to start working with a new patient -- a mysterious and angry fellow known only as "The Man" -- who insists he is Satan (Eriq LaSalle). The new patient is not easily convinced that he's delusional, and as he becomes a greater disruptive force, Adams can't help but wonder if maybe the stranger is telling the truth. Crazy as Hell was directed by actor Eriq LaSalle, who plays the new patient and is best known for his work on the television series E.R.; it was his first theatrical feature, after helming the made-for-cable Rebound. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Beach, Eriq La Salle, (more)
Some say that to be the leader of a country is one of the loneliest jobs in the world. But being the child of a world leader can be doubly so. Constantly surrounded by security officers, restricted in movements and having almost every waking moment carefully monitored makes normalcy an impossibility. No one knows this better than young Luke Davenport, the son of U.S. President Davenport. He vents his loneliness, frustration and feelings of isolation from family and friends by being a brat to his private Secret Service agent. When the agent snaps from the strain in front of the First Lady, a new agent is assigned to Luke. He turns out to be the enormous Sam Simms, a bit of a rogue who managed to rise through the ranks by sheer determination rather than strict adherence to Secret-Service protocol. At first, Luke tries all his old tricks upon Sam. But instead of getting angry, Sam seems to actually understand. This touching comedy follows the eventual friendship that forms between the two misfits. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sinbad, Brock Pierce, (more)
Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, stars of the popular Nickelodeon series All That, confront the ogre of faceless corporate tyranny and have fun doing it in this comedy for young people. Ed (Mitchell) is a teenager who lives for his job at Good Burger, a small but friendly neighborhood hamburger stand, while his buddy Dexter (Thompson) also works there, but lack Ed's single-minded devotion to his job -- he's there because he accidentally destroyed the car of his teacher Mr. Wheat (Sinbad) and has to raise money to pay the damages. When Mondo Burger, a mammoth fast-foot chain, opens across the street, it looks like Good Burger is history, until Ed formulates a secret sauce that brings hundreds of new customers to their door. However, the monomaniacal manager of Mondo Burger, Kurt (Jan Schweiterman), is determined to get his hands on the sauce and put Good Burger out of business. Meanwhile, Ed and Dexter must rescue Otis (Abe Vigoda), the world's oldest fast food employee, from the Demented Hills Asylum, and Ed might just find love with Monique (Shar Jackson) if he could take his mind off the burgers long enough to pay attention to her. Good Burger also features basketball star Shaquille O'Neal as himself and George Clinton as one of the Demented Hills inmates. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kel Mitchell, Kenan Thompson, (more)
One of The Brothers Grimm's best loved fairy tales gets an overhaul using the latest in visual effects technology in this comedy-drama for the whole family. A little girl (Dakota Fanning) has a hard time getting to sleep, so her father (Daniel Roebuck) dusts off a book of children's stories and reads her one of his favorites. Hansel (Jacob Smith) and Gretel (Taylor Momsen) are two children who are being raised by their loving father (Gerald McRaney) and his shrewish second wife (Delta Burke) after the unfortunate death of their mother. When Father is forced to leave home to find work in the city, Stepmother decides this would be the perfect time to get rid of the children, and she manages to "lose" Hansel and Gretel in an enchanted forest. While the children make a valuable and magical friend in The Sandman (Howie Mandel), they also encounter a mysterious woman with a gingerbread house (Lynn Redgrave), who takes them in; however, it isn't long before they learn she's actually a witch, and has made some unorthodox dinner plans involving her young guests. Hansel & Gretel also features the voice talents of Sinbad, Bobcat Goldthwaite, and Tom Arnold as, respectively, a talking raven, a troll, and the Bogeyman. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Taylor Momsen, Jacob Smith, (more)
- 1995
What ever will princess Ebony do without the friends she so desperately wants? Her father, the king, has given her everything he can, except for friends she can call her own. This modernized fable finds the African-American princess Ebony kissing frogs in hopes of finding friends her own age. You'll notice the tale focuses on the princess finding true friends rather than true love, teaching the value of friendship. In the end, the enchanted frog teaches Ebony the meaning of being a friend. Danny Glover and Sinbad lend a hand in telling this yarn. ~ Amy Lewis, All Movie Guide
- 1998
This installment of the popular HBO Happily Ever After children's series employs the talents of Sinbad, Robert Guillaume, and Richard Lewis in a modern retelling of the classic Grimm's fairy tale. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- 1996
- G
- Add Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco to QueueAdd Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco to top of Queue
Two dogs and a cat, separated from their human family, must find their way home and face the dangers of a big city for the first time in this adventure story for the whole family. Bob Seaver (Robert Hays) and his wife Laura (Kim Greist), who live in Northern California, are taking their kids on a camping vacation in Canada, and they're bringing along their pets -- spunky bulldog Chance (voice of Michael J. Fox), self-centered Himalayan cat Sassy (voice of Sally Field), and wise old Golden Retriever Shadow (voice of Ralph Waite). However, Chance doesn't like being cooped up in his travelling cage at the airport, and when he escapes, Sassy and Shadow follow him to the nearest city, San Francisco. After a scary night on their own, the trio are befriended by a gang of stray dogs and cats who have learned to live on their own after running away from their cruel masters. However, Chance, Sassy, and Shadow soon realize that life on the streets is not for them, and they set out to find the Seaver house they call home. Sports fans take note: Bob Uecker, Tommy Lasorda, and Al Michaels appear as themselves and also provide the voices of their pets. The voice of Shadow was performed by Don Ameche in the preceding film Homeward Bound; it proved to be Ameche's last film released before his death in late 1993 (his final film, Corrina, Corrina, didn't reach theaters until several months after his passing), leading the producers of this sequel to cast Ralph Waite in the role. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Hays, Kim Greist, (more)
Sinbad offers some unusual advice on how to make friends in this wacky comedy. Kevin Frankin (Sinbad) is a guy who dreams of starting his own business. However, getting it off the ground is another matter altogether, and soon Kevin discovers that the two loan sharks who fronted him money want to be paid, and paid promptly, otherwise Kevin will be spending some time in the hospital. On the run through an airport, Kevin is trying to find a way out when he overhears Gary Young (Phil Hartman) wondering where his friend is. It seems that Gary has arranged a reunion with an old friend from childhood, but since he hasn't seen him in 25 years, he has no idea what he looks like today, beyond the fact that he's black. Kevin fits the bill that far and claims to be Gary's long lost buddy, which Gary buys hook, line, and sinker. Gary seems to enjoy bonding with his old friend, and Kevin likes staying at Gary's fine home (and raiding his large icebox), but Kevin discovers that impersonating a stranger is a lot more complicated than he expected after he's forced to perform oral surgery and give a speech at a grade school "Career Day" presentation. However, this is all small potatoes on the "oh, no" scale when the loan sharks track Kevin back to Gary's home in the suburbs. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Sinbad, Phil Hartman, (more)
The true meaning of Christmas -- desperate last-minute shopping -- is the subject of this holiday-themed comedy. Howard Langston (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is a mattress salesman with a bad habit of putting his work ahead of his family. His son Jamie (Jake Lloyd), who wishes Dad would pay more attention to him, wants only one thing for Christmas -- a Turbo Man action figure, with all the accessories. Howard promises both Jamie and his wife Liz (Rita Wilson) that there will indeed be a Turbo Man under the tree for Jamie on Christmas morning, but come December 24, Howard realizes that he hasn't actually bought the toy yet. Seemingly it would be no great problem to head on down to the toy store and pick one up, but it just so happens that Turbo Man has been the hottest ticket of the holiday season, and literally thousands of parents are scrambling for the last few action figures. Howard then spends a hilariously hellish Christmas Eve madly scrambling from store to store in desperate search of a Turbo Man; in the course of his adventures, Howard keeps crossing paths Myron Larabee (Sinbad), a postal worker who wants a Turbo Man even more desperately than Howard. And on the home front, Howard has to worry about Ted Maltin (Phil Hartman), an annoyingly perfect suburbanite obsessed with Christmas who has eyes for Liz. This was the second film for child actor Jake Lloyd, who three years later would gain international attention when he was cast as the young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sinbad, (more)
After a recruitment scandal, a struggling college football team is forced to turn to a rag-tag group of misfits in this sports comedy. It seems that Texas State University's football team has relied on some rather unorthodox -- and illegal -- methods to gain players, resulting in the disqualification of most of the team's stars. The desperate coach (Hector Elizondo) must rely on the school's actual students, a motley crew of unlikely characters that includes a female place kicker and a quarterback in his thirties. Unexpectedly, however, the coach discovers that the passer still has a heck of an arm, and suddenly the team again has a chance. The expected comic complications and obvious bits of slapstick follow as this band of eccentrics struggles to find a way to victory, resulting in a familiar reprise of a well-worn storyline. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Bakula, Hector Elizondo, (more)
