Brooke Smith Movies

A widowed dental hygienist gets caught up in a pair of elaborate lies while growing increasingly attracted to her smitten brother-in-law in this comedy drama from King of Queens executive producer Michael J. Weithorn. In the wake of 9/11, Laura Pehlke (Jenna Fischer) finds her life falling apart. Not only is her husband, Bob (Chris O'Donnell), having an affair, but lately their son, Dennis (Daniel Yelski), has begun displaying all the tell-tale signs of tween rage. Then, just when it seems like things around the Pehlke household couldn't get any more tense, Bob drops dead due to a heart condition that he intentionally kept secret for fear of divulging his extramarital fling. Suddenly, Laura's overbearing mother, Joan (Lesley Ann Warren), and pushy sister, Kathy (Brooke Smith), are insisting she ship Dennis off to private school and sue the hospital where Bob was "misdiagnosed." Meanwhile, after enrolling in a new school, insecure Dennis tells his classmates that his father was a NYC fireman who perished heroically while rescuing people from the Twin Towers. The two lies snowballing as her stress begins to peak, Laura finds that the only person who seems to sympathize with her plight is Kathy's husband, Paul (Rob Benedict), who harbored a major crush on her back in high school, yet barely registered on her radar. Two decades later, Laura finally notices him. Now the closer that Laura and Paul grow, the more apparent it becomes that they both desire more from their relationship than either of them are willing to admit. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

In the fourth season of ABC's popular medical drama, Meredith (Ellen Pompeo), Cristina (Sandra Oh), Alex (Justin Chambers) and Izzie (Katherine Heigl) graduate to resident status, while George (T.R. Knight) must repeat his intern year after failing his exam. That's not George's only problem: He must also deal with the fallout of betraying his marriage vows to Callie (Sara Ramirez) as he and Izzie try to figure out if they truly are more than friends. Callie lets the stress of her marriage get to her, and it affects her ability to perform as chief resident, a position that Bailey (Chandra Wilson) coveted. Bailey's own marital woes come to a head when her little boy is hurt in an accident at home, while the Chief (James Pickens Jr.) makes strides in repairing his marriage after his ill niece returns to the hospital. Cristina deals with the pain of her failed wedding to Burke by throwing herself into her other love, cardiothoracic surgery. But much to her dismay, Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith) is the new head of this department, and Cristina and Erica clash. Also new on staff is Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh), George's fellow intern and Meredith's half sister, whom Meredith does her best to avoid. Meredith is on the outs with Derek (Patrick Dempsey), which leaves him free to pursue a nurse named Rose (Lauren Stamile). Meanwhile, a group of nurses whom Mark (Eric Dane) has dated band together to try and stop his promiscuous ways. This prompts Mark to want to change, but he's not the only one looking for self-improvement -- Meredith begins therapy with Dr. Wyatt (Amy Madigan). She then reconnects with Derek on a professional level as they work on clinical trials on patients with brain tumors. Alex also reconnects with someone as former patient and love interest Rebecca (Elizabeth Reaser) reenters his life. However, things with her eventually turn complicated, for reasons he doesn't see at first. ~ Jennifer Sankowski, Rovi

In the concluding half of Grey's Anatomy's Season Two finale, Denny (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) appears to have survived his heart transplant, and in the ensuing euphoria he proposes to Izzie (Katherine Heigl)--but we're still some distance removed from a happy ending. Elsewhere, the relationship between Derek (Patrick Dempsey) and Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) is soured a bit by the presence of Finn (Chris O'Donnell), while Callie (Sara Ramirez) and George (T.R. Knight) wonder if they can be in lust rather than love; Cristina (Sandra Oh), placed in charge of the ER, nearly suffers a meltdown over the plight of the seriously wounded Burke (Isaiah Washington); and Webber (James Pickens Jr.) arranges a "prom night" for his terminally ill niece. To keep audience interest piqued until the opening episode of Season Three, two life-changing events take place just before fadeout time. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The ER is kept hopping by a spectacular traffic accident, which the wife of the driver blames on an "insane" car. Meanwhile, the burden of keeping Burke's hand tremors a secret is taking its toll on Cristina (Sandra Oh). Also, despite being on probation, Izzie (Katherine Heigl) cannot help but meddle in the matter of George's heart-patient father. And as for George (T.R. Knight), he has gotten on Burke's bad side by calling in Dr. Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith) as surgical consultant--the same Erica Hahn who made life miserable for Burke in med school, and who seems poised to do the same all over again at Seattle Grace. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

German filmmaker Katja von Garnier directs the HBO original movie Iron Jawed Angels, inspired by a pivotal chapter in American history. Hilary Swank plays Alice Paul, an American feminist who risked her life to fight for women's citizenship and the right to vote. She founded the separatist National Woman's Party and wrote the first equal rights amendment to be presented before Congress. Together with social reformer Lucy Burns (Frances O'Connor), Paul struggled against conservative forces in order to pass the 19th amendment to the Constitution of the United States. One of their first actions was a parade on President Woodrow Wilson's (Bob Gunton) inauguration day. The suffragettes also encountered opposition from the old guard of the National American Women's Suffrage Association, Carrie Chapman Catt (Anjelica Huston). The activists get arrested and go on a well-publicized hunger strike, where their refusal to eat earns them the title of "the iron-jawed angels." Iron Jawed Angels was screened at the Sundance Film Festival in 2004 before its television premiere on HBO. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Dignified Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins tries the buddy action-comedy on for size with this typically slick and bombastic offering from producer Jerry Bruckheimer. Hopkins stars as Gaylord Oakes, a CIA spy attempting -- along with his partner, Kevin Pope (Chris Rock) -- to secure a suitcase-sized nuclear bomb in Prague from a Russian black marketer (Peter Stormare). Just as the partners discover that another bidder for the device exists, they are ambushed and Pope is killed trying to protect Oakes. Desperate for the bomb's owners and their attackers to believe that Pope is still alive so that the deal can commence in ten days time, Oakes recruits his late partner's long-lost twin, ticket-scalping chess hustler Jake Hayes (also played by Rock), a small-time criminal who never knew he had a brother. Offered a sizable payday and the admiration of his student nurse girlfriend, Hayes agrees to undergo vigorous training and dangerous situations as he impersonates his brother and helps Oakes to remove the nuclear threat, but the new partners clash in every way possible, from personal discipline to musical taste. Meanwhile, the assassin of the real Kevin Pope sends another cadre of killers after the agent he believes is still alive. Bad Company co-stars Kerry Washington, Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon, Gabriel Macht, and Matthew Marsh. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

All her life, Josephine Pitt (Brooke Smith) has been told that she was responsible for the death of her brother in 1972, when she was only three years old. Now she wants to know for certain -- and to do that, she appeals to Al Giardello (Yaphet Kotto), who handled the original case. Meanwhile, Bayliss (Kyle Secor) and Ballard (Callie Thorne) investigate the case of a junkie who was shot after dying of a drug overdose. Both detectives are weighed down by their personal travails -- especially Bayliss, who is tired of being ridiculed for his sexual preferences. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Julie A. Lynch made her directorial debut with this low-budget indie, an AIDS drama set in 1992 NYC, where three women -- promiscuous artist Josie Ray (Christine Harnos), stand-up comic Jennifer Sharp (Brooke Smith), and MBA student Elaine Devlin (Amy Ryan) -- learn their old college chum Chris Goodman (Garret Dillahunt) is hospitalized with complications from HIV. Awaiting word, they drink, talk, and compare past sexual histories. As sexual secrets surface, Josie attempts to get together with her ex, Matt Devlin (Bill Sage), Elaine's brother. Shown at the 1998 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi

The jazz world of 1930s Kansas City serves as the backdrop for an offbeat story of kidnapping, political corruption, and organized crime in director Robert Altman's loving but unsentimental look at his childhood hometown. The film's intricate story is triggered by petty thief Johnny O'Hara (Dermot Mulroney), who aims for a big score by trying to rob notorious crime boss Seldom Seen (Harry Belafonte), only to end up Seen's captive. In fear for her husband's life, Johnny's wife Blondie (Jennifer Jason Leigh) decides to take action. Following an eccentric personal logic, she takes as a hostage the wife of a prominent local politician, in hopes of getting the woman's husband to help; unfortunately, he is on the road with an upcoming presidential campaign, putting a major hitch in Blondie's plans. The film moves freely among its idiosyncratic characters in an overt attempt to mimic the improvisational structure of 1930s jazz. Indeed, many of the film's most important sequences take place in Seldom Seen's club, with contemporary jazz greats imitating the period's master musicians and Harry Belafonte shining as the magnetic, menacing Seen. The central narrative never achieves the seemingly effortless integration of Altman's greatest works, but those who share Altman's obvious passion for the period and its music will find much to admire. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Character actor Steve Buscemi made his debut as a writer and director with this seriocomic tale of a guy who is going through something but doesn't know just what it is. Tommy is a 31-year-old auto mechanic who lost his last job after "borrowing" 1,500 dollars from the cash register and heading to Atlantic City, where he wasted no time losing it all at the tables. The fact that he can't get his own car to run isn't impressing any prospective employers, so Tommy spends much of his time at the Trees Lounge, a local watering hole conveniently located downstairs from his apartment. Eventually Tommy lands some work driving an ice cream truck and becomes acquainted with his ex-girlfriend's 17-year-old niece, Debbie (Chloë Sevigny). When they half-heartedly fall into a romance, it's just one more thing for Tommy to be confused about. Buscemi draws upon a rich cast of supporting actors, including Elizabeth Bracco, Anthony LaPaglia, Carol Kane, Debi Mazar, Samuel L. Jackson, and Mimi Rogers. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A legendary theatrical family gather for one final show at their East Hamptons estate in this verbose comedy-drama. Swedish actress Viveca Lindfors takes center stage as Helena, the family matriarch, who has made the difficult decision to sell the estate due to financial problems. A mixed group has come for what will be the last of the family's annual summer performances, a gathering that naturally brings conflicts and rivalries to the surface. Much of the trouble centers on Oona (Victoria Foyt), a financially successful Hollywood actress seeking artistic approval from such theatrical colleagues as avant-garde director Ivan (André Gregory) and gay playwright Jake (real-life dramatist Jon Robin Baitz), who each has difficulties of his own. As in all of writer/director Henry Jaglom's films, the focus is on conversation over action, as the various characters share personal torments and debate their individual philosophies. The talky, intellectual dialogue will be seen by some viewers as witty and perceptive and by others as pretentious and slow-moving. Regardless of one's opinion of Jaglom's idiosyncratic style, Last Summer in the Hamptons is distinguished by the presence of Lindfors in her final film, giving a career-capping performance that addresses the problems of older actresses and looks back fondly on the star's own history. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

Throughout the 20th century, women have met the challenges and struggles of balancing work and family. Narrated by Jane Fonda, A Century of Women: Work & Family weaves fictional and factual stories to illustrate the history of women in the workforce, as well as their roles as wives and mothers. Performances and testimonies from a stellar group of women including Meryl Streep, Gloria Steinem, Twyla Tharp, and Maya Angelou facilitate the film's innovative method of storytelling. Archival film, photographs, and interviews retrace historical events -- from the founding of the PTA to early unions -- that changed our social landscape. Diaries, letters, and personal memories honor women of the past and make it clear that the balancing of labor and family was a matter of life and death. ~ Brooke Hodess, Rovi

Two people fall in love without meeting -- and discover a wealth of complications when they try to get together -- in this romantic comedy. Even though he's about to be married, Brian McVeigh (Kevin Anderson) doesn't want to give up his old apartment, where he can swill beer, scarf pizza, and be as much of a slob as he wants. He decides to hold onto his flat as a weekend clubhouse, but he rents it out to other people during the week. Brian's new tenants, sharing the place on alternating days, are Sam (Matthew Broderick), an aspiring gourmet chef who's just been dumped by his spacey girlfriend Pastel (Jeanne Tripplehorn), and Ellen (Annabella Sciorra), who is stuck in an unhappy marriage and wants a place to work on her art. Ellen mistakenly assumes that Brian is the guy who leaves her gourmet snacks and admiring notes about how much he likes her paintings, and when she sets up a liaison with Brian, she wonders how the seemingly perfect man could be such a loser in person. The Night We Never Met also features Justine Bateman as Brian's fiancée and Christine Baranski as Ellen's best friend. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi