Joy Smithers Movies
A high-powered corporate lawyer learns the importance of following her heart instead of worrying what others think after falling for her lowly male secretary and nearly ruining the romance by attempting to cover it up. Lesley Barrett (Joy Smithers) is on the fast track to becoming a partner at one of Australia's top law firms when unemployed actor and temporary worker Fred (Rhett Giles) accepts a position as her personal secretary. Though it isn't long before sparks are flying between the mismatched pair, Lesley is mortified of what her colleagues would say should they catch wind of the unconventional affair. In hopes of keeping a lid on the affair, Lesley swears Fred to secrecy. As a result, their once perfect relationship quickly turns sour. Will Lesley learn the error of her ways and accept Fred for who he is, or is she still so hung up on status and her old boyfriend Graham that she can't recognize true love when its staring her right in the face? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joy Smithers, Rhett Giles, (more)
- 1997
Made for television, Heart of Fire stars Patrick Duffy as Max Tucker, a veteran firefighter who has seen so much in his lifetime that he regards himself immune to the tragedies and heartaches of the world. Tucker's cynicism is put to the test when he tries to save a little girl named Katy (Alex McKenna), trapped beneath a burning tanker. Though the other firefighters have given up the girl for dead, Tucker puts his own life on the line in hopes of pulling off an "impossible" rescue--and restoring his faith in miracles. Produced by Arnold Shapiro of Rescue 911 fame, Heart of Fire (cable TV title: The Tanker Incident) first aired January 7, 1997 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Sleazy real estate wheeler-dealer Ben Egan (Aden Young) is brought up short when a deal catastrophically falls through. After he hits a policeman, Egan winds up doing several months of community service at a youth drop-in center. Before that, he had been all set up to marry the boss's daughter (Tammy MacIntosh) and rise swiftly in the old man's firm. The woman who runs the center (Essie Davis), and one of the children get his attention and he begins to have charitable thoughts occasionally. However, old habits die hard. When he learns that the youth center is situated in a prime development area, he tries very hard to get hold of the property. Will his growing conscience break through the shell he has built around it in time to prevent him from closing this deal? ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- 1995
Friends gather for a dinner party and engage in fascinating conversations that take a much darker turn when the true nature of their interrelations come to light in this Australian comedy-drama. It is Sylvia and her frustrated lover Morris who give the party. She, the editor of an advice column in a feminist magazine, and he are going through a rocky time as she hasn't allowed him to have sex with her since her abortion. The others are Tracy, a fashion model, John, a manipulative closet homosexual, free-spirited fashion designer Viv, Tom, her bisexual lover, and Dan, an aloof loner. As far as secret involvements go, Tracy is having an affair with Morris. John has had an affair with Tom. Tracy claims Dan once beat her, but Dan denies it. The evening progresses and the guests drink much wine and smoke plenty of dope. This loosens their tongues and allows their dirty little secrets to slip out one by one. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Brooke Shields stars in this futuristic suspense thriller as Kate Fletcher, a woman whose apartment is controlled by a high-tech computer system. Her conveniences become a trap, however, when a psychotic murderer invades her building, convinced his dead sister is commanding him to kill again. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Belinda (Deanne Jeffs) is a 16-year-old Australian girl who wants to become a ballerina. To make ends meet, she takes a job as an exotic dancer in a scrungy Sydney cabaret. Eventually she is able to pursue her original goal, but not before experiencing (and enduring) humanity at both its best and worst. Director/writer Pamela Gibbons reportedly based Belinda on her own early life. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Deanne Jeffs, Mary Regan, (more)
- 1985
With a touch of comedy, this Aussie film ("Our Home" spelled backwards) chronicles the unnerving experience of a young couple buying a home when their income is already stretched thin. Terri and Des (Joy Smithers and Martin Sacks) live on a beach with their son Les, and life is difficult, but the scenery is stunning, and their son has playmates, the children of others camped out there in the same circumstances. Both parents work, Terri ironically cleans houses for others, and Des drives a bus. One day Terri gets fed up with not being able to afford a home and contacts an agency specializing in financing such projects, and soon Terri is cleaning house for her own family. But life in suburbia is far from ideal -- Les has no playmates, his father has to leave for work before the crack of dawn because they live so far from the city, and their neighbors are busybodies. Barely making it on their shoestring budget, neither Terri nor Des plan for any unexpected setbacks -- a serious error, it turns out.
~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joy Smithers, Martin Sacks, (more)
This WW II musical is set in Australia and chronicles the exploits of a nightclub singer and the young Marine who loves her. She works in a Quonset hut turned into a saloon and helps stage shows for battle-weary troops returning from the South Seas. After one performance she holds a small party in her apartment and there meets the Marine sergeant who has just sailed in from Guadalcanal. Although she is married and awaiting the return of her husband, who is also at war, he decides to pursue her. Later she learns that her husband has been killed. Soon after, the Marine confesses that he can no longer handle the violence and has gone AWOL. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt Dillon, Debbie Byrne, (more)
- 1983
This film about Stanley (Peter Bensley), a young man clashing with the real world around him, loses its potential for energetic farce and social comedy as many of the scenes are not convincingly delivered - or miss altogether. Stanley's father is a billionaire who is driven to distraction by his eccentric son and as a remedy for the young man's erratic behavior, he proposes brain surgery. Stanley is not eccentric enough to agree with that idea, and runs away to safety in the home of a normal family, or so he thinks. The "normal" father is actually gay but is still deeply ensconced in the closet as far as his family is concerned, the mother is having a hetero affair, the son is a drug dealer, and the daughter is expecting a racially-mixed child. As long as he stays with this family, Stanley's road to normalcy will be a bumpy if not aborted ride. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Graham Kennedy, Nell Campbell, (more)
