Burr Steers

Matthew Perry plays a family man whose life is thrown into disarray when he finds that he's mysteriously reverted back to the age of 17 (in the form of High School Musical's Zac Efron) in this New Line Cinema comedy. Hijinks ensue as the teen enlists in the same school as his children so that he can keep an eye on them. Knocked Up's Leslie Mann co-stars in the Burr Steers-helmed production, written by Jason Filardi (Bringing Down the House). ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide

Nancy (Mary-Louise Parker) is awakened early one morning by the fire alarm, which heralds an unwelcome guest, her criminally irresponsible brother-in-law Andy (Justin Kirk). A master chef and world-class screw-up, Andy plans on staying around until he figures out his life. With Andy around, Nancy can't use her kitchen to cook up her pot goodies, so Heylia (Tonye Patano) hooks her up with the Candy Man (Jane Lynch of A Mighty Wind), who turns out to be a female fitness fanatic who won't sell Nancy any treats until she commits to an exercise program. Doug (Kevin Nealon), Nancy's accountant and best customer, brings her to an Indian restaurant that's going out of business, and suggests if Nancy wants to start a front bakery, this would be a good place to do it. Andy, meanwhile, gets Shane (Alexander Gould) in trouble at school selling misprinted "Chris died for your sins" T-shirts, and is also caught pretending to be Silas (Hunter Parrish) online and having cybersex with Silas' girlfriend, Megan (Shoshannah Stern). But when Andy visits his old buddy Conrad (Romany Malco), hoping to score some weed, he learns the truth about Nancy's post-widowhood enterprise, and uses the information to his advantage. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide

The cynical son of an upper-class New York family bedeviled by booze, pills and mental illness strikes out on his own in this caustic, darkly comic drama. Igby Slocomb (Kieran Culkin) and his older brother, Oliver (Ryan Phillippe), are are in the process of killing their mother, Mimi (Susan Sarandon). Flashbacks delineate Igby's troubled childhood: Speed-freak Mimi and her depressed husband, Jason (Bill Pullman), snipe at each other endlessly until Jason attempts suicide before Igby's very eyes and takes up residence in a mental hospital. Igby grows into a rebellious youth, gets kicked out of several boarding schools and ends up in a hellish military academy. After one failed escape attempt, he heads to New York City and hides out in the apartment of Rachel (Amanda Peet), the heroin-addled mistress of his godfather, D.H. (Jeff Goldblum). Oliver locates the young scoundrel and informs him that Mimi is suffering from cancer. Unperturbed, Igby continues his slacker existence -- and his romance with Sookie (Claire Danes), a hipper-than-thou undergraduate who finds herself torn between Igby and Oliver. As Igby gets drawn further into the mind games and hypocrisy of the adult world, his already jaded outlook grows even darker. He takes to dealing smack and hanging out with a cross-dressing performance "artist" (Jared Harris). Ultimately, though, Mimi's impending death draws him back into the family fold for unexpected revelations and realizations. Written and directed by first-time filmmaker Burr Steers, Igby Goes Down features Rory Culkin, Kieran's brother, as the young Igby. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Richard Zelniker wrote and directed this low-budget drama, set in Los Angeles. When Mitch (Burr Steers) visits his brother David (James Patrick Stuart) in LA, he brings along sexy Kim (Lisa Collins) and a romantic triangle quickly develops. Shown at the 1997 Boston Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide

In 1992, Reservoir Dogs transformed Quentin Tarantino practically overnight from an obscure, unproduced screenwriter and part-time actor to the most influential new filmmaker of the 1990s. The story looks at what happens before and after (but not during) a botched jewelry store robbery organized by Joe Cabot (Lawrence Tierney). Mr. White (Harvey Keitel) is a career criminal who takes a liking to newcomer Mr. Orange (Tim Roth) and enjoys showing him the ropes. Mr. Pink (Steve Buscemi) is a weaselly loner obsessed with professionalism. Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen) has just gotten out of jail after taking the rap on a job for Cabot; he's grateful for the work but isn't the same person he used to be. While Mr. Blonde goes nuts during the heist, the thieves are surprised by the sudden arrival of the police, and Mr. Pink is convinced one of their team is a cop. So who's the rat? What do they do about Mr. Blonde? And what do they do with Mr. Orange, who took a bullet in the gut and is slowly bleeding to death? Reservoir Dogs jumps back and forth between pre- and post-robbery events, occasionally putting the narrative on pause to let the characters discuss such topics as the relative importance of tipping, who starred in Get Christie Love!, and what to do when you enter a men's room full of cops carrying a briefcase full of marijuana. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide