Amy Stiller Movies
A birthday party for the twins gives Greg an opportunity to redeem himself after he takes a job that raises the suspicions of his overbearing father-in-law, Jack (Robert De Niro), in this installment of the hit comedy series. Greg (Ben Stiller) and Pam (Teri Polo) have been together for ten years, and now they're the proud parents of two adorable twins. But money is tight, and in order to keep his family afloat, devoted nurse Greg takes a second job working for a drug company. But that development doesn't sit well with Jack, whose previous suspicions regarding his hapless son-in-law soon come back in full force after learning of this development. With the twins' birthday fast approaching, the proud parents invite the entire clan over to celebrate in style, including Kevin (Owen Wilson), who still carries a torch for his pretty ex Pam. As the festivities get under way, Greg takes every opportunity available to prove to Jack that he's fully capable of providing for his family. Now Greg has one last chance to prove that he's trustworthy. Should he fail, the circle of trust will be broken for good. Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Laura Dern, and Jessica Alba co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, (more)
Ben Stiller's satirical look at Hollywood, Tropic Thunder concerns the production of an epic Vietnam War film that quickly derails thanks to the giant egos of everyone involved in the production. Stiller stars as Tugg Speedman, an action hero trying to segue out of that genre. Jack Black plays Jeff Portnoy, a drug-addicted fat comic also attempting to change his image by taking on such a serious film. They star alongside Kirk Lazarus (Robert Downey Jr.), one of the world's most awarded actors, and a man who insists on immersing himself totally in a role. In this case, that means Lazarus has had his skin dyed in order to portray an African-American soldier. After their outrageous behavior lands the film's director, Damien Cockburn (Steve Coogan), in very hot water with producer Les Grossman (Tom Cruise), Cockburn takes the advice of grizzled Vietnam vet Four Leaf Tayback (Nick Nolte); in order to gain control of his performers, Cockburn drops the actors off in the jungle, planning to film the movie guerrilla-style with hidden cameras. When the group stumbles upon a heroin production camp, the actors are unaware that they are in very real danger. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Stiller, Jack Black, (more)
A cast of distinguished veterans and promising newcomers headline this stark prison drama from first-time writer-director Jordan Walker-Pearlman. Hill Harper stars as embittered inmate Alex, sentenced to serve time for a rape he claims that he didn't commit. His link to the outside world is his upper-middle class bother Tony (Obba Babatunde), the only family member who's come to visit him in the half-decade he's been in jail. On his latest visit, Alex pleads with Tony to have the rest of the family visit him, admitting that he's in the final stages of his battle with AIDS. Through flashbacks, dream sequences, and real-time encounters, Alex interacts with the people who have shaped his life -- his parents (Marla Gibbs and Billy Dee Williams), his old friend (Rae Dawn Chong), and his therapist (Phylicia Rashad) -- and attempts to overcome the seething anger and resentment that have punctuated his time in prison. The Visit was greeted with much acclaim when it premiered at the 2000 Method Fest Independent Film Festival. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hill Harper, Obba Babatunde, (more)
- 1999
The then-current efforts to impeach President Bill Clinton were clearly the inspiration of this episode, the first in a two-part story. A Baltimore official is murdered in New York's Battery Park, compelling the NYPD's Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Curtis (Benjamin Bratt) to work side by side with Baltimore homicide cops John Munch (Richard Belzer) and Rene Sheppard (Michael Michele). It turns out that the victim was killed on Munch and Sheppard's home turf before being dumped in Briscoe and Curtis' backyard. The ensuing investigation involves a high-level Washington cover-up, a lesbian romance, and an FBI-protected witness, culminating in a clash between ADA Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) and duplicitous Independent Counsel William Dell (George Hearn, who, coincidentally, bears a strong physical resemblance to the redoubtable Kenneth Starr). This two-parter was Law & Order's third and final crossover with the NBC crime drama Homicide: Life on the Street; the conclusion originally aired as an installment of Homicide February 19, 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
"Southie" is common usage in Massachusetts for a resident of South Boston. John Shea directed and co-scripted (with James Cummings and Dave McLaughlin) this low-budget crime drama which won the American Independent Award at the 1998 Seattle Film Festival. Out of money and out of luck, Danny Quinn (Donnie Wahlberg) leaves NYC and returns home to South Boston where his dysfunctional family is allied with an Irish Mafia crowd. When Danny's pals open a private casino with an assist from a different Irish Mafia group, this leaves Danny stuck in the middle when trouble erupts between the two factions. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Donnie Wahlberg, Rose McGowan, (more)
Originally planned as a silly vehicle for Chris Farley, in the hands of director Ben Stiller and star Jim Carrey, The Cable Guy became an opportunity for Carrey to flex some of his darker comedic muscles as stalker Chip Douglas. Matthew Broderick plays Steven, an average Joe who is forlorn over his recent breakup with girlfriend Robin (Leslie Mann). When he moves into a new apartment, Steven comes in contact with Chip, who shows up to hook up the cable. Before he knows it, and whether he likes it or not, Steven has a new best-friend in the obnoxious and clingy Chip. However, Steven soon learns that obnoxious is a walk in the park compared to Chip's behavior when Steven tells him he doesn't want to be his pal anymore. What's worse, no one -- including Robin or his family -- believes Steven when he accuses the seemingly harmless Chip of being a malevolent menace. George Segal and Jack Black also star along with Stiller, who plays twins loosely-based on the Menendez brothers. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi
- Starring:
- Jim Carrey, Matthew Broderick, (more)
This film was one of the more mainstream offerings in the array of films that emphasized the overly hyped "Generation X" phenomenon, a list that ranges from Slacker to Singles and includes a host of other films. Winona Ryder stars as Lelaina, a recent college graduate. Out on her own and independent from her supportive, but out-of-touch parents, Lelaina faces the realities of careers and relationships. She can't stand her internship under a local television personality (John Mahoney), and she's forced to choose between Michael (Ben Stiller), a well-intentioned music-video network executive, and Troy (Ethan Hawke), a brooding, sensitive slacker. Meanwhile, she must also protect the artistic integrity of "Reality Bites," a video documentary that depicts the everyday lives of her friends (Hawke, Janeane Garofalo, and Steve Zahn). This 1994 release also marks the feature directorial debut of Ben Stiller. ~ Jonathan E. Laxamana, Rovi
- Starring:
- Winona Ryder, Ethan Hawke, (more)
- 1994
The undernourished body of an 82-year-old woman is found in her shabby apartment. Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Logan (Chris Noth) are determined to prove that the woman died of criminal neglect and indifference. But who was truly responsible: the old lady's housekeeper, Maria Gonzalez (Denise Hernandez), or her granddaughter, Laura Bauer (Julie Dretzin)? Veteran character actress Jan Miner, best known as "Madge the Manicurist" in a series of popular detergent commercials, wraps up the acting honors in this episode. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1991
- R
This semi-spoof of the Orpheus legend stars Chad Lowe and Kristy Swanson as newlyweds whose car is pulled over by Beezelbub (Patrick Bergin), who kidnaps the girl and takes her to Hell. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi
- Starring:
- Patrick Bergin, Chad Lowe, (more)
Vampire's Kiss follows the story of yuppie literary agent Peter Loew (Nicolas Cage) as he descends into madness and vampirism. Loew believes he has been bitten by a vampire (Jennifer Beals) and is slowly becoming one himself, despite the contrary opinion of his therapist (Elizabeth Ashley). He then begins to wage a campaign of escalating terror against his secretary and first potential victim, Alva (Maria Conchita Alonso, looking appropriately baffled). Alva begs her parents to let her stay home from work to avoid her unusual boss, but they force her to go on that fateful day, and the plot unfolds. Vampire's Kiss became a cult item on the basis of Cage's outrageous performance: at one point he actually eats a live cockroach. ~ Jeremy Beday, Rovi
- Starring:
- Nicolas Cage, Maria Conchita Alonso, (more)
Lovers and Other Strangers became a "sleeper" hit, based on a play by Renée Taylor and Joseph Bologna. The story is essentially a series of vignettes and anecdotes, unified by an impending marriage. Father of the bride Hal (Gig Young) has problems with his long-suffering mistress, Cathy (Anne Jackson), who spends much of the film sitting on the toilet, crying her eyes out; Wilma (Anne Meara), the bride's sex-starved sister, can't wrest her husband, Johnny (Harry Guardino), away from the TV; and Frank (Richard S. Castellano), as the groom's father, slips comfortably into Bartlett's Familiar Quotations with his oft-repeated query "So what's the story?" Twelfth-billed Diane Keaton makes her film debut as a garrulous wedding guest. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bea Arthur, Bonnie Bedelia, (more)
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