Eric Stoltz Movies
Eric Stoltz has appeared in a number of major and minor features and on television. While growing up, the pale, slender, and red-haired Stoltz spent time in American Samoa. His interest in acting began in high school where he not only acted in productions, but also occasionally accompanied them on piano. While attending U.S.C., Stoltz studied theater arts but left the program to study under Stella Adler, William Taylor, and Peggy Feury. Afterward, Stoltz spent a season in Edinburgh performing with an American repertory company.Upon his return stateside, Stoltz appeared in the television movie version of humorist Erma Bombeck's novel The Grass Is Always Greener Over the Septic Tank (1978). He would appear in three more television films before making his film debut in Amy Heckerling's Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) alongside such other would-be stars as Sean Penn, Anthony Edwards, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. From there, Stoltz appeared in a series of low-budget films such as Running Hot (1982) and Surf 2 (1984), and he might well have remained at that level had he not been cast as Rocky Dennis in Peter Bogdanovich's Mask (1986). Playing a young teen suffering from lionitis, a terminal disease that drastically deforms the skull, Stoltz had to wear pounds of makeup and prosthetics (the makeup won Oscars for designers Zoltan Elek and Michael Westmore) that left him with only his voice, his eyes, and his body with which to convey emotions. Starring opposite Cher, who played his drug-addicted biker-chick mother, Stoltz gave a moving performance that earned him critical and audience acclaim. But though it made Stoltz popular, full-fledged stardom eluded him and he continued appearing in moderately successful and low-budget films, including John Hughes' romantic drama Some Kind of Wonderful (1987).
In addition to his film work, Stoltz has had a busy Broadway career that began in 1988 with a Tony-nominated starring role in a revival of Thornton Wilder's Our Town, and a sporadic television career making guest appearances on such series as Mad About You and in TV movies. Stoltz has occasionally produced films such as Mr. Jealousy (1997). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
Set fifty years before the events of Battlestar Galactica, Capricia follows the rivalry between two feuding families competing and thriving in the 12 Colonies. Daniel Graystone (Eric Stoltz) and Joseph Adama (Esai Morales) both sit at the head of powerful tables. Their world is at the peak of its power, yet as science and technology both continue to grow, so too does the potential for disaster. As artificial intelligence and technology paves the way towards the future - and the dreaded Cylons - corporate conspiracy and sexual politics put the Graystones and the Adamas on a tragic collision course. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Stoltz, Esai Morales, (more)
When a series of cargo ships vanish into the open waters of the Bermuda Triangle, a team of determined specialists attempt to uncover the mystery of the planet's most perplexing phenomenon in Storm of the Century and Rose Red director Craig R. Baxley's spooky sci-fi miniseries. Billionaire Eric Benirall's (Sam Neill) ships have gone missing at an alarming rate, and it's high time to find out if there's a human factor behind the strange disappearances. With each surprising revelation the plot surrounding the Bermuda Triangle only seems to deepen, though, and as the bizarre stories about the cursed waters slowly begin adding up to a bigger picture, Benirall and his fearless crew are about to discover that the truth is most certainly always stranger than any work of fiction. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Stoltz, Sam Neill, (more)
Childstar concerns an egotistical 12-year-old named Taylor who has skyrocketed to fame at that young age. His relationship with his driver, Rick, takes a turn when Taylor confides in him about the problems of celebrity and the fears of his impending teenage years. When Taylor disappears one day, Rick attempts to find the boy and help him through this troubling period. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Don McKellar, Mark Rendall, (more)
An alcoholic must choose between love, life, and the bottle in this independent comedy drama. Tulley (Anthony LaPaglia) is a self-described "drinker with a writing problem," who after publishing a handful of well-respected short stories, began work on a novel. The novel, however, turned out to be a harder task than Tulley imagined, and he opted to take a job as an advertising copywriter, where he earns a good living but makes scant use of his talent. Tulley has also fallen into a habit of heavy drinking, as his best friend, Levine (Eric Stoltz), looks on with bemused concern. One night at a bar, Tulley meets Natalie (Caroleen Feeney), a teacher who doesn't much care for children, and what starts as a one-night stand turns into a love affair. As Natalie gets to know Tulley better, she discovers the talent lurking behind his alcoholic defenses, and encourages him to devote himself to literature again. However, as they fall deeper in love, Tulley discovers he has a larger problem than his novel to deal with -- he's been diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver, and won't have long to live if he can't change his ways. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony LaPaglia, Eric Stoltz, (more)
- 2003
This limited-run cable series starred Eric Stoltz as screenwriter Mark Colms and Felicity Huffman as his wife and writing partner, Lorna. While working on an inconsequential movie project, Mark began entertaining notions of cheating on his spouse for the first time in their 16-year marriage and dallying with either his next-door neighbor Annie (Justine Bateman) or sexy soccer mom Danni (Kim Dickens). Meanwhile, Lorna, who suffered from chemical depression, did her best to keep working though beclouded by booze and medication. The fine line between reality and fantasy was constantly blurred as Mark, who saw his life as a never-ending movie, addressed the audience (whom he referred to as his "jury") and went off on flights of illusion and delusion, much of it R-rated in nature. William H. Macy, husband of series co-star Huffman, played Lorna's erstwhile drinking partner, washed-up Hollywood producer Steven, while director Peter Bogdanovich was seen as Mark and Danni's obnoxious boss. Created by the genuine husband-and-wife writing team of Wayne and Donna Powers, the weekly, 60-minute Out of Order was launched with a two-hour premiere on June 1, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Stoltz, Felicity Huffman, (more)
- 2002
- Add American Experience: War Letters - Stories of Courage, Longing and Sacrifice to QueueAdd American Experience: War Letters - Stories of Courage, Longing and Sacrifice to top of Queue
One commonality that seems to link every modern war is that soldiers almost invariably write their families and loved ones on a regular basis and their correspondence covers a broad range of human emotions -- funny camp stories, reassurances to worried folks at home, confessions of fear, anxieties about the dangers of the battlefield, and prescient goodbyes from fighting men and women who know they may never return. American Experience: War Letters -- Stories of Courage, Longing and Sacrifice is a documentary produced for PBS which follows America's history in armed conflict through the letters written home by men and women in uniform. American Experience: War Letters features readings from a cast of distinguished performers, including Joan Allen, Edward Norton, Bill Paxton, Giovanni Ribisi, David Hyde Pierce, and many more. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 2001
Produced by actress Mimi Rogers (who shows up on screen in the role of Aunt Marion) and directed by actor Eric Stoltz, the made-for-cable movie My Horrible Year! is the story of Nik Faulkner (Allison Mack), a 16-year-old girl about to undergo a crucial rite of passage: the removal of her braces. Nik's exultation over this momentous event is dampened by the antics of her weird friends and her combative parents -- not to mention her zany Uncle Charlie (played by Stoltz) who insists upon being a bother even though he's dead. From time to time, Nik is lectured by her mirror-image alter ego, which only exacerbates her other problems. Things come to a head when Nik endeavors to prevent her parents from getting a divorce -- or at least that's what she thinks she's doing. Produced by Millbrook Farm Productions for the Showtime cable network, My Horrible Year! originally aired on July 8, 2001. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Allison Mack, Karen Allen, (more)
- 2000
Harvey Fierstein, Terrence McNally, and Paula Vogel each wrote episodes for this three-part made-for-cable drama which examines changing attitudes and issues facing the gay and lesbian community in the small town of Homer, Connecticut. Opening in the 1950s and leading up to the present day, Common Ground features Eric Stolz, Mimi Rogers, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Margot Kidder, Edward Asner, Beau Bridges, Jason Priestley, and Steven Weber, as well as co-writer Fierstein. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ed Asner, Beau Bridges, (more)
- 2000
Marine Captain Mary Jane O'Malley (Anne Heche), a divorced mother of two small children, shoots and kills her decorated war hero superior officer, Major Nelson Gray (Sam Shepard), after he breaks into her bedroom with the intention of attacking her. At least that's her story. The military prosecutors are charging her with premeditated murder based on the love affair O'Malley had been having with the married major. O'Malley's military attorney, Captain Walker Randall (Eric Stoltz), has one chance to make a convincing case of self-defense. ~ Buzz McClain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Heche, Eric Stoltz, (more)
Director Linda Yellen spins this study of four couples as they struggle to maintain their relationships. Middle-aged divorcée and landlord Katharine (Lynn Redgrave) is completely smitten with her live-in lover Rick (Harry Connick, Jr.). She loves throwing parties, and on one Halloween she hosts a dinner for some wildly dissimilar guests: her tenets Sandra (Cindy Crawford) and Paul (Jamey Sheridan) are conservative professionals, while fellow building dwellers Marta (Monica Keena) and Billy (Dylan Bruno) are rock musicians. Also at the party is wacky psychic Arnita (Tyne Daly). During dinner, Arnita sees the spirits of another couple: Mae (Samantha Mathis), a flapper from the 1920s, and Katharine's great-grandfather Edward (William Hurt). Unnerved, Arnita predicts that one couple will split up by year's end. Though initially shaken, the guests brush her off as a nut. Yet toward the year's end, Katharine grows increasingly jealousy of Rick's flirtation with Sandra. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lynn Redgrave, Jamey Sheridan, (more)
- 2000
Over the course of one year, a group of friends gathers for three parties (a birthday dinner party, a Halloween costume party, and a New Year's celebration) at the Brooklyn apartment of a young married couple (Chris Reed, Lauren Katz). Friendships and relationships are formed, dissolved, and re-formed amidst witty banter.
~ Keith Phipps, All Movie Guide
~ Keith Phipps, All Movie Guide
- 2000
The fabulous Maureen O'Hara delivers another stunning performance in this made-for-TV movie, based on Todd F. Cope's short story "The Shift." O'Hara is cast as Helen Parker, the former high school teacher of nurse Todd Cope (Eric Stolz). Like many others in his professional, Todd is having trouble devoting equal time to his job and to his family, and as a result has lost touch with his wife Denise (Trini Alvarado). Working overtime at the hospital, Todd is reunited with Helen Parker, who is suffering from a serious heart condition. When it becomes obvious that Helen has no one else to look after her, Todd assumes the responsibility himself--while Helen, sizing up the situation between Todd and Denise, sets about to prevent the couple from throwing away the golden opportunities in their lives...just as she had, so many years before. The Last Dance premiered October 29, 2000 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Maureen O'Hara, Eric Stoltz, (more)
- 1999
A group of celebrated high-school athletes are prosecuted for the gang rape of a retarded girl in this TV movie, which was adapted from the nonfiction book Our Guys: The Glen Ridge Rape and the Secret Life of the Perfect Suburb, by Bernie Lefkowitz. When big-city cop Kelly Brooks (Ally Sheedy) moves back to cushy suburb Glen Ridge, NJ, she quickly learns the town's rituals: Jocks are at the top of the social heap, and football is a civic obsession. Soon, though, Brooks becomes the chief investigator in the alleged rape of Leslie Farber (Heather Matarazzo), a mildly retarded teen, by a group of football players. Although accounts differ and Leslie herself changes her story several times, it seems that the boys took turns with Leslie in one boy's basement and even penetrated the girl with a baseball bat. However, Leslie's excitement at being included in the activities of the popular crowd and her own budding sexual impulses make it hard to discern whether or not the sex was voluntary. Given the inconclusive evidence, the case almost hits a dead end, but Brooks digs deeper. Soon, she discovers one boy who is willing to talk and who claims to have been a witness rather than a participant. Unfortunately for Brooks' popularity at work, the kid turns out to be the son of a fellow police officer -- and one of the boys he implicates is his own brother. Based on a real-life incident that occurred in 1989, Our Guys: Outrage at Glen Ridge also stars Eric Stoltz as the prosecutor who assists in Brooks' investigation. The titular suburb is the real-life hometown of actor Tom Cruise. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ally Sheedy, Eric Stoltz, (more)
The private life of celebrated author and philosopher Ayn Rand takes center stage in this film produced for the Showtime cable network. In 1951, Ayn Rand (Helen Mirren) is a best-selling author and celebrated thinker when she meets Nathaniel Branden (Eric Stoltz) and his friend Barbara (Julie Delpy), two college students who admire her writing and ideas. Rand takes the students under her wing, but before long her mentoring becomes less benevolent and more abusive. She badgers Barbara and Nathaniel, who were never more than close friends, into marrying, and while Nathaniel responds well to Rand's tutelage, Barbara begins to shrink from Rand's lack of compassion, which Rand sees as weakness. Things become more uncomfortable when, after Barbara and Nathaniel join Ayn and her often-ignored husband Frank O'Connor (Peter Fonda) on a vacation, Ayn and Nathaniel demand "permission" to have an affair, which they feel is dictated by the importance of their work. Based on Barbara Branden's autobiography about her years with Rand, The Passion Of Ayn Rand was premiered at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helen Mirren, Eric Stoltz, (more)
- 1998
The title of this episode refers to the comedian's basic definition of comedy -- and also, indirectly, to the unexpected demise of Alan Tofsky (Eric Stoltz), former flame of Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt). In a videotaped will, Alan leaves all his worldly goods to Jamie -- and, much to the dismay of her husband, Paul (Paul Reiser), the decedent declares his eternal love for his ex-sweetie. Equally unhappy is Paul's "outed" sister, Debbie (Robin Bartlett), whose impending marriage to her partner, Joan (Suzie Plakson), may not come off as planned. ~ All Movie Guide
- 1998
A man is forced to find the truth behind a tragic accident that has effected him personally in this made-for-TV drama. Henry Drake (Charles Martin Smith) is a high-strung and somewhat eccentric air traffic controller who is trying to clear airliners for landing stacked up in a pattern over Chicago. Something goes awry, and an airliner and a cargo plane crash in mid-air, causing the death of 185 people. John Dantley (Eric Stoltz) is a National Transportation Safety Board officer who is assigned to investigate the incident, despite the fact he has a personal interest in the matter -- his former girlfriend was aboard the ill-fated airliner. Drake insists that the accident was caused by a technical failure, claiming his radar monitor went blank while he was trying to clean the planes for landing, but his co-workers don't believe his story, with some going so far as to tell Dantley they believe Drake caused the crash on purpose. It's up to Dantley to determine who is right -- and if Drake is telling the truth, he must find the glitch in the system before it can cause another accident. Blackout Effect also features Leslie Hope and Lorraine Toussaint. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eric Stoltz, Charles Martin Smith, (more)
Roger Hedden wrote and directed this indie romantic comedy about a group of New Yorkers on the Upper West Side as Christmas nears. Unemployed actor Jimmy (Eric Stoltz), who owes $900 to local bookie Fatty (Charles Durning), tells his girlfriend Susan (Moira Kelly) that the money is for an abortion for sis Maggie (Daryl Hannah) -- who jilted bartender Ray (Campbell Scott). Ray and one of his regular customers April (Katrin Cartlidge) visit bars trying to raise the money, and eventually a half dozen others are drawn into the treasure hunt. Shown at the 1998 Mill Valley Film Festival and the 1998 Chicago Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Katrin Cartlidge, Charles Durning, (more)
In this Canadian documentary, two young filmmakers attend the Toronto Film Festival and pitch a film concept to various celebrities. Their film idea, titled The Dawn, concerns a Mafia don who goes for a hernia operation but gets a sex change instead. During the 1996 Toronto fest, they approach Roger Ebert, Norman Jewison (at a packed press conference), Eric Stoltz (leaving a limo), Al Pacino, and others without much success. On a roll, they leave Toronto for Hollywood, getting advice from Arthur Hiller and Neil Simon and finding an agent who expresses interest. Shown at the 1997 Toronto Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- 1997
After innumerable false alarms, it looks as though Jamie (Helen Hunt) is going to have her baby. But before this blessed event can take place, Jamie is unexpectedly reunited with old flame Alan (Eric Stoltz), while her husband, Paul (Paul Reiser), is given a guided hospital tour by a very big movie star. Originally telecast as the hour-long finale of Mad About You's fifth season, this episode has since been divided into two half-hour installments for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Pembleton (Andre Braugher) is impressed by reporter Elizabeth Wu (Joan Chen), who is covering his investigation of a drug-related cop killing. He is, however, less than impressed when the inquisitive Wu proves to be a monumental nuisance. Elsewhere, Kellerman's (Reed Diamond) wild country-boy brothers Drew (Eric Stoltz) and Greg (Tate Donovan) show up in Baltimore, insisting that he return to Miami and join them in setting up a charter-boat service. What his brothers have neglected to tell them is that they are on the lam from a pair of murderous bookies -- and that they have stolen a valuable souvenir baseball. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, (more)
- 1995
Looking for the perfect third-anniversary gift causes Paul and Jamie Buchman (Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt) to lose confidence in their relationship. In the course of events, Jamie receives a cryptic message: "This note entitles the bearer to one magical night." Truer words were never written. Originally telecast as the hour-long finale of Mad About You's third season, this episode has since been divided into two half-hour installments for syndication. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1995
This is the celebrated "cartoon" episode, with animation provided by Sony Imageworks. Jamie Buchman (Helen Hunt) is nonplussed when she learns that her former boyfriend Alan (Eric Stoltz) has been hired as a graphics artist for her new ad campaign. The result is a special edition of Alan's fabled comic-book character Talon, Queen of Outer Space -- a supremely bitchy extraterrestrial who bears a remarkable resemblance to someone we all know quite well. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
