Robin Thomas Movies
Supporting actor, onscreen from the late '80s. ~ All Movie Guide- 2005
Jane Doe: Now You See It, Now You Don't is one of several Hallmark Channel TV-movies starring Lea Thompson as suburban housewife and mom Kathy Davis (Lea Thompson), who unbeknownst to her family occasionally moonlights as an undercover special agent and "problem solver" for the NSA. When the Declaration of Independence is stolen while on display at a Los Angeles bank, NSA higher-up Frank Darnell (Joe Penny) calls in Kathy--code name "Jane Doe"--in hopes of figuring out who did it. It's a standard "locked room" mystery which Kathy manages to figure out in no time flat, but the murder of the chief suspect and the kidnapping of the suspect's wife makes things a bit more complicated. As she endeavors to crack the case, Kathy must also deal with her neurotic husband Jack (William R. Moses) as he adjusts to working in the same office with a former girlfriend, and she must contend with the jealousy of her NRA cohort, case officer Helen Morrison (Tamlyn Tomita). Jane Doe: Now You See It, Now You Don't made its first TV appearance on February 24, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Academy Award-nominee Kathy Bates (Misery, Fried Green Tomatoes) helms and stars in Ambulance Girl - her third directorial credit on a made-for-television feature. Produced by and originally aired on Lifetime Television, Bates's comedy concerns Jane Stern (Bates), a housewife of thirty years who spent decades building a successful career as co-author of food books with her husband, the rebounding ex-alcoholic Michael (Robin Thomas). When faced with a chain of unpredictable mood swings, Jane refuses to take the problem lying down - and instead opts to launch a new career as an EMT. Her only real obstacle is a beast: she must learn to surmount her phobia of ambulances! Ambulance Girl waxes bittersweet, interweaving over-the-top, hilarious comedy with perceptive insights and a heartwarming message about confronting and overcoming the obstacles that life dishes out. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathy Bates, Robin Thomas, (more)
- 2004
Suffering from double vision and horrible nightmares, 16-year-old Dan (Scott Mechlowitz) traces the source of his problem to injuries sustained during a Lacrosse match. As usual, Dr. House (Hugh Laurie) has other ideas, first diagnosing Dan with MS, and then declaring that the boy is being sexually abused. By the time House has figured out the real reason (maybe!) and has scheduled Dan for brain surgery, the boy disappears from the clinic--and the chase is on. Elsewhere, House is annoyed by a ditzy mom (Kylee Cochran) who refuses to let her baby be vaccinated, and by a patient (Alex Skuby) with an ugly abscess in his knee who is threatening to sue everyone within earshot. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Missing Brendan stars Edward Asner as George Calden, a man whose son Brendan has been missing since Brendan served in the Vietnam War. Along with his other son, Bob (Robin Thomas), and Bob's son, Patrick (Adam Brody), George goes to Vietnam in order to see if he can discover what happened to his missing boy. They are joined by an archeologist played by Illeana Douglas. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ed Asner, Robin Thomas, (more)
- 1998
Filmed on location in Oregon, the made-for-cable Halloweentown stars Debbie Reynolds as Aggie Cromwell, the peppery grandma to typical American kids Marnie (Joey Zimmerman), Dylan (Joey Zimmerman) and Sophie (Emily Roeske). During her annual visit to the youngsters' mother Gwen (Judith Hoag), Aggie reveals that she is a benevolent witch, and that Gwen and the kids all have latent magical powers. Whisking the three little ones off to Halloweentown, Aggie subsequently does battle with evil forces conjured up by Gwen's old flame Kalabar (Robin Thomas), a warlock with delusions of grandeur and a nasty habit of transforming children into zombies. Telecast by the Disney Channel on October 22, 1998, Halloweentown was followed three years later by a sequel, also starring Debbie Reynolds, Halloweentown II: Kalabar's Revenge. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Debbie Reynolds, Judith Hoag, (more)
- 1997
Finding her new life as a housewife and mother unfulfilling, an ex-radio-news-reporter starts doing a little gambling, just for some excitement. Unfortunately, it isn't long before her need for thrills becomes a craving and the craving a full-blown addiction that threatens to destroy her life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cynthia Gibb, Robin Thomas, (more)
- 1996
Michele Lee is star, director, producer and cowriter of this inspirational made-for-cable movie. Lee plays Dina Blake, a middle-aged mentally challenged woman living under the care of her nephew. In the tradition of Charly, Dina volunteers to test out an experimental drug designed to enhance intelligence--and within what seems like minutes, she accelerates to the level of genius. At the height of her euphoria, Dina falls in love with one of her doctors, Mitch Conlon (Robin Thomas)--who, alas, must bear the brunt of Dina's outrage when the experiment begins to fail and she painfully reverts to her former "retarded" self. Color Me Perfect made its Lifetime network debut on November 5, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1996
Peter Hunt (Scott Bakula) drops by unexpectedly while Murphy is laboring throughout the night to finish her latest story. After a brief but chaste encounter with her former lover, an exhausted Murphy falls fast asleep--and dreams that she is standing trial for her "relationship sins" (specifically, her unwillingness to make a commitment). Even more nightmarish is the presence of several of Murphy's ex-flames, including Peter, Mitchell Baldwin (Julius Carry), Jerry Gold (Jay Thomas) and even her onetime husband Jake Lowenstein (Robin Thomas), as witnesses for the prosecution! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
In this drama, a beautiful woman uses her charms to dupe her new sweetheart and his buddies. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Donna Mills, Peter Riegert, (more)
- 1994
While snobbish Dr. Harrison Archibald IV (Robin Thomas), his social-climbing wife Barbara (Gail Edwards) and his wealthy mother Amelia (Rue McClanahan) prepare a huge reception to celebrate a new hospital wing named for the Archibalds, a kid named Manny (Jonathan Hernandez) shows up, claiming to be the orphan child that Harrison and Barbara have been sponsoring. It turns out, however, that Manny (Jonathan Hernandez) is actually a homeless kid named Luis, who is faking his credentials in hopes of setting himself up in luxury. It falls to Monica (Roma Downey) to advise Luis that the truth shall set him free--advice that is surprisingly taken to heart by none other than Amelia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1993
Based on a true story, this drama centers on a mother and father who decide to have another child in hopes of providing a bone-marrow donor for their leukemia-stricken child. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Priscilla Lopez, Teresa Dispina, (more)
Frank Pierson's made-for-cable adaptation of Nicholas VonHoffman's biography, Citizen Cohn stars James Woods as the controversial lawyer Roy Cohn. The film is structured as a series of flashbacks while Cohn lies in a New York hospital dying of AIDS. In the 1940s and early '50s, Cohn became one of the most powerful men in the country after becoming an important associate of Senator Joseph McCarthy (Joe Don Baker) and his Communist witch hunts. The film recounts those turbulent times and features portrayals of such real-life figures as J. Edgar Hoover (Pat Hingle), Dashiell Hammett (Frederic Forrest), Cardinal Spellman (Daniel Benzali), and Walter Winchell (Joseph Bologna). ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Woods, Joe Don Baker, (more)
- 1992
This drama is based upon the true story of Anissa Ayala, a leukemia patient. To save her, her parents make a new baby so they use it as a bone marrow donor. This creates considerable controversy. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1991
In this ironic drama, a hard working, devoted doctor finds herself accused of murder after the man who raped her dies under her care. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Jessica (Angela Lansbury) is invited to speak at an exclusive club where only men are permitted as members. Despite her gender, Jessica is asks by the club's governing committee to help them solve a mystery involving the murder of a "rogue" member. This proves difficult when it becomes apparent that the killer may himself be on the committee. This episode is chock full of sly science-fiction and fantasy references--no surprise, inasmuch as it was written by J. Michael Straczynski, a guiding force behind the popular series Babylon 5. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Al Novak (Robin Thomas), ex-husband of officer Chris Novak (Robin Thomas), goes undercover to flush out a counterfeiter known as The Dutchman. When the counterfeiter's courier is killed, Hunter (Fred Dryer) discovers that the American Secret Service has a vested interest in the case. Chris' interest is, however, a little more personal--especially when Al's cover is blown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
A husband-wife team of criminals specializes in luring gullible tourists to their hotel room, then robbing them. When one such tourist turns up murdered, it looks as if the couple is guilty, but police detective Rick Hunter (Fred Dryer) suspects that there is a pair of copycat crooks on the loose. This theory is, however, hotly refuted by Hunter's current partner Al Novak (Robin Thomas)--who happens to be the ex-husband of officer Chris Novak (Lauren Lane). All too aware of the past relationship between Rick and Chris, Al allows his anger to cloud his judgement, with potentially disastrous results for everyone concerned. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
In the conclusion of Murphy Brown's two-part Season Four opener, Murphy (Candice Bergen) has decided to exercise her right as a pro-choice advocate and allow her pregnancy to go to term--but she will not marry her ex-husband Jake (Robin Thomas), the baby's father. Nor does it look as though she can wrest a legal commitment from the other man in her life, Jerry Gold (Jay Thomas). As for Murphy's friends and associatiates are concerned, all of them are aghast at the prospect of her motherhood--all, that is, except her perennial housepainter Eldin (Robert Pastorelli). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Season Four of Murphy Brown picks up where Season Three left off, as investigative journalist Murphy Brown (Candice Bergen) comes to grips with the likelihood that she is pregnant. The staff of "FYI" reacts with a mixture of horror and dismay when Murphy breaks the news--but that's nothing compared to the reactions of the two main men in our heroine's life: Her ex-husband Jake (Robin Thomas) and her former lover Jerry (Jay Thomas). This first half of a two-part story originally aired as a part of a single 60-minute episode. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Murphy Brown closes out its third season with one of the series' most celebrated episodes, which begins as Murphy (Candice Bergen) must chooses between two lovers: Ex-husband Jake Lowenstein (Jay Thomas), who propose that they remarry, and former sweetheart Jerry Gold (Jay Thomas), who opts for merely living together. Adding to Murphy's emotional burden is the fact that a recent pregnancy test--one of several--has proven positive! Viewers in 1991 would have to wait until the Season Four opener of Murphy Brown to see how this situation would work itself out: Contemporary fans need only press a button on their DVD for a quick answer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1990
Based on the true story of a still-unsolved series of rapes and murders that happened in rural Korea in 1986-1991, this film by Bong Joon-ho (Barking Dogs Never Bite) follows the ultimately unsuccessful police investigation led by a pair of small town cops. After bungling the investigation of the first murder, they pin it on a retarded man who lives in the community. When the second murder occurs, it becomes clear that they are out of their depth. An investigator from Seoul is called in to help and his by-the-book manner causes friction with the local officers, who are more accustomed to beating confessions out of suspects that employing more conventional investigative techniques. But when the criminal continues to elude them, even he reaches his breaking point. ~ Tom Vick, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nancy Allen, Vanity, (more)
- 1989
In this dark drama, a young couple is pursued by a lascivious extortionist. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Susan Lucci, John James, (more)
- 1989
From the Dead of Night has an acceptable two-hour premise; unfortunately, the producers saw fit to drag things out to four hours. Lindsay Wagner stars as an LA fashion designer who, when she nearly drowns, has an out-of-body experience. Haunted by this, Wagner seeks out a spiritualist (Rita Zohar). This weird but worthy seer suggests that Wagner saw what no living person can be permitted to see, and prophesies that six entities from "the other side" will try to drag Wagner back. The conclusion finds the plucky Ms. Wagner doing battle with resurrected corpses. From the Dead of Night was stretched out over two consecutive days, February 27 and 28, 1989. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1988
Artist Jill Clayburgh is divorced by her doctor husband James Farentino. Despite the obvious fact that Farentino is a louse, the loyalties of the couple's friends are divided. Left with precious little money, Clayburgh tries to make a go of it as a single mother, but finds that many of her so-called "close friends" don't want to have much to do with her anymore. Despite its melancholy tone and moments of dead seriousness, the made-for-TV Who Gets the Friends is a comedy, and at times a very funny one. Its bittersweet tone is, however, compromised by an out-of-the-blue happy ending. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
