Jennifer Tilly Movies
A raven-haired actress with an unmistakable voice, Jennifer Tilly was born in Los Angeles, CA, in 1958. Following her parents' divorce when she was five, Tilly relocated with her mother and siblings to the rural setting of Texada Island, British Columbia, where she'd spend most of her childhood. Tilly's acting career began in the early '80s with small roles on shows like Hill Street Blues and Cheers. Her big break came with the part of Monica the singing waitress in 1989's The Fabulous Baker Boys -- a part that was written for her specifically. Though she divorced Simpsons producer Sam Simon in 1984, she continued to show up in films like The Doors and Body Snatchers throughout the '90s, and in 1994 she was nominated for an Oscar for her role in Woody Allen's Bullets Over Broadway. Another memorable role came in 1996, when she acted opposite Gina Gershon in the erotically charged Bound.In 1998, Tilly delighted horror fans with a tongue-in-cheek turn in Bride of Chucky, voicing the title role and helping to bring a comic twist to the franchise. She soon found another avenue for her comedic voice talents by joining the cast of the animated series Family Guy as the show's perpetually pregnant neighbor, Bonnie. She then went on to lend her voice talent to such titles as Monsters, Inc., Stuart Little, and The Haunted Mansion. In 2005, Tilly won a World Series of Poker bracelet and a cash prize of 158,625 dollars in the Ladies' No-Limit Texas Hold 'Em event. She went on to win the third World Poker Tour Ladies Invitational Tournament and subsequently become a popular and formidable competitor in the world of high-stakes poker. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Lynda La Plante (Prime Suspect) scripted this TV miniseries about the family life surrounding a Mafia don. Sicilian magnate Don Luciano (Dennis Farina) and his wife Graziella (Vanessa Redgrave) live comfortably at Villa Rosa in Palermo, Italy. Their son Michael (Michael Hayden) has an affair with Sophia (Nastassja Kinski), leaving her pregnant but unmarried. After Luciano refuses to traffic drugs, angry U.S. mob boss Carolla (Tony Lo Bianco) retaliates by having Michael killed. When Sophia secretly gives birth to Luka, her child by Michael, she then marries another Luciano brother and bears twins. Later, Carolla unwittingly adopts the teenage Luka (James Marsden), who is unaware of his own past. Carolla's vengeance continues through the years, and he passes the hatred on to Luka -- who sees that all males in the Luciano family are eliminated. Despite the slaughter, Luca charms the unsuspecting Luciano widows when he arrives at Villa Rosa, claiming to be the son of a wealthy, concerned American. How long before they learn the truth? Film director Peter Bogdanovich is seen in the role of Luciano's American contact, Giancamo. Bella Mafia first aired 11/16/97 and 11/18/97 on CBS. The feature-length video version was edited down to 117 min. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vanessa Redgrave, Dennis Farina, (more)
An attorney who tells the truth for 24 hours straight? This has got to be the movies! Fletcher Reede (Jim Carrey) is a lawyer obsessed with his career, and he's devoted his life to bending the truth to his advantage. This habit has broken up his marriage to Audrey (Maura Tierney) and isn't doing much good for his relationship with his young son Max (Justin Cooper). Fletcher repeatedly promised Max that he'll be there for Max's eighth birthday party, but when an important assignment comes up at work, Fletcher calls Audrey and makes an excuse so flimsy that even Max can see through it. When it comes time to blow out the candles on his cake, Max makes a wish: that his Dad could go just one day without telling a lie. Suddenly, Max finds himself physically incapable of saying anything that isn't true -- which, given the divorce settlement case he's just been handed, is going to make his next day in court very interesting indeed. While designed to show off a warmer and more likable side of Jim Carrey's personality, Liar Liar still revels in the broad physical comedy that made Carrey a star in Ace Ventura, Pet Detective -- which makes sense, since both were directed by Tom Shadyac. Both Carrey's fans and foes will get a chuckle out of Swoosie Kurtz's tongue-in-cheek insult to the film's star in the blooper reel that runs under the final credits. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jim Carrey, Maura Tierney, (more)
Bill (Randy Quaid), a wealthy Texan, is fooling around on his wife (Sally Kellerman) with two different women (Jennifer Tilly and Daryl Hannah). But Bill begins realize that he's gotten himself into hot water when all three women in his life begin receiving parts of the same gun in the mail. Gun: All the President's Women also features Sean Young. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Daryl Hannah, Sally Kellerman, (more)
Grover Reindorf (Kyle Howard) is a kid with a problem, which is how to keep his parents from divorcing. He hits on a solution that makes sense to him. Why not lock them up in the basement, and keep them there until they reconcile? He and his younger sister Stacey (Amy Sakasitz) agree to do just that, and they successfully lure their parents into the basement and lock them in. When their junior-high-school friends find out what they've done, they decide that their own misbehaving parents need exactly the same treatment. One after another, all are tricked into entering into the Reindorf's basement. Meanwhile, upstairs, the youngsters have a very mild good time, as they can't even bring themselves to swallow the champagne they try. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Pollak, (more)
Gina Gershon and Jennifer Tilly nearly set the screen on fire in this clever, female-powered twist on the standard Mob caper film. Gershon is Corky, an ex-con renovating the apartment next door to where Tilly's Violet lives. Violet is the moll of psychotic gangster Caesar (Joe Pantoliano), who uses the apartment as an occasional location for meetings and beatings, and also uses Violet as an occasional plaything for his Mob cronies. Violet is attracted to the super-sexy Corky, and the two begin an intense affair. Corky hatches a plot to escape with $2 million that Caesar is planning to give to a Mob boss, and the mayhem escalates from there. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, (more)
In this comedy, two women head for Reno to get simultaneous quicky divorces and end up becoming friends. Edie was married years ago, but her husband abandoned her two weeks after the wedding. Pen spent nine years married to an ice-cold businessman who neglected her. Edie and Pen meet while leaving the courtroom. They immediately head for a bar where they encounter Harry, who is despondent that his wife took his beloved dog when she left him. As the three grow increasingly inebriated, they begin having long conversations about their pasts, presents and futures. Now that ditzy Edie is divorced, she plans to marry her new love in Acapulco. Meanwhile, womanizing Harry attempts to bed the vulnerable Pen. Dramatic tension rises when Pen discovers that Edie's fiancé is her ex-husband. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stockard Channing, Jennifer Tilly, (more)
A collection of losers, misfits, and outcasts find their lives unexpectedly converging at a diner along a desert highway in this violent and offbeat comedy drama. Dwayne (John Savage) is a strait-laced-looking vacuum cleaner salesman with a bad habit of murdering prospective customers, while Patty Mae (Jennifer Tilly) is a sexy mystery woman who has amassed an impressive collection of carpet sweepers. Martin (Eric Roberts) is a down-on-his-luck family man wondering how he'll support his wife and kids now that he has lost his job. Johnny (Luke Perry) is a deeply depressed young man who has arranged for a hired killer (Sam J. Jones) to murder him, not knowing that the killer has no intentions of allowing him to die quickly or easily. And Harv (James Russo) and Gene (Joe Viterelli) are a pair of mobsters from Las Vegas who discuss their various problems with women, not very concerned about the fact there's a man locked in the trunk of their car. American Strays also features Carol Kane, Brion James, and Melora Walters. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luke Perry, Jennifer Tilly, (more)
This lively and complicated romantic comedy-drama centers on four fellows. Runyon is a poet carrying a torch for Kathryn; he flies to LA to talk about scripting a movie and is accompanied by the lovely Tarzaan. Gadabout Josh is seen having a fling with a Chinese hat-check girl and pursuing Cynthia; despite his womanizing, he also still cares for his ex-wife Gina, the sister of Phil, a plumber and owner of a hardware store who is married with two children. Phil is in a quandary because he finds himself lusting for a sophisticated English coquette who just might be interested in him. Meanwhile, therapist Mark is utterly wrecked over a difficult relationship with Tasha. The title of the film comes from a line in rocker Steve Miller's song, "The Joker". ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jon Cryer, Tim Guinee, (more)
- 1995
This thriller was filmed on location in Bulgaria. The story centers on Nikolai as he makes his final confession and tells his story to a priest on the day he is to be executed. His tale of revenge is presented in flashback and begins while Nikolai was still a child. Back then he saw his father, a policeman, brutally shot by Griffith, an American smuggler of drugs and arms when the Communists were still in control. Nikolai spent the rest of his life plotting his revenge. He begins by seducing the smuggler's daughter, Kily, who has come to visit. He then tells the criminal that he has kidnapped her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
In this noirish thriller, a world-weary hit-man is assigned by his boss to kill his own lover and steal from her a valuable CD-Rom. When killer Hardin tells evil Rena about the grim assignment from his boss Rushton, she makes a suggestion. Instead of killing her, why don't they shoot her angelic twin, Kathy, instead? It sounds like a good plan until Hardin gets to know Kathy and finds himself attracted to her. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Madsen, Jennifer Tilly, (more)
An innocent girl becomes the victim of an ancient curse in this erotic horror story. Charlotte (Alyssa Milano) is a beautiful but chaste college freshman who is nearing her 18th birthday. Charlotte's boyfriend Chris (Harrison Pruett) would like to take their relationship to the next level, but Charlotte isn't sure if she's ready. Meanwhile, Charlotte finds herself aggressively pursued by a mysterious new suitor (Martin Kemp). What Charlotte doesn't know is that she's the reincarnation of a Transylvanian princess (Rebecca Ferratti), and her new friend is a vampire who once loved her. The vampire will be able to retain his powers of eternal life only if he can seduce Charlotte before she turns 18 -- which only gives him three days. To weaken Charlotte's resolve, the vampire arranges for lovely Sarah (Charlotte Lewis) to introduce her to the pleasures of lesbianism. Embrace of the Vampire featured former child star Alyssa Milano in several nude scenes; a large number of internet fan sites began posting frame captures of Milano topless from the film after it was released on home video. Milano and her mother responded by taking legal action against web sites using her images without permission; as a result, she has since pledged not to disrobe onscreen again. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alyssa Milano, Martin Kemp, (more)
- 1994
Incredible as it must seem to some, quite a few families and individuals have agreed to give up all or part of their privacy and permit a film crew to record their every act. Therefore, the premise of this send-up of "reality television" is not so far-fetched as might be supposed. In the story, a ratings-hungry television executive (Robby Benson) persuades the Webber family to become subject to this sort of intrusion, in return for lots of money and the opportunity to live in a really fancy mansion. The star of the resulting show is the family's nubile and sexually active daughter (Jennifer Tilly), who takes casts of each of her dates' better body parts in hopes of one day putting together a model of her ideal man. The highly intellectual father in the family is a psychiatrist (Jeffrey Tambor) with some very strange patients, some of whom have agreed to appear on camera as well. The mom (Rita Taggert) becomes a popular role model, even though she feels neglected by the rest of the family, and especially her husband, and the son (David Arquette) just moons around, in mourning for his recently dead girlfriend. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeffrey Tambor, Rita Taggart, (more)
Bullets Over Broadway is a Woody Allen romp that, as the title suggests, combines gangsters with show business at the height of the Roaring Twenties. David Shayne (John Cusack) is a straight-arrow playwright who plans to stand firm against compromising his work, but quickly abandons that stance when his producer (Jack Warden) finds a backer to mount his show on Broadway. There's just one catch, however: the backer is a mobster (Joe Viterelli) who sees Shayne's play as a vehicle for his dizzy, talent-free girlfriend, Olive (Jennifer Tilly). Shayne also has to deal with the demands of veteran theatre diva Helen Sinclair (Dianne Wiest) and is shocked to discover that Olive's hitman bodyguard, Cheech (Chazz Palminteri), is probably a better playwright than he is, as he secretly revises Shayne's work when he sits in on rehearsals. ~ Don Kaye, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Cusack, Jack Warden, (more)
The Getaway, a remake of Sam Peckinpah's excellent escape thriller of the same name, adapted from a story by Jim Thompson, is the story of ill-fated romance on the run. Doc McCoy (Alec Baldwin) is released from a Mexican prison with the help of gangster Jack Benyon (James Woods) who wants Doc's help in the hold-up of a racetrack. With the help of Doc's wife Carol (Kim Basinger), and Jack's thugs Rudy (Michael Madsen) and Frank (Philip Hoffman), the robbery is successful, but a guard is murdered. Doc also finds out that Carol has had an affair with Benyon. Carol shoots Benyon and the two flee for Mexico and freedom. ~ Linda Rasmussen, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alec Baldwin, Kim Basinger, (more)
Abel Ferrara's Body Snatchers is the third screen version of Jack Finney's cold war science fiction novel Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Marty Malone (Gabrielle Anwar) is moving with her father, stepmother, and stepbrother to a military base where her father will investigate possible environmental and ecological problems. Before they get to town, Marty is warned in a gas station restroom by a crazed looking military man that, "They get you when you sleep!" Marty adjusts to life on the base by flirting with a young officer and making friends with the rebellious daughter of the base commander. These friends help her when a plot by aliens to turn all humans into unemotional, unfeeling "pod people" shifts into high gear. As her family and friends are attacked, Marty doesn't know who to trust. Previous versions of his story were directed by Don Siegel (1956) and Phillip Kaufman (1978). ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gabrielle Anwar, Terry Kinney, (more)
Richard Benjamin directed this farce that plays like "Guess Who's Coming for Insemination?" Whoopi Goldberg stars as Sarah Matthews, who runs an African-American oriented bookstore in Oakland. She is raising her daughter, a beautiful high school student named Zora (Nia Long), on her own after her husband's death many years earlier. As a result of a science class blood test, Zora discovers that the man she thought was her father actually wasn't. Instead Zora finds she was the result of artificial insemination. After researching the sperm bank's records, Zora discovers, much to the surprise of Sarah and herself, that the anonymous sperm donor is in fact, Hal Jackson (Ted Danson), a loud, crude obnoxious (and white) used-car dealer who advertises on late-night television. Zora visits Hal while he is filming a commercial and Hal brushes her off. Enraged, Sarah tells Hal off, but after meeting Zora he now feels a paternal itch. Not only that, but he is beginning to feel an attraction to Sarah. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Whoopi Goldberg, Ted Danson, (more)
- 1992
- PG13
Based on a best-selling novel, this drama, set amongst a remote Eskimo tribe in 1935, was -- at the time it was produced -- the most expensive Canadian motion picture ever made, with a budget of $31 million. Lou Diamond Phillips stars as Agaguk, the rebellious son of tribal leader Kroomak (Toshiro Mifune). The two men disagree strongly over the growing presence of white men in the area. Agaguk wants nothing to do with the interlopers, while his father has opened a fur trade with one of them, Brown (Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu). Agaguk and Kroomak also clash over Igiyook (Jennifer Tilly), a beautiful woman whom both men want to marry, but Agaguk wins her hand. After he slays Brown in an argument, Agaguk is cursed and cast out of the tribe by his father. Agaguk takes Igiyook into the wilderness and struggles to survive there as she gives birth to a child, while Henderson (Donald Sutherland), a lawman, shows up to investigate Brown's death. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lou Diamond Phillips, Toshiro Mifune, (more)
Scorchers is set way down in steamy Louisiana, deep in bayou country where the women get hot and hotter--or not hot at all. This movie delves into the sex lives of three ladies: one is an unfulfilled prostitute, one can't get her husband's attentions (he'd rather be with the whore), and one's a newlywed who can't get over her fear of having sex with her new fella. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emily Lloyd, Jennifer Tilly, (more)
Val Kilmer delivers what was considered one of 1991's best performances as Jim Morrison in Oliver Stone's hallucinatory bio-pic of the seminal 1960s rock group The Doors. Stone cuts a jagged swath through Morrison's life, starting with a childhood memory where Morrison sees an elderly Indian dying by the roadside. It picks up with Morrison's arrival in California and his assimilation into the Venice Beach culture, followed by his film school days at UCLA; his introduction to his girlfriend Pamela Courson (Meg Ryan); his first encounters with Ray Manzarek (Kyle MacLachlan); and the origin of The Doors -- made up of Manzarek, Robby Kreiger (Frank Whaley), and John Densmore (Kevin Dillon). As the fame of The Doors grows, Morrison's obsession with death increases. The band grows weary of Morrison's missed recording sessions and no-shows at concerts. Morrison, meanwhile, sinks deeper into a drug-induced haze, having mystical sexual encounters with Patricia Kennealy (Kathleen Quinlan), an older rock journalist involved with sadomasochism and witchcraft. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Val Kilmer, Meg Ryan, (more)
- 1989
His face ruined by plastic surgeon Dr. Simon Brill (Nicholas Pryor), wealthy recluse Leslie Hunzinger (Andrew Robinson) wants to sue Brill for malpractice, and hires David (Bruce Willis) and Maddie (Cybill Shepherd) to gather the necessary investigation. Their investigation leads the detectives down a long and winding trail of broken hearts and vengeful females. In fact, things get so complicated that at one point, the comment is made that Moonlighting probably won't be able to get 22 episodes in the can this season after all! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Former child star and one-time scandal magnet Drew Barrymore had her first teenage role in this offbeat thriller with comic overtones. Charlie Cross (Matt Frewer) is vacationing with his 15-year-old daughter Joleen (Barrymore). Charlie and Joleen are stranded in an Arizona trailer park when they run out of gas, and they quickly get to know their temporary neighbors, including ill-tempered landlady Agnes Reed (Susan Tyrrell), her son Jimmy (Andras Jones), friendly but scrambled Viet Nam vet Duckett (Richard Masur), fellow travelers Amy (Jennifer Tilly) and Louise (Karen Austin), and geeky Pinky Sears (Anthony Rapp). However, it turns out that a psychotic murderer is in their midst, and Sheriff Bill Childers (Dick Miller) joins with the mobile home dwellers in trying to catch the killer before he can strike again. Far From Home marked the directorial debut of Meiert Avis, while screenwriter Tommy Lee Wallace previously worked with co-star Frewer as a director for the TV series Max Headroom. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Matt Frewer, Drew Barrymore, (more)
Joe Pytka's comedy stars Richard Dreyfuss as Trotter, a cab driver who gets a hot tip on a horse race and soon finds himself on the gambling hot streak of his life. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Dreyfuss, David Johansen, (more)
Real-life siblings Beau and Jeff Bridges star as the eponymous Fabulous Baker Boys. Musical prodigies both, the Bakers have long been teamed as a twin-piano act, with the less talented Frank (Beau Bridges) coasting on the skills of his brilliant younger brother Jack (Jeff Bridges). Their career dwindling to nickel-and-dime dates in second-rate clubs, the Bakers decide that they need a female vocalist to boost their popularity. They select auditioner Susie Diamond (Michelle Pfeiffer), who in addition to being a gifted songstress is drop-dead gorgeous. The newly renovated Baker Boys act scores a success, which is inevitably threatened by Susie's growing popularity and by Jack's insistence upon pursuing an affair with the girl. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeff Bridges, Michelle Pfeiffer, (more)
