Jenna von Oÿ Movies
The spunky and pretty (if unconventional) supporting actress Jenna von Oÿ won the hearts of younger Gen-X viewers -- particularly girly girls -- with her role as Six LeMeure, the ever-present, capped pal of Blossom Russo (Mayim Bialik) on the popular sitcom Blossom (1991-1995). The actress' career far predates that series, however; a connate performer, she first hit the stage at age five, as Molly the orphan in a local rendition of Annie -- and virtually walked away with the production. Taking this as a cue, von Oÿ's parents began shuttling their eager pint-sized daughter off to casting auditions, and within two years, she landed a commercial for Northern bathroom tissue...then a miniseries...then soaps. By 1989, the then-11-year-old actress scored her first huge break: as the young version of Susanne, a childhood friend of Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise) in Oliver Stone's Born on the Fourth of July. (According to the press, Stone originally selected von Oÿ for another role, but the actress's father forbade it because it required some "indecent" behavior onscreen.)Blossom producers launched their series in January 1991, and scored favorable ratings up through the program's penultimate season. Several years later -- after Blossom wrapped -- von Oÿ shifted gears somewhat, voicing Stacey in the Disney animated picture A Goofy Movie and its 2000 sequel, An Extremely Goofy Movie. The actress found a second incarnation of Blossom by playing Stevie, best friend of main character Nikki Parker (Mo'nique) on the UPN sitcom The Parkers (1999-2004). In a dramatic change of pace, (von Oÿ) also played Shelby Blake, a sorority pledge who dies by falling from a clock tower during a pledge, in the 1997 made-for-television feature Dying to Belong. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
- 2005
Swept away by a hurricane, Peter and his pals Quagmire, Joe and Cleveland manage to float to safety by using one of Quagmire's sex dolls as a raft (and don't ask what they ate during their ordeal!) Meanwhile, the town of Quahog holds a memorial for the "lost" neighbors, while Peter's wife Lois marries their family dog Brian, who is supporting the family as a used-car salesman. The fun begins when after four months, Peter returns, placing Lois in the awkward position of cheating on her husband WITH her husband! This inside-joke-studded spoof of the Tom Hanks movie Cast Away was ironically bumped from its scheduled September 11, 2005 telecast date due to ongoing news coverage of Hurricane Katrina. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Higher education will never by the same, as Goofy goes to college in this animated comedy. Max (Jason Marsden) is a top-ranked skateboarder who is just starting college, but he has one little problem -- his father Goofy (Bill Farmer), who is a walking disaster and a frequent source of embarrassment. Max figures that he'll be able to impress the girls at the University with Dad a safe distance away, but when Goofy loses his job, he learns that his best bet for launching a new career is to complete his college degree, and soon Max and Goofy are now classmates. Goofy puts a serious cramp in Max's hipness quotient with his non-ironic enthusiasm for disco music and late-'70s fashions, and Max, in training for the X Games, tries to keep his dad at arm's length. Goofy has enough to keep himself busy between his schoolwork and his romance with similarly clueless librarian, Sylvia (Bebe Neuwirth), but in time, Goofy and Max realize that it's better to get along than to stay away from each other. An Extremely Goofy Movie was the direct-to-video sequel to the 1995 theatrical success A Goofy Movie. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bill Farmer, Jason Marsden, (more)
Future Oscar winner Hilary Swank gives an excellent account of herself in this made-for-TV movie as Lisa Connors, a college student who is pressured into pledging for the campus' most prestigious sorority by her ambitious mother (Isabella Hoffman). Among the other pledges is the desperately lonely and insecure Shelby Blake (Jenna von Oy), who, like Lisa, is forced to endure unspeakable humiliations during the hazing process. When Shelby dies in a fall from the college clock tower, her death is declared a suicide, but Lisa doesn't buy this verdict (nor does the viewing audience, who knows that Shelby was killed following the orders of snobbish sorority girl Drea Davenport [Sarah Chalke]). At the risk of her own reputation and academic future, Lisa embarks upon a crusade to uncover the truth behind Shelby's demise, making powerful enemies all along the way. Originally an "NBC World Premiere Movie," Dying to Belong first aired February 24, 1997. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Hilary Swank, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, (more)
- 1996
The cast of this made-for-TV melodrama is comprised almost exclusively of popular young TV personalities, virtually all of them cast radically against type. Candace Cameron Bure heads the cast as Melissa Connell, a shy college freshman who accepts an invitation to attended a party held by her brother's fraternity. Admidst the booze, tobacco and sexual intercourse running rampant during the festivities, Melissa is savagely date-raped by one of her brother's frat members, Scott Baker (Paul-Mark Gosselaar). Demanding justice for her humiliation, Melissa runs up against a conspiracy of silence, and can only stand by helplessly as her B.M.O.C. attacker is acquitted by a campus court. Still, she intends to get even with Scott--but first she must accumulate irrefutable evidence of his libidinous behavior. She Cried No made its NBC debut on September 23, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Candace Cameron Bure, Mark-Paul Gosselaar, (more)
This animated Disney feature is based on a popular afternoon television show. The story centers on Goofy's teenage son, Max, who is terrified that he will grow up to be as dorky a dog as his daffy daddy. Just as shy Max has screwed up enough courage to ask his dreamgirl, Roxanne, on a date, Goofy stumbles in and announces that they need to spend some quality time together, and then drags Max off on a vacation. Just before they leave, Max tells Roxanne that he will be in the audience at the next Powerline concert, which is to be televised. As Goofy heads for the forest for some huntin' and some fishin', "hyuk," Max schemes to get them to LA where he hopes they will be able to sneak backstage after the concert and fulfill his promise to Roxanne. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Bill Farmer, Jason Marsden, (more)
The second of three films by co-writer/director Oliver Stone to explore the effects of the Vietnam War (Platoon and Heaven and Earth are the others), Born On The Fourth Of July tells the true story of Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise), a patriotic, All-American small town athlete who shocks his family by enlisting with the Marines to fight in the Vietnam War. Once he is overseas, however, Kovic's gung-ho enthusiasm turns to horror and confusion when he accidentally kills one of his own men in a firefight. His downfall is furthered by a bullet wound that leaves him paralyzed from the chest down. He returns home, spends an appalling, nightmarish stint in a veterans' hospital, and follows an increasingly disillusioned and fragmented path that ultimately leaves him drunk and dissolute in Mexico. However, Kovic somehow turns himself around and pulls his life together, becoming an outspoken anti-war activist in the process. The film is long but emotionally powerful; many consider it Stone's best work and Cruise's best performance. Both were nominated for Oscars, as was the film itself, but only Stone, who co-wrote the film with Kovic from the latter's book, won for Best Director. ~ Don Kaye, Rovi
- Starring:
- Tom Cruise, Raymond J. Barry, (more)
- 1987
There were two rival TV dramatizations of the sensational murder case involving "monster Mom" Frances Schreuder. Stephanie Powers was the star of the two-part 1987 TV movie At Mother's Request. Part One details the events leading to the murder of Frances' multimillionaire father Franklin Bradshaw (E.G. Marshall). Though Frances' complicity was well known at the time of Part One's first telecast on January 4, 1987 (in fact, she was already serving a life sentence in the Utah State Prison), the case is treated like a whodunit.
Part Two demonstrates how Frances' teen-age son Marc (Doug McKeon) was coerced into committing the deed by his manipulative Mom. Though lacking depth, At Mother's Request is still a powerful re-enactment of what was once considered "The Crime of the Century" (O.J. hadn't happened yet). The second half of this two-part TV-movie debuted on January 6, 1987. For the record, Lee Remick starred in a like-vintage TV adaptation of the same story, Nutcracker. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Part Two demonstrates how Frances' teen-age son Marc (Doug McKeon) was coerced into committing the deed by his manipulative Mom. Though lacking depth, At Mother's Request is still a powerful re-enactment of what was once considered "The Crime of the Century" (O.J. hadn't happened yet). The second half of this two-part TV-movie debuted on January 6, 1987. For the record, Lee Remick starred in a like-vintage TV adaptation of the same story, Nutcracker. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
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