Andy Breckman Movies

Andy Richter) guest-stars as Hal, a jovial fellow who wants nothing more than to be best friends with Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub). Fully aware that Monk neither has any real friends nor wants any, Natalie (Traylor Howard) is naturally suspicious of the ebuillient Hal. Meanwhile, Monk is kept busy investigating the mysterious death of former police dispatcher Gail Segalis (Stephanie Erb), who used to regale him with stories of her world travels. A snapshot of Gail during one of her trips abroad reveals what both Natalie and the viewer have already figured out: "harmless" Hal does indeed have an ulterior motive. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

San Francisco literally stinks to high heaven thanks to the longest garbage strike in the city's history. No one is more upset by the overpowering pungency than the germophobic Monk (Tony Shalhoub), who doubles his efforts to find out who murdered the union boss who called the strike in the first place. Growing progressively unhinged as the smell gets worse, Monk concludes that the guilty party was none other than San Francisco mayor Ray Nicholson (Chi McBride)--and when this proves not to be the case, Monk goes completely off the deep end, accusing rock star Alice Cooper of the dirty deed! Will Monk get his act together in time to find the real killer, or have his phobias finally destroyed his detective skills? ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After a blow on the head, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) awakens in the tiny backwater town of Purnell, Wyoming, with both his memory and all traces of his identification gone. As Monk tries to figure out what's happened, a local woman named Cora (Laurie Metcalf) appears, declaring that he is her husband--and with no proof to the contrary, Monk takes Cora at her word, returning to her house and acting the role of dutiful helpmate! By and by, however, Monk's inherent detective skills begin to resurface, and soon he is investigating the mysterious disappearance of a waitress named Debbie (Bre Blair)--which may or may not be linked with the fate that has recently befallen local big shot Roger Zisk (Jim Parrack), whose body is covered with painful bee stings! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season Four of Monk offers 16 new episodes (and a bonus) delineating the adventures of obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub). Functioning as Monk's erstwhile caregiver and assistant this season is Traylor Howard as Valerie Teeger, who had taken over from our hero's previous nurse Sharona Fleming in the middle of Season Three, due to the defection of supporting actress Bitty Schram. In the season opener, Monk meets his match--or so it seems--in the form of know-it-all detective Marty Eels (played by ex-Seinfeld costar Jason Alexander). Next up, John Turturo returns as Monk's agoraphobic brother Ambrose in a Halloween story that also involves the siblings' long-lost father. Then, Natalie takes over for a bedridden Monk to tackle the case of a murdered pizza deliveryman. To solve a subsequent homicide, Monk goes undercover at a business office--and finds he enjoys the work so much he almost loses sight of why he's there. Later on, Monk goes off on an unexpected bender in wine country, sobering up long enough to crack the case of a murder with a "nonexistent" victim. A dash of poignancy is added to the mixture when Monk finds out that his late wife Trudy may still be alive--and that she might have committed murder. And the episode "Mr. Monk and the Big Reward" introduces three brand-new, markedly eccentric detective characters, suggesting that the episode may have been intended as the pilot for a spinoff series. Other cases this season include the attempted murder of Monk's police buddy Lt. Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) at the wedding of Natalie's brother, and a less-than-sentimental journey to the past when Monk comes to the rescue of his childhood crush. Also: the death of a model whisks Monk off to the world of high-fashion (and bulimia!); an amnesiac Monk is led to believe that he is the husband of a small-town woman named Cora (Roseanne's Laurie Metcalf); Monk's police colleague Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) can't keep his mind on his work when he suspects that his "hippie" wife Karen (Glenne Headly) is having an affair; Monk sets out to prove an astronaut committed a murder that took place when the suspect was orbiting the earth; and a visit to the dentist's office leaves Monk at the mercy of a robber-murderer who seems to be a big fan of Marathon Man. In the season finale, Monk is summoned to jury duty for a minor robbery trial--and ends up solving yet another murder, not to mention foiling a scheme to spring a big-time criminal. In addition to the above-mentioned episodes, Season Four of Monk yields a special Christmas edition, "Monk and the Secret Santa", wherein murder rears its ugly head at the height of the SFPD's annual Holiday party--with Captain Stottlemeyer as the apparent target! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Season Three of Monk begins as a clue to the identity of his wife's murderer brings obsessive-compulsive detective Adrian Monk (Tony Shalhoub) to New York City, along with his nurse-assistant Sharona (Bitty Schram) and his former SFPD colleagues Capt. Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine) and Lt. Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford). Almost immediately upon arrival, Monk witnesses the killing of the Latvian Ambassador. NYPD Captain Cage (Mykelti Williamson) thinks that the motive was political, but Monk suspects otherwise. Even so, Monk wants no part of the investigation--until Cage tells him that unless he helps find the murderer, he will not be allowed access to Warrick Tennyson (Frank Collison), the man who may or may not be able to solve the killing of Monk's beloved wife Trudy. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Legendary country singer Willie Nelson) is accused of murdering his crooked road manager Sonny Cross (David Anderson). Asked by Lt. Disher (Jason Gray-Stanford) to investigate, Monk (Tony Shalhoub) has trouble upholding his objectivity: it seems that Nelson was the favorite performer of Monk's late wife Trudy. Alas, it looks bad for Willie, thanks to evidence provided by a blind woman named Wendy Mass (Jackie Richardson). Meanwhile, Monk's assistant Sharona (Bitty Schram) finds a new boyfriend named Jason--who has a very curious (and highly antisocial!) hobby. Without giving away the ending, it can be noted that the episode's highlight is the climactic guitar-and-clarinet duet between Willie Nelson and Tony Shalhoub. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The versatile Tony Shalhoub starred in this weekly, hour-long mystery series as Adrian Monk, an unorthodox but undeniably brilliant San Francisco police detective. Quitting the force after the death of his wife, Monk suddenly began developing profound and bizarre obsessive-compulsive tendencies, allowing his many phobias -- including a morbid fear of heights, germs, darkness, crowds, even dairy products -- to compromise his skills as a forensic investigator. Nonetheless, Monk flourished as a private detective with the help of his live-in nurse Sharona Fleming (Bitty Schram) and the grudging assistance of his envious former SFPD superior Captain Stottlemeyer (Ted Levine). A marvelous blend of high humor and deadly seriousness (in the two-hour opener, Monk had to chase a perpetrator into the sewer system, nearly causing him to go into a hissy-fit when his immaculate wardrobe picked up a stain or two), Monk debuted with much fanfare over the USA cable network on July 12, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The classic 1955-59 sitcom The Phil Silvers Show (also known as "You'll Never Get Rich" in its first few episodes) became this high concept comedy with an all-star cast. Steve Martin stars as U.S. Army Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko, a conniving motor pool supervisor who uses his position to finance various get-rich-quick schemes, including illegal gambling, at a Kansas military base. His commanding officer, Colonel Hall (Dan Aykroyd) is mostly oblivious to Bilko's antics. Trouble arrives when the master sergeant's old rival, Major Thorn (Phil Hartman), appears. It seems that Thorn, the butt of several past Bilko capers, is eager to settle the score by spearheading a review of Bilko's records and stealing away his fiancée Rita (Glenne Headley), who may have been left at the altar one too many times. At the same time, military engineer Major Ebersole (Austin Pendleton) is testing a new high-tech "hover tank" that may not be quite ready for deployment. Directed by light comedy specialist ($Jonathan Lynn, who brought a similar touch to My Cousin Vinny (1992) and Greedy (1994), the updated Sgt. Bilko costarred Cathy Silvers, daughter of the TV show's late star, as Lieutenant Monday. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Charles Lane directed Andy Breckman's script, based on an old "Saturday Night Live" sketch of Breckman's that featured Eddie Murphy. Comic Lenny Henry takes Murphy's place in True Identity as a black man forced to don white face in order to save his life. Henry plays Miles Pope, an agreeable British actor whose luck sours when he finds out that businessman Leland Carver (Frank Langella) is actually a notorious underworld mobster. Carver now wants to rub Miles out and the only way that Miles can escape Carver's retribution is to disguise himself as a man named Frank LaMotta, the Italian-American killer that Carver has hired to kill him. During the story, Miles finds that he has to assume a variety of roles to keep from getting shot --a gay real estate agent, a British lord, James Brown's brother Val, and even Othello. But the biggest shock for Miles comes when he plays the white man and discovers that he is given preferential treatment --not only by whites, but also by blacks and Hispanics. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide

In this sequel to the 1981 hit comedy Arthur, the story picks up where it left off with the bibulous millionaire hero (Dudley Moore) marrying poverty-stricken Linda Marolla (Liza Minnelli) instead of going through with a prearranged wealthy marriage. The vengeful father (Stephen Elliott) of the justifiably jilted bride begins pulling a few crooked strings, and before long, Arthur is broke. Worse still, Linda is pregnant. Will Arthur crawl back into a bottle, or will he save the day? John Gielgud makes a cameo appearance as the ghost of the family-retainer character he played in the first Arthur, while Dudley Moore's real-life wife Brogan Lane shows up in a minor role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide