Tisha Campbell Movies
Though most commonly associated with her multi-season portrayal of marketing executive Gina Waters-Payne, significant other of Martin Payne (Martin Lawrence) on the Fox sitcom Martin (1992-97), Tisha Campbell began her lengthy Hollywood career with a role that film buffs will have little difficulty remembering. Campbell made her feature debut as Chiffon, a member of the black female doo-wop group that acts as a Greek chorus, in the 1986 Frank Oz musical comedy Little Shop of Horrors (1986). An Oklahoma City native, born to a coat factory employee father and a gospel singer mother, Campbell moved with her family to Newark, New Jersey at the age of three, where the entire clan suffered from abject poverty. At age 6, Campbell won a talent contest, and the following year landed a turn in an ABC Afterschool Special entitled Unicorn Tales, as well as a supporting role in the off-Broadway musical Really Rosie. Campbell attended and graduated from Newark's Arts High School, then made the ambitious trek out to Los Angeles (with her family's encouragement) and spent several years surviving numerous television pilots that failed to take off.Shop, however, rocketed Campbell to national attention and jump-started her film career. She landed additional roles in Spike Lee's School Daze (1988), House Party (1988) (which she also choreographed), and Boomerang (1992). Campbell met future co-star Lawrence on the set of House Party; according to Campbell's later recollections, Lawrence immediately invited her to play his girlfriend should he ever land a sitcom. In 1992, that plan materialized. The program scored sensational ratings and immediately connected with a young, black, urban market; the arc of the series witnessed Gina and Martin transitioning from lovers to intendeds to husband-and-wife. Campbell originally planned to remain with the series through its final season, but actually left Martin several months prematurely, in November of 1996, asserting that Lawrence verbally, physically and sexually abused her on the set of the program - allegations that Lawrence and his representatives aggressively denied, claiming that Campbell was using the actor as a pawn in a contractual dispute with the network despite the fact that the actress left in mid-season.
After her stint on Martin, Campbell signed for supporting roles in a number of low-profile features including Linc's (1998), The Sweetest Gift} (1998) and Snitch (1999), then returned to network television briefly as one of the stars of the domestically-themed situation comedy My Wife and Kids (2001).
Campbell is also occasionally credited by her married name of Tisha Campbell-Martin. She enjoyed a brief tenure as a recording artist with a 1993 r&b release entitled Tisha. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 1999
A criminal burns his bridges with his fellow outlaws and lives to regret it in this drama. John Shakley (William McNamara) is a small-time crook who has decided it's time to put his life back on the straight and narrow. However, his efforts to stay on the right side of the law are foiled by two longtime acquaintances -- an old buddy and John's former girlfriend approach him, hoping he can help them fence a cache of stolen jewelry. John can't turn his back on his friend and wants to convince his girl to come back to him, so he reluctantly agrees to the proposition. However, he discovers the jewels are too hot to be moved through any channels he knows, and in order to save his own skin, he's forced to turn himself in to the police. When John's partners discover he's turned informer, John quickly learns he's only traded one sort of grave danger for another. Snitch also stars Marlee Matlin and Tisha Campbell. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William McNamara
- 1998
This TV comedy-drama series takes place at Linc's, a Washington, D.C., bar and grill where blacks gather to talk about issues they face in a society dominated by whites. Widower Russell A. "Linc" Lincoln (Steven Williams) runs the tavern, host to a diverse Capitol Hill gang of customers. In the one-hour pilot episode, children's rights activist Eleanor Braithwaite Winthrop (Pam Grier), who's married to a white man, and dynamic lobbyist Johnnie B. Goode (Georg Stanford Brown) discuss a bill she's trying to get through Congress, while Linc is startled by some revelations after his Army daughter Rosalee Lincoln (Tisha Campbell) comes home from Fort Bragg. Other regulars include sharp-tongued waitress CeCe Jennings (Golden Brooks); token white Harlan Hubbard IV (Joe Inscoe), who heads a pedophile senator's staff; Nigerian cabdriver Winston Iwelu (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje); and earthy Eartha (Daphne Maxwell-Reid), a prostitute privy to D.C. dirt when Washington elite unveil secrets in the bedroom. Filmed in Petersburg, Virginia, this series premiered August 1, 1998 on Showtime with a one-hour pilot kicking off the half-hour series. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pam Grier, Steven Williams, (more)
- 1998
Stuart Margolin, who won an Emmy Award for his work on the TV series The Rockford Files (1979-80 season), directed this film for children. The Sweetest Gift takes place in a region of Southern Florida where racial conflict makes peaceful co-existence almost impossible. This story portrays two families living on the fringes of society, one black and the other one white. The white family, The Martins, consist of a mother and three children whose father left them a few years ago. They have to work hard to make ends meet, and to top it all off their goat has run away. They eventually find their goat in on neighbor's farm, which is owned by the black family, The Wilsons. Local customs dictate that white families do not go near black families, but all that changes when the children start to warm up to each other. However, Mrs. Martin is not so happy at first about these new developments. The story has a good moral value and it is supported by convincing acting by well-known Canadian actress Helen Shaver as Mrs. Martin. Screened at the Children's Film Festival of the 49th International Berlin Film Festival, 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Helen Shaver, Diahann Carroll, (more)
The trajectories of two opposing romantic relationships are fodder for this African-American screwball comedy from co-writer, star, and director Rusty Cundieff. Montel (Cundieff) and Clyde (Joe Torry) stars as friends who couldn't be less alike. An introverted photographer, Montel wants to meet the one right girl for him and settle down to build a family, while Clyde is a flamboyant womanizer just out for a good time. At a party, they meet Adina (Paula Jai Parker), a sexy golddigger seeking a wealthy husband with robotic determination, and her shy law clerk friend Brandy (Tisha Campbell). The couples pair off in predictable combinations, but while the brief encounter between Clyde and Adina quickly implodes when she discovers that Clyde's success is an act and his Porsche is borrowed, the relationship between Montel and Brandy blooms into a true romance. Eventually, they decide to marry, leaving Clyde and Adina to reunite in a selfish scheme to break their best friends up using whatever treacherous means they can employ. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tisha Campbell, Rusty Cundieff, (more)
- 1996
- G
- Add Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco to QueueAdd Homeward Bound II: Lost in San Francisco to top of Queue
Two dogs and a cat, separated from their human family, must find their way home and face the dangers of a big city for the first time in this adventure story for the whole family. Bob Seaver (Robert Hays) and his wife Laura (Kim Greist), who live in Northern California, are taking their kids on a camping vacation in Canada, and they're bringing along their pets -- spunky bulldog Chance (voice of Michael J. Fox), self-centered Himalayan cat Sassy (voice of Sally Field), and wise old Golden Retriever Shadow (voice of Ralph Waite). However, Chance doesn't like being cooped up in his travelling cage at the airport, and when he escapes, Sassy and Shadow follow him to the nearest city, San Francisco. After a scary night on their own, the trio are befriended by a gang of stray dogs and cats who have learned to live on their own after running away from their cruel masters. However, Chance, Sassy, and Shadow soon realize that life on the streets is not for them, and they set out to find the Seaver house they call home. Sports fans take note: Bob Uecker, Tommy Lasorda, and Al Michaels appear as themselves and also provide the voices of their pets. The voice of Shadow was performed by Don Ameche in the preceding film Homeward Bound; it proved to be Ameche's last film released before his death in late 1993 (his final film, Corrina, Corrina, didn't reach theaters until several months after his passing), leading the producers of this sequel to cast Ralph Waite in the role. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Hays, Kim Greist, (more)
- 1995
Only HBO would have thought of staging the story of Rapunzel in New Orleans. The classic story is brought back to life with a Cajun/African-American twist. Also adding new zest to this animated gem are the voices of Whoopi Goldberg, Tisha Campbell, and Meshach Taylor. In this updated version, Rapunzel is captured by the evil diva Zenobia to become her apprentice diva. Never fear -- the story does end happily as Rapunzel is rescued by a brave prince. This updated fairly tale would have the Brothers Grimm wondering "why didn't we think of that?" ~ Amy Lewis, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Heeeey! Comic superstar Martin Lawrence (Bad Boys, Wild Hogs) proves three's a charm in the hilarious third season of this classic comedy. Martin's in the house -- and in the WZUP studio -- driving girlfriend Gina nuts and entertaining buddies Tommy and Cole with his outrageous antics. All your favorite players including Sheneneh, Jerome and Mama Payne are back in action and hysterical as ever. If you don't already know wazzup with Martin... then you so crazy!
- Starring:
- Martin Lawrence, Thomas Mikal Ford, (more)
Hip Hop duo Kid & Play return in the second follow-up to their 1990 screen debut House Party. Kid (Christopher "Kid" Reid) is taking the plunge and marrying his girlfriend Veda (Angela Means), while his friend Play (Christopher Martin) is dipping his toes into the music business, managing a roughneck female rap act called Sex as a Weapon. Play books the ladies for a concert with heavy-hitting promoter Showboat (Michael Colyar), but when they decide to fire Play and hire a new manager, he has to figure out how to deliver them to the show or face the wrath of Showboat's female security force. Play is also in charge of arranging Kid's bachelor party, but while he's setting up a bash to end all bashes, he discovers that his three younger cousins have just arrived in town, and Kid's former flame Sydney (Tisha Campbell) has shown up hoping to put a halt to the upcoming nuptials. Multi-platinum rap act TLC appear as Sex as a Weapon, while Play's cousins are played by the members of the R&B group Immature. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher "Kid" Reid, Christopher "Play" Martin, (more)
- 1993
Wazzup? Superstar Martin Lawrence (Open Season, Big Momma's House) is back in 27 uproarious episodes from the hilarious second season of his classic show! Whether he's stepping into the boxing ring, delivering a baby or running amok in Hollywood, Martin never ceases to amaze and amuse. With his long-suffering girlfriend Gina and core crew of Tommy, Cole and Pam by his side, as well as an outrageous group of oddballs: back-sassing Sheneneh, clueless Jerome and wise-cracking Mama Payne, Martin proves that a second helping is even better than the first!
- Starring:
- Martin Lawrence, Thomas Mikal Ford, (more)
Martin Lawrence (Bad Boys, Big Momma's House) plays Martin Payne, a brash radio personality who always speaks his mind, often to the frustration of Gina (Tisha Campbell), his feisty but eternally forgiving girlfriend. Always around are Martin's "hang out partners," Tommy, Cole, and Pam (Tichina Arnold), a co-worker of Gina's. Find out wazzup in the outrageous world of Martin.
- Starring:
- Martin Lawrence, Thomas Mikal Ford, (more)
Eddie Murphy plays Marcus Graham, a hotshot ad exec who's also an insatiable womanizer. He is thus hardly prepared for his new boss, Jacqueline, played by Robin Givens. In terms of things romantic, Jacqueline is nothing more or less than a female version of Marcus -- and now, for the first time, he's getting the runaround. Boomerang boasts supporting-cast contributions from Halle Berry, David Alan Grier, Martin Lawrence, Grace Jones, Eartha Kitt, Geoffrey Holder, and Melvin Van Peebles. Watch closely and you'll see director Reginald Hudlin in a bit role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Halle Berry, (more)
- 1991
Whoopi Goldberg earned an Emmy nomination for her performance as Hillman's forensics professor Dr. Jordan, who assigns her students to write their own eulogies. Among those participating is a young girl named Josie Webb (Tisha Campbell), whose essay reveals that she has contacted AIDs. Ironically, this occurs just as Whitley (Jasmine Guy) is seriously considering going "all the way" with Dwayne (Kadeem Hardison). When originally telecast, this episode opened with a warning from producer Bill Cosby that the children in the audience should watch the show in the company of their parents. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Apprenticing as an art buyer for E.H. Wright, Whitley (Jasmine Guy) purchases some paintings by a promising but unknown artist--thereby going against the specific instructions of her new boss. It looks like Whitley's career is over before it has even begun, until an unexpected development occurs. Elsewhere, Freddie (Cree Summer) tries to draw listeners to her new radio call-in show by adopting the alternate personality of a Jamaican philosopher "Mother Eartha". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1991
Season two of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air begins as transplanted South Philly homeboy Will Smith (played by Will Smith!) experiences his first California earthquake. It happens on the same night that Will's wealthy Bel-Air relatives, the Bankses, are to attend the Peoples' Choice Awards. While our hero's Uncle Philip (James Avery) and Aunt Vivian (Janet Hubert-Whitten) are stuck in Philip's office, and as Geoffrey the butler (Joseph Marcell) rapidly loses his patience with Will's cousins Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro), Hilary (Karyn Parsons) and Ashley (Tatyana M. Ali) while they're all enclosed in the same car, Will himself is trapped in the Bankses' basement with his current "dream girl" Kathleen (Tisha Campbell)--who, unfortunately, is a textbook example of the old adage "Beauty is Only Skin Deep". ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Robin Harris, Christopher Reid's foul-mouthed and irascible father from the original House Party film, died in the interim, but he has a university named after him in this follow-the-dots sequel. Kid (Christopher Reid) has finally made it to college in House Party 2, but not without problems. Sent to Harris University on a scholarship check given to him by his local church congregation, he finds himself broke before he can even buy the books for his college courses. He can thank his old pal Play (Christopher Martin) for his financial straits, since Play borrowed the money to pay a phony music producer named Shelia (Iman), who has headed off to parts unknown. Kid tries to pay for tuition by working in the college cafeteria but is thrown out because he is not considered a student. Problems compound when his girlfriend Sidney (Tisha Campbell) spends more time studying than with him. He also receives lectures on political correctness from her strident roommate Zora (Queen Latifah). Still, Kid's main concern is finding the money for college. Finally Kid agrees to go along with Play's scheme -- to hold a surreptitious late-night pajama party in the faculty hall to raise funds to pay for Kid's education. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher "Kid" Reid, Christopher "Play" Martin, (more)
House Party is an infectious, engaging comedy starring the rap duo Kid 'N Play. Kid (Christopher Reid) decides to throw a party where he plans to blow the roof off the joint with his rhyming skills, so he and his friend Play (Christopher Martin) throw a huge party while Play's parents are away. The day of the party, Kid is grounded by his father (Robin Harris) and he has to sneak out of the house to get to the party, where he is confronted by several rival rappers, as well as a bevy of adoring girls. Though House Party follows a standard plot-line straight out of the '50s rock & roll films, the script is inventive, providing many different twists and turns, while Reginald Hudlin's direction is assured and very, very funny. Kid 'N Play are both terrific, but the true standout is legendary comedian Robin Harris in one of his few screen roles. House Party later spawned two sequels and an animated television series. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christopher "Kid" Reid, Christopher "Play" Martin, (more)
At times, Another 48 Hrs. seems less like a sequel to than a parody of the first 48 Hrs., especially when Nick Nolte, repeating his role from the earlier film, begins commenting on the cliched absurdity of the goings on. This time, Nolte risks life, limb and career as he obsessively tries to bring an elusive master criminal known as "The Iceman" to justice. Eddie Murphy, who stole the show in the first 48 Hrs. as the wheeler-dealer convict who becomes Nolte's reluctant partner, is brought into the plotline of the second film when a contract is taken out on his life. The adversarial relationship between Nolte and Murphy, supposedly dissipated by the end of the first film, is revivified in the sequel via a couple of plot devices. Still, Murphy rallies to the occasion, in the process saving Nolte from being thrown off the force. Though not as successful as the first film, Another 48 Hrs. proved that there were still enough Eddie Murphy fans around in 1990 to insure a strong box-office showing. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Murphy, Nick Nolte, (more)
- 1989
- R
Set in the Manhattan street milieu that served him well in West Side Story, Robert Wise’s Rooftops tells the story of T, a quiet, soft-spoken teen-ager who has left his broken home and is living in a makeshift shelter in an old water tower on top of an abandoned tenement building. There are other kids like him, including Squeak, a talented graffiti artist who joins T after an altercation involving his mother’s boy friend. T and Squeak manage to scrape together what little money they need through minor sins (stripping cars, etc.), and at night all these street inhabitants get together in a vacant lot to “combat” dance, in which they use a combination of karate and dancing to force an opponent off of a platform. Into this mix comes Lobo, a drug dealer who moves into T’s building and turns it into a crack house. Lobo’s beautiful cousin Elana serves as his lookout – not because she wants to, but because her father’s heart attack has left her family in dire financial straits. T and Elana become interested in each other, but T and Lobo are at odds with each other – which fact leads to a showdown in which T must put his “combat” skills to good use. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jason Gedrick, Troy Beyer, (more)
Fraternity and sorority members clash with the other students at a historically black university in this politically charged musical, which marked the sophomore feature from director Spike Lee. Dap (Laurence Fishburne) is a politically conscious brother who leads anti-apartheid demonstrations and eschews the social climbing of the Greek system. But Half-Pint (Lee), his craven young cousin, is willing to endure any humiliation to join the manly Gamma fraternity. As Half-Pint tries unsuccessfully to impress the Gammas with his inept womanizing, Dap engages in philosophical debates with Rachel (Kyme), his girlfriend. Meanwhile, the light-skinned, straight-haired sisters of the Gamma Ray sorority battle it out in a beauty parlor with their darker-skinned, Afro-headed fellow co-eds. Eventually, Half-Pint gets the chance to join the frat, but only after a degrading episode with Jane (Tisha Campbell), the soon-to-be ex-girlfriend of his house president, causes Dap to lose all respect for him. Based in part on the director's experiences at Atlanta's Morehouse College, School Daze was also written and produced by Lee. Despite production numbers that included "Straight and Nappy", a dis-fest between the "wannabes" and "jigaboos" on campus, the biggest hit on the film's soundtrack was the go-go anthem "Da Butt", E.U.'s ode to shaking one's backside. Supporting players Kadeem Hardison and Jasmine Guy also co-starred on the TV comedy A Different World, another look at life on a primarily African-American campus. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, (more)
- 1987
In this TV pilot, millionaire Nick Foley adopts six little orphan girls who prove to be much more of a challenge than he bargained for. This stars Joseph Bologna as Foley. ~ All Movie Guide
It started as a 1960 Roger Corman horror comedy, filmed in two days; it then inspired a lavish 1982 Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. Finally in 1986, Little Shop of Horrors (1960) graduated into a multimillion-dollar, all-star film musical. Rick Moranis plays nebbishy Seymour Krelborn, who works in a rundown flower shop on Skid Row. While his boss (Vincent Gardenia) bemoans the lack of business, Seymour seeks a way of bringing the shop -- and himself -- fame and fortune. He purchases a strange plant from an even stranger oriental street vendor (Vincent Wong), naming the plant after his girlfriend Audrey (Ellen Greene, one of the few carry-overs from the Broadway version). Gradually, Seymour learns to his horror that "Audrey II" (given the voice of R&B performer Levi Stubbs) craves blood and flesh. With each of Audrey II's "FEEED MEEE"s, Seymour must scare up human food to satisfy the plant's appetite. One such victim is dentist Steve Martin, a leather-jacketed Elvis type (the dentist's ultra-masochistic patient played by Jack Nicholson in the 1960 original is here impersonated by Bill Murray). The lighthearted tone of the film darkens as Audrey II grows in monstrosity, but the unhappy ending of the Broadway version is avoided herein. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, (more)
