Brian Doyle-Murray Movies

This satirical animated series from Bevis and Butthead and King of the Hill creator Mike Judge follows the misguided adventures of a politically correct family, whose deep-seeded need to remain as environmentally, politically, liberally perfect often leads to serious problems. In one episode, the failure to bring reusable bags to the store almost becomes an international incident, and in another, the family's vegan dog takes to eating other neighborhood pets. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

A charming elderly Jewish writer who lives in a state of "permanent confusion" finds his vivid imagination becoming the bane of his existence in director Jan Schütte's adaptation of Nobel Prize-winning author Isaac Bashevis Singer's richly textured short stories. Max Kohn (Otto Tausig) is an Australian émigré whose mind is constantly spinning. He's an accomplished author of short stories who lives in New York City and is so steeped in tradition that he still uses a typewriter. Despite the fact that confirmed bachelor Max has a virtual harem of female admirers, he spends the majority of his free time with worrisome kindred soul Reisele (Rhea Perlman). It's during a trip to speak in nearby Hanover that Max begins editing his latest story -- a mischievous tale of a Miami retiree who embarks on a series of misadventures. Of course, it doesn't take Max long to lose himself in his own creation, and before he knows it, he's mixed up in two feverish romances and an unsolved murder. Upon snapping back to reality, Max begins to feel as if his own written word has begun to manifest itself. A meeting with world-weary former student Rosalie (Barbara Hershey), with whom he shares a mutual attraction, follows, and later while heading to Springfield for yet another speaking engagement Max discovers that he has misplaced his prepared speech. In the aftermath of that and various other mix-ups, Max decides to start writing a new story based on his recent adventures and featuring a protagonist named Harry -- a thinly veiled stand-in for the author himself. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A teenage boy tries to hold his family together while the girl of his dreams drives him to distraction in this coming-of-age comedy drama. It's 1978, and Henry Nearing (Gregory Smith) and his family are in a state of flux. Henry's mother has died, and now his father, Shep (David Morse), is trying to find himself by quitting his job, buying a motorcycle, and growing out his hair. Henry's brother, Blair (David Moscow), is similarly trying to expand his boundaries by dating a free-spirited girl and experimenting with drugs. Henry, meanwhile, is just trying to get through high school, but a certain girl is making that difficult for him. Grace Chance (Jordana Brewster) is a pretty girl in Henry's class who enjoys wrapping boys around her little finger; it doesn't take long for her to notice he's smitten with her, and she begins flirting with him and getting him to do whatever she wants, even though she already has a boyfriend whom she has no intention of leaving. Meanwhile, Merna (Ashley Johnson), a cute girl who lives nearby, has a crush on Henry and is clearly a better match for him, but she can't get him to notice her, even after she starts dating an older boy to make him jealous. Nearing Grace received its world premiere at the 2005 Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Although the concept of a children's cartoon series starring a cast of flying insects was hardly original to The Buzz on Maggie, this weekly, half-hour Disney Channel series set itself apart from such earlier endeavors as Honeybee Hutch and Maya the Bee by relying upon computer-generated imagery rather than traditional cel animation. The series was set in Stickyfeet, a city largely populated by flies. Heroine Maggie, who in "anime" tradition boasted an oversized head and enormous eyes (with lashes!), was fun-loving and adventurous. Her efforts to buck convention and explore the world beyond Maggie drove her friends and family crazy and often placed herself in jeopardy, but in general her strong, forceful attitude proved a positive role model for the kids at home. Other characters included Maggie's older brother Aldrin, her kid brother Pupert, Aldrin's girlfriend Dawn, and Maggie's best friend Rayna. After debuted over the Disney Channel on June 17, 2005, The Buzz on Maggie was picked up by sister network ABC in the fall of that same year. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In the conclusion of a two-part story, an evil alien spirit continues to wage war against mankind via the Black Heart, a powerful lunar gemstone. The stone has cast its sinister spell on virtually every member of the Justice League, transforming them from heroes to villains. Only The Flash has managed to escape the Black Heart's influence -- and it is up to him to set things right before the alien baddie can create a solar eclipse that will destroy both the sun and the Earth. ~ Rovi

Tony Markes' second film, Getting Hal, was funded by auctioning off acting jobs and the executive-producer credit. Dixie (Delicia Lanza) wants revenge on her boyfriend Hal (Brad Rowe), who has stolen from her money she planned on using to buy a roller skating rink. She strikes a deal with a detective (Brian Doyle-Murray), who uses her case as a teaching tool for his detective-class students. Many of the students were winners of the auction. Getting Hal was screened at the 2003 Santa Monica Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Two Oscar-winning actors add a family-oriented comedy to their resumes with this Disney-produced arctic adventure. Snow Dogs stars Cuba Gooding Jr. as Ted Brooks, a Florida-dwelling dentist with a successful chain of offices and a comfy, poolside lifestyle. All this changes, however, when he finds out that he was actually adopted as a child, and that his birth mother has died and left him an inheritance in her home state of Alaska, of all places. After arriving in the snow-bound clime, Ted learns that he has been willed a pack of cutely named sled dogs: Demon, Diesel, Dutchess, Nana, Mack, Scooper, Sniff, and Yodel. Problem is, the town's premiere sled-dogger, Thunder Jack (James Coburn), wants the pack for himself, and encourages Ted to go back to his tropical environs. But with a major sled-dog race looming, Ted's inspired to learn the ropes, as it were, and prove himself worthy of his birth mother's inheritance -- any way he can. Snow Dogs was directed by Jingle All the Way's Brian Levant and features some animatronic dog effects by Jim Henson's Creature Shop; the script was very loosely adapted from popular author Gary Paulsen's nonfiction book Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi

Since he lost his job, Peter (voice of Seth MacFarlane) has gained a lot of weight from sitting on the couch watching television. After a walk on the pier with Brian (MacFarlane), he decides to become a fisherman. "That's how a real New England man makes his living," he reasons. He buys a boat at a police auction for 50,000 dollars, only to learn that its previous owner, Salty, died while chasing after "Daggermouth," the man-eating bluefish. Peter then goes to "Jim's Bank" for a loan so he can pay for his boat. He soon runs into conflict with Henessey, a veteran fisherman who resents the newcomer. Peter's having a hard time earning a living, and to make matters worse, he failed to read the loan papers he signed, and the bank is repossessing everything the family owns. Meanwhile, Meg (voice of Mila Kunis) is distraught about missing out on spring break. In an effort to placate her, Lois (voice of Alex Borstein) takes her to a fancy spa. When that doesn't do the trick, Lois drives Meg to spring break. Meg is embarrassed to be seen there with her mother, and it only gets worse when Lois parties her way to popularity among Meg's peers, neglecting her daughter in the process. While Lois and Meg negotiate their bacchanal, Peter is desperate to come up with the money to keep their home from being taken by the bank. When he learns that there's a 50,000-dollar bounty on Daggermouth, he and his friends set out to capture the dreaded beast. This episode features the vocal talents of Michael Chiklis and Brian Doyle Murray. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

How far will a man go to win the woman he loves? That's the devilish question behind this satirical romantic comedy. Elliot Richards (Brendan Fraser), a low-level white-collar worker, has fallen in love with his co-worker Allison (Frances O'Connor), who barely knows he exists. Desperate to win her love, sad sack Elliot is approached by the Devil (Elizabeth Hurley), who offers him seven wishes in exchange for his soul. Elliot accepts, but none of his wishes works out quite the way that he had hoped; after transforming himself into a South American tycoon, a champion NBA basketball player, a famous author, the most sensitive man in the world, and even the president of the United States, Elliot discovers that the Devil has added a crucial loophole each time, and for all his troubles, Allison still isn't interested in him. Directed by Harold Ramis, Bedazzled was adapted from the 1968 cult movie of the same name written by and starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Premiering in the Midnight Movie section of the 1999 Sundance Film Festival, Kill the Man poses the question: "What would you do if you won $100,000 during a half-time basketball free-throw contest?" Stanley Luke Wilson and Bob Josh Malina decide to open a small copy center. The problem is that a large-chain copy store is right across the street, taking the lion's share of the business. So with absurd determination, they decide to declare their own comic brand of war on big business. Persuading his girlfriend Vicki to join in, Stanley must choose between his life of wreaking havoc on corporate America or taking a job from Vicki's dad Michael McKean. The answer may lie somewhere in the middle, as suddenly Stanley is in jeopardy of losing his own shop if he can't come up with the rent. Directors Tom Booker and Jon Kean use wacky characters and slapstick to cook up a David-and-Goliath story about the big guy versus the little guy, with a little rule-breaking irreverence on the side. ~ Arthur Borman, Rovi

In this direct-to-video sequel to the 1993 movie Dennis the Menace (which was based on Hank Ketcham's long-running comic strip), mischievous youngster Dennis (Justin Cooper) wants to help his eternally frazzled next-door neighbor Mr. Wilson (Don Rickles) celebrate his birthday, but Mr. Wilson is already feeling his age, and the lively Dennis only makes Wilson feel that much older -- and the arrival of Dennis's spry Grandfather (George Kennedy) doesn't help. Eager to feel younger, Mr. Wilson soon falls prey to a con man (Carrot Top) who sells him a variety of bogus youth-restoring potions. Dennis the Menace Strikes Again also features Betty White as Mrs. Wilson, and Dwier Brown and Jaqueline Steiger as Dennis's parents. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A rehearsal tape shows Bob Odenkirk and David Cross being whipped and forced into cages by their trainer, Lane (John Ennis). This segues into an episode of "Those Amazing Actors," with Lane explaining the rigors of getting actors to perform. He's shown slathering peanut butter on the faces of two soap opera actors, in order to get them to kiss convincingly. "There's a reason for the expression, 'As dumb as an actor,'" Lane explains, as guest star Vince Vaughn is shown chasing sheep. In a later skit, a bloody accident victim manages to dial her cell phone, calling "The Emergency Psychic Hotline." Manning the phones are psychic Mystique (Becky Thyres), J.D. Path (Jill Talley), and Maple Syrup (David), an obese, Jheri-curled soul singer. When someone calls in to say his baby fell in the pool and isn't breathing, Mystique tells him, "I'm receiving a color image -- sort of an aquamarine?" "Oh, my God," the caller responds, amazed, "She's turning blue!" In the unusually lengthy sketch that closes out the show, Bob plays suburban teen Dougy, who is chosen as the 18th incarnation of the Dalai Lama. While Dougy is adjusting to life as a Buddhist monk in Tibet, his friend Derek (David) writes him from America. "Did you see the Video Awards? Halen won!" "It is good news about Van Halen," the spiritually awakened Dougy writes back, "Like the lotus, they bloom for you again and again." But when Derek shows up in Tibet looking for a job, their friendship is tested. The monks learn to deal with Derek's propensity for juvenile pranks, just in time for them to compete in the "Summer Olympican" against "those rich snobs from the fat kids camp." This Meatballs-style parody features cameos from Brian Doyle-Murray and Jon Cryer as Ducky. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi