Bob Gosse Movies

Earning the type of divisive emotional responses normally reserved for those on the far right or the far left of the political spectrum, writer Tucker Max celebrated his debauchery-driven lifestyle in the memoir I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell. Now Max earns credit as both co-screenwriter and producer of the film adaptation with this comedy from Niagara Niagara director Bob Gosse. In the film, Tucker (Gilmore Girls' Matt Czuchry) behaves very badly at his friend's bachelor party, getting his invite to the nuptials revoked. Can he renounce his (not-so) inner selfish jerk in time to recapture his invitation? I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell also stars Geoff Stults, Jesse Bradford, and Traci Lords. ~ Kimber Myers, Rovi

Michael (Aaron Stanford) arrives in a rural town, rents a motel room, and gets a job at the local gas station working for Mo (Peter Gerety), alongside the rambunctious Carly (Robin Tunney). Both Mo and Carly take an interest in Michael's life, and Carly is romantically attracted to him, but Michael's privacy is very important to him, because he has a dark secret. He's run to this small town from an unhappy, traumatic family life, and is forced to earn a living while secretly caring for his little brother, Dylan (Zack Savage). Despite Dylan's constant complaining, Michael rarely lets him leave the motel, because Michael knows that if the authorities find them, they'll be sent back home, or worse. In flashbacks, we see Michael talk to a therapist, Dr. Maxim (Terry Kinney), about his tormented relationship with his parents, Lisa (Melissa Leo) and Jesse (Michael Gaston). Michael blames his father's abuse for his inability to function, and when he saw signs that his father planned to abuse Dylan in the same way, he felt that he had no choice but to take drastic action. As Michael begins to confide in Carly, who has also suffered in an abusive relationship, we gradually learn just how bad things got back home before he ran. Runaway was directed by Tim McCann (Revolution #9) from an original script by Bill True. The film had its world premiere at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi

One woman's decision to improve her mind has unexpected, life-changing results in this drama. Hoboken-born housewife Julie Johnson (Lili Taylor) left high school at the wishes of Rick (Noah Emmerich), who was then her boyfriend and is now her husband; Julie spends her days cleaning house and looking after her two children, Lisa (Mischa Barton) and Franky (Gideon Jacobs). Julie, who likes to read Scientific American in her spare time, has always dreamed of going back to school, but loutish Rick strictly forbids it. Without Rick's knowledge, Julie and her best friend Claire (Courtney Love) enroll in an "Introduction to Computers" course at a local community college, where instructor Mr. Miranda (Spalding Gray) quickly senses Julie has a tremendous intellectual potential she's never tapped. With Mr. Miranda's coaching, Julie breezes through the computer course and is soon tackling advanced mathematical and scientific theory with other members of the college's faculty. Rick eventually gets wind of Julie's new academic career and isn't the least bit pleased, but Julie, whose accomplishments have done wonders for her self-confidence, responds by kicking him out of the house. Claire, impressed by Julie's stand against Rick, decides it's time to leave her abusive husband Mike (Patrick Fitzgerald), and she moves in with Julie while looking for a new place. As Mr. Miranda urges Julie to obtain a high-school equivalency certificate and move on to a four-year college (where he'll be able to arrange an academic scholarship), Julie and Claire discover their new independence has stirred new feelings within them, and they move from being close friends to tentative lovers. Julie Johnson was based on the play by Wendy Hammond, who co-wrote the screenplay with director Bob Gosse. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this touching drama, a retired physician has the rare opportunity to relive the youthful glories of his days as a baseball player. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Two estranged brothers discover that family secrets can have a high value on the wrong side of the law in this crime drama. Jack McCallister (Seymour Cassel) is an aging career criminal whose luck is about to give out; Jack and his henchmen are ambushed by police in the midst of a major robbery, which leaves Jack severely injured and his accomplices dead. Jack manages to hide the $500,000 from the robbery before he makes his way to his death bed, where he speaks with his two sons, George (Treat Williams) and Michael (Paul Schulze). George has followed Jack's example as a thief, though his violent recklessness suggests that his career will not be as long as his father's, while Michael makes ends meet as a con man, selling burial plots that don't exist to the elderly and gullible. George and Michael have never gotten along and don't trust each other, but before Jack dies, he gives each of his sons an important clue as to where his final windfall is hidden. If they are to find the money, George and Michael will have to put aside their differences and help each other, but of course they're not the only ones in town looking for the missing half-million. Handgun was the first theatrical feature for television director Whitney Ransick and also features Michael Rappaport, Frank Vincent, and Michael Imperioli. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

In this short independent feature, an ordinary-looking guy proves to be an unusually successful womanizer, and his East Village apartment begins to assume aspects of Grand Central Station. He is so attractive to one of the women he seduces that he has to let her know in a forceful way that he's not available for long-term romance. In addition to his other good qualities, he's a bit of a jerk. This is why, by the end of the film, his rejection by a woman he has come to care for comes as such a pleasant surprise. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Theory of Achievement, a short film by director Hal Hartley, is a droll look at a group of young Brooklynites grappling with the great issues: aesthetics, romance, and real estate. Bob, a broke, aspiring writer, takes advantage of his girlfriend's absence to enter the real estate business. He sublets her apartment to a group of struggling artists, convincing them that Williamsburg, Brooklyn is destined to be "the new art capital of the world." Amongst the tenants are Hartley regulars William Sage and Elina Lowensohn, portraying a couple arguing over the husband's refusal to quit his uninspiring job and follow his dream of becoming a songwriter. Bob and the tenants bond in their mutual poverty and ennui, discussing art, drinking beer, and playing the accordion. All is well, until Bob's girlfriend returns to town early and discovers his scheme. The short is one of three made by Hartley in 1991, along with Ambition and Surviving Desire. All are available on a single videocassette. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi