Ron Lagomarsino Movies
A woman who always longed for the perfect Christmas receives a magical snow globe that transports her to a land where every day is the twenty fifth of December in this family-oriented fantasy starring Christina Milian and Lorraine Bracco. When it comes to the holidays, Angela (Milian) would rather be just about anywhere other than home. Upon shaking an antique snow globe that she received as a gift, however, this embittered cynic is whisked away to a magical kingdom where Christmas never ends, and where she will have to choose between the man of her dreams and a love she could have never imagined. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christina Milian, Lorraine Bracco, (more)
- 2004
Less lurid than its title suggests, this made-for-TV movie was based on the true story of the trials and tribulations of three generations of New Orleans prostitutes. Ellen Burstyn stars as Tommie, matriarch of the "working girl" family which operates out of a brothel in an otherwise quiet, respectable neighborhood. Tommie is the domineering boss of her daughter Jeanette (Annabella Sciorra)), who had followed in mom's footsteps (so to speak) because she had no alternative. Conversely, Jeannette's daughter Monica (Dominique Swain) is showing signs of rebellion, hoping to break free from her grandmother's grasp for the sake of her own daughter Navaeh. The family's internal squabbles are played against a backdrop of federal intrigue, as the FBI works overtime to nail Tommie and her family on charges of racketeering and drug trafficking. But just when it looks like the jig is up thanks to the testimony of a local doctor, Tommie saves herself by threatening to reveal a few unsavory secrets about a few highly placed male individuals. The real-life Jeannette Maier acted as the film's technical advisor, insisting in press releases that she and her mother ran a "clean, tight, business" and that the FBI's charges were so much applesauce (it is clear where the filmmakers' sympathies lie in those scenes wherein the Feds are shown wiretapping the ladies' business when they should be concentrating on capturing the terrorist perpetrators of 9/11). The Madam's Family debuted October 31, 2004 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2004
Gary Cole stars in this delightfully improbable TV movie as Jerry Harden, a conservative husband, father, and bank loan officer. Harden's well-ordered existence is turned upside down when a scruffy-looking guitarist named Izzy (David Jensen) shows up at the bank, hoping to get a loan in order to re-organize the legendary KISS-like heavy metal band Rock Toxin. When Jerry sees Izzy, his heart sinks: It looks as though his "cover" will be blown, and that the whole world (including his children) will discover that, 20 years earlier, Jerry had been "Dagger", Rock Toxin's lead singer! At first turning down Izzy's loan request, Jerry is forced to reconsider when he finds that he hasn't enough money to send his 17-year-old daughter to college. Thus, Jerry not only bankrolls the revived Rock Toxin, but he also embarks upon a hectic double life: Nerdish pillar of society by day, heavily-made-up rock singer by night. Further complicating matters is the fact that Jerry's wife Allison (Sherilyn Fenn), is the campaign manager for Helen Hunter (Shannon Eubanks), the politician wife of Jerry's boss Carl (Joe Inscoe)--and the cornerstone of Helen's campaign is her crusade against heavy-metal music! Pop Rocks debuted over the ABC Family Channel on September 10, 2004. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
This made-for-cable romantic comedy would seem to be a sex- and job-change variation on the 2001 theatrical feature The Wedding Planner. Richard Ruccolo stars as Michael Blake, a young master chef who runs his own successful catering service. Falling in love with Gail Hollander (Meredith Monroe) from afar, Michael is crushed to learn that Gail is already engaged to star hockey player Gordie Parks (Gabriel Hogan). Even worse, our hero has been contracted to cater Gail's wedding, right in the middle of a hockey rink. Despite admonitions from his friends that "You're pasta and she wants potatoes," Michael is determined to win Gail's heart before she ties the knot with Gordie. The One debuted February 9, 2003 on the ABC Family Channel. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard R. Ruccolo, Meredith Monroe, (more)
Based on a true story, My Sister's Keeper stars Kathy Bates as Christine, who since childhood has suffered from a debilitating mental illness. Spending most of her life in and out of various institutions, Christine has long yearned for independence, but is unable to wrest free of her controlling mother, Helen (Lynn Redgrave). Upon Helen's death, her other daughter, Judy (Elizabeth Perkins), a successful, self-absorbed art director who has deliberately distanced herself from her family, is appointed trustee of the troubled Christine. The rest of the film chronicles Judy's frustrated efforts to balance her sister's needs with her own, and Christine's ongoing ambition to stand on her own two feet. Though the filmed studiously avoids false sentiment and pathos, it still manages to touch even the hardest of hearts. Adapted from a book by Margaret Moorman, My Sister's Keeper was first seen as a CBS "Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentation on January 27, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathy Bates, Elizabeth Perkins, (more)
Tom Selleck stretches his dramatic range by playing a liberal Democrat in this comedy-drama satirizing the underside of party politics. Governor James Pryce (Tom Selleck) is a well-respected politician with a strong reformist streak who is a shoo-in for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, thanks to a well-run primary campaign organized by his manager Lauren Hartman (Laura Linney), and the savvy speechmaking and moral support of his wife Jenny (Nancy Travis). Now Pryce has to pick a vice-presidential candidate, which proves to be not all that simple. Senator Parker Gable (Robert Culp) helped give Pryce his start in politics, and his wife Meg (Faye Dunaway), a Queen Bee on the Washington social scene, has asked Pryce to consider Gable as VP. Pryce believes Gable would be the right man for the job, but he's well known to chase anything in a skirt, and Pryce thinks his nomination would be a scandal waiting to happen. Besides Gable, the two most likely choices for Pryce's running mate are Senator Mitchell Morris (Bruce McGill), whose strong links to a number of corporate benefactors make Pryce nervous, and Senator Terrence Randall (Bob Grunton), whose outspoken support of campaign finance reform does not sit well with Shawna Morgan (Teri Hatcher), the fundraising expert who has been filling Pryce's war chest. Running Mates was produced for the TNT cable network, where it first aired on August 13, 2000; Gerald Rafshoon, the film's executive producer, has an inside perspective on Washington wheelings and dealings, having served as White House director of communications under President Jimmy Carter. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Selleck, Laura Linney, (more)
- 1999
Set in a Nova Scotian fishing community, the made-for-TV Blue Moon focuses on a group of local citizens who are under the financial pressure of a land-grabbing tycoon. Particularly hard hit is restaurant manager Cass Medieros (Sharon Lawrence), who not only may have her property sold out from under her, but is also experiencing serious problems with her marriage. Despite these tribulations, family values emerge triumphant over so-called progress. This film represents the final screen appearance of Richard Kiley, here rather incredibly cast as the son of Kim Hunter--who was almost exactly the same age as he! Based on a novel by Luann Rice, Blue Moon debuted April 11, 1999 on CBS. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
16-year-old Jade Larson (Jenny Lewis) isn't terribly keen on the fact that her divorced mom Jesse (Beverly D'Angelo) has fallen in love with Billy Stone (Rob Estes), who in addition to being divorced himself is much closer to Jade's age than Jesse. As the relationship deepens, the impressionable Jade wonders if her ambivalent feelings toward Billy are actually born of resentment or her own attraction to him. Perhaps inevitably, Jade and Billy end up spending a night together--leading to a chain reaction of consequences that provide the substance of this surprisingly non-exploitational "triangle" drama. Produced for the CBS TV network, Sweet Temptation debuted March 6, 1996. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Beverly D'Angelo, Jenny Lewis, (more)
- 1994
A case of mistaken identity goes too far in this made-for-television romantic comedy. Tea Leoni stars as Gina Nardino, a young store clerk who pretends to be an Italian countess in order to impress a rich man of society. Her charade starts to fall apart though when his brother gets wise to her schemes. ~ Bernadette McCallion, All Movie Guide
- 1989
Dinner at Eight is a TV remake of the 1933 MGM film of the same name; both films were adapted from the play by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber. While the basic plot point of a social-climbing woman (Marsha Mason) throwing a "best people" dinner party has not dated all that much, other elements prevalent in the 1933 version were due for an overhaul 56 years later. The aging, near-impoverished stage actress played con brio by Marie Dressler in the original becomes a jet-setting "literary raconteur" (read: "trash novelist") in the form of Lauren Bacall. And the alcoholic matinee idol portrayed by John Barrymore in 1933 is transformed into a Pacino type (Harry Hamlin) with a drug and attitude problem for the 1989 version. While not exactly improvements, these alterations do not stand out like sore thumbs, as do many past attempts at updating old material. Only Ellen Greene, in Jean Harlow's role as the floozielike wife of a corrupt businessman, falls short of the original. Produced by actress Shelley Duvall, the 1989 Dinner at Eight was first shown on December 11, 1989 over the TNT Cable network. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
