Debbie Allen Movies
African American actress/dancer Debbie Allen had built up a solid reputation as a Broadway choreographer by the time she made her screen debut in The Fish That Saved Pittsburgh (1979). In 1980, she created the role of demanding dance instructor Lydia Grant in Fame (1980), a role she carried over into the long-running TV series of the same name. Each and every episode of this five-season series began with Debbie addressing a roomful of students: "You want fame?...Well, fame costs. And the price is sweat." Practicing what she preached, Debbie not only co-starred in the series but directed several episodes and handled the choreography, winning a brace of Emmies in the process. She went on to be nominated for a Tony award for the 1986 Broadway revival of Sweet Charity. The older sister of Cosby Show co-star Phylicia Rashad, Debbie Allen has herself remained active on the small screen, in the early '90s mapping out the production numbers of the annual Academy Awards telecast and in the mid-'90s co-starring with rapper LL Cool J on the weekly NBC sitcom In the House. In 1997 she was one of the producer's of Steven Spielberg's period drama Amistad. Four years later she directed and starred in the made-for-TV drama The Old Settler opposite her sister. She played herself in the remake of the TV show Fame. She continued directing for television including episodes of That's So Raven, and the Lifetime movie biopic The Fantasia Barrino Story: Life Is Not a Fairy Tale. In 2009 she returned to her roots yet again by playing the principal of the high school for performing arts that is the setting for the 2009 big-screen remake of Fame. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
A young schoolboy is spirited away to a magical fantasy land after falling asleep in the school library while writing an essay on children's literature in this family friendly dance musical. Alex always thought fairy tales were for girls, though after befriending the White Rabbit, he discovers that the human imagination knows no boundaries. James Ingram, Diane Louie, and Debbie Allen provide the score for a music-filled fantasy inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
An overnight drug shipment is sent to the wrong recipient, prompting a frantic race to recover the package before the contents are revealed in this fast-paced crime comedy starring Donald Faison, Mos Def, and Mike Epps. When Brody (Epps) and Guch (Wood Harris) receive a package containing ten kilos of grade-A cocaine, they assume their financial woes are a thing of the past. The package was intended for their next-door neighbors, but the whacked-out courier (Donald Faison) delivered it to the wrong address. Recognizing the possibility for profit, Brody and Guch plan to sell the cocaine to Brody's drug-dealing cousin (Omari Hardwick). Meanwhile Jesus (Cisco Reyes) and his girlfriend, Chita (Yasmin Deliz), the intended recipients of the cocaine, set out to procure the package before notorious drug lord Bodego Diablo (Emilio Rivera) realizes it's gone missing. But Bodega is no slouch; he already knows the shipment was botched, and he's determined to get his drugs back no matter what the cost. Later, as Brody and Guch prepare to seal the deal that will set them up for life, the guns are drawn and the chaos begins. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Donald Faison, Mike Epps, (more)
This remake of the '80s classic focuses on a group of young students attending a high school for the performing arts. Classmates study various aspects of performance, from dance to songwriting to acting, all of them hoping for the chance to one day become stars. Debbie Allen, Charles S. Dutton, Kelsey Grammer, Megan Mullally, and Bebe Neuwirth portray the instructors, with a host of newcomers toplining the production as the students. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kristy Flores, Asher Book, (more)
- 2006
Fantasia stars as herself in this music-filled biopic chronicling the struggles and obstacles she had to overcome, including being a young single mother, before she achieved fame as the 2004 winner of American Idol. ~ Rovi
- Starring:
- Fantasia Barrino
Battle Night: The Krump Wars features serious dance battles between enterprising young dancers. The video includes appearances by celebrities like MC Lyte, Tony Rock, and Norm Nixon. Debbie Allen lends her dancing expertise to the proceedings. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- 2005
- Add Broadway's Lost Treasures, Vol. 3 to Queue Add Broadway's Lost Treasures, Vol. 3 to top of Queue
Experience the performances that made Broadway history in this release that compiles twenty-three unforgettable musical performances from the Tony Award broadcast archives. Featuring such stars as Harvey Fierstein, Robert Goulet, and Carol Channing in performances from Show Boat, Kiss of the Spider Woman, Kiss Me Kate, My Fair Lady and many more, this release brings the magic of the stage directly into your living room. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- 2005
Track the rise and fall of fictional action superstar Frank Sledge in this rapid-fire mockumentary featuring special appearances by Angelina Jolie, Carrie-Ann Moss, Hugo Weaving, Richard Lewis, Sean Young, Ernie Hudson, Kelly Hu, and more. Laugh along as filmmakers parody some of the most popular action films ever, and Hollywood's brightest stars reflect on the career of the ass-kicking icon who, despite all his power and influence, couldn't prevent his own career from going up in flames. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- David Leitch, Holmes Osborne, (more)
When an inner-city basketball team is faced with the sudden prospect of elimination, the girls who have been using their skills on the court to build a better life find their determination to persevere put to the ultimate test. Being a winner on the court and coming out on top in life take the same kind of passion and determination, and when these girls learn that their team may not make it to the end of the season, they quickly rally behind their coach to fight for the future and build a history that they can look back on with pride. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
The romantic comedy All About You features Renee Elise Goldsberry as Nicole Taylor, a woman who decides to alter her life plans in order to stay with her boyfriend, Robbie (Adam Lazarre-White). After things fall through with Mr. Wonderful, Nicole ends up staying with her best friend, Lisa (LisaRaye). She ends up being forced to share living space with Brian (Terron Brooks), who she begins to fall in love with even though he is Robbie's brother. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi
- Starring:
- Renee Elise Goldsberry, Terron Brooks, (more)
- 2003
The original movie and TV-series versions of Fame were fictionalized accounts of life in a professional training school, patterned after New York's High School of the Performing Arts. Debbie Allen starred in both the film and series as the school's demanding but compassionate dance teacher, Lydia Grant. Although Allen was still on hand for NBC's 2003 revival of Fame, the new series bore little resemblance to its predecessors. In place of a weekly drama with actors pretending to be students, this incarnation of Fame was a reality series in which 24 show-business hopefuls, age 16 and up, were trained and groomed for a grand prize as bestowed by a panel of celebrity judges. Allen's mission was to train these aspirants in singing and dancing: "My job is to take them apart and put them back together." During the series' ten weeks, the original 24 semifinalists were narrowed down to a single winner, ostensibly a star of the future. Hosted by *NSYNC's Joey Fatone, the "reality" version of Fame premiered on May 28, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Joey Fatone, Debbie Allen, (more)
- 2001
The Harlem Renaissance of the 1940s serves as the backdrop for this small-screen adaptation of John Henry Redwood's play as directed by Debbie Allen. The aptly-named Husband (Bumper Robinson) has come to New York City from down South to find his old flame Lou Bessie (Crystal R. Fox), who has thrown off the shackles of her old life in favor of the pace and excitement of the city. Needing a place to stay, Husband boards with Elizabeth (Phylicia Rashad) and Quilly (Allen), two sisters from the South with family trauma in their past. As he realizes that Lou Bessie no longer has any use for her old life, Husband starts up a May-December romance with Elizabeth, much to the consternation of Quilly. The Old Settler was brought to director Allen's attention by her sister Rashad, who optioned the play and signed on as executive producer. It premiered as part of PBS' Hollywood Presents series in 2001. ~ Michael Hastings, Rovi
- Starring:
- Phylicia Rashad, Debbie Allen, (more)
Matthew Miele directs this tale about a mysterious homeless guy. Jake (Ernie Hudson) lives relatively contently in his homeless routine -- he wakes in the morning, plays the bongos for change, and collects dog feces. Everything seems hunky-dory, as it were, until he encounters Cameron, who is attempting suicide. Jake takes the guy under his wing and shows him the ropes of life on streets. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi
- Starring:
- Debbie Allen, Doug E. Doug, (more)
- 1998
- NR
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Michael Jace stars in this made-for-TV movie about the life and career of basketball superstar Michael Jordan, following him from his early days as a struggling high school athlete to his multiple championships with the Chicago Bulls, when he became one of the most acclaimed players in the history of the game. Michael Jordan: An American Hero also stars Ernie Hudson and Debbie Allen as Jordan's parents and Robin Givens as his wife Juanita. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Michael Jace
- 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, Rovi
- Starring:
- Pam Grier, Steven Williams, (more)
This Steven Spielberg-directed exploration into a long-ago episode in African-American history recounts the trial that followed the 1839 rebellion aboard the Spanish slave ship Amistad and captures the complex political maneuverings set in motion by the event. Filmed in New England and Puerto Rico, the 152-minute drama opens with a pre-credit sequence showing Cinque (Djimon Hounsou) and the other Africans in a violent takeover of the Amistad. Captured, they are imprisoned in New England where former slave Theodore Joadson (Morgan Freeman), viewing the rebels as "freedom fighters," approaches property lawyer Baldwin (Matthew McConaughey), who attempts to prove the Africans were "stolen goods" because they were kidnapped. Running for re-election, President Martin Van Buren (Nigel Hawthorne) overturns the lower court's decision in favor of the Africans. Former President John Quincy Adams (Anthony Hopkins) is reluctant to become involved, but when the case moves on to the Supreme Court, Adams stirs emotions with a powerful defense. The storyline occasionally cuts away to Spain where the young Queen Isabella (Anna Paquin) plays with dolls; she later debated the Amistad case with seven U.S. presidents. The character portrayed by Morgan Freeman is a fictional composite of several historical figures. For authentic speech, the Africans speak the Mende language, subtitled during some scenes but not others. ~ Bhob Stewart, Rovi
- Starring:
- Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, (more)
- 1996
This documentary explores the accomplishments and inspirations of African-American women and examines some of the issues they face in contemporary society. The program, hosted by actresses Queen Latifah and Halle Berry, discusses women's efforts to balance work and family, deal with economic stress, health matters, and interpersonal relationships. Also featured are interviews with Nobel laureate Maya Angelou, Academy Award-winning actress Esther Rolle, choreographer Debbie Allen, economist Juliane Malveaux, violence prevention expert Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, and Susan Taylor, editor-in-chief of Essence magazine. This is one volume in the four-part series, Images & Realities, which examines contemporary concerns and issues faced by African-American people, and discusses how solutions can be found through nurturing, shared values, and a sense of community. ~ Alice Duncan, Rovi
- 1996
Monica (Roma Downey) assumes the guise of a journalist, assigned to interview teenage death-row inmate Luther (DeAundre Dixon) while Tess (Della Reese) provides moral support to Luther's mother Valerie (Debbie Allen) and brother Sam (Robert Ri'chard). Through her visit with Luther, Monica is harrassed by another condemned prisoner named Willis (Carl Lumbly)--who turns out to be Luther's father! With time running out, Monica must find a way to melt Willis' hardened heart. . .and Tess, who had previously failed with Willis, must prevent young Sam from following in his father's and brother's footsteps. Former O.J. Simpson prosecutor Christopher Darden appears as an inner-city pastor. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
Actor Billy Crystal co-wrote, directed, and starred in this romantic comedy. Forty-something couple Andy (Joe Mantegna) and Liz (Cynthia Stevenson) are about to be married, and as they gather with their friends for dinner not long before the wedding, they are told the story of their mutual friends Mickey (Billy Crystal) and Ellen (Debra Winger) as a cautionary tale of where a relationship can go wrong. Mickey is a top referee with the NBA who has traveled to Paris to bury his father, who wanted to be laid to rest with his Army buddies from World War II. The body is somehow lost in transit, and Mickey has an argument with Ellen, who works for an American airline in France. However, she likes his sense of humor, he is taken with her, and after a few days together in Paris, they decide to marry. However, once they return to Mickey's home in the United States, things get complicated; she's not so sure that she cares for his bachelor apartment ("a shrine to watching ESPN"), or juggling her career against his, while both have problems with their respective families. Several major basketball stars and sports figures appear in Forget Paris as themselves, including Charles Barkley, Bill Walton, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Marv Albert. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Billy Crystal, Debra Winger, (more)
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