Ivan Reitman Movies
Born in Czechoslovakia, producer/director Ivan Reitman was raised in Canada by his concentration camp-survivor parents. After majoring in music at McMasters University, Reitman got his first taste of the line of work that was to bring him fame and fortune when he attended summer classes at the National Film Board. Here he directed his first short subjects, one of which received mainstream distribution. Encouraged by the Film Board to follow his own creative muse, Reitman was irresistibly attracted to "dangerous," cutting-edge material. His first feature-length directorial project, a 1970 adaptation of the notorious sub rosa Victorian sex novel My Secret Life, nearly landed him in jail. He went on to direct, produce, edit, and score the mildly exploitive Foxy Lady (1971), then directed and produced the horror semi-spoof Cannibal Girls (1973); the latter project represented his first cinematic contact with the famed Second City comedy troupe. In between handling the producing chores on several early David Cronenberg movie projects, Reitman produced Doug Henning's 1974 Broadway musical The Magic Show, then renewed his acquaintance with the Second City folk by producing The National Lampoon Show (1975). He helped elevate John Belushi to film stardom with his spectacularly successful 1978 production National Lampoon's Animal House, then did the same for Bill Murray in his 1979 directorial effort Meatballs, which ended up the biggest-grossing Canadian film of the year. After flirting with the Cinema of the Fantastic in his productions Heavy Metal (1981) and Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone (1983), Reitman deftly combined fantasy and comedy with his direction of the 1984 cash cow Ghostbusters (once more populated with Second City stalwarts, notably Dan Aykroyd, Bill Murray, Rick Moranis, and Harold Ramis). Though he has earned his comic stripes as a director, Reitman continues to produce and executive produce other director's projects, notably the runaway hit Beethoven (1991). While he seems to have an unerring Midas touch, not every Reitman project has turned to box-office gold: After helping to give Arnold Schwarzenegger a lighter, more amusing image in Kindergarten Cop (1990), he failed to do same with Sylvester Stallone in Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1991); nor was the Schwarzenegger-Danny De Vito vehicle Junior (1994) able to match the success of the stars' earlier pairing in Reitman's Twins (1988). After a few ups and downs in the early '90s, Reitman was way back up with Dave (1993), an uncharacteristically low-key political satire. In the summer of 2001, the man who brought fans Ghostbusters was back with another summer sci-fi comedy extravaganza, Evolution. With the exception of the television comedy pilot Cooking Lessons, Reitman would mainly stick to producing in the early years of the new millennium, though after playing a kew role in bringing such comedy hits as Old School and Road Trip to the screen, it was finally time to step back into the director's chair for the 2006 comedy My Super Ex-Girlfriend. A fun-filled fantasy comedy detailing the revenge of a needy superhero against the man who dumped her, My Super Ex-Girlfriend starred Uma Thurman as the eponymous dumpee, and Luke Wilson as the man who had to let her go. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide- 2009
An untrusting wife attempts to prove that her husband is cheating by hiring an escort to seduce him, inadvertently endangering her entire family in the process. Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson and Amanda Seyfried star in a thriller written by Erin Cressida Wilson, and directed by Atom Egoyan (The Sweet Hereafter, Ararat). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2009
- PG13
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Recent college graduate Ryden Malby (Gilmore Girls star Alexis Bledel) has just survived four years of higher education, but when she's forced to move back into her childhood home, the stress of dealing with her eccentric family, landing a job, and finding the right guy leaves her with precious little time to ponder where her life is truly heading. Shrek and Shark Tale's co-director Vicky Jenson takes the helm for a comedy co-starring Michael Keaton, Carol Burnett, Zach Gilford, and Rodrigo Santoro, and produced by Ivan Reitman and Tom Pollock in collaboration with Joe Medjuck and Jeff Clifford. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alexis Bledel, Zach Gilford, (more)
Engaged to the woman of his dreams yet uncomfortable with the prospect of not having a best man for his upcoming wedding, a successful real estate agent with no male friends schedules a series of "man dates" in hopes of finding a suitable candidate for the big day. Peter Klaven (Paul Rudd) is just like most other guys, only when it comes to making friends he's always been a bit withdrawn. After proposing to his girlfriend, Zooey (Rashida Jones), however, Peter quickly realizes that he doesn't even have any friends close enough to qualify for the role of best man. And what better method to find the perfect best man than to spend some time getting to know the most qualified candidate for the position? While most of Peter's "man dates" are incredibly awkward from the very beginning, the desperate bridegroom is surprised to hit it off with Sydney Fife (Jason Segel) on their very first meeting. Sydney is charming, personable, and opinionated, and before long he and Peter have become inseparable. But this isn't exactly what Zooey had in mind, because the closer that Peter grows to his new "bro," the further he drifts from the woman who will soon be his wife. Now, with the wedding closing in and the drama heating up, Peter begins to ponder a means of staying good friends with Sydney while still remaining true to the woman he loves. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Paul Rudd, Jason Segel, (more)
- 2009
- R
- Add Up in the Air to Queue
Juno's Jason Reitman heads into corporate America territory once again with this adaptation of Walter Kirn's novel Up in the Air for Montecito Pictures. The plot surrounds a human resource administrator (George Clooney) whose life up in the friendly skies becomes his only world as he works to reach his one-millionth frequent flyer mile. Jason Bateman and Vera Farmiga co-star in the Paramount Pictures production. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Clooney, Vera Farmiga, (more)
Filmmaking duo Thomas and Charles Guard make their feature directorial debuts as the co-directors of this remake of Kim Jee-woon's 2003 Korean film A Tale of Two Sisters. Produced by Asian horror remake king Roy Lee, The Uninvited tells the story of a young girl named Anna (Emily Browning), who was admitted into a mental hospital following the death of her biological mother. Returning home some time later, Anna is shocked to discover that her father (David Strathairn) has recently gotten engaged to Rachel (Elizabeth Banks), her mother's former nurse. Anna's suspicions about Rachel are soon confirmed when her mother reaches out from the beyond to deliver a stark warning, prompting the young girl and her sister (Arielle Kebbel) to try and convince their father that Rachel is not who she appears to be. As the situation in the once-peaceful household rapidly begins to deteriorate, Rachel's true colors finally begin boiling to the surface. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emily Browning, Elizabeth Banks, (more)
Adapted from author Lois Duncan's 1971 children's book of the same name, director Thor Freudenthal's Hotel for Dogs follows two mischievous orphans as they attempt to hide dozens of stray dogs in an abandoned hotel. Disheartened by their new guardians' announcement that pets are strictly forbidden, 16-year-old Andi (Emma Roberts) and her younger brother, Bruce (Jake T. Austin), race to find a home for their loyal dog Friday. Fortunately for Friday, there's an abandoned hotel just around the corner, and Bruce possesses just the kind of mechanical smarts needed to transform the rundown inn into a four-star retreat for canines. For a while, Friday and his friends have it made, but when the neighbors start to get suspicious, Andi and Bruce resort to every trick in the book in order to prevent their secret from being discovered. Don Cheadle, Emma Roberts, and Lisa Kudrow star in a family-friendly film penned by screenwriter Jeff Lowell. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emma Roberts, Jake T. Austin, (more)
Booted from the hoosegow just days before the eagerly anticipated guards-versus-inmates ball hockey championship, Ricky (Rob Wells), Julian (John Paul Tremblay), and Bubbles (Mike Smith) hatch a plan to pull off the biggest heist of their criminal careers as Sunnyvale Trailer Park's most incompetent criminals make their way to the big screen. Christened "The Big Dirty," the trio's ambitious plan to steal large quantities of untraceable change soon hits a hitch when sidetracked Ricky prepares to make the ultimate commitment to longtime girlfriend Lucy and Julian crosses her new boss with disastrous results. It seems that in addition to having her bust size upgraded while the trio was incarcerated, Lucy also landed a job working at the nearby gentleman's club. When Julian goes to the club and falls for shapely dancer Wanda, temperamental proprietor Sonny quickly loses his cool. With the day of the Big Dirty fast approaching, the boys do their best to train hair-brained criminal assistants Cory and Trevor in the fine art of the heist. Of course, anyone who knows the Trailer Park Boys knows well that even their most foolproof plans have a way of springing a leak, and somewhere between the helicopter chase, the shoot-out, and the booze-soaked game of Sunnyvale Chicken waged against trailer park supervisor Mr. Lahey and his cheeseburger-chomping assistant, Randy, everything seems to just fall apart. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robb Wells, John Paul Tremblay, (more)
Salton Sea director D.J. Caruso travels from the shore to the suburbs for this suspenseful tale of a high-school senior who suspects that his neighbor is a notorious serial killer. Kale (Shia LaBeouf) is a high-school senior who has yet to come to terms with the fact that his father is gone, the tragic victim of a fatal accident. As Kale's mother (Carrie-Anne Moss) struggles to pay the bills by picking up extra shifts at work, her son's behavior grows increasingly erratic. When an altercation at school finds Kale placed under court-ordered house arrest, the homebound student teams with newly arrived girl-next-door Ashley (Sarah Roemer) to investigate the suspicious neighbor (David Morse) whom Kale believes to be an elusive and wanted serial killer. Their attentions focused intensely on the man they believe to be a murderous maniac hiding in broad daylight, Kale and Ashley trespass down a dangerous path while attempting to discern whether his suspicions are grounded in fact or just a combination of deep depression and suffocating cabin fever. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shia LaBeouf, David Morse, (more)
The world's most inept detective returns to the screen in this modern slapstick comedy. France's come-from-behind victory in the World Cup soccer championships turns tragic when the team's coach, Yves Gulant (Jason Statham), is murdered during a post-game celebration. Gulant's girlfriend, pop star Xania (Beyoncé Knowles), was standing by his side as he was felled by a poisoned dart, and in the chaos that followed a diamond ring he gave her was stolen, which held one of the world's largest and most valuable jewels, known as "the Pink Panther." The media and the public demand that the killer be found out and brought to justice, and Chief Inspector Dreyfus (Kevin Kline) of the Paris Police pledges to put his best man on the case. However, somehow the astoundingly clumsy but consistently lucky Inspector Jacques Clouseau (Steve Martin) gets the assignment instead, and with his assistant, Gendarme Gilbert Ponton (Jean Reno), in tow, Clouseau follows a dizzying trail of clues from Paris to New York City as he attempts to recover the rare diamond and find the villains who killed Gulant. An updated variant on the Inspector Clouseau comedies that helped make Peter Sellers a major star in the United States, The Pink Panther also stars Emily Mortimer, Kristin Chenoweth, Roger Rees, and William Abadie; leading man Steve Martin also wrote the film's screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Martin, Kevin Kline, (more)
A regular guy finds out just how hard breaking up can truly be when attempting to call it quits with a clingy female crime fighter who doesn't want to let love die in director Ivan Reitman's super-powered romantic comedy. Matt Saunders (Luke Wilson) was looking for love when he first met pretty brunette Jenny Johnson (Uma Thurman), and at the time it seemed as if he may had finally actually found it. Jenny isn't just your typical girl, though, because despite her outwardly normal appearance she is actually a powerful superhero dedicated to ridding the streets of crime. Her outward strength betrays a deep-rooted insecurity, too, and when Jenny begins to become a bit too possessive for Matt's laid-back taste, the troubled boyfriend does his best to end the relationship amicably. They say that breaking up isn't easy to do, however, and when your girlfriend is a superhero, that sentiment holds twice the truth as it does under any normal circumstances. Matt is determined to get on with his life, though, and as his budding romance with beautiful co-worker Hannah (Anna Faris) begins to get serious, jealous Jenny scornfully slips into G-Girl mode to prove that hell hath no fury like a woman superhero scorned. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Uma Thurman, Luke Wilson, (more)
Written and directed by Alec Berg, David Mandel, and Jeff Schaffer, Eurotrip is a teen comedy from the Montecito Picture Company (makers of similar movies Old School and Road Trip). Mainstream teenager Scott (Scott Mechlowicz) forms an online friendship with German student Mieke in order to get a passing grade in his high school German class. When he finds out Mieke is a buxom blonde girl (Jessica Böhrs), he travels to meet her with his pals Cooper (Jacob Pitts), Jenny (Michelle Trachtenberg), and Jamie (Travis Wester). The group of randy teens head to Berlin by way of London, Paris, and Amsterdam. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts, (more)
- 2003
On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the release of the classic "raunch comedy" National Lampoon's Animal House, the Spike TV cable channel offered this behind-the-scenes special on the making of the film. Amidst a sea of anecdotes concerning the mercurial behavior of the film's star, John Belushi, the documentary offers a number of hitherto unknown factoids. Though filmmakers John Landis and Ivan Reitman, National Lampoon editors Matty Simmons and Chris Miller, and Animal House stars Tim Matheson, Peter Riegert, Karen Allen, and Bruce McGill are among the noteworthy interviewees, the real "star" of the documentary is the original film's script, which spoke more eloquently to its generation than many another more serious efforts of the era. Also featured are outtakes, alternate scenes, and clips from the dead-at-birth TV series spin-off, Delta House (which co-starred a very young Michelle Pfeiffer). The original telecast of Unseen + Untold: Animal House coincided with the DVD anniversary edition of the film, which contains even more bonus material. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tim Matheson, Peter Riegert, (more)
Three men relive their carefree college years by killing off as many brain cells as possible in this over-the-top comedy. Mitch (Luke Wilson) returns home from a less-than-pleasant business trip one evening to discover his wife, Heidi (Juliette Lewis), involved in a ménage à trois with two blindfolded strangers. Feeling less than welcome at home after this, Mitch rents a house near the campus of a nearby college; two of Mitch's old college buddies, Beanie (Vince Vaughn) and Frank (Will Ferrell), stop by to cheer him up. They soon become regular guests at Mitch's place, despite the fact that Frank only recently wed Marissa (Perrey Reeves), while Beanie and his wife, Lara (Leah Remini), are busy with two kids. Beanie decides to throw a housewarming party for Mitch, and since Beanie sells audio equipment for a living, he's able to trick out the big bash with a massive PA system and an appearance by Snoop Dogg. Mitch soon finds he's the not-entirely-willing proprietor of the school's leading party spot, which raises the ire of Pritchard (Jeremy Piven), a dean at the college who was the target of Mitch, Frank, and Beanie's abuse when they were all students. Pritchard arranges to have Mitch's neighborhood zoned into a student housing district, but Beanie and Frank respond by forming a fraternity and making Mitch's home their headquarters. Mitch, however, is not enthusiastic about the idea, especially as he's trying to impress Nicole (Ellen Pompeo), a beautiful divorcee who is less than enchanted with Frank and Beanie's "party hearty" lifestyle. Old School director Todd Phillips knows more than a bit about the seamy side of fraternity life as director of the infamous unreleased documentary Frat House. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Luke Wilson, Will Ferrell, (more)
The director of such highly regarded films as Yellow Earth (1984) and Farewell, My Concubine (1993), Chinese filmmaker Chen Kaige makes his English-language debut with this erotic thriller adapted from the novel by Nicci French. Alice (Heather Graham) is an American Web designer living in Illinois who falls for a ruggedly handsome mountain climber named Adam (Joseph Fiennes). Bored with her dull love live, sparks begin to fly when Alice and Adam have a chance meeting at a stoplight, and it isn't long before the couple are living together and Adam proposes. With their heated romance taking on hints of mild S & M following their wedding, Alice's realization that she knows very little about her new spouse begins to take on ominous undertones when she discovers that his former fiancée died under mysterious circumstances. Allegations of rape and more missing lovers soon prompt Alice to continue her increasingly disturbing investigation toward answers she may not be ready to accept. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Heather Graham, Joseph Fiennes, (more)
The spirit of the mega-hit Ghostbusters (1984) is intentionally recalled with this effects-heavy sci-fi comedy from the same director, Ivan Reitman, co-starring Dan Aykroyd and debuting on the 17th anniversary of the earlier film's release. When a meteor bearing single-celled organisms crashes to the Earth, the life forms are initially confined to a cave. Before long the creatures are evolving at an exponentially rapid rate, resulting in fearsome aliens running amok and possibly spelling mankind's doom, or at least the end of man's domination over life on Earth. Investigating the phenomenon is a community college professor, Ira Kane (David Duchovny), his geologist friend Harry Block (Orlando Jones), wannabe fireman Wayne Green (Seann William Scott), and government scientist Allison Reed (Julianne Moore). Evolution also stars Ted Levine, Ethan Suplee, and Katharine Towne. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, (more)
In this raunchy comedy, Josh (Breckin Meyer), a student at a college in Ithaca, NY, videotapes his one-night stand with beautiful sorority girl Beth (Amy Smart). A few days later, Josh discovers that one of his friends accidentally mailed the homemade porn tape to his girlfriend, Tiffany (Rachel Blanchard), who is spending some time with her family in Austin, TX. Josh and his friends Barry (Tom Green), Kyle (D.J. Qualls), E.L. (Seann William Scott), and Rubin (Paulo Costanzo) borrow a car and hit the road in a desperate bid to intercept the tape before Tiffany loads it into her VCR; Beth, however, wants Josh for herself and has her own plans to track down Tiffany. Road Trip is the first fiction feature from director Todd Phillips, noted for such edgy documentaries as Hated: G.G. Allin & the Murder Junkies, Screwed, and Frat House. The cast also includes Fred Ward and Andy Dick. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Breckin Meyer, Seann William Scott, (more)
- 1999
- Add Arnold Schwarzenegger: Hollywood Hero to QueueAdd Arnold Schwarzenegger: Hollywood Hero to top of Queue
Arnold Schwarzenegger receives star treatment in this look back at his early bodybuilding days in Austria and his eventual marriage to Kennedy family member Maria Shriver. The program also reviewsSchwarzenegger's earliest attempts to break into show business and his eventual starring roles in films like The Terminator, Total Recall, and True Lies. During interviews, stars like Jim Belushi and James Coburn express their respect and admiration for the man. ~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide
Ivan Reitman directed this romantic comedy-adventure that opens in New York where fast-paced magazine associate editor Robin Monroe (Anne Heche) and her boyfriend, Frank (David Schwimmer), leave for a week's vacation on a remote island. They've already been together for three years, so when Frank asks her to marry him, she says yes. For a one-day Tahiti photo shoot, Robin engages the services of South Pacific cargo pilot Quinn Harris (Harrison Ford). Robin and Quinn head off to do the shoot, but a squall forces Quinn to land his DeHavilland Beaver on the beach of a remote, unknown island. With broken landing gear, they're trapped there. Search parties set forth. Robin and Quinn cope with each other. Survival skills surface. Sexual tensions escalate. Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Frank and Quinn's girlfriend, Angelica (Jacqueline Obradors), compare concerns at the hotel bar. Several days later, the search is called off. Quinn and Robin are left to their own devices, including removing pontoons from a convenient Japanese war plane and attempting a take off. Filmed on the Hawaiian island of Kauai. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harrison Ford, Anne Heche, (more)
Based on a best-selling autobiography, this comedy drama is the surprisingly sweet-natured life story of a controversial radio personality. Howard Stern, who stars as himself, is a nerdy New York kid who dreams of a disc jockey career despite being a self-loathing klutz who lacks a traditional broadcaster's voice. A strikeout artist in college, Stern's romantic travails end when he meets and marries Alison (Mary McCormack), a beautiful social worker. Stern's early career at several radio stations is undistinguished. Bored, he makes his life the centerpiece of his show, including his obsessions with sex and bathroom humor, and he finds willing cohorts in news reporter Robin Quivers and producer Fred Norris. After an abortive tenure at a Washington D.C. station that loathes his high-rated antics, he lands at NBC in New York. Again, Stern clashes regularly with executives, especially Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton (Paul Giamatti), who runs roughshod over Stern's team. At home, Stern's tendency to discuss the intimate details of his marriage takes a toll, reaching a meltdown when he jokes about Alison's recent miscarriage on-air. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Howard Stern, Robin Quivers, (more)
Two of the screen's most popular comic actors meet in this movie about two men brought together by unexpected circumstances. On the surface, Jack Lawrence (Billy Crystal) and Dale Putley (Robin Williams) wouldn't appear to have much in common. Jack is an efficient, serious-minded lawyer with a successful practice and a beautiful wife, Carrie (Julia-Louis Dreyfus). Dale is a very single performance artist given to dramatic mood swings and extreme overreaction to the sad state of his career. However, 17 years ago both men were involved with the same woman, Collette Andrews (Nastassja Kinski); she later had a son, Scott (Charlie Hofheimer), without being sure if Jack or Dale was actually the father. Collette chose to raise the boy on her own, but when Scott runs away from home and she can't track him down, she calls both Jack and Dale looking for help. It doesn't take long for the two men to discover that they're both looking for the same boy in the same places, and they decide to join forces, though their personalities don't get much more compatible the longer they hunt for Scott. Keep an eye peeled for a brief cameo by Mel Gibson and an appearance by the rock band Sugar Ray, shortly before their commercial breakthrough. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, (more)
Warner Bros. attempted to revitalize its animation division with this family adventure that blended live action and animation in the style of Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), reportedly coming in with a price tag of $100 million. Basketball legend Michael Jordan stars as himself, a retired sports hero trying his hand at baseball and failing miserably. Meanwhile, the Looney Tunes gang, led by Bugs Bunny, are kidnapped by aliens called the Nerdlucks. It seems that the Nerdlucks' theme park, Moron Mountain (a barely-veiled dig at Disney) is failing to attract customers. The space invaders are convinced that the appearance of Bugs and his pals Porky Pig and Speedy Gonzalez will beef up business. Bugs makes his captors a deal -- they'll play a game of basketball for their freedom. When the Nerdlucks stack the deck by pilfering the talent of NBA superstars Charles Barkley and Patrick Ewing, the Warner Bros. heroes enlist the aid of Jordan, who returns to the court to help the classic characters. While he prepares to play, Jordan is aided by fellow celebrity Bill Murray. Director Joe Pytka previously created many of the television commercials that featured Jordan as a paid endorser. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, (more)
Based on the non-fiction best-seller, The Late Shift is an irreverent, behind-the-scenes look at the conflict over who would succeed Johnny Carson as host of The Tonight Show, Jay Leno or David Letterman. Beginning with Carson's retirement, the made-for-cable film follows the backstage manueverings of both camps. When NBC chooses, Letterman refuses to lose quietly. Hosting The Tonight Show has been his life-long dream, and he is willing to do whatever it takes, even hiring an agent, to get what he wants. Indeed, Letterman soon finds himself working with ultra-powerful Hollywood agent Mike Ovitz and receiving huge offers from competing networks. Meanwhile, NBC has more trouble with the Leno Tonight Show than expected, thanks to Leno's manager Helen Kushnick (Kathy Bates). Kushnick's acerbic, foul-mouthed manner and increasingly petty behavior infuriates the higher-ups at NBC -- so much so that some suggest they give the show to Letterman after all. A series of intense negotiations follows, under the shadow of ludicrously frenzied media attention. While the presentation of both Leno and Letterman (played by unknowns Daniel Roebuck and John Michael Higgins, respectively) is fairly sympathetic, the film is far-less charitable to Kushnick and NBC executives. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathy Bates, John Michael Higgins, (more)
In this dark comedy, Seth Warner (Aidan Quinn) is a good man having a run of bad luck. His pregnant wife disappeared in the ocean during a trip to the beach, a tornado destroyed his house while leaving everything else in the neighborhood untouched, his boss fired him, and he was struck by a bolt of lightning that also injured his dog. While recovering in the hospital, Seth comes to the conclusion that God has cursed him. His brother-in-law Harry (Anthony LaPaglia) thinks that this conclusion is absurd -- after all, Harry reasons, he violates five or six commandments every day before lunch, and things are just great with him. This notion puts a bug in Seth's ear, and when he gets out of the hospital, he decides to confront God by deliberately violating all ten commandments; he hopes to start by seducing Harry's wife, Rachel (Courteney Cox). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Aidan Quinn, Courteney Cox Arquette, (more)
Ultimate manly man Arnold Schwarzenegger learns what it's like to be an expectant mother in director Ivan Reitman's high-concept comedy. Schwarzenegger plays Dr. Hess, a medical researcher working on a revolutionary drug to help mothers carry endangered infants to term. When government regulations prevent Dr. Hess from testing the drug through normal channels, his partner Dr. Arbogast (Danny DeVito) develops an unorthodox solution: they will steal a female egg and implant it in Hess, who will carry the child himself. Predictably, much of the subsequent humor centers on the incongruous sight of the muscular Schwarzenegger undergoing the trials and tribulations of pregnancy, from morning sickness to labor pains. Emma Thompson returns to her comic roots and provides romantic interest as an incorrigibly clumsy but intelligent scientist who catches on to Hess' deception. Reitman, Schwarzenegger, and DeVito had previously had a hit with Twins (1988), which revolved around a similarly ludicrous medical premise, but they failed to repeat that film's success here, as audiences largely ignored the film and reviewers criticized the humor as disappointingly obvious. ~ Judd Blaise, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Arnold Schwarzenegger, Danny DeVito, (more)
