Aaron Sorkin Movies
Despite being a writer whose impressive list of credits boasts The West Wing, the show considered by many viewers and critics to be the best American television series of the early millennium, Aaron Sorkin would be the first to admit the paralyzing fear that greets him every time he starts a new script. Though at first things may be slow going for the Emmy winner, once he gets going and the dialogue starts flowing, there's almost literally no stopping him. A New York native who graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Theater, Sorkin's initial bid for onscreen credit gradually waned as his reputation as a notable playwright grew due to the success of his play Hidden in the Picture. When his 1989 Broadway play A Few Good Men was turned into the 1992 feature that proved a runaway hit, Hollywood took notice. Sorkin next penned the screenplay for the 1993 thriller Malice; the feature was only lukewarmly received by critics and audiences, and was later overshadowed by his screenplay for the 1995 political romantic comedy The American President. This was followed by work as writer and executive producer on the universally hailed, but inexplicably short-lived, series Sports Night, and soon Sorkin was one of the most talented writers working in television. As popular as Sports Night was with critics and audiences, however, it was his next series that brought Sorkin his biggest success to date. Molded from dialogue left over from his bloated 385-page screenplay for The American President (most screenplays average only 120 pages), his initial scripts for the political TV series The West Wing were smart, fast-paced, and, according to Washington insiders, uncannily spot-on. Sorkin was arrested in April 2001 when authorities at Burbank Airport discovered hallucinogenic mushrooms, marijuana, and crack in his baggage; the writer was later ordered into a drug diversion program. By the time he announced his departure from The West Wing in May 2003, he had claimed three Emmys for his efforts and many thought the show had reached its creative peak. As he bid farewell to the NBC show, Sorkin was rumored to be preparing a series based on the backstage banter of a Saturday Night Live-style comedy sketch series. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
In this military courtroom drama based on the play by Aaron Sorkin, Navy lawyer Lt. Daniel Kaffee (Tom Cruise) is assigned to defend two Marines, Pfc. Louden Downey (James Marshall) and Lance Cpl. Harold Dawson (Wolfgang Bodison), who are accused of the murder of fellow leatherneck Pfc. William Santiago (Michael de Lorenzo) at the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Kaffee generally plea bargains for his clients rather than bring them to trial, which is probably why he was assigned this potentially embarassing case, but when Lt. Commander JoAnne Galloway (Demi Moore) is assigned to assist Kaffee, she is convinced that there's more to the matter than they've been led to believe and convinces her colleague that the case should go to court. Under questioning, Downey and Dawson reveal that Santiago died in the midst of a hazing ritual known as "Code Red" after he threatened to inform higher authorities that Dawson opened fire on a Cuban watchtower. They also state that the "Code Red" was performed under the orders of Lt. Jonathan Kendrick (Kiefer Sutherland). Kendrick's superior, tough-as-nails Col. Nathan Jessup (Jack Nicholson), denies any knowledge of the order to torture Santiago, but when Lt. Col. Matthew Markinson (J.T. Walsh) confides to Kaffee that Jessup demanded the "Code Red" for violating his order of silence, Kaffee and Galloway have to find a way to prove this in court. A Few Good Men also features Kevin Bacon as prosecuting attorney Capt. Jack Ross and Kevin Pollak as Kaffee and Galloway's research assistant, Lt. Sam Weinberg. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, (more)
Produced by Tom Hanks, written by Aaron Sorkin, and directed by Mike Nichols, this adaptation of George Crile III's incendiary bestseller tells the remarkable story of the Texas congressman whose efforts to prevent the Red Army from overtaking Afghanistan eventually led to the collapse of the Soviet Union while simultaneously fueling the rise of radical Islam. In the early 1980s, a hastily assembled army of Afghan "freedom fighters" achieved the remarkable feat of fending off Soviet invaders despite the fact that the odds were overwhelmingly stacked against them. At the time, Texas congressman Charlie Wilson (Hanks) was a key member of the hugely powerful House Appropriations Committee. Illuminated to the specifics of this remarkable war by a high-profile Houston socialite, Wilson spearheaded an effort to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in weapons and training to the Mujahideen with more than a little help from brilliant but prickly CIA operative Gust Avrokotos. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, (more)
Alec Baldwin stars in this thriller as Dr. Jed Hill, a brilliant young trauma specialist who begins to believe he can do no wrong after he saves the life of a patient given up for dead by another doctor. Jed runs into an old classmate, Andy Safian (Bill Pullman), who is now a college dean. Andy invites Jed to stay with him in the attic bedroom of a house he is renovating with his wife Tracy (Nicole Kidman). Tracy takes a dislike to Jed, whom she thinks is a psychotic egomaniac. In the mean time, Andy has to deal with a serial killer on the loose among the campus dorms. While Andy is helping belligerent law enforcement officials with the murder investigation and Jed is drinking straight shots at the local saloon, Tracy begins to have abdominal pains and is rushed to the emergency room. Jed comes directly from the bar and slices her open, removing more from her body cavity than he should. The allegations fly fast and furious between Tracy, Andy, and Jed. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alec Baldwin, Nicole Kidman, (more)
- 2010
Brad Pitt stars in the real-life tale of Major League Baseball general manager Billy Beane, who built up a winning team despite a decreased budget thanks to his sly use of statistical data to calculate the best -- and cheapest -- players for his roster. Aaron Sorkin updates Steve Zaillian's adaptation of Michael Lewis' fly-on-the-wall novel for Columbia Pictures, with Daily Show correspondent Demetri Martin co-starring. Director Steven Soderbergh was long-attached to the project, but left due to script issues. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Brad Pitt, Demetri Martin, (more)
- 1998
This highly acclaimed but shortly lived half-hour comedy focused on the staff of a cable sports news program called "Sports Night." As the anchors and producers duck and weave through their career goals, workplace romances, rough divorces, and a love/hate relationship with professional sports, the power-plays on the court, in the office, and behind closed doors create a dynamic and often hilarious environment. Written by Aaron Sorkin, Sports Night has been praised for the balance in depicting the inner-workings of its setting, the relationships between its characters, and the unique overarching world of sports journalism that draws them together. Networks had trouble finding the show an audience and eventually it was canceled. While Sorkin was offered the chance to continue the series on cable, he declined to focus on his new series The West Wing, which found tremendous success and was praised for many of the same merits as Sports Night. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Newly broken up, Jeremy (Joshua Malina) and Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd) attempt to go about their work with mixed success. The two continue to bicker as Jeremy tries to get his belongings out of Natalie's apartment -- leaving both of them with misplaced anger and resentment. Elsewhere, Casey (Peter Krause) returns from an eye exam that left his pupils dilated, thus creating a temporary blindness. Dan (Josh Charles) takes advantage of Casey's situation by playing a number of pranks on his cohort. While learning the truth about Jeremy and Natalie, Dana (Felicity Huffman) begins to feel a little disappointment about today being Sam's (William H. Macy) last day on set and spontaneously asks him to spend some time with her later that night. Having done a report on a riot that broke out at Madison Square Garden the night before, Sports Night receives a subpoena from NYPD for the taped footage of the riot, which Dana and Isaac (Robert Guillaume) have no problems complying with but leaves Natalie infuriated until she finally breaks down from the devastation she feels after her split with Jeremy. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 2000
After finishing up the night's program, Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd) rounds up the crew for a game of Celebrities -- but her ex-boyfriend Jeremy (Joshua Malina) is left out of the mix. Jeremy wanders out to a nearby bar and begins a conversation with a very beautiful woman named Jenny (Paula Marshall). As Jeremy begins to muster up the courage to ask her out, he makes the startling realization that Jenny is a porn star. Meanwhile, Dan (Josh Charles) learns that the 100 Most Influential People in Sports list has come out and he isn't in it. Casey (Peter Krause), however, is listed at number 92, leaving Dan extremely envious. Isaac (Robert Guillaume) becomes aggravated when he begins forgetting things -- especially things that he holds dear, such as his grandson's name or lyrics to a song from a musical. Back in the bar, Jeremy and Jenny have an awkward discussion about Jenny's line of work until the adult film star asks Jeremy to join her and her friends for the evening. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Sam Donovan (William H. Macy) -- the ratings consultant Isaac (Robert Guillaume) hired to help the show -- has everyone feeling on edge. After Dana (Felicity Huffman) and Sam both agree that the last couple of shows have been stilted, Sam suggests Dana do something provocative such as sexily whispering cues into Dan (Josh Charles) and Casey's (Peter Krause) earpieces. Insulted, Dana instead takes out her anger on Dan and Casey during the next commercial break. Sam decides that his presence is throwing everyone off and decides to leave the set -- but not before taking the script and turning off the teleprompter, forcing Dana to cue Dan and Casey via their earpieces. Also concerned about the show -- but not necessarily for the people who work on it -- is CSC network bigwig J.J. (Robert Mailhouse), who descends upon the studio with his own ideas for boosting the ratings. Insisting on meeting with the senior staff to go through his notes point by point, he proceeds to totally alienate everyone and quite nearly fires Dana -- who has been contemplating other job offers since Sam's arrival. Sam confronts J.J. during a break in the meeting and demands that the network let him do his job as he kicks J.J. and his lackeys out of the studio. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Still smarting over being rejected by Rebecca (Teri Polo) -- the beautiful woman who works in the same building as the Sports Night crew -- Dan (Josh Charles) continues his relentless quest to get the mysteriously distant woman to go on a date with him. Since Casey (Peter Krause) has refused numerous times to speak to Rebecca on his behalf, Dan talks Jeremy (Joshua Malina) into doing it -- and Jeremy learns that Rebecca is the former wife of another popular TV sportscaster. After distinguishing the differences between her ex and him, Dan finally convinces Rebecca to go on a date. As Dana (Felicity Huffman) still fears that Gordon wants to break up with her, she very reluctantly agrees to go on a snorkeling trip with him -- despite her fear of being in close proximity to fish and any other type of marine life. While struggling to come to terms with her fear, Gordon calls and cancels the trip -- prompting Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd) to push Casey into reaching out to Dana. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1998
After a particularly grueling day in the studio, Dan (Josh Charles) spearheads an effort to get everyone to go to the bar. Casey (Peter Krause) initially declines the invite, but swiftly changes his mind after learning that Dana (Felicity Huffman) is coming along. Everyone but Jeremy (Joshua Malina) decides to go, prompting Dana and Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd) to try to talk the new guy into joining the festivities. After convincing everyone that he needs to write a letter to his hearing-impaired sister Louise, Jeremy does indeed stay behind and proceeds to recount to his younger sister his first three months on the Sports Night crew. Responding to Louise's previous letter inquiring about his co-workers, Jeremy goes into some of the details he has learned about his fellow staffers -- ranging from Isaac's (Robert Guillaume) extensive experience as a newsman to Dana's upbringing to his new and awkward relationship with Natalie. As he begins to wrap up the letter, Jeremy hears loud music coming from the studio and learns that the gang has returned after getting kicked out of the bar for being unruly -- which leads to an unexpected but very welcome encounter between Natalie and Jeremy. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 2000
With the NFL draft looming, Dana (Felicity Huffman) and Casey (Peter Krause) make bets about its outcome -- which fuels their already antagonistic relationship. The rest of the staff are excited about the possibility of covering the draft, which depends on whether it rains or not in Indian Wells. Dan (Josh Charles), who has long been struggling with many and sundry issues, still holds some residual jealousy toward Casey and his inclusion on the infamous Influential People in Sports list -- which causes some friction between the longtime friends. Also, he is forced to cancel a round of golf with pro golfer David Duval due to the constraints of his job. As a result, Dan develops a disgruntled attitude at work that starts to interfere with his job performance. Meanwhile, Jeremy (Joshua Malina) is struggling to come to terms with the fact he's dating a porn star. While eager to tell everyone -- particularly his ex-girlfriend Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd) -- about Jenny, he is still unable to tell everyone what she really does for a living. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 2000
Draft day proves to be catastrophic for many relationships amongst the Sports Night crew. Casey (Peter Krause) and Dan (Josh Charles) quite nearly come to blows after Dan purposefully embarrasses Casey on air, after learning of Casey's significant role in Dan's career during a previous heated exchange the two had in their office prior to show time. Jeremy (Joshua Malina) learns that Jenny (Paula Marshall) will be making a visit to the studio, much to his horror. He convinces her to go along with his idea of convincing everyone she's a choreo-animator, but once she arrives on set Jenny immediately strikes up lively conversations with Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd) and Dana (Felicity Huffman). Soon, she changes her mind about Jeremy's deception, as well as her feelings for Jeremy. Dana, in the meantime, has been afflicted with a skin rash she steadfastly attributes to falling on her face -- but she eventually confesses to Casey that the condition is really due to anxiety. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Dan (Josh Charles) is starting to sense that something bad is about to happen. First of all, Bobbi Bernstein (Lisa Edelstein) is back on the set for expanded coverage of the college basketball tournament and still maintains her story about having slept with Dan several years ago. Additionally, Dan ran downstairs to talk to Rebecca (Teri Polo), only to find her ex-husband Steve Sisko in the office with her. The rest of the crew has been half-heartedly working on a little welcome back party for Isaac's (Robert Guillaume) return from his extended vacation. While deciding on cakes, decorations, and whatnot, Casey (Peter Krause) and Dana (Felicity Huffman) continuously nitpick each other until they are forced to step outside and have the long overdue blow-up everyone has been waiting for. As Rebecca finally comes up to talk with Dan and reveal the true status of her marriage with Steve, the Sports Night crew begins to wonder why Isaac hasn't shown up on time. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1999
Due to a tennis match running very late, the Sports Night show has been put on hold pending the match's conclusion. For Dana (Felicity Huffman), this holds greater significance as she is supposed to meet Gordon (Ted McGinley) later in the evening -- after the show was supposed to air. Dan (Josh Charles), in the meantime, begins to sense that Casey (Peter Krause) is aggravated over something, but Casey refuses to come clean. Soon Dan is working on his own problems when Rebecca (Teri Polo) -- while waiting in Dan's office -- takes a call from a woman that Dan had supposedly broken up with some time ago. When Gordon shows up, he learns the show hasn't even started yet and promptly issues Dana an ultimatum: Hand the show off to someone else or the relationship is over. As Casey sees Gordon being introduced to Sally by Dana, he shuts the office door and reveals his knowledge of Gordon's affair with Sally to Dan -- and that he is powerless to do anything about it, since Dana would also learn of Casey's dalliance with Sally in the process. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Still reeling from learning that Dana (Felicity Huffman) is in the midst of a relationship, Casey (Peter Krause) begins to exhibit bizarre behavior not dissimilar from that of a lovesick schoolboy -- which includes kicking fire hydrants, hiding from Dana, and dodging large flies only he seems able to see. Dan (Josh Charles) -- who is forced to endure Casey's Dana obsession with no small amount of disdain -- gets a summons to the Business Affairs department and learns his recent on-air serenading of Casey with the "Happy Birthday" song will cost the network 1,000 dollars in royalty fees to whomever holds the copyright to the song. Now totally obsessed with the notion of a fly attacking him, Casey examines a tape of the show he claims he was attacked on to prove he's not imagining the insect -- but comes away without finding it and begins to suspect he may be cracking up. Dana, in the meantime, has become aware of Casey's obsession via Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd) and Dan, while her plans for a skiing getaway with her boyfriend Gordon (Ted McGinley) seem to have pushed Casey over the edge, prompting him to confront her. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1999
When Jeremy's (Joshua Malina) assistant Corbin (Charlie Finn) neglects to prepare a play sheet for an important story in the broadcast, Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd) demands Jeremy fire him or else she'll be forced to do it herself. Jeremy reluctantly agrees but has second thoughts while reconsidering the fact that Corbin is a relative to network bigwig J.J. Elsewhere. Dana (Felicity Huffman) picks up on a breaking story about some drug scandal in Ohio and she begins investigating with Casey (Peter Krause), whom she later sends out to Ohio to personally prepare a report. As Casey heads for the Midwest, Dan (Josh Charles) has another session with psychiatrist Abby Jacobs (Jayne Brook), who points out that his flirtatiousness is merely a means of gaining approval. Taking no strength in this revelation, Dan proceeds to call into question every interaction he has with every female staffer on the Sports Night set. When Casey returns to New York with names and sources about some impending suspensions, the story proves to be much more personal to Dana than she had ever imagined when her younger brother is among the implicated. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1999
A popularity poll has been posted on the Sports Night website asking viewers who they think is more cool, Casey (Peter Krause) or Dan (Josh Charles). After checking in on the current figures, Dan accuses Casey of somehow cheating and lying about not caring about the vote's outcome. Denying the accusations, Casey then leaves their office and recruits Jeremy (Joshua Malina) into assisting him with cheating on the poll -- which he was guilty of doing all along -- by writing a program that will enter votes by the thousands. While working on the program for Casey, Jeremy discovers Natalie's (Sabrina Lloyd) half-finished letter to Jeremy's sister Louise and gets a little freaked out. Meanwhile, Dana (Felicity Huffman) reschedules the 8:00 rundown meeting to 7:30 because of a dinner engagement with an old friend, which irritates Casey since he's still in the middle of the six-month delay of his first date with Dana -- which she herself instituted. While at dinner, Dana removes her underwear from under her dress in a moment of boredom and tells Natalie about it when she returns to the studio. Natalie tells Casey the bizarre tale and Casey becomes a little jealous and quite obsessed with the thought -- so much so that he messes up his next few segments on air, prompting yet another confrontation between Casey and Dana. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Sports Night hits the ratings jackpot after securing an agreement to a five-minute interview with star football player and infamous bad boy Christian Patrick (Brad Henke). While Dana (Felicity Huffman) and Isaac (Robert Guillaume) are beyond overjoyed with this development, Dan (Josh Charles) and Casey (Peter Krause) become less enthusiastic when they learn of the strict interview requirement stipulating that absolutely no questions be asked regarding Christian's ex-girlfriend Mary Pat Shelby, whom the athlete physically assaulted. Having gloated about the inevitable ratings bonanza to Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd), Dana then asks her associate producer to conduct a pre-interview with the footballer prior to the show. Natalie returns to the studio bruised, rousing the suspicions of Jeremy and then the ire of everyone when a report surfaces that Patrick was seen assaulting a young woman. As the situation has now become quite personal, Dana and Isaac begin pursuing a different angle to the interview than had been previously planned. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1999
After word spreads of Dana's (Felicity Huffman) engagement to Gordon (Ted McGinley), Dan (Josh Charles) insists Casey (Peter Krause) must tell Dana about his knowledge regarding Gordon's one-night stand with Dana's rival, Sally (Brenda Strong). Not only does Casey refuse to do so, but he also insists the whole affair is none of his business -- and that, contrary to Dan's assertion that he has no plan, Casey has the Napoleonic "show up and see what happens" plan in effect. Dan disagrees with the plan and the attitude and at the first available moment, he tells Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd) who in turn immediately tells Dana. Dana calmly refuses to believe the story, but cannot help but ask Gordon while the two are at lunch. Gordon angrily admits to it and also informs Dana about Casey's own sexual experiences with Sally -- which results in Dana cornering Sally and blaming her for this entire mess. Sally points out that her personal life is her own business and is in no way an attack on Dana, which Dana realizes to be true as she breaks down sobbing. Dana goes on to confront Casey about her findings while Dan begins to wonder if he did the right thing revealing the truth. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1999
The Sports Night crew returns to the studio from a bomb scare 15 minutes before the show goes on-air and naturally everyone is a little worked up. Casey (Peter Krause) and Dan (Josh Charles), however, can't seem to get over the fact that someone would try to blow up their building and they proceed to obsess about their near-death experience for some time to come. Dana (Felicity Huffman) has bigger issues to deal with, since Isaac's (Robert Guillaume) stroke has left her in charge of running the operations of the show in addition to her production responsibilities. The network sends J.J. (Robert Mailhouse) to talk with Dana about how to run the show and convinces her that Sally (Brenda Strong) is CEO Luther Sach's choice in assisting Dana, and not Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd). Still freaked out about his parents' divorce, Jeremy (Joshua Malina) makes the bizarre decision to break up with Natalie -- only Natalie calmly refuses to let him. Meanwhile, Rebecca (Teri Polo) tracks Dan down and accuses him of hiding from her and demands to know why. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Kicking off the 45 episode ABC television series Sports Night was this pilot episode that originally aired on September 22, 1998. After two years together as co-anchors of the popular sports wrap-up show Sports Night, Casey McCall (Peter Krause) and Dan Rydell (Josh Charles) are hitting a difficult patch in their working relationship. Newly divorced, Casey is filled with uncertainties about his life that are clearly impacting his work performance -- a development that hasn't been lost on the network executives. Show producer Dana Whitaker (Felicity Huffman) and Dan take it upon themselves to get Casey back up to speed before the higher-ups feel compelled to intervene, or before Casey does something drastic like quit. In the meantime, associate producer Natalie Hurley (Sabrina Lloyd) has conducted a search for a new research analyst and has chosen the bright but quirky Jeremy Goodwin (Joshua Malina) for the job, whom she presents to the very thorough Dana for final approval. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1999
The rumors continue to fly about Isaac's (Robert Guillaume) possible firing, which comes to a head when Isaac announces that tomorrow's Wall Street Journal will be featuring a story about his and CEO Luther Sach's ongoing feud. While the crew speculates what this will mean for Sports Night, Dan (Josh Charles) describes to Casey (Peter Krause) the beautiful woman named Rebecca (Teri Polo) he met on the elevator this morning and how Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd) said Rebecca thought he was nice and that he should call her. After accidentally running into Rebecca some time later, Dan learns Natalie was lying as Rebecca barely even remembers him -- while his ego takes a hit at the realization that he's not as much of a lady's man as he likes to think he is. After the article comes out the following morning, Isaac takes a meeting with network representative J.J. (Robert Mailhouse), who denies Mr. Sachs had any involvement with the story -- which leads Isaac to believe that perhaps J.J. may be complicit in this mess. Meanwhile, Dana (Felicity Huffman) begins to fret over her suspicions that Gordon is on the verge of dumping her, and Natalie suggests she go talk to Casey about her fears. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1999
A low-key news day makes Isaac's (Robert Guillaume) life hell when everyone comes to him with their myriad life troubles that he'd rather know nothing about. Dan (Josh Charles) discovers Casey (Peter Krause) had a one-night stand recently after Casey recalls how he left his favorite shirt at the woman's place. Since Casey won't reveal who the mystery woman was, Dan makes it his mission to find out and pulls the rest of the Sports Night crew into identifying Casey's conquest. With Gordon canceling another date the previous night, Dana (Felicity Huffman) once again suspects her relationship with the studly lawyer is drawing to a close. Meanwhile, Jeremy (Joshua Malina) is agonizing over the fact that he will be spending the Easter holiday with Natalie's (Sabrina Lloyd) family, partially because it is his first visit to Natalie's parents house and mostly because he is a Jew and isn't very familiar with the holiday. Eventually, Dan finds out that Casey slept with Dana's rival Sally (Brenda Strong), while Gordon (Ted McGinley) stops by the studio to pick up Dana -- and inadvertently tips off Casey as to the true reason Gordon stood up Dana the night before. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1998
Looking forward to a gambling trip in Atlantic City upon the completion of their work day, Casey (Peter Krause) and Dan's (Josh Charles) plans are squashed when they are forced to substitute for the co-anchors of the early morning wrap-up show who are snowed in at the Pittsburgh airport. With a bit of time to kill before the 2 a.m. show, they decide to start an impromptu poker game to pass the time. Dana (Felicity Huffman) and Isaac (Robert Guillaume) join the game after briefly discussing Isaac's notion that he may be shrinking due to age and osteoporosis. Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd) challenges Jeremy (Joshua Malina) into the game as part of their ongoing feud regarding Jeremy's recent choice of playing tennis with an old friend -- who happens to be a famous and beautiful actress -- rather than spending time with her. Unfortunately for Natalie, she proves to be horrible at poker -- which makes her even more angry with Jeremy, whom she also accuses of being a Mr. Know-It-All. While in the midst of the game, Dana has a brief discussion with the 2 a.m. show's producer Sally (Brenda Strong) and learns that Casey had approved the show's rundown without scrutinizing every last detail -- which miffs Dana and aggravates the jealousy and rivalry she has with Sally. Confronting Casey on the issue, Dana proceeds to inform him of the several problems in store for him with the 2 a.m. show because of his negligence, while Jeremy starts getting angry over Natalie's obsessive need for vindication and revenge that has elevated the argument to another level -- much to the ire of the rest of the staff who are forced to listen to the bickering. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
- 1999
With the same night off, Dana (Felicity Huffman) and Casey (Peter Krause) find themselves locked into a double date arrangement that both would rather not happen -- as Casey is just afraid to go on any dates at all while Dana thinks a double date with Casey is a recipe for disaster. Dana's boyfriend Gordon (Ted McGinley) hooks Casey up on a blind date with one of the lawyers he works with and the quartet heads to the restaurant, where Dana begins to obsess about the show she's missing while drinking herself silly as Casey begins babbling incoherently with his date. Back in the studio, Natalie (Sabrina Lloyd) is in the midst of her first solo run of the show, which proceeds routinely until she scoops an unconfirmed report of a last-minute trade. While still corroborating the story, she has Dan (Josh Charles) announce the still-unconfirmed rumor on-air, which raises red flags with Isaac (Robert Guillaume) and Jeremy (Joshua Malina) who seriously question the decision. Dan has different problems on his hands as he is forced to deal with Casey's substitute, Bobbi Bernstein (Lisa Edelstein), and her claims of having slept with Dan years before while both were in Spain. ~ Ryan Shriver, All Movie Guide
