Jane Lynch Movies

Prepare for plenty of music, lots of dancing, and even a little magic in this reworking of the Cinderella legend featuring High School Musical star Drew Seeley as a young Prince Charming in search of the ideal girl. It's never easy being the new kid in school, but young Joey (Seeley) is determined to make the most of his new surroundings. If only he were to find a pretty girl who was willing to teach him the ropes around his new high school, Joey could finally stop fretting about fitting in. Perhaps Mary (Selena Gomez) is just such a girl, though this Cinderella is more likely to waltz in a new pair of dancing shoes than a pair of glass slipper. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The fourth season opener finds Shane devolving back into her old reckless ways after leaving Carmen at the alter. Meanwhile, Helena adjusts to life without riches, and Bette and Tina battle for custody of Angelica. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide

Gay, lesbian, and transgender filmmakers, actors, and critics explore the history of queer cinema in this made-for-cable documentary. Eschewing any overarching narration, co-directors Lesli Klainberg and Lisa Ades illustrate archival footage and film clips with dozens of interviews. They also provide timelines and factoids to punctuate the discussion of specific eras. Although the background material and the interviewees allude to the subtext of Hollywood classics, the bounty of world cinema, and the history of experimental film, the focus remains squarely on the American independent movement, from the 1960s underground through the New Queer Cinema of the early '90s to the post-Brokeback Mountain landscape of 2006. Interview subjects range from cultural commentator Michael Musto and actors Alan Cumming and Jane Lynch to directors John Cameron Mitchell, Jennie Livingston, and Randy Barbato. Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema made its bow July 16, 2006, on the Independent Film Channel. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Taunted by their classmates since grade school and never quite able to escape the culturally suffocating confines of their homogenized Midwestern hometown, a pair of small-town misfits make a break for the big city in this comedy from director Lorene Machado. Celeste (Margaret Cho) is an overweight, Korean, former goth-punk whose best pal since childhood has been queeny African-American Bam Bam (Bruce Daniels). Now in their early thirties and curious to explore the outside world, Celeste and Bam Bam catch wind of a reality television makeover show that's in search of a challenge. Convinced that they are the perfect candidates and encouraged by the show's booking assistant (Alan Cumming) to make the trip, the pair pack up the car and set their sights on New York City. Upon arriving in the Big Apple for their television debut, Celeste and Bam Bam find their moment in the spotlight threatened by a former high school nemesis turned posh salon owner assigned to perform makeover duties on the peculiar pair. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A battle between real estate moguls and environmental activists takes an unexpected turn into affairs of the heart in this satiric update of Henry James' The Bostonians. Gavin Ransom (Noah Wyle) is a successful real estate developer who has made a tidy fortune putting up gated communities filled with expensive suburban homes all over California. Ransom intends to put up another such development in the as-yet-untouched hillsides of Northern California's Marin County, and, just as he's expected, a number of folks living nearby are objecting to the project, including his sister Olive (Illeana Douglas), an environmental activist who has sided with longtime resident Eileen Boatwright (Cloris Leachman) and progressive lawyer Sybil (Jane Lynch) against the development. Olive and her compatriots get some unexpected support when Zoe Tripp (Kate Mara), a modern folk singer and the daughter of old-school Marin County hippies (Keith Carradine and Valerie Perrine), takes an interest in their protests and begins singing out against Gavin's proposal with guitar in hand. Gavin unexpectedly finds himself growing powerfully infatuated with Zoe, and Olive, a long-closeted lesbian, is equally taken with her; consequently, as the siblings battle against building several dozen cookie-cutter mansions, they also wage a private war for the affections of the young songstress. The Californians was directed by Jonathan Parker, who when not busy with film projects is himself a California real estate developer. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A reality show contestant who lost 150 pounds and gained a cool one million dollars falls prey to the capitalistic excess of the jet set as Dummy director Greg Pritikin sets his satirical sights on the Hollywood hangers-on who linger for far too long after their 15 minutes are up. Dennis Flotchky (Michael Panes) was an overweight loser with no money and few friends when he first applied for a role on television's top reality game show. All of that quickly changes, however, when Dennis endures to outwit, outlast, and outplay his fellow contestants while simultaneously dropping the majority of his excess weight and becoming a millionaire in the process. Now a celebrity wannabe whose face fills the tabloids and whose fortune is fast being depleted, Dennis must make a quick recovery before the vultures circling overhead swoop down to pick him clean of every last penny and tear away every remaining ounce of his self-respect. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

The ad copy for the ABC medical drama MDs promised "doctors who'll bend any rule and take on the system." The series looked and sounded a lot like M*A*S*H, the difference being that it took place in peacetime, and in contemporary San Francisco. William Fichter and John Hannah essayed the Hawkeye and Trapper John counterparts, here named Dr. Bruce Kellerman and Dr. Robert Dalgety. Though chronically irreverent and taking special delight in bucking bureaucracy and red tape at every opportunity, the two protagonists also happened to be brilliant and dedicated surgeons, investing an emotional interest in virtually all their patients ("Come on, you're not gonna die on me today!"). In its efforts to sustain a staunchly anti-HMO stance, the series admittedly stacked the deck a bit by drawing virtually all of its authority figures in broad, almost caricatured strokes: For example, Kellerman and Dalgety's chief nemesis was Mission General Hospital's bean-counting new administrator Pangborn (Leslie Stefanson), who had previously managed a theme park and who fainted at the sight of blood. MDs premiered September 25, 2002. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After parodying the idiosyncrasies of community theater devotees in the mock documentary Waiting for Guffman, actor/director Christopher Guest returns with another semi-improvised comedy that casts a satirical gaze on the world of championship dog breeding and training. A television crew is on hand to document the prestigious Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show, and competition is fierce among the canine devotees vying for top honors. Salesman Gerry Fleck (Eugene Levy), who is cursed with two left feet (literally), and his wife Cookie (Catherine O'Hara) have entered their Norwich terrier "Winky" in competition. Wealthy and neurotic Meg Swan (Parker Posey) and her husband Hamilton (Michael Hitchcock) are on hand with their Weimaraner "Beatrice," who they fear may have been traumatized by watching them have sex. Scott Donlan (John Michael Higgins) and his life partner Stefan Vanderhoof (Michael McKean) have brought their beloved Shih Tzu, "Miss Agnes." Trophy wife Sherri Ann Cabot (Jennifer Coolidge) and her close friend and trainer Christy Cummings (Jane Lynch) are hoping for a repeat victory for Sheri's poodle, "Rhapsody In White." And Harlan Pepper (Guest), who operates a store specializing in fly-fishing gear, has decided to stack his bloodhound "Hubert" up against the competition. In addition to Guest, Levy, O'Hara, and Posey, several other veterans of the Waiting for Guffman cast also appear in Best in Show, including Fred Willard, Bob Balaban, and Lewis Arquette. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this "Special Valentine's Sextravaganza" (to quote the original TV Guide ads, Kelly (Christina Applegate) belatedly remembers to hand over a Valentine's Day card sent to Bud (David Faustino) by someone named Rita. Though it's been several years since the card was posted, Bud is determined to respond to Rita in an appropriate (or even inappropriate) manner. Meanwhile, Al (Ed O'Neill) battles a huge crowd of forgetful husbands as he tries to purchase a gift for Peg at the very last minute. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A pair of irresponsible energy drink salesmen realize that serving a month of hard time is nothing compared to spending 150 hours in a community mentorship program after they trash the company truck and find themselves at the mercy of the court in this comedy starring Seann William Scott and Paul Rudd. Wheeler (Scott) and Danny (Rudd) wouldn't necessarily be the first people a parent would turn to when seeking out a babysitter, in fact, they probably wouldn't even make the list in the first place. After slamming a few too many Minotaur energy drinks and crashing the company truck, however, the two loose-living pals narrowly avert jail when the court decides to let them become mentors to a group of young misfits. But how is the recently dumped Danny supposed to help bashful, role-playing geek Augie (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) become a man when all he can offer the boy is bitter sarcasm, and is beer-chugging man-child Wheeler really the best choice to help foul-mouthed fifth-grader Ronnie (Bobb'e J. Thompson) develop more respect for his elders? Probably not, but they'll have to do their best anyway when the center's ex-con director (Jane Lynch) confronts them with a harsh ultimatum. Now, if Wheeler and Danny can just make it through the rest of their probation without getting tossed in jail, maybe there's hope for the boys -- and Danny's relationship with his fed-up girlfriend (Elizabeth Banks) -- after all. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide