Corbin Bernsen Movies

An angel assumes the guise of an eccentric drifter in order to help a 12-year-old boy from a troubled family find the path God has chosen for him. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Corbin Bernsen (The Dentist) wrote and stars in this Dove Award-winning inspirational drama. Inspired by an article that Bernsen read in the USA Today newspaper, the story concerns the financial struggles and impending collapse of Akron, Ohio's All-American Soap Box Derby, which at the time of the write-up risked foreclosure. Nathan Gamble stars as Trey Caldwell, a 12-year-old boy whose dreams are shattered when his father dies fighting in Afghanistan. In the family garage sits an unfinished Soap Box Derby car, originally intended as a gift from dad. The loss of the father leaves a huge hole in Trey's life, but he soon meets Roy Gibbs (Bernsen), a local fire chief still haunted by the loss of his son on 9/11. The two forge a strong friendship and begin to work on finishing the car, meanwhile finding solace in one another. Ralph Waite (The Waltons) and Maureen Flannigan (Out of this World) co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

Pastor James Moore (writer/director/star Corbin Bernsen) returns to his hometown after losing his faith, and defends a childhood friend from accusations that he murdered a local family by setting their house ablaze in this faith-based drama produced, financed by, and starring the residents of Kipling, Canada. In the process of seeking the truth, Pastor Moore re-discovers the profound healing power of faith. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Jason Gedrick and Eric Roberts lead the cast of this thriller about a submarine captain who attempts to hold Washington, D.C. hostage for a billion dollars, and the heroic doctor who struggles to thwart the plan before the situation escalates. On the eve of his retirement Captain Kreig (Roberts) stages a coup d'etat on his ship, the nuclear powered USS Montana, and threatens to lob an ICBM at Washington, D.C. unless the White House pays out a ransom of one billion dollars; little did Captain Kreig realize that not every sailor aboard the USS Montana was willing to go along with the plan. Enter Doc (Gedrick), the submarine's outwardly docile medical specialist. Doc realizes that unless someone aboard the ship manages to diffuse the situation, chances are good that the president (Barry Bostwick) will likely declare it - and everyone aboard - expendable. Now, as the president ponders the prospect of ordering the USS Montana destroyed, it's up to Doc and James Piersall (Chris Warren, Jr.) to take back the ship or die trying. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

When a mishap at a remote medical research laboratory unleashes a mass of genetically enhanced vipers on a nearby seaside community, the only hope for survival is to make it to the shore before the snakes and hope for the best. It was supposed to be a secure facility, but when thieves broke in to the classified medical research laboratory they unwittingly unleashed hell on the unsuspecting locals. Now, as the ravenous vipers begin to reproduce at an alarming rate, they quickly begin to outnumber the residents of a remote island, who barricade themselves in a hotel in a desperate bid for survival. No one seems to know whether help will arrive in time or not, and as the lobby floor becomes a sea of hungry snakes, the only hope for escape is to run for shore and never look back. Tara Reid stars. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Corbin Bernsen, of L.A. Law and The Dentist, stars in this family-oriented adventure from director Michael Kastenbaum. It concerns a group of five children who embark on a journey to an enchanted island, where a group of pirates are trapped in a crippling curse. Only the individual with a pure heart, it seems, will be able to end the curse's grip by finding Bluebeard's gold. Meanwhile, the children must contend with the vile actions of Hookbeard the Pirate, a marauder skilled in swordfighting and torture. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi

The weekly, hour-long detective dramedy Psych made its USA network bow on July 7, 2006, right after the fifth-season opener of the thematically similar Monk. James Roday starred as Shawn Spencer, the genial "slacker" son of no-nonsense police officer Henry Spencer (Corbin Bernsen). Relentlessly trained from an early age to recognize the smallest and most minute clues at a given crime scene, Shawn developed a photographic memory, which he generally used to coast through life and avoid honest work. Hoping to gain a bit of prestige as a police consultant, Henry made the mistake of providing so much "inside" evidence that at one point he was accused of being a perpetrator. In his efforts to wriggle out of this dilemma, Shawn managed to convince the authorities that he possessed psychic powers (which he most certainly did not), and as such became a permanent "troubleshooter" for the Santa Barbera police department, answerable to interim police chief Karen Vick (Kristen Nelson) -- who, luckily, was an old friend of Shawn's father. Grudgingly partnered with our hero was hard-bitten detective Carlton Lassiter (Timothy Omundson), who harbored serious doubts about Shawn's psychic prowess, and Lassiter's co-worker Juliet O'Hara (Maggie Lawson), a gung-ho, ebullient type who believed every word that Shawn said. Also on hand was Shawn's best friend and confidante, Gus (Dulé Hill), an overcautious type who resented being continually thrust into harm's way, but who couldn't hide his fascination with various aspects of crime and crime-solving. In a clever directorial gimmick, viewers at home "saw" and "memorized" the various clues in each episode through Shawn's eyes, via freeze-frame and zoom lens. A few episodes of Psych were seen on the over-the-air NBC network beginning July 14, 2006. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The weekly, hour-long detective dramedy Psych made its USA network bow on July 7, 2006, right after the fifth-season opener of the thematically similar Monk. James Roday starred as Shawn Spencer, the genial "slacker" son of no-nonsense police officer Henry Spencer (Corbin Bernsen). Relentlessly trained from an early age to recognize the smallest and most minute clues at a given crime scene, Shawn developed a photographic memory, which he generally used to coast through life and avoid honest work. Hoping to gain a bit of prestige as a police consultant, Henry made the mistake of providing so much "inside" evidence that at one point he was accused of being a perpetrator. In his efforts to wriggle out of this dilemma, Shawn managed to convince the authorities that he possessed psychic powers (which he most certainly did not), and as such became a permanent "troubleshooter" for the Santa Barbera police department, answerable to interim police chief Karen Vick (Kristen Nelson) -- who, luckily, was an old friend of Shawn's father. Grudgingly partnered with our hero was hard-bitten detective Carlton Lassiter (Timothy Omundson), who harbored serious doubts about Shawn's psychic prowess, and Lassiter's co-worker Juliet O'Hara (Maggie Lawson), a gung-ho, ebullient type who believed every word that Shawn said. Also on hand was Shawn's best friend and confidante, Gus (Dule Hill), an overcautious type who resented being continually thrust into harm's way, but who couldn't hide his fascination with various aspects of crime and crime-solving. In a clever directorial gimmick, viewers at home "saw" and "memorized" the various clues in each episode through Shawn's eyes, via freeze-frame and zoom lens. A few episodes of Psych were seen on the over-the-air NBC network beginning July 14, 2006. Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A thesp-turned-crook gets a chance at career in movies as well as crime scene investigation in this offbeat action comedy with nods to Raymond Chandler. Harry Lockhart (Robert Downey Jr.) is a struggling New York actor who high-tails it to Los Angeles. Once there, Lockhart winds up at the posh home of the aptly named homosexual private eye Gay Perry (Val Kilmer) amid a lavish Hollywood party, hoping to score a life-changing role in a Hollywood feature. Harry becomes reacquainted with Harmony (Michelle Monaghan), a girl he had a major crush on in his small-town Indiana high school, who may be a bit more interested in him now than she was years ago. He takes both her and her girlfriend home with him, but -- in a moment of drunken stupor -- accidentally sleeps with the wrong woman. Meanwhile, when a series of female bodies turns up across L.A., Harry slowly breaks into detective work, mentored by Perry. The biggest twist? Shane Black riffs Adaptation and other films by having Harry (via satirical narration) write the movie while he is living it. Harry assures the audience that unlike Lord of the Rings, this one won't have 17 endings. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang marks the first directorial credit for Black, who created the Lethal Weapon franchise. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A belief in "angels on earth," not to mention a belief in oneself, may enhance the enjoyment of this made-for-cable drama. Jaclyn Smith stars as Kay Woodbury, a tough, no-nonsense judge whose intractability in legal matters is intensified by a number of personal crises, including a bitter feud with her jurist father and her anguish over the recent remarriage of her ex-husband. Thus, Kay is no mood to play nice when teenager Sally Powell (Lyndsy Fonseca) is brought before her. Harboring an intense hatred for the father who apparently abandoned her, Sally is a seemingly incorrigible delinquent who has already "flunked out" in four foster homes. Figuring that she could no worse than anyone else, Kay takes Sally home on a trial basis. The girl proceeds to behave as atrociously as possible, but surprisingly Kay does not decide to write her off as a bad job, but instead concludes that what the girl needs is someone to trust and something to believe in. In this spirit, Kay locates Sally's birth father (C. Thomas Howell), and, upon being convinced that he was not motivated by selfishness when he dropped out of his daughter's life, secretly contrives for Sally and her dad to reconnect -- and in so doing Kay finds her own way toward forgiveness, not only of those whom she feels have wronged her, but also of herself. Ordinary Miracles made its Hallmark Channel debut on May 7, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Death & Texas mixes humor and drama in order to tell the story of a football player who ends up on death row. However, when his team begins to lose without him there is a movement to get him released. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi