Casey Wilson Movies
A comedienne best known for her tenure on NBC's Saturday Night Live, actress-cum-playwright Casey Wilson laid claim to a prestigious educational pedigree that included enrollment at New York University's Tisch School for the Arts and further study at the exclusive Stella Adler School of Acting. She then teamed up with fellow comedy writer June Diane Raphael to co-author a sellout two-woman show, Rode Hard and Put Away Wet, at Manhattan's Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. The production ran for 11 months, made the Aspen Comedy and Arts Festival, and won the covetable ECNY award for Best Comedic Duo for its two creators; it also drew the attention of SNL, and executive producer Lorne Michaels recruited Wilson as one of the program's in-house performers in 2008. By that point, Wilson had already branched out into feature-film activity, with small roles in Christopher Guest's For Your Consideration (2006) and Bob Odenkirk's The Brothers Solomon (2007); she and Raphael subsequently authored the script for the comedy Bride Wars, co-starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson. In 2008, Wilson held a small role opposite John Malkovich and Colin Hanks in the showbiz drama The Great Buck Howard. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
A clerical error tests the lifelong friendship of two brides-to-be by scheduling their respective weddings at the famed Plaza Hotel on the exact same date in this romantic comedy starring Anne Hathaway and Kate Hudson. Ever since they were little girls, Liv (Hudson) and Emma (Hathaway) have bonded over planning their weddings down to the very last detail. Now, both in their mid-twenties, Liv and Emma have each found the men they want to spend the rest of their lives with. But while most of the details regarding their respective weddings don't overlap, the one thing that both Liv and Emma have always dreamt of is holding their ceremony at the legendary Plaza Hotel -- New Your City's ultimate bridal destination. Unfortunately, a simple clerical error has scheduled both of their weddings on the exact same date, at the exact same place. As a high-powered lawyer who's used to getting her way, Liv simply isn't willing to settle for anything less than perfection. And though simple schoolteacher Emma has always placed the needs of others above her own, the prospect of making any sacrifices on her big day brings out her inner bridezilla in ways that shock her unsuspecting friends and family. There was a time when Liv and Emma would have done anything for each other, but now that the two best friends are at odds over who will get their dream wedding and who will have to settle for second best, the lacy gloves are off and it's all-out war. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kate Hudson, Anne Hathaway, (more)
Nora Ephron adapts Julie Powell's autobiographical book Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen with this Columbia Pictures production starring Amy Adams as an amateur chef who decides to cook every recipe in a cookbook from acclaimed celebrity chef Julia Child (played by Meryl Streep) in order to chronicle it in a blog over the course of a year. Streep's Devil Wears Prada co-star Stanley Tucci re-teams with the actress as Child's husband. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Meryl Streep, Amy Adams, (more)
A young man on his way up hitches his wagon to a middle-aged star on his way down in a comedy from writer and director Sean McGinly. Troy Gable (Colin Hanks) is a guy in his early twenties who has dropped out of law school and is pondering his next move. Troy has an interest in working in the entertainment business, and when he learns that a "celebrity performer" is looking for a personal assistant, Troy thinks he's found the ideal entry-level position. Troy soon discovers he's landed a job as a glorified gofer for Buck Howard (John Malkovich), a once-famous mentalist who appeared on The Tonight Show 61 times during Johnny Carson's reign as host. However, Howard hasn't been doing much lately, and he's hired Troy and new publicist Valerie (Emily Blunt) as he grooms himself for a comeback. While Troy is fascinated with Howard's creaky but still effective act, his boss has enough personal quirks and absurd demands to give anyone second thoughts about working with him for long. One thing that keeps Troy on the road with Buck is Valerie, who wastes no time in showing her sexual interest in him; however, Valerie is also the only one who harbors no illusions about Howard's prospects for a return to fame, and she isn't afraid to tell him about it. The Great Buck Howard also features Tom Hanks as Troy's father; as it happens, he's also Colin Hanks' real life dad. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Malkovich, Colin Hanks, (more)
Mr. Show alumnus Bob Odenkirk directed -- and SNL vet Will Forte scripted -- this gleefully raunchy tale of two socially backward but kind-hearted adult brothers, Dean and John Solomon (Forte and Will Arnett), who had the misfortune to be home-schooled by their father at a remote Arctic outpost. Destined to be perpetually single, their moronic, klutzy attempts at meeting new women (such as popping the question on a first date in a crowded restaurant) always blow up in their face. Then, one day, the Solomons receive the distressing news that their father is on his deathbed -- and to complicate matters, he indicates that his dying wish involves having a grandchild. John and Dean are happy to oblige -- but where in the world will they find a mother for this infant? Suddenly, the bachelors' romantic desperation doubles, and each brother embarks on a nutty, madcap quest to find the girl of his dreams and the mother of his future children. Malin Akerman, Kristen Wiig, Jenna Fischer, and Chi McBride co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Will Arnett, Will Forte, (more)
Mockumentary mastermind Christopher Guest turns his satirical eye away from dog shows, small-town theater, and folk music to offer a hilarious take on Hollywood award season in this comedy focusing on trio of actors whose lives are turned upside down when they discover that their performances in an independent film are generating a sizable buzz in the entertainment industry. Jay Berman (Guest) is in the process of directing his first feature film -- an intimate family drama set in the 1940s and detailing the tempestuous reunion of an estranged Jewish family that is reluctantly drawn together to celebrate Purim at the behest of their dying matriarch. The cast soon comes down with an infectious case of award fever when rumors on the Internet claim that "Purim" stars Marilyn Hack (Catherine O' Hara), Victor Allan Miller (Harry Shearer), and Callie Webb (Parker Posey) may be delivering Oscar-caliber performances. When "Hollywood Now" co-anchors Chuck Porter (Fred Willard) and Cindy Martin (Jane Lynch) perpetuate the buzz on national television, the entire film crew starts to see stars in their eyes. Subsequently convinced that they have a sleeper hit on their hands, unit publicist Corey Taft (John Michael Higgins), talent agent Morley Orfkin (Eugene Levy), and producer Whitney Taylor Brown (Jennifer Coolidge) immediately cave to requests from Sunfish Classics president Martin Gibb (Ricky Gervais) to alter the film so that it may appeal to a larger audience. Now, while "Purim" screenwriters Lane Iverson (Michael McKean) and Philip Koontz (Bob Balaban) are forced to watch helplessly as their original screenplay is plundered in order to cash in on the positive buzz, awards season draws near and the production takes a most unexpected turn. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bob Balaban, Jennifer Coolidge, (more)
- 2005
One man's romantic dilemma is putting a movie behind schedule in this short comedy. Cocky Jason (Peter Karinen) and jittery Skip (Brian Sacca) are two actors working on an independent crime drama with cryptic German director Barry (James M. Connor). While Jason is trying to make his way through the big scene that will he's certain will win him the Independent Spirit Award, Skip keeps flubbing his lines, much to his co-star's annoyance. Finally, Skip confesses to Jason that his mind is elsewhere and he needs some advice; the night before, he was lucky enough to spend the night with Abby (Casey Wilson), the boom operator whose shapely behind is the talk of the set, but he's not certain if what happened between them was really sex. Screened at the 2007 South by Southwest Film Festival, The Definition of Sex was written by actors and comedians Peter Karinen and Brian Sacca, drawn from material created as part of the duo's improv act. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Karinen, Brian Sacca, (more)
