Tyra Banks Movies
"A smart model is a good model," Tyra Banks was once quoted as saying, and she seems destined to prove it in every way. Now widely known as one of the world's foremost supermodels, Banks began her modeling career at the age of 17 with the Elite agency after flirting with attending college at Loyola Marymount. The 5'11" beauty was quickly discovered in Los Angeles, her birth city, and offered a healthy contract with cosmetics company Cover Girl -- becoming only the third African-American woman in the world to secure such an opportunity.Her striking looks and business savvy extended to several offers, including assignments with Ralph Lauren and various magazine covers (over 20 to be exact), including Sports Illustrated and most notably GQ, where Banks became the first black woman ever to grace the cover. In addition to various ads and runway gigs, Banks decided to branch out into feature films, scoring a few high-profile gigs, starring as Omar Epps' love interest in John Singleton's racially charged drama Higher Learning (1995) and snagging a stint opposite Will Smith on TV's The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. These breakout roles led to more film work, including a British sexploitation film called Inferno and a comic turn in 1999's Love Stinks with actors French Stewart and Bill Bellamy. In 2000, Banks landed a high-profile gig in the critically dismissed but lively Jerry Bruckheimer production Coyote Ugly, playing a sexy barmaid in a role that showcased all of her assets in one tidy package.
Continuing her dual career, Banks' devotion to environmental issues has shown the world her ambition to be a role model as well. She is a promoter of a line of greeting cards for Children+Families, an organization dedicated to helping abused children. Created with the aid of children aged eight and nine, the card series is designed to promote literacy for children in troubled homes. ~ Jason Clark, All Movie Guide
- 2009
This competitive reality series takes six beautiful girls and pits them against each other - but not in the way that they think. While the lovely ladies on the series believe that they are being judged purely on their beauty-queen looks, their actions are being observed as well, with judges Vanessa Minnillo, Cheryl Tiegs, and Nolé Marin forming conclusions based on their frequently bratty behavior. Each week, the gorgeous contestants are faced with challenges to their outer beauty, like photo shoots and trips down the catwalk, but unbeknownst to the girls, they're also given challenges that reveal character, conscience, and intelligence. After a competitor is eliminated, it's revealed to her why and how she failed, with a video montage of her atrocious behavior -- and a severe tongue lashing -- hopefully teaching each cast off that true beauty is about more than looks. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vanessa Minnillo, Cheryl Tiegs, (more)
This teen movie follows the story of four seventh grade preteens who rule their exclusive New York girl's school with their powerful clique known as the Pretty Committee. Normally, their group of friends is extremely choosy about who they socialize with, but when frumpy classmate Claire ends up moving into the guest house of one of these cliquey chicks, their disgust eventually turns to sympathy, as some of them start to realize that it doesn't take a chic outfit to be a good friend. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ellen Taylor Marlow, Bridgit Mendler, (more)
- 2008
This competitive reality series tests the skills and knowledge of a handful of style savvy contestants, each hoping to score a job as a paid editorial staff member at Elle magazine, a lease on a swanky Manhattan apartment, and a $100,000 shopping allowance at H&M. Gauging their performances at increasingly outrageous challenges is Anne Slowey, fashion news director at the magazine, who keeps contestants on their toes with an icy over-the-top attitude styled after Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada, whose demeanor, in turn, was based on Vogue's Anna Wintour. At the end of each episode, the competitor who fares worst at the challenge is booted off the show, whittling down the cast until at last, the ultimate stylista is revealed. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anne Slowey, Joe Zee, (more)
- 2005
Produced by Warner Bros. Television, The Tyra Banks Show was a sprightly daily, hour-long vehicle for supermodel-entrepreneur Tyra Banks -- and there were those who were astounded that the extremely busy host ever managed to find time for this project. Not simply a one-on-one chatfest (though there was plenty of time spent on the crucial issues of the day), the series was also big on audience participation, pop-culture segments, fashion and beauty hints, and musical performances. And in the tradition of Oprah Winfrey, Banks generally focused on a central theme in each episode, with the first week's worth of programs touching on an entirely different topic every day. Seen primarily on local WB and UPN network affiliates, The Tyra Banks Show premiered September 12, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyra Banks
- 2004
A new crop of 14 beautiful young women crowd into a swank loft apartment to prepare for the competition that will determine "America's Next Top Model" in the second season of the series of that name. This year, the action takes place in New York City, just like season one (or to be more accurate, "cycle one"). In addition to the usual competition rounds, the girls are taken on a whirlwind tour of the Big Apple, every so often performing impromptu "fashion shows" for appreciative male spectators. Interestingly, whereas one of the contestants in season one was eliminated for being "too sexy," the first casualty of season two is dropped because she refuses to pose nude. One thing that hasn't changed from the previous season is the range of temperaments amongst the contestants, from simperingly sweet to fire-eating monster. In lieu of giving away the end results of the second season, suffice to say that it comes down to four finalists, who go by the names of Yoanna, Shandi, April, and Mercedes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyra Banks, Yoanna House, (more)
- 2004
Thirteen new episodes of America's Next Top Model are served up for the reality series' third season (or third "cycle"), with a new bevy of young lovelies vying for the title. Forsaking the New York City locale of the series' first two seasons, season three begins in Los Angeles. The opening episode features a pool party, in which the viewer is given an up-close-and-personal look at the curvaceous contestants -- just before the first elimination round, in which 34 semi-finalists are whittled down to 20. This is followed by another elimination round, which leaves 14 girls standing (or swimming). Now we finally get to New York, and to the fashionable loft apartment where the 14 finalists will live together and prepare for their modeling careers. First on the docket is a fashion makeover at Peter Coppola Studios, followed by a training session with the winner of the season-two competition, Yoanna House. Then comes the posing session, the obstacle course (obstacle course?), the shopping trip, and all the rest of the rituals -- with girls being eliminated from the game on a steady and systematic basis. Following the "final three" elimination round -- and for the record, those three are named Eva, Yaya, and Amanda -- the season ends with a "where are they now?" special catching up with the winners and losers of the first three seasons. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyra Banks, Eva Pigford, (more)
- 2003
On this eight-part reality series, ten average young women were selected to be groomed as professional models, with the winner landing a cover in Marie Claire magazine and a big-bucks modeling contract. Sequestered in a single Manhattan penthouse for the duration of the series, the wannabes were carefully coached in the attitudes, responsibilities, rigors, and occasional disadvantages of the glamour industry. On each episode, a handful of the contestants were eliminated by a panel of celebrity judges, among them supermodels Tyra Banks (who created and co-produced the series) and Janice Dickinson, fashion editor Beau Quillan, and designer Kimora Lee Simmons. America's Next Top Model premiered May 20, 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 2003
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The first season (or first "cycle") of the UPN reality series America's Next Top Model swiftly sets up the premise of 14 gorgeous girls living together in the same fashionable New York City loft as they compete for the titular title with the prestigious firm of Ford Models. It doesn't take long to establish "heroines" and "villains," nor is any time wasted before the girls are seen undergoing the grueling ritual of the Brazilian bikini wax. One by one, the contestants are eliminated, for reasons ranging from clumsiness in front of the camera to being "too sexy" (can anybody be "too sexy?"). And each week, a special guest judge sits in on the "sifting" process. Nine episodes later, the season is over, with the competition boiling down to two girls named Shannon Stewart and Adrianne Curry. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyra Banks, Robbyne Manning, (more)
- 2002
- PG13
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Come celebrate the joy and togetherness of the Hanukkah season with Adam Sandler -- yeah, that Adam Sandler -- in this raucous animated comedy written and produced in collaboration with the noted funnyman. Davey Stone (voice of Adam Sandler) is a twentysomething man with a short temper and a reputation for causing trouble who lives in the small New England town of Dukesberry. Davey has a particularly bad attitude about the holiday season, and on the first night of Hanukkah, he goes on a tear that lands him in front of a judge (voice of Norm Crosby). The judge, who has dealt with Davey before, is prepared to send him to prison, but Whitey (also voiced by Sandler), an eccentric but kindly old man, persuades the judge to give him a chance to turn Davey into a more responsible citizen. Davey doesn't think much of Whitey's charitable nature, but when his trailer home burns down, he's forced to move in with Whitey and his perpetually nervous sister, Eleanore (also voiced by Sandler...spotting a trend here?). Between Whitey and Eleanore's nonstop kvetching and the reappearance of his old girlfriend Jennifer (voice of Jackie Titone), Davey is being driven to distraction by the Hanukkah season, but in time Whitey learns the truth about why Davey has such a problem with the Festival of Lights. Adam Sandler's Eight Crazy Nights also includes eight new songs co-written by Sandler; he duets with bluegrass star Alison Krauss on "Long Ago." ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Sandler
Masked serial killer Michael Myers makes his seventh appearance in the eighth installment of this long-running slasher series. Although the climax of the previous installment, Halloween: H20, depicted heroine Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) finally finishing off her brother/tormentor, the opening sequence of Halloween: Resurrection reveals that Laurie actually beheaded the wrong guy. Now confined to a mental institution, she quickly falls victim to her brother and longtime foe (played this time out by Brad Loree). Cut to Haddonfield, IL, where a sextet of college students is assembling for the production of an online reality show in which they'll spend the night locked up in the killer's childhood home being filmed by dozens of cameras and broadcast over the Internet. Presided over by fast-talking producer Freddie Harris (Busta Rhymes) and his girlfriend/business partner, Nora Winston (Tyra Banks), the players range from fame-hungry Jen (Katee Sackhoff) and food-obsessed Rudy (Sean Patrick Thomas) to rakish Jim (Luke Kirby) and cerebral Donna (Daisy McCrackin). As these photogenic youngsters hunt for clues about Michael's tortured childhood, engage in on-camera sexual escapades and discover the phony props planted by Freddie and Nora, Michael arrives to stalk them relentlessly one by one. To complicate matters, Freddie himself is skulking around in a Michael Myers mask hoping to scare up some ratings. As the bodies begin to pile up, thoughtful cast member Sara (Bianca Kajlich) manages to survive thanks to wireless email instructions from high-school dork Myles (Ryan Merriman), but even the latest technology might not be enough to outwit Michael Myers. Halloween: Resurrection was directed by Rick Rosenthal, who previously helmed 1981's Halloween 2. The cast also features Thomas Ian Nicholas of American Pie and Billy Kay of L.I.E. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jamie Lee Curtis, Brad Loree, (more)
The Blair Witch Project's Joshua Leonard stars in this offbeat independent comedy, the sophomore directorial effort from filmmaker Irving Schwartz. Leonard plays Nick, a mild-mannered guy who finds himself thrust into a madcap cross-country adventure after a case of mistaken identity. Along the way, Nick runs into a menagerie of oddball characters ranging from a serial killer to Death himself. LArceNY costars Andy Dick, Tyra Banks, and rapper-turned-actor Heavy D Myers. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Audrey Marie Anderson, Robert Bagnell, (more)
An aspiring musician becomes one of the most famous bartenders in New York in this high-spirited comedy-drama. Small-town girl Violet Sanford (Piper Perabo) dreams of making a name for herself as a singer and songwriter, so she moves to New York City in hopes of landing her big break. Needing to support herself until stardom rolls around, she takes a job as a barmaid at a new nightspot called Coyote Ugly, where the owner Lil (Maria Bello) and the staff of attractive young women dance on the bar, flirt with the mostly male clientele, sing along with the jukebox, and goad the customers into matching them shot for shot. Soon, local media pick up on the bar's success, turning the staff into unexpected celebrities, a situation that presents its own set of problems. Coyote Ugly also stars John Goodman as Violet's straight-laced father, Adam Garcia as a customer Violet becomes involved with, and Tyra Banks, Melanie Lynskey, Bridget Moynahan, and Izabella Miko as the barmaids; action-film titan Jerry Bruckheimer produced. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Piper Perabo, Adam Garcia, (more)
A girl unwittingly gives new meaning to the phrase "living doll" in this comic fantasy. After the death of her mother, 14-year-old Casey (Lindsay Lohan) is despondent. As she and her father Ben (Jere Burns) begin to drift apart, Casey finds a book of magic spells and tries to use one to bring her mother back to life. But the plan backfires, and instead she finds that she's animated Eve (Tyra Banks), a fashion-plate dress-up doll. Eve is excited to be both alive and nearly six feet tall, but she has a lot to learn about living in the real world -- and Casey isn't so sure she has the desire or the patience to teach her. Life Size was produced for The Disney Channel and first aired in the spring of 2000. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tyra Banks, Lindsay Lohan, (more)
What happens when you realize that your new girlfriend isn't going to be the love of your life -- but she doesn't happen to agree? Seth Winnick (French Stewart) is a television writer attending the wedding of his close friends Larry (Bill Bellamy) and Holly (Tyra Banks), where he meets a strikingly beautiful woman named Chelsea (Bridgette Wilson). Seth falls in love with Chelsea, and she feels the same way. But before long, Chelsea wants a more permanent commitment; and the more Seth backs off, the more Chelsea makes clear that she's not giving him up. Before long Seth is desperate to get away -- and Chelsea is not about to let that happen. Love Stinks marked the first leading film role for comic actor French Stewart, best known for his work as Harry, the chronically puzzled alien on the television series Third Rock from the Sun. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- French Stewart, Bridgette Wilson, (more)
- 1998
It is hardly a mystery why the Sport Illustrated Swimsuit Issue has become one of the most popular single issue magazines year in and year out. People's fascination with scantily clad women in exoctic locations is as close to a sure thing, in terms of sales, as you can get. And so it only makes sense for the magazine to back up its 1998 magazine release with a shot on location documentary. Filmed much like a Playboy Playmate video, the images range from behind the scenes shennigans, to wind wisped slow motion pans of the female body. Several of the scenes have voiced over interviews with photographers, camera crew and models Eva Herzigova, Heidi Klum and Tyra Banks accompanying the images. This video is definetly more risque than the magazine and may not be suitable for younger audiences. ~ Ed Atkinson, All Movie Guide
- 1997
Supermodels Naomi Campbell and Eva Herzigova are two of the several women featured in this video documenting the photo shoots that produced the images used to compile the 1997 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Several cameras accompany photagraphers, crew and models to various exotic locations throughout the Bahamas. The focus of the documentary drifts between Playboy-like sequences of the women posing and back stage footage of crew and models laughing and joking. Several of the models also grant interviews that detail life as a model and the conditions of the shoot. The footage is definitely more explicit than the images shown in the magazine, making the film less suitable for younger audiences. Several videos in this series have been released in both a safe for television format and a version that does contain some nudity. ~ Ed Atkinson, All Movie Guide
This drama examines the personal, political, and racial dilemmas facing a group of college freshmen as they begin their first semester at Columbus University. Malik (Omar Epps) is an African-American student attending on a track scholarship; academics are not his strong suit, and he goes in thinking that his athletic abilities will earn him a free ride through college. Fudge (Ice Cube), a "professional student" who has been at Columbus for six years so far, becomes friendly with Malik and challenges his views about race and politics in America, while Professor Phipps (Laurence Fishburne), a black man who teaches political science, firmly tells Malik that he will not be graded on a different standard either because of his race or his ability to run quickly. With Deja (Tyra Banks), Malik finds a girlfriend, a tutor, and a training partner all rolled into one. Meanwhile, Kristen (Kristy Swanson), a somewhat naive young woman from California, meets a boy named Billy (Jay R. Ferguson) after both have had too much to drink at a beer blast; Kristen soon becomes a victim of date rape and becomes involved with a campus feminist group to deal with the painful experience. While working with the women's group, Kristen gets to know Taryn (Jennifer Connelly), a strong but understanding woman who is also a lesbian, and she finds herself becoming attracted to her. And Remy (Michael Rappaport) is a confused young man from the Midwest who feels lost in the multi-cultural atmosphere of Columbus. He is approached by Scott (Cole Hauser), a member of a group of racist skinheads, who believe that Remy is a perfect candidate to help carry out his group's violent goals. Keep an eye peeled for Gwyneth Paltrow, who has a bit part as a student; rap stars Busta Rhymes, D-Knowledge and Mista Grimm also appear in supporting roles. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Omar Epps, Kristy Swanson, (more)
