Camryn Manheim Movies
After toiling in minor film roles for years, Camryn Manheim finally attained the fame and respect denied to many overweight women who attempt to make it as actresses in Hollywood. In 1998, Manheim came to the attention of television audiences when she won a Best Supporting Actress Emmy for her role as lawyer Ellenor Frutt on David E. Kelley's acclaimed law drama The Practice. Hoisting her award in the air and exuberantly declaring, "This is for all the fat girls!", the actress won over millions of viewers, many of whom may not have been aware of her existence before the awards ceremony.Born in Caldwell, New Jersey on March 8, 1961, Manheim was raised in Peoria, Illinois and Long Beach California, the daughter of a math professor father and school teacher mother. She developed an interest in acting after attending a Renaissance fair at the age of sixteen, and she went on to get a Masters in Fine Arts from New York University in 1987. After graduating, Manheim made her (credited) screen debut with a miniscule role in Bonfire of the Vanities in 1990. A long series of similarly minor roles in films ranging from Jeffrey (1995) to Romy and Michele's High School Reunion (1997) followed before she was cast in The Practice in 1997. After winning fame and an Emmy for her work on the show, Manheim gained additional exposure and respect with her role as a denizen of Todd Solondz's dysfunctional New Jersey suburbia in the acclaimed Happiness (1998). The following year, in addition to winning a Golden Globe and another Emmy nomination for her portrayal of Ellenor Frutt, Manheim continued to act in films, appearing in Fools Gold and Joe the King, both of which were shown at the 1999 Sundance Festival.
In addition to acting, Manheim also authored Wake Up, I'm Fat, a memoir that began life as a one-woman show at New York's Public Theatre. By turns funny and excruciating, it details the actress's transformation from wholesome middle American to tattooed, dozen-earringed California biker, her struggles with those who told her she'd have to lose weight to fit in, and the trials and tribulations of making it in the entertainment industry. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, All Movie Guide
The fifth installment of the Jesse Stone franchise finds the Massachusetts police chief drawing the wrath of the Town Council after inadvertently being drawn into a shoot-out on the streets of Boston. Paradise, Mass. Police Chief Jesse Stone (Tom Selleck) has just been involved in a highly-publicized shoot-out that left his friend, State Homicide Commander Healy (Stephen McHattie), seriously wounded. As a result, the Boston Police Department's Internal Affairs division launches an investigation against Chief Stone, causing the dedicated lawman to be away from Paradise for extended periods of time and drawing unwanted attention from the Town Council. When Chief Stone fires the Paradise Police Department's most enthusiastic ticket-writer, the city's main source of revenue takes a serious hit. His status with the Town Council already faltering, the chief puts his own job in serious jeopardy by agreeing to help a celebrated out-of-towner search for her missing child. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tom Selleck
Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt) communicates with earthbound spirits, ghosts who cling to the living because they have unfinished business that prevents them from moving beyond the familiar plane of existence that we call life. Ghost Whisperer explores the spiritual side of life and death as Melinda navigates among the dead and the living in her sometimes chilling, sometimes heart-rending, and sometimes amusing attempts to act as an intermediary between the ghosts and those they haunt. Jim (David Conrad), her husband, worries about the emotional toll this work takes on his wife as they embark on a new life together. Melinda recently has revealed her gift to her new friend, Delia Banks (Camryn Manheim), a single mom who works in Melinda's antique shop. However, Melinda fears the consequences of drawing Delia into this unconventional world. Melinda also shared her secret with quirky Professor Rick Payne (Jay Mohr), an expert in occult beliefs and history who thrives on helping her gain insights into the more baffling paranormal phenomena she encounters. For her part, Melinda accepts her unique abilities as a blessing and sometime curse, but always helps her clients, alive or dead, find emotional closure. The 18 episodes of Season 3 aired in 2007 on CBS.
- Starring:
- Jennifer Love Hewitt, David Conrad, (more)
Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins took a turn behind the camera for the first time since 1996's August with this mind-bending fantasy that he also wrote and stars in. Hopkins plays Felix Bonhoeffer a screenwriter with a habit of getting lost in his own head. Felix begins to doubt reality itself, though, when the real world and the one in his imagination begin to blend together. Also starring Christian Slater and John Turturro, Slipstream premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anthony Hopkins, Stella Arroyave, (more)
- 2007
- Add The Land Before Time: The Great Day of the Flyers to QueueAdd The Land Before Time: The Great Day of the Flyers to top of Queue
The Day of the Flyers celebration is fast approaching, and as Petrie the pterodactyl prepares to master the art of flight the stage is set for a prehistoric adventure that will delight viewers of all ages. Soaring the skies just isn't as easy as some dinosaurs make it appear to be, but thankfully for Petrie a little help is soon to arrive in the form of a kindly creature named Guido. Ducky, Spike, Littlefoot, Cera, and, of course, Petrie, all return for the twelfth chapter in the long-running Land Before Time series. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Camryn Manheim
Melinda Gordon (Jennifer Love Hewitt) communicates with earthbound spirits, ghosts who cling to the living because they have unfinished business that prevents them from moving beyond the familiar plane of existence that we call life. Inspired in part by the work of famed medium James Van Praagh and of Mary Ann Winkowski, a real-life communicator with spirits, GHOST WHISPERER explores the spiritual side of life and death as Melinda navigates among the dead and the living in her sometimes chilling, sometimes heart-rending and sometimes amusing attempts to act as an intermediary between the ghosts and those they haunt. Jim (David Conrad), her husband, worries about the emotional toll this work is taking on his wife as they embark on a new life together. Andrea, her friend and business partner in their antique store, is fascinated by Melinda's talent. Melinda is somewhat reluctant to reveal her "gift" to new friend Delia Banks (Camryn Manheim), a single mom who lives in Grandview, fearing the consequences of drawing her into this "unconventional" world. For her part, Melinda accepts her unique abilities as a blessing and sometime a curse, but always helps her clients--alive or dead--find emotional closure.
- Starring:
- Jennifer Love Hewitt, David Conrad, (more)
- 2005
In the tradition of such omnibus films as Tales of Manhattan and Flesh and Fantasy, the made-for-TV Snow Wonder features five separate stories, tenuously linked together by a single plot strand -- in this case, a freak Christmas Eve snowstorm that has blanketed the world, striking even in such traditionally snow-free areas as Malaysia and Hawaii. While Madagascar-based meteorologist Billy (Josh Randall) tries to make sense of the phenomenon, his lovely assistant, Joey (Michelle Krusiec), muses philosophically "Snow can change people's lives." How right she is. As the film progresses, we are whisked off to Kentucky, where lovelorn bridesmaid Paula (Poppy Montgomery) watches in mute astonishment as her best friend's wedding crashes and burns as a result of the sudden blizzard; to New Mexico, where recently widowed Bev (Camryn Manheim) has retreated in hopes of overcoming the bitterness attending the death of her husband exactly one year before; to New York, where young Luke (Eric Szmanda), an aspiring writer whose parents seem to take great delight in discouraging him, receives a surfeit of inspiration from his freewheeling aunt Lila (Mary Tyler Moore); and to Baltimore, where philandering husband Warren (Jason Priestley), who has prepared the "perfect alibi" with which to hoodwink his loving wife, is helplessly snowbound with his current mistress. By film's end, the good have been rewarded, the bad have been punished, and something special develops between Billy and Joey...suggesting that this is no ordinary "random" snowstorm. Based on Connie Willis' short story Just Like the Ones We Used to Know, Snow Wonder made its CBS debut on November 20, 2005. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Julie Ann Emery, Jennifer Esposito, (more)
Two generations of a damaged family are brought together in this emotional drama. Einar Gilkyson (Robert Redford) was a once successful rancher whose spread went to seed after he developed a serious drinking problem. Now on the wagon, Einar looks after what's left of his spread with his friend Mitch (Morgan Freeman), a one-time cowhand who never fully recovered after being mauled by a bear. Einar once had a son named Griffin, but he died in a car wreck while Griffin's wife, Jean (Jennifer Lopez), was driving; Einar never forgave her for the death, and he had never met the granddaughter she was carrying until she arrived at his doorstep 11 years later. Jean has become involved with a violent man named Gary (Damian Lewis), and seeks refuge on Einar's ranch for the safety of her daughter, Griff (Becca Gardner). Einar reluctantly takes in Jean and Griff, giving them a place to stay as Jean looks for work and tries to put her life back together. But old trouble makes its way back to town in two ways -- Gary tracks down Jean and wants to make her pay for leaving him, while the bear who attacked Mitch comes down from the mountains looking for new prey. An Unfinished Life was adapted from the novel of the same name by Mark Spragg. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Redford, Jennifer Lopez, (more)
Directed by Walter Salles Jr., this remake of Hideo Nakata's supernatural psychological drama Honogurai Mizuno Soko Kara revolves around the plight of a single mother (Jennifer Connelly) whose messy divorce and subsequent battle for the custody of her five-year-old daughter is taking a heavy toll on her emotional well-being. Ultimately, the mother and daughter are able to relocate to an apartment, which, despite its excessively dilapidated interior, seems to be an adequate location for beginning a new life. Before long, however, what appears to be the spirit of a young girl begins to haunt them. No stranger to mental illness, the wary young woman brushes the visions aside as part of the inherent stress of making the transition from housewife to working, single mom. As time goes by and the apparent haunting does not subside, the apartment's new residents are forced to examine the history of its former tenants. Dark Water also features performances from John C. Reilly, Tim Roth, and Dougray Scott. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Connelly, John C. Reilly, (more)
Seven years after playing the David Bowie-esque glam rocker in Velvet Goldmine, actor Jonathan Rhys-Meyers tackles the role of the biggest rock-and-roller of all time -- The King -- in this television miniseries. CBS' Elvis traces Elvis Presley's rise from being a humble, poor kid in early-'50s Memphis to being an isolated, prescription-drug-addicted superstar fearful of going on-stage for his 1968 comeback special. Along the way, he's torn between his devotion to his mama Gladys (Camryn Manheim) and the machinations of his stealthy manager, "Colonel" Tom Parker (Randy Quaid). Among Presley's hurdles: his R&B music and performance style prompts cries of obscenity from community leaders; he's drafted for the Army and decides to go; and he longs to become a serious movie star, although the Colonel has different ideas. Elvis was significant in that it was the first biopic of the star to allow the use of The King's original recordings, lip-synched by Rhys-Meyers. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Camryn Manheim, (more)
- 2005
- PG13
- Add Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School to QueueAdd Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School to top of Queue
Randall Miller's Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School compiles an all-star cast to tell an unabashedly emotional story about life, love, and destiny. Robert Carlyle portrays Frank Keane, a man who has been in a deep depression ever since his wife passed away. One day while driving, Frank sees an accident. He investigates the scene to see if he can help and meets a dying stranger (John Goodman), who tells Frank that he was headed to a dance school in order to reunite with a woman he loved many years before. Frank decides to attend the dance school, and becomes involved with a variety of people. Originally beginning as a short film, Randall Miller's feature-length film was screened at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Robert Carlyle, Marisa Tomei, (more)
Philip Kaufman directs the detective thriller Twisted (originally to be titled The Blackout Murders), with a script by up-and-coming filmmaker Sarah Thorp. Ashley Judd plays troubled police detective Jessica Shepard, who works under the jurisdiction of the man who raised her as his daughter, police Commissioner Mills (Samuel L. Jackson). While investigating a serial murder case, Jessica -- who is has a proclivity for dangerous, drunken one-night-stands -- discovers that all of the victims are men whom she's recently bedded. Complicating matters are her bitter ex-boyfriend (Mark Pellegrino), her very curious therapist (David Strathairn), and her odd-behaving new partner Mike Delmarco (Andy Garcia). ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ashley Judd, Samuel L. Jackson, (more)
- 2004
- G
- Add The Land Before Time: Invasion of the Tinysauruses to QueueAdd The Land Before Time: Invasion of the Tinysauruses to top of Queue
Littlefoot the dinosaur and his pals learn an important lesson about truth and consequences in this, the eleventh film in the Land Before Time series. Littlefoot makes friends with a pack of "Tinysauruses" -- unusually small dinosaurs known as mussauruses -- when they make their way into the Great Valley. When Littlefoot tells a few lies, however, to make himself sound more important, his words not only attract some large and hungry dinosaurs but put his new playmates in great danger. Can Littlefoot do something about the mess he made before it's too late? The Land Before Time: The Invasion of the Tinysauruses includes the voice talents of Camryn Manheim and Michael Clarke Duncan and features several new songs. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Camryn Manheim, Michael Clarke Duncan, (more)
While star Anna Faris returns for the third film in the Scary Movie series, the power behind the camera has shifted from the Wayans brothers to one of the Zucker brothers. The Zucker in question is David Zucker, and he's brought along his partner in movie-parody crime, Leslie Nielsen. This time around, aim is taken at such horror blockbusters as Signs and The Ring, while films of other genres, including Independence Day, 8 Mile, and The Matrix, are also lampooned. The plot finds Cindy (Faris) trying to help the president (Nielsen) thwart an alien attack while also facing crop circles and a mysterious video tape. In the spirit of the two Matrix sequels, Scary Movie 3 was shot back-to-back with Scary Movie 4. Queen Latifah, Charlie Sheen, and Eddie Griffin also star. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anna Faris, Anthony Anderson, (more)
- 2001
An aspiring comic who has to hide behind others to get her humor in front of an audience finds you can't do the same thing when it comes to romance. Samantha Berger (Camryn Manheim) works as a bartender at a New York comedy club; possessing a sharp imagination and a quick wit , Samantha writes jokes of her own in her spare time. Samantha's material is good, but she's severely self-conscious about her weight problem, so she shops her routines to up-and-coming comics who play the room, most frequently Jennie (Alexondra Lee), a friend who is slim and beautiful but can't write a good gag to save her life. Michael True (cott Cohen) is an agent who frequents the club looking for new talent, and he thinks Jennie might have what it takes to make the big time. Michael soon finds himself developing a relationship with Jennie off stage as well, but she's never sure what to say to him and is afraid that one day he'll realize the killer material she's been using isn't her own. Michael starts e-mailing Jennie on a regular basis, and Jennie convinces Samantha to play Cyrano and answer his missives posing as Jennie. But the longer Samantha finds herself "chatting" with Michael, the more she realizes he's just the sort of man she's always wanted -- but lacks the courage to approach on her own. Camryn Manheim also served as executive producer for Kiss My Act, which debuted on the ABC television network on April 23, 2001; the supporting cast includes Dabney Coleman and Marlee Matlin. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Camryn Manheim, Scott Cohen, (more)
Stockard Channing stars in this made-for-cable comedy-drama as Dr. Beth Noonan, a female psychiatrist trying to hold her life together as she guides four of her patients through personal turmoil. Lauren Travis (Elle MacPherson), a respected lawyer, finds her sexual identity thrown into question when she discovers she's attracted to another woman, Casey (Kate Capshaw). Helen McCormick (Glenne Headly) is forced to spend a week with her two estranged sisters, Kathy (Allison Janney) and Kim (Rebecca DeMornay) after the death of their mother. Nia Morgan (Lynn Whitfield) is convinced her husband is being unfaithful to her; she hires Rachel (Linda Hamilton) to lure her spouse into infidelity, but Rachel learns that Nia's husband is actually involved with Betty (Mia Farrow), an older and unglamorous waitress. And after Dr. Noonan decides she can't handle the deep neuroses of Suzanne Nabor (Camryn Manheim), Suzanne snaps and takes the doctor hostage, along with three other people. It's a Girl Thing also stars Scott Bakula, Buck Henry, and Bruce Greenwood; it first aired in two parts on the Showtime premium cable network in January, 2001. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Stockard Channing, Elle MacPherson, (more)
Laramie, WY, is a small town which became infamous overnight in the fall of 1998, when Matthew Shepard, a gay college student, was found tied to a fence after being brutally beaten and left to die, setting off a nationwide debate about hate crimes and homophobia. A month after the crime, Moises Kaufman, a writer and director with the New York City theater troupe the Tectonic Theater Project, traveled to Laramie with a handful of actors to interview people who lived in and around Laramie in preparation for an upcoming production; Kaufman's goal was to create a play that focused not on the assault on Matthew Shepard, but on the community where such an attack could happen, and how many of the citizens reacted to the crime. The result was The Laramie Project, which was first performed in early 2000, and was performed in Laramie in the fall of that year, two years after Kaufman and his associates first arrived in the city. The Laramie Project is a film adaptation of Kaufman's play, in which the thoughts and opinions of Laramie residents from all points of the political spectrum are presented alongside re-enacted excerpts from the trials of the two men who attacked Matthew Shepard. Produced for the premium cable network HBO, The Laramie Project was adapted for the screen by Moises Kaufman, who served as both writer and director. The distinguished cast includes Dylan Baker, Steve Buscemi, Peter Fonda, Janeane Garofolo, Laura Linney, Amy Madigan, Camryn Manheim, Christina Ricci, and Frances Sternhagen. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Christina Ricci, Peter Fonda, (more)
- 2000
Amy Goldstein directs this hip, indie look at the ups and downs of a trio of New York roommates from 1985 to 1995. The film opens as Peter (Patrick Breen), Reggie (Nadine Van Der Velde), and Chart (Scott Kraft) take out a 10-year lease on a musty warehouse loft on Manhattan's gritty A street. Their landlord is also Reggie's beau, Hiro (Glen Chin). Set against such historic events as the 1986 Reds-Mets World Series and the Stock Market Crash of 1987, the roommates lives change as Reggie dumps Hiro for Peter -- only to marry Sylvester (Adam Arkin), Chart struggles with heroin addiction, and Peter cares for AIDS-infected children. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Arkin, Patrick Breen, (more)
- 2000
Made for television, The Loretta Claiborne Story was the fact-based saga of a mentally and physically handicapped young woman who fulfilled her dream to excel at track and field. Despite the unstinting support of her overworked and underpaid mother, Rita (Tina Lifford), Loretta (Kimberly Elise) is besieged by innumerable obstacles en route to her goal, roadblocks mostly created by callous, indifferent, and downright hostile "normal" people. But with the additional urging of compassionate, no-nonsense social worker Janet McFarland (Camryn Manheim), Loretta not only triumphed at the Special Olympics, but also at the Boston Marathon. Her achievements are ultimately given their highest accolade when Loretta wins the 1996 Arthur Ashe Award for courage. The Loretta Claiborne Story debuted January 16, 2000, as an episode of ABC's Wonderful World of Disney anthology. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Garry Shandling makes his big-screen debut as a leading man in this sci-fi romantic comedy. Harold (Shandling) is an alien from another galaxy sent to Earth on a vital mission: in order to ensure that his civilization will prevail, Harold must impregnate an Earth woman. But he discovers that this is more easily said than done, as he quickly gets a crash course in the arcane rituals of the human courtship process. What's worse, just when Harold thinks he's making progress in Earthbound seduction, he discovers that the males of his planet don't physically interface properly with women on Earth, so he is issued a variety of bizarre gadgets to complete his assignment. Mike Nichols directed What Planet Are You From?, which also features a top-notch supporting cast, including Annette Bening, John Goodman, Ben Kingsley, and Camryn Manheim. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Garry Shandling, Annette Bening, (more)
