2 Days in the Valley 1996   R, 104 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Thriller
Director: John Herzfeld
Cast: Danny Aiello, James Spader, Paul Mazursky, Teri Hatcher, Jeff Daniels, Marsha Mason, Charlize Theron, Eric Stoltz, Peter Horton, Cheryl Ladd, Glenne Headly, Keith Carradine, Louise Fletcher, Austin Pendleton
After the murder of Becky's (Teri Hatcher) philandering ex-husband (Peter Horton, 10 residents of the San Fernando Valley find their lives linked. Danny Aiello plays the diabolical hit man Desmo whose partner Lee is played by James Spader.
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The 4th Floor 1999  R, 90 min.
Genre: Horror / Thriller
Director: Josh Klausner
Cast: Juliette Lewis, William Hurt, Shelley Duvall, Austin Pendleton, Tobin Bell, Robert Costanzo, Sabrina Grdevich, Artie Lange, Lorna Millican, George Pottle
Greg Harrison (William Hurt), a celebrity weatherman, had tried to talk girlfriend Jane Emelin (Juliette Lewis) into moving in with him. Then Jane inherits her aunt's rent-controlled apartment after the aunt was murdered. She moves in, but it isn't long before the neighbor one floor below begins to terrorize her.
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 Alice in Wonderland 1983  TV, 90 min.
Genre: Family / Fantasy
Director: Kirk Browning
Cast: Kate Burton, Richard Burton, Colleen Dewhurst, Donald O'Connor, Geoffrey Holder, Austin Pendleton, Maureen Stapleton, Zeljko Ivanek, Nathan Lane, Fritz Weaver
The Broadway revival production was staged for the TV cameras in this telling of the classic story. Highlight: well-known cast.
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 The Associate 1996 PG-13, 114 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Donald Petrie
Cast: Whoopi Goldberg, Dianne Wiest, Eli Wallach, Tim Daly, Bebe Neuwirth, Austin Pendleton, Lainie Kazan, Donald Trump, Billy Jaye, Helen Hanft
Overtly based on the "Tootsie" premise, Whoopi Goldberg plays "Cutty"–a figment of Laurel's (also Goldberg) imagination. Disguised as a man, Laurel is able to gain respect as a financial analyst on Wall Street. Goldberg is funny, the cast is great, and while the story errs in the premise that women get no respect on Wall Street, it does provide good entertainment.
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Catch-22 1970  R, 121 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Mike Nichols
Cast: Alan Arkin, Martin Balsam, Richard Benjamin, Art Garfunkel, Orson Welles, Martin Sheen, Jack Gilford, Buck Henry, Bob Newhart, Paula Prentiss, Anthony Perkins, Austin Pendleton, Jon Voight, Orson Welles
Based on Joseph Heller's novel, this is a good anti-war film. It is the story of a World War I bomber group whose fatalities are mounting. One member, Captain Yossarian (Alan Arkin), tries to be diagnosed as insane to escape further bombing missions.
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 Christmas with the Kranks 2004  PG, 94 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Joe Roth
Cast: Tim Allen, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dan Aykroyd, M. Emmet Walsh, Elizabeth Franz, Erik Per Sullivan, Cheech Marin, Jake Busey, Austin Pendleton, Tom Poston, Julie Gonzalo, Felicity Huffman
When daughter Blair (Julie Gonzalo) leaves for the Peace Corps before Christmas, Luther and Nora Krank (Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis) plan to skip Christmas and embark on a cruise instead. But, the Krank's cranky neighbors are not pleased with the idea of foregoing Christmas, and disharmony threatens to ruin Christmas for all.
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Don't Drink the Water 1994 TV, 100 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Woody Allen
Cast: Michael J. Fox, Woody Allen, Mayim Bialik, Julie Kavner, Dom DeLuise, Edward Herrmann, Josef Sommer, Rosemary Murphy, Austin Pendleton, Robert(2) Stanton, Ed Herlihy, Ed Van Nuys
This is the TV adaptation of Woody Allen's 1960s Broadway comedy of an American family–the Hollanders (Woody Allen, Mayim Bailik, and Julie Kavner)–on vacation that is accused of spying while behind the Iron Curtain in the early 1960s. They take refuge in the American Embassy that is being run by the absent ambassador's worthless son Axel McGee (Michael J. Fox). Dated situations but still with funny moments. Previously filmed in 1969.
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Fast Food, Fast Women 2000 R, 95 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Amos Kollek
Cast: Anna Levine, Jamie Harris, Louise Lasser, Robert Modica, Lonette McKee, Victor Argo, Angelica Torn, Austin Pendleton, Valerie Geffner, Mark Margolis
Amos Kollek presents a number of storylines about ordinary people trying to find love. Bella (Anna Levine) waitresses at a Manhattan diner, and during her off-hours she begins a very shaky relationship with a cab driver (Jamie Harris). Meanwhile, one of Bella's friends, Paul (Robert Modica), meets the widowed Emily (Louise Lasser), and another friend, Seymour (Victor Argo), is entranced by young Wanda (Valerie Geffner).
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 Finding Nemo 2003  G, 101 min.
Genre: Animation / Family / Adventure / Comedy
Director: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich
Cast: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe, Brad Garrett, Allison Janney, Austin Pendleton, Stephen Root, Geoffrey Rush, Vicki Lewis, Joe Ranft, Andrew Stanton
After boy clownfish Nemo (Alexander Gould) disobeys his father (Albert Brooks) by leaving the security of their reef, a scuba diver captures him. This act sets off the ensuing search, which develops into a very funny, animated adventure film. The film received a Best Animated Film Oscar.
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First Family 1980 R, 104 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Buck Henry
Cast: Gilda Radner, Bob Newhart, Madeline Kahn, Richard Benjamin, Harvey Korman, Rip Torn, Buck Henry, Fred Willard, Bob Dishy, Austin Pendleton
This satire on the office of the President of the United States is a funny vehicle for Bob Newhart's talents when he plays the inept leader of the free world.
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Greedy 1994 PG-13, 113 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Jonathan Lynn
Cast: Michael J. Fox, Nancy Travis, Kirk Douglas, Olivia d'Abo, Phil Hartman, Ed Begley Jr., Colleen Camp, Kirsten Dunst, Tom Mason, Austin Pendleton
Money is the root of all evil, and this story has many roots. The three "N"s (nieces, nephews, and nurse) interact as the rich old Uncle Joe (Kirk Douglas) represents a fortune for the taking upon his death. Enter the missing nephew (Michael J. Fox) to thicken the plot as Uncle Joe refuses to grant their wishes for his early demise.
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Guarding Tess 1994 PG-13, 98 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Hugh Wilson
Cast: Shirley MacLaine, Nicolas Cage, Austin Pendleton, Edward Albert, James Rebhorn, Richard Griffiths, Dale Dye, David Graf, John Roselius, James Handy, Don Yesso, James Lally, Brant von Hoffman, Harry Lennix, Susan Blommaert
One of the worst assignments for a Secret Service agent is the unglamorous role of guarding U.S. ex-Presidents' family members. A former First Lady, Tess (Shirley MacLaine), puts her staff through their paces as she lives out her years secluded in her home following her husband's death. Doug Chesnic (Nicholas Cage) is her choice for "protector," and their interactions provide a comedic relief to a dramatic story.
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Hello Again 1987 PG, 96 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama / Fantasy / Romance
Director: Frank Perry
Cast: Shelley Long, Corbin Bernsen, Judith Ivey, Gabriel Byrne, Sela Ward, Austin Pendleton, Carrie Nye, Madeleine Potter, Robert Lewis, Thor Fields, John Cunningham, I.M. Hobson, Tony Sirico, Mary Fogarty, Elkan Abramowitz
Lucy (Shelley Long) is a housewife who chokes and dies. Her funeral is held, and she leaves her husband Jason (Corbin Bernsen) a widower. One year later, Lucy's weird sister Zelda (Judith Ivey) casts a spell that brings Lucy back to face changes in her life. If Lucy does not find love in 30 days, the spell will be broken, and she will die again. Lucy finds that Jason is not available because he has recovered from his loss and has married her friend Kim (Sela Ward). But, all is not lost because Kevin, the emergency room doctor, Kevin (Gabriel Byrne), who had tried to save Lucy's life, examines her strange story, and now they fall in love.
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Home for the Holidays 1995 PG-13, 104 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Jodie Foster
Cast: Holly Hunter, Robert Downey Jr., Anne Bancroft, Dylan McDermott, Charles Durning, Geraldine Chaplin, Steve Guttenberg, Cynthia Stevenson, Claire Danes, Austin Pendleton, Emily Ann Lloyd, Amy Yasbeck, Zack Duhame, David Strathairn, James Lecesne
Single-mom Claudia Larson (Holly Hunter) comes home to Baltimore for the Thanksgiving weekend at her parents' (Charles Durning and Anne Bancroft) home. Her dysfunctional family banters their way through a neurotic nightmare of a family reunion that is not to be believed. Nevertheless, it is an enjoyable film about a larger-than-life family who survives the holiday in its own unique manner.
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Joe the King 1999 R, 93 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Frank Whaley
Cast: Noah Fleiss, Val Kilmer, Karen Young, Ethan Hawke, John Leguizamo, Austin Pendleton, Max Ligosh, James Costa, Raymond DeFelitta, Camryn Manheim
Joe Henry (Noah Fleiss) is only 14-years old and is already into a life of petty crime, which he sees as the solution for dealing with his miserable existence. He uses stolen money to pay off family debts and buy food as he struggles to survive in the reality of his circumstances.
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The Last of the Cowboys 1976 N/R, 100 min.
Genre: Adventure
aka: The Great Smokey Roadblock
Director: John Leone
Cast: Henry Fonda, Eileen Brennan, Robert Englund, John Byner, Susan Sarandon, Austin Pendleton, Melanie Mayron, Dub Taylor, Leigh French, Valerie Curtin
This is the story of an aging trucker (Henry Fonda) who is deep in debt. To stay one step ahead of his creditors, he steals a truck and heads across country.
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Manna from Heaven 2001 PG, 119 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Gabrielle Burton, Maria Burton
Cast: Ursula Burton, Seymour Cassel, Shelley Duvall, Jill Eikenberry, Louise Fletcher, Frank Gorshin, Shirley Jones, Cloris Leachman, Austin Pendleton, Faye Grant, Hallee Hirsh
One day, 40 years ago, in Buffalo, New York, neighbors watched as $20 bills–$19,820 of them–fell from the sky. Ten-year-old Theresa (Hallee Hirsh) convinced family and friends that the money was a gift from God; the cash was divided, and all went their separate ways. Now, in 2000, Theresa (Ursula Burton) is a nun and tells her past neighbors and family that the gift was a loan from God that must be repaid. No one has the money, but they all work together to raise the funds and, in the process, learn about love and redemption.
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 The Mirror Has Two Faces 1996 PG-13, 126 min.
Genre: Drama / Comedy / Romance
Director: Barbra Streisand
Cast: Barbra Streisand, Jeff Bridges, Lauren Bacall, George Segal, Mimi Rogers, Pierce Brosnan, Brenda Vaccaro, Austin Pendleton, Elle Macpherson, Taina Elg, Ali Marsh, Leslie Stefanson, Lucy Avery Brooks, Thomas Hartman, David Kinzie
Society's obsession with beauty is questioned in this love story about dowdy, English Professor Rose Morgan (Barbra Streisand) who becomes involved with–and then accepts terms of a platonic marriage to–calculus Professor Gregory Larkin (Jeff Bridges). The marriage lasts for a while, until Rose wants more. Lauren Bacall was nominated for Best Supporting Actress as Rose's mother, Hannah.
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Mr. & Mrs. Bridge 1990 PG-13, 127 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: James Ivory
Cast: Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Blythe Danner, Simon Callow, Kyra Sedgwick, Robert Sean Leonard, Margaret Welsh, Austin Pendleton, Saundra McClain, Diane Kagan
This film is a good character study consisting of vignettes in the lives of Walter (Paul Newman) and India (Joanne Woodward) Bridges. It is the story of predictable personalities of a staunchly conservative husband and his repressed wife. Woodward was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar.
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Mr. Nanny 1993 PG, 84 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Michael Gottlieb
Cast: Hulk Hogan, Sherman Hemsley, Austin Pendleton, David Johansen, Robert Hy Gorman, Madeline Zima, Mother Love, Raymond O'Connor, Kelly Erin-Welton, James Coffey
Sean (Hulk Hogan), a retired wrestler, is talked into being a bodyguard/nanny for the children of Alex (Austin Pendleton) who has developed a secret microchip and is now being threatened by the dastardly Thanatos (David Johansen). The kids have already frightened away other nannies, and Sean has his hands full dealing with them. When Thanatos attempts to kidnap the children, the adventure begins in this weak comedy/family flick.
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My Boyfriend's Back 1993 PG-13, 84 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Bob Balaban
Cast: Andrew Lowery, Traci Lind, Danny Zorn, Edward Herrmann, Mary Beth Hurt, Austin Pendleton, Jay O. Sanders, Libby Villari, Matthew Fox, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Johnny (Andrew Lowery) has loved Missy McCloud (Traci Lind), the most beautiful and popular girl in high school, since the first grade. But, being shy, he hasn't had the courage to ask her out. With the prom coming up, Johnny is about to ask her when he gets killed. Even this doesn't stop him, and he rises from the dead and takes her out. She even likes him more now that he is dead. Strange, but fun.
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 My Cousin Vinny 1992 R, 119 min.
Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Jonathan Lynn
Cast: Joe Pesci, Ralph Macchio, Marisa Tomei, Mitchell Whitfield, Fred Gwynne, Lane Smith, Austin Pendleton, Bruce McGill, Maury Chaykin, James Rebhorn, Paulene Myers, Raynor Scheine, Lou Walker, Chris Ellis, Michael(2) Simpson
After many failed attempts, Vinny Gambino (Joe Pesci) had just passed the bar exam when he gets a call from his cousin Bill (Ralph Macchio) who, with his friend Stan (Mitchell Whitfield), has been mistakenly accused of murder. Vinny heads south to Alabama with his sexy girlfriend Mona Lisa (Marisa Tomei) to plead their case. Totally unprepared to try his first criminal case, with Mona Lisa's support, Vinny regains Bill's consent to represent him and finally learns to apply himself. He even manages to gain respect from all concerned–even the judge (Fred Gwynne). Tomei won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
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The Notorious Bettie Page 2006 R, 91 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Mary Harron
Cast: Gretchen Mol, Chris Bauer, Jared Harris, Sarah Paulson, Cara Seymour, David Strathairn, Lili Taylor, John Cullum, Matt McGrath, Austin Pendleton, Norman Reedus, Tara Subkoff, Dallas Roberts, Victor Slezak
The personal and professional lives of one of America's first sex icons, Bettie Page (Gretchen Mol), who was a pin-up model in the 1950s, is the subject of this biography that begins and ends with Estes Kefauver's Senate Sub-committee hearings on the subject of pornography.
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Sergeant Bilko 1996 PG, 92 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Jonathan Lynn
Cast: Steve Martin, Dan Aykroyd, Phil Hartman, Glenne Headly, Max Casella, Daryl Mitchell, Eric Edwards, Chris Rock, Rance Howard, Dan Ferro, Austin Pendleton
"Sergeant Bilko" is reincarnated from the 1960s' TV series. In this film version, starring Steve Martin in the title role, Major Thorn (Phil Hartman) is Bilko's nemesis as he plots revenge for being bilked over a boxing match 15 years ago.
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Short Circuit 1986 PG, 95 min.
Genre: Family / Comedy / Western
Director: John Badham
Cast: Ally Sheedy, Steve Guttenberg, Fisher Stevens, Austin Pendleton, G.W. Bailey, Brian McNamara, Marvin J. McIntyre, John Garber, Penny Stanton, Tim Blaney, Vernon Weddle, Barbara Tarbuck
The government has a new weapon: a robot named "No. 5." During a thunderstorm, "No. 5" short circuits and comes to life. Its creator (Steve Guttenberg) is in hot pursuit of his invention. Meanwhile, "No. 5" falls into the hands of an animal lover (Ally Sheedy) who takes it in like a stray cat. OK for the young ones. There is a sequel.
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Simon 1980 PG, 97 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Marshall Brickman
Cast: Alan Arkin, Madeline Kahn, Austin Pendleton, Judy Graubart, William Finley, Wallace Shawn, Max Wright, Fred Gwynne, Adolph Green, Keith Szarabajka
College professor Simon (Alan Arkin) is brainwashed by colleagues into believing he is a visitor from outer space.
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Skidoo 1968 N/R, 97 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Otto Preminger, John Uris
Cast: Jackie Gleason, Carol Channing, Frankie Avalon, Fred Clark, Michael Constantine, Frank Gorshin, John Phillip Law, Peter Lawford, Burgess Meredith, George Raft, Cesar Romero, Mickey Rooney, Groucho Marx, Austin Pendleton, Alexandra Hay
Former racketeer and hit man Tony Banks (Jackie Gleason) is now the owner of a car wash with a zany wife, Flo (Carol Channing), and daughter Darlene (Alexandra Hay) who has gotten into the hippie scene–much to the dismay of Tony. But his problems really begin when gang boss "God" (Groucho Marx) orders Tony to do one more "job." He must get into the prison where his target, "Blue Chips" (Mickey Rooney), "resides." Tony ends up high on LSD, realizes he must get out of the prison, and with help from new-found prisoner friends gets the prison guards high on LSD and takes off in a balloon. Menawhile, Darlene has been taken hostage on "God's" yacht. And the wacky, weak film continues.
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Starting Over 1979 R, 105 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Alan J. Pakula
Cast: Burt Reynolds, Jill Clayburgh, Candice Bergen, Charles Durning, Frances Sternhagen, Mary Kay Place, Charles Kimbrough, Austin Pendleton, Jay O. Sanders, MacIntyre Dixon, Alfie Wise, Wallace Shawn, Kevin Bacon, Richard Whiting, Sturgis Warner
Divorce from the male point of view is the theme of this film in which Phil Potter (Burt Reynolds) is told to "hit the road" because his wife, Jessica (Candice Bergen), wants to go it alone. He later meets and falls in love with Marilyn (Jill Clayburgh). For their work in this movie, Clayburgh received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress, and Bergen was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.
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Sue 1997 N/R, 90 min.
Genre: Drama
Director: Amos Kollek
Cast: Anna Levine, Matthew Powers, Tahnee Welch, Tracey Ross, John Ventimiglia, Austin Pendleton, Edoardo Ballerini, Matthew Faber, Robert Kya-Hill, Tom Cappadona
Sue (Anna Levine) is down on her luck–she's out of work and has difficulty finding friendships and, finally, is evicted. Then, a man she met and started an affair with is sent overseas, and things get worse as she seeks weird sex as an outlet.
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 Trial and Error 1997 PG-13, 106 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Jonathan Lynn
Cast: Michael Richards, Jeff Daniels, Alexandra Wentworth, Rip Torn, Charlize Theron, Jessica Steen, Austin Pendleton, Jennifer Coolidge, Max Casella, Dale Dye
Lawyer Charles Tuttle (Jeff Daniels) is sent by his soon-to-be father-in-law's law firm to defend con man Benny Gibbs (Rip Torn) in a Nevada court case. Tuttle's friend, Richard Rietti (Michael Richards), is an actor who hosts a bachelor party at which Tuttle gets drunk and fails to appear for Gibb's court case, but Rietti uses his skills, appears in court, and pretends to be Tuttle. Now he must play out the charade or risk being arrested for impersonating a lawyer.
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Two Much 1996 PG-13, 118 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Fernando Trueba
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Melanie Griffith, Daryl Hannah, Danny Aiello, Joan Cusack, Eli Wallach, Vincent Schiavelli, Austin Pendleton, Allan Rich
Art Dodge (Antonio Banderas) is an artist-turned-disreputable art dealer who enjoys his love affair with Betty (Melanie Griffith) until he falls for her sister, Liz (Daryl Hannah). Art's solution is easy–pretend he has a twin brother, Bart. Bart sleeps with Liz, and Art sleeps with Betty, and all three are happy–for a while.
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 Uptown Girls 2003 PG-13, 93 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Boaz Yakin
Cast: Brittany Murphy, Dakota Fanning, Marley Shelton, Donald Faison, Jesse Spencer, Heather Locklear, Austin Pendleton, Will Toale, Marceline Hugot, Pell James, Amy Korb, Fisher Stevens
After Molly's (Brittany Murphy) manager steals her inheritence, she takes on the role of nanny for a precocious eight year old, "Ray" (Dakota Fanning). At first the two do not hit it off; however, as time goes by , they realize just how important they have become to each other.
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What's Up, Doc? 1972 G, 94 min.
Genre: Comedy
Director: Peter Bogdanovich
Cast: Barbra Streisand, Ryan O'Neal, Kenneth Mars, Austin Pendleton, Sorrell Booke, Michael Murphy, Mabel Albertson, John Hillerman, M. Emmet Walsh, Madeline Kahn
Four suitcases get mixed up, and their owners' lives are changed forever. During the process of retrieving the correct luggage, Howard Bannister (Ryan O'Neal), a somber musicologist, meets Judy Maxwell (Barbra Streisand), a dizzy student, who keeps popping back into his life.
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| 1. 2 Days in the Valley (1996)
2. The 4th Floor (1999)
3. Alice in Wonderland (1983)
4. The Associate (1996)
5. The Ballad of the Sad Cafe (1991)
6. Catch-22 (1970)
7. Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
8. Don't Drink the Water (1994)
9. Fast Food, Fast Women (2000)
10. Finding Nemo (2003)
11. First Family (1980)
12. Greedy (1994)
13. Guarding Tess (1994)
14. Hello Again (1987)
15. Home for the Holidays (1995)
16. Joe the King (1999)
17. The Last of the Cowboys (1976)
aka: The Great Smokey Roadblock
18. Manna from Heaven (2001)
19. The Mirror Has Two Faces (1996)
20. Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990)
21. Mr. Nanny (1993)
22. My Boyfriend's Back (1993)
23. My Cousin Vinny (1992)
24. The Notorious Bettie Page (2006)
25. Sergeant Bilko (1996)
26. Short Circuit (1986)
27. Simon (1980)
28. Skidoo (1968)
29. Starting Over (1979)
30. Sue (1997)
31. Trial and Error (1997)
32. Two Much (1996)
33. Uptown Girls (2003)
34. What's Up, Doc? (1972)
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