About a Boy 2002 PG-13, 100 min. Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance
Director: Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz Cast: Hugh Grant, Toni Collette, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Sharon Small, Madison & Jordan Cook, Nicholas Hutchinson, Ryan & Joseph Speechley, Natalia Tena, Laura Kennington, Tanika Swaby, Peter McNicholl, Christopher Webster, Ben Ridgeway, Victoria Smurfit
Will Freeman (Hugh Grant) is a young man in his 30s whose life is going nowhere. But, that all turns around when troubled 12-year-old Marcus (Nicholas Hutchinson) attaches himself to Will and changes Will's life forever. Will and Marcus meet when Will joins S.P.A.T. (Single Parents Alone Together) as a means to meet single women. Will fabricates a story about having a two-year-old son, but Marcus catches on to Will's scheme and urges him to date his own depressed mother Fiona (Toni Collette). That doesn't work, and it doesn't take long before Will falls for single mom Rachel (Rachel Weisz), and now he tries to pass Marcus off as his son. A bad plan–but when Will tries to make it up to Marcus, he finally grows up.
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American Dreamz 2006 PG-13, 107 min. Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Paul Weitz Cast: Hugh Grant, Dennis Quaid, Mandy Moore, Willem Dafoe, Chris Klein, Jennifer Coolidge, Sam Golzari, Marcia Gay Harden, Seth Meyers, John Cho, Judy Greer, Bernard White, Shohreh Aghdashloo
This satire aims at a variety of subjects, but the Presidency of George W. Bush and the reality show, American Idol, are the prime targets. Dennis Quaid takes on the role of recovering alcoholic President Staton who seldom reads the newspaper and relies on the advice of his Dick Cheney-like Chief of Staff (Willem Dafoe) who, to increase the President's ratings, books him as a guest judge on the popular reality show, American Dreamz. The TV show, featuring aspiring musical artists, is easily identified as a satirical view of American Idol with the popular program's self-absorbed Martin Tweed (Hugh Grant) preparing the season's new shows. Contestants include blonde redneck Sally Kendoo (Mandy Moore) and show-tune loving terrorist Omer Obeidi (Sam Golzari). The President agrees to a live presentation, and Omer prepares to assassinate him during his appearance on live TV.
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American Pie 1999 R, 100 min. Genre: Comedy / Romance
Director: Paul Weitz, Chris Weitz Cast: Jason Biggs, Jennifer Coolidge, Shannon Elizabeth, Alyson Hannigan, Chris Klein, Tara Reid, Eugene Levy, Natasha Lyonne, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Seann William Scott, Mena Suvari, Chris Owen, Molly Cheek, Lawrence Pressman
Jim (Jason Biggs), Oz (Chris Klein), Kevin (Thomas Ian Nicholas), and Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) are high-school seniors determined to lose their virginity before heading off to college. The senior prom looms as the defining time and place, and, as the day approaches, they begin to question the wisdom of their plan.
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Chuck & Buck 2000 R, 96 min. Genre: Comedy / Drama
Director: Miguel Arteta Cast: Mike White, Chris Weitz, Lupe Ontiveros, Beth Colt, Paul Weitz, Maya Rudolph, Mary Wigmore, Paul Sand, Gino Buccola, Doug Keifer, Annette Murphy, Glory Simon
Boyhood friends reunite when Buck (Mike White) moves to L.A. to resume his interrupted friendship with Chuck (Chris Weitz). This presents an immediate problem: Chuck has become a responsible adult, but Buck seems emotionally stuck at the fourth-grade level.
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Down to Earth 2001 PG-13, 90 min. Genre: Comedy / Fantasy / Romance
Director: Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz Cast: Chris Rock, Regina King, Chazz Palminteri, Eugene Levy, Frankie Faison, Mark Addy, Greg Germann, Jennifer Coolidge, Wanda Sykes, John Cho, Brian Rhodes, Mario Joyner, Arnold Pinnock, Paul Hecht, Colin Fox
Comedian Lance Barton (Chris Rock) is hit by a truck and, only after reaching Heaven, learns that he was not supposed to die this early. Angels offer him a second chance at life on Earth, but he must return in the body of wealthy, White, elderly Charles Wellington whose wife (Jennifer Coolidge) and personal aide (Greg Germann) have just murdered him. Lance's soul is placed in Charles Wellington's body. When Lance meets Sontee (Regina King), he falls in love, but he must still deal with Wellington's wife and aide and their plot to murder him once again. Will they stop Lance from achieving his dream of performing at the Apollo Theater?
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In Good Company 2004 PG-13, 110 min. Genre: Comedy / Drama / Romance
Director: Paul Weitz Cast: Dennis Quaid, Topher Grace, Scarlett Johansson, Marg Helgenberger, David Paymer, Clark Gregg, Philip Baker Hall, Selma Blair, Frankie Faison, Ty Burrell, Kevin Chapman, Amy Aquino, Colleen Camp, Lauren Tom, Zena Grey
Dan Foreman (Dennis Quaid) gets a new boss, up-and-comer Carter Duryea (Topher Grace), who just happens to be half Dan's age and also is more than a little interested in Dan's college-age daughter, Alex (Scarlett Johansson). To make matters worse, Dan's wife Ann (Marge Helgenberger) is expecting a new baby, and he is in no position to quit his job. But, slowly, a father/son bond is formed between Dan and Carter. An entertaining film about business ethics.
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| 1. About a Boy (2002)
2. American Dreamz (2006)
3. American Pie (1999)
4. Chuck & Buck (2000)
5. Down to Earth (2001)
6. In Good Company (2004)
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