Debra Monk

Katherine Heigl brings Stephanie Plum - the popular heroine of Janet Evanovich's worldwide best-selling eighteen-book mystery series - to vibrant life in Lionsgate and Lakeshore Entertainment's ONE FOR THE MONEY. A proud, born-and-bred Jersey girl, Stephanie Plum's got plenty of attitude, even if she's been out of work for the last six months and just lost her car to a debt collector. Desperate for some fast cash, Stephanie turns to her last resort: convincing her sleazy cousin to give her a job at his bail bonding company...as a recovery agent. True, she doesn't even own a pair of handcuffs and her weapon of choice is pepper spray, but that doesn't stop Stephanie from taking on Vinny's biggest bail-jumper: former vice cop and murder suspect Joe Morelli - yup, the same sexy, irresistible Joe Morelli who seduced and dumped her back in high school. Nabbing Morelli would be satisfying payback - and a hefty payday - but as Stephanie learns the ins and outs of becoming a recovery agent from Ranger, a hunky colleague who's the best in the business, she also realizes the case against Morelli isn't airtight. Add to the mix her meddling family, a potentially homicidal boxer, witnesses who keep dying and the problem of all those flying sparks when she finds Morelli himself...well, suddenly Stephanie's new job isn't nearly as easy as she thought.

The movie opens with the opening night (which is also the closing night) of washed-up producer Max Bialystock's (Nathan Lane) latest Broadway endeavor, Funny Boy: A Musical Version of Hamlet. The crowd leaves the theater exclaiming about how awful the show was ("Opening Night"). Later, Bialystock's new accountant, Leopold Bloom (Matthew Broderick), comes to check the books for Funny Boy. Leo's visit is interrupted when Hold-Me-Touch-Me (Eileen Essell), one of Max's elderly backers, stops by to drop off a "checkie" and play naughty games with Max. Leo confesses that he's always wanted to be a producer. However, he's extremely nervous -- he carries his blue baby blanket with him, rubs his face with it when he becomes anxious, and descends into full-blown hysterics when Max takes the blanket away. After calming down and looking at the show's books, Bloom gets an idea and muses that you could make more money with a flop than with a hit, though it would be illegal. Bialystock tries to convince the insecure Bloom to collaborate with him to put on the biggest flop in history, then take the money and go to Rio de Janeiro ("We Can Do It"), but Bloom refuses and goes back to his accounting firm. Leo finds himself unhappy with his job and fantasizes about being a Broadway producer ("I Wanna Be a Producer," a big production number with elaborate sets and chorus girls wearing costumes made of pearls -- a riff on the line "beautiful girls wearing nothing but pearls" from "We Can Do It"). He has an epiphany and quits, returning to Bialystock and agreeing to help him with his flop. They form a partnership, Bialystock & Bloom. Max and Leo search for the worst play ever written and settle on Springtime for Hitler, a "singing love-letter to Adolph Hitler" written by Neo-Nazi Franz Liebkind (Will Ferrell). The lederhosen-wearing Liebkind receives them on his roof, where he raises carrier pigeons. The partners ask him to sign over the rights to produce the show, but first they are coerced into wearing swastika armbands while singing and dancing to "the Führer's favorite tune" and taking the sacred Siegfried Oath ("Der Guten Tag Hop-Clop"). They swear, under penalty of death, to never never never dishonor the spirit or the memory of Adolph Elizabeth Hitler. They then meet the worst director in town, a flamboyant homosexual named Roger DeBris (Gary Beach), and his equally flamboyant assistant Carmen Ghia (Roger Bart). DeBris, claiming that he's going to a costume party, appears in an elaborate sequined evening gown in the style of the Chrysler Building. It takes some persuasion -- and Max and Leo have to meet DeBris' live-in production team, who resemble the Village People -- but at the mention of a Tony Award, DeBris agrees to direct ("Keep it Gay"). DeBris' middle name, as it turns out, is also Elizabeth. Max and Leo return to their office to find Swedish bombshell Ulla Inga Hansen-Bensen-Yanson-Tallen-Hallen-Svaden-Swanson (Uma Thurman) wanting an audition, though none are scheduled. Bialystock allows her to try out anyway ("When You Got it, Flaunt it"), and they hire her as their secretary and cast her. At one point as they're preparing to go out, Leo asks Max if he can wear one of Max's black hats. Max tells him it's a Broadway producer's hat, and Leo can't wear it until he has a show on Broadway. Next, they need to raise the money: two million dollars. Bialystock pimps himself out to every rich old lady he can get his hands on in exchange for the dough ("Along Came Bialy"). Max and Leo return to their office to find that Ulla has painted everything white, from the walls and the furniture to the knickknacks and the telephone. Max leaves and Leo laments the danger that a relationship will distract him from his work, but he allows himself to kiss Ulla anyway ("That Face"). After the kiss, he throws away his blue blanket. Auditions are run by DeBris and his assistant Ghia, with Liebkind, Bialystock, and Bloom observing. During the singing auditions for Hitler, Liebkind flips out over a performance and shows the auditioner how the song is supposed to be sung ("Haben Sie Gehört Das Deutsche Band?"). Max hires Liebkind to play Hitler on the spot. On opening night ("Opening Night (Reprise)"), Leo turns up at the theater with the special Broadway producer's hat, but Max admonishes him not to wear it until the curtain has gone up and come down. Leo wishes everyone good luck, and the others (minus Bialystock) chastise him for breaking the ancient theater taboo while Bialystock invokes bad luck in every way he can think of, from breaking a mirror and walking under a ladder to throwing a black cat in front of people going backstage ("You Never Say Good Luck on Opening Night"). As Liebkind goes backstage there's a loud crash, and he exclaims that he's broken his leg. Desperate, they recast Roger DeBris as Hitler and file into the theater to watch Springtime for Hitler. The audience is horribly offended by the opening number and people begin to walk out. Then Roger DeBris enters as Hitler. After seeing the flamboyant Hitler playing the Nazis for laughs, the crowd views the show as a satire and loves it ("Springtime for Hitler"). Bialystock and Bloom return to the office, distraught at the success of their show. Bloom fishes his blue blanket out of the wastebasket, grabs the two sets of books (one labeled "Show to the IRS," the other "Never show to the IRS") and attempts to go turn himself in, but is stopped by Bialystock. As they tussle, DeBris and Ghia arrive to celebrate. Liebkind, wearing a cast and carrying a crutch and a gun, bursts in shooting and shouting that Bialystock and Bloom must die because they broke the Siegfried Oath. There is commotion, DeBris and Ghia hide in the closet, and Liebkind runs out of bullets. Just as Max thinks he's saved the day by convincing Liebkind that it was the actors who mocked Hitler and therefore Liebkind should go kill them all, the police show up. They arrest Liebkind, who promptly breaks his other leg while trying to escape. Then they find the duplicate sets of books and arrest Bialystock for tax fraud, as Bloom is nowhere in sight. After they all leave, Ulla comes in and finds Bloom hanging on the back of the door. She convinces him to take the money from the safe and run away with her to Rio. In jail, Bialystock gets a postcard from Bloom about how much fun he and Ulla are having in Rio. Bialystock laments his predicament ("Betrayed"). However, Leo and Ulla come to Max's aid in court because Leo realizes that Max, despite being sleazy and manipulative, has been a good friend to him ("'Til Him"). Ulla reveals that she's now Mrs. Bloom ("he wouldn't do it unless we got married!"). Bialystock and Bloom are each sentenced to five years in Sing Sing penitentiary -- the judge (David Huddleston) conveniently ignoring the fact that Bloom is not being tried for anything. ("It breaks my heart to break up such a beautiful friendship, so I won't.") They write and produce a musical in prison ("Prisoners of Love," with piano accompaniment by Liebkind), selling 700% of the ownership shares to the prisoners and prison staff. They're pardoned and released because they lifted the spirits of the other inmates. Bialystock and Bloom take Prisoners of Love to Broadway, where Ulla and chorus girls play the prisoners and Max and Leo's prison buddies sit in the audience in chains. Leo finally gets to wear the producer's hat, and the partners become successful producers ("Leo and Max") of such blockbusters as A Streetcar Named Murray, South Passaic, Maim, and Katz.

Kevin Lomax (Keanu Reeves), a defense attorney in Gainesville, Florida, has never lost a case. He defends a schoolteacher, Mr. Gettys (Chris Bauer), against a charge of child molestation. During the trial, Kevin realizes that his client is guilty, and a reporter tells him that a guilty verdict is all but inevitable. Kevin had seen Mr Gettys making the same gesture under the desk as the girl was describing on the stand and had his other hand inside his pants while hearing the testimony as he relived the experience. Kevin has a decision to make on whether to continue defending Gettys. He asks the court for a short recess as he makes up his mind. In the end, Kevin decides to protect his perfect record. However, through a harsh cross-examination Kevin destroys the credibility of the victim (Heather Matarazzo) and secures another not guilty verdict. Kevin claims that the victim hosted a party at her home when her parents were away and played a game called special places with her friends. This game is sexual in nature, and this is when the victim first told her friends about Mr Gettys and then threatened her friends to also lie, else she would tell everyone about the party and the game. The victim admits that she didn't want to be the only one. As he celebrates, Kevin is approached by a representative of the New York law firm Milton, Chadwick & Waters, who offers him a large sum of money to help the firm with a jury selection. After Kevin's jury delivers a not guilty verdict, John Milton (Al Pacino) offers him a large salary and a swanky apartment if he joins the firm. Despite warnings from his Evangelical Christian mother, Alice (Judith Ivey), about sinful big city life, Kevin accepts the job and moves with his wife Mary Ann (Charlize Theron) to Manhattan. Kevin's Christian fundamentalist mother Alice, whose only sex was to conceive Kevin, urges the couple to return to Florida after meeting Milton. Kevin refuses. Kevin first defends a Voodoo sorcerer (Delroy Lindo) who ritually sacrificed an animal. He compares the incident to Kashrut law and claims that his client is protected under freedom of religion, winning the case. Kevin spends an increasing amount of time at work, leaving Mary Ann (Charlize Theron), his wife, feeling isolated. Kevin next defends Alexander Cullen (Craig T. Nelson), a billionaire accused of murdering his wife and child. This case demands more of Kevin's time, further separating him from Mary Ann. He begins having fantasies about co-worker Christabella Andreoli (Connie Nielsen), while Mary Ann shows signs of mental illness when she claims seeing demons everywhere and has a nightmare about a baby playing with her removed ovaries. After a doctor declares Mary Ann to be infertile, she begs Kevin that they return to Gainesville, but he refuses. Milton suggests that Kevin step down from the trial to care for Mary Ann, but Kevin thinks that he will resent her for costing the case for the firm. Eddie Barzoon (Jeffrey Jones), the firm's managing attorney, is convinced that Kevin is competing for his job after finding his name in the company papers as a partner. Although Kevin denies any knowledge, Barzoon threatens to inform the United States Attorney's office about the firm's illegal activities. Kevin tells Milton about Barzoon's threats, but Milton is unconcerned, sarcastically dismissing Barzoon as "God's special little creature". At that moment, Barzoon is beaten to death by vagrants, who take on demonic appearances. Mary Ann witnesses this, further eroding her sanity. While preparing Cullen's mistress Melissa (Laura Harrington) to testify about Cullen's alibi, Kevin realizes she is lying and tells Milton he believes Cullen is guilty. Milton offers to back Kevin regardless. Kevin decides to proceed with her testimony and wins an acquittal. After the trial Kevin finds Mary Ann in a nearby church, naked and covered with cuts. She tells her husband that Milton sexually assaulted and mutilated her, but Kevin saw Milton in court with him at the time of the alleged attack. He believes that Mary Ann injured herself and has her committed. United States Department of Justice agent Mitch Weaver, who is investigating the clandestine activities of Milton's firm, warns Kevin that Milton is corrupt, and also reveals that Gettys, acquitted in Florida, has been arrested for killing a little girl. Moments later, Weaver is struck by a car and killed. At the same time, while attending Eddie's funeral service, Milton sticks his finger into holy water and makes it boil. Kevin, his mother Alice, and his case manager, Pam Garrety (Debra Monk), Kevin's case manager at the firm, visit Mary Ann. Alone with Mary Ann, Pam appears as a demon through a mirror. Mary Ann attacks Pam with the mirror and locks herself in the room. As Kevin tries to break down the door, Mary Ann takes a piece of broken glass from the mirror and cuts her throat with it, killing herself. Before he can mourn, Alice reveals that Milton is Kevin's father. Kevin leaves the hospital to confront Milton, who gleefully admits to sexually assaulting Mary Ann. Kevin fires a pistol into Milton's chest, but the bullets have no effect. Kevin realizes that Milton is not only his father, but also Satan himself. Kevin blames Milton for everything that happened, but Milton explains that he merely "set the stage", and that Kevin could have left at any time. Kevin realizes that he always wanted to win, no matter the cost, and left Mary Ann behind. Milton explains that he wants Kevin and Christabella, who is Kevin's half-sister, to conceive a child: the Antichrist. He offers Kevin anything that he wants. However, rejecting his Satanic heritage, Kevin cites free will and shoots himself in the head, ruining Milton's plan. Milton's demonic rage burns Christabella alive, revealing his demonic form before turning into a winged angel that resembles Kevin. Kevin wakes up during the recess of the Gettys trial. After embracing Mary Ann, Kevin announces that he can no longer represent his client, despite the threat of being disbarred. A reporter follows Kevin and Mary Ann, pleading for an interview and promising to make Kevin a star. After some prodding from Mary Ann, Kevin reluctantly agrees. After Kevin and Mary Ann leave, the reporter shape-shifts into a grinning Milton. Breaking the fourth wall, he says, "Vanity - definitely my favorite sin."

Connie, unwed and pregnant, is heading to Boston by train when she meets wealthy newlyweds Hugh and Patricia. The train crashes, and when Connie comes to in the hospital, she is mistaken for Patricia, who died in the crash with Hugh. Connie Doyle is eighteen and pregnant when her boyfriend kicks her out. She accidentally ends up on a train where she meets Hugh Winterbourne and his wife Patricia who is pregnant. The train wrecks and she wakes up in the hospital to find out that it's been assumed that she's Patricia. Hugh's mother takes her in and she falls in love with Hugh's brother Bill. Just when she thinks everything is going her way, her ex-boyfriend shows up. —Shannon Andrews <Shannon.B.Andrews@m.cc.utah.edu> Aboard a train, philandering gentleman womanizer Hugh Winterbourne meets pregnant Connie Doyle (19), who desperately left her hometown being kicked out by her brutish boyfriend Steve DeCunzo. The train crashes, killing Hugh and Patricia, the pregnant new wife he was to present to his family. Connie is accidentally mistaken for Patricia and after hospitalization brought to the late Hugh's grand family estate. There she is warmly welcomed by her 'in-laws', meddling matriarch Grace Winterbourne and her perfect son, Hugh's conformist responsible twin brother Bill. His romantic feelings for his 'sister in law' are reciprocated, albeit awkwardly. Although accepted by Father Brian Kilraine, Grace's favorite guest, and Bill's confident, chauffeur Paco, Connie feels guilty and considers leaving, but that would rob her baby of the far better future only such a rich family can offer. Then the biological father Steve turns up, to blackmail her. —KGF Vissers A woman gets pregnant by her boyfriend, who then leaves her. She boards a train, which crashes and she ends up in a hospital, mistakenly identified as Patricia Winterbourne, a widow who's husband died in the train crash. She comes to live with the rich family of her deceased "husband." Her new life is ruined when the real father of her baby comes back. —Cyndi Kessler <ckessler@hooked.net>

A young career girl is swept off her feet by a shy florist who fell in love with her after one glimpse through a shadowy window.

In 1965, photographer Robert Kincaid asks housewife Francesca Johnson for directions, an encounter which blossoms into a few days that will stay with them for their whole lives.