Judith Ivey

A lonely young man introduces his new girlfriend to his parents and they immediately hate her for no reason. Lucas, a college senior, meets a sweet and anxious girl named Addison one night at a house party. Despite some hesitation, the pair quickly realizes their chemistry is undeniable. The new relationship makes them both feel at ease for once, but Lucas' ridiculous and snobbishly protective parents see Addison as a bad influence and attempt to destroy the relationship. Lucas isn't sure what to believe, his bond with Addison fractures, and he begins to have a hard time discerning what is real. Will Lucas and Addison's love be lost, or will it transcend the confines of reality?

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."

The story of Paul Weaver and his strained relationships with women and his family. Thirty-seven year old Paul Weaver, an ex-major leaguer turned insurance salesman, a job he hates, has just received final divorce papers a year after his wife Nancy Weaver left him because of his chronic infidelity. Paul can admit to himself that Nancy is the only woman he's ever loved but sometimes it was easier to turn to other woman as those one-nighters carried less baggage. Despite the probability of seeing Nancy, Paul decides to make the ten hour drive from his home in New York City to his small hometown in Pennsylvania for his sister Karen Weaver's wedding, he planning on staying with his parents in his old bedroom. What Paul is unaware of until he arrives is that Nancy and their their two children, teenage David Weaver and preteen Sarah Weaver, have temporarily moved in with his parents out of circumstance. While David understands the machinations of what happened with his parents, Sarah, who nonetheless misses New York life and always has plans on running away, blames her father for their collective situation. Within this situation, Paul will face others with difficulties in marriage despite love. One is his parents, Boomer and Ruth Weaver, Boomer who can only function and cope when he has alcohol in his system. Two is somewhat inexperienced Karen herself, who is questioning whether she can tolerate the thirty percent of her fiancé Doug Whipkey that bothers her and whether there is someone else out there for her who has less than thirty percent. And three is Susan Volcheck, one of Karen's bridesmaids who may want to fall into Paul's arms if only because she is certain that her husband, house painter Danny Volcheck, is cheating on her when he is in Wheeling, West Virginia on a job. —Huggo

A young girl whose father died in the Vietnam War becomes determined to find out more about him and his experiences. Samantha Hughes, a teenage Kentucky girl, never knew her father, who died in Vietnam before she was born. Samantha lives with her uncle Emmett Smith, who also served in Vietnam. Emmett hangs around with Tom, Earl and Pete, three other Vietnam veterans who, like Emmett, all have problems of one kind or another, that relate to their war experiences. Sam, as Samantha is known, becomes obsessed with finding out about her father and his experiences, but Emmett and the other veterans don't want to talk about the war. Sam pushes everyone to attend a dance honoring the town's veterans, but Pete and Earl get into a fight, Emmett disappears, and Tom takes Sam home for an unsuccessful tryst. When Sam reads her father's diary, she begins to understand what his life and death meant, and with a trip to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, she and Emmett at least temporarily come to terms with the war in their lives. —Jim Beaver <jumblejim@prodigy.net>

In September 1937, Eugene Jerome (Jonathan Silverman) is almost 15 and lives in a Jewish-American household in Brighton Beach with his parents Kate (Blythe Danner) and Jack, his 18-year-old brother Stanley (Brian Drillinger), his widowed, asthmatic aunt Blanche Morton, and her two daughters, pretty 16-year-old Nora and sickly 13-year-old Laurie (Stacey Glick). Blanche (Judith Ivey) is Kate's sister, and after being widowed in her 30s, she and her daughters moved in with the Jeromes, causing Jack (Bob Dishy) to take a second job to support the enlarged household. The extended family lives on the money from Jack's two jobs and Stanley's job at a men's hat shop. Each member of the family has their own personal problems and concerns, which end up affecting the other family members. Eugene, who hopes to go to college and become a writer, is obsessed with baseball and also attempting to see a well-developed girl naked, spying on both Nora (Lisa Waltz) and a sexy older woman neighbor. Jack loses his second job and is forced to work nights as a cab driver, until he has a minor heart attack, and must stop working entirely to rest. This puts pressure on the other men in the household. Jack also worries about his cousin and other relatives who still live in Poland, due to the ominous news bulletins coming from pre-World War II Europe. Stanley dislikes his job, but hesitates to quit because the family needs his salary and he doesn't want to put more stress on Jack, whom he fears might die. Kate is overwhelmed by the pressure of trying to take care of everyone, including her sister Blanche, who lacks confidence and is mutually attracted to the Jeromes' Irish neighbor Frank Murphy (James Handy), who sometimes drinks. Blanche grieves for her late husband who died three years ago, is lonely, and struggles with raising her daughters, especially Nora who takes dance lessons, aspires to a Broadway career and wants to accept a well-known producer's offer of an audition. Blanche, finally forced to make a decision, forbids Nora from auditioning, telling her she needs to finish high school first. Frank invites Blanche on a date, which she accepts despite Kate's disapproval. Kate lends Blanche her string of pearls for her date. Though other family are supportive of her, Nora has left for a movie date as retaliation for denying her the audition, causing Blanche to break down in tears right before Frank is due to arrive. Frank's mother, Mrs. Murphy (Bette Henritze), then breaks down as she lets Blanche know that Frank won't be able to keep the date due to a car accident he had while inebriated, is in the hospital, will likely face drunk-driving charges, and then the Murphys will be moving upstate New York to get Frank help for his drinking problem. Meanwhile, Stanley confesses to his mother Kate that he gambled and lost his entire weekly paycheck trying to make up for the family's loss of Jack's wages. Stanley then leaves home to join the Army. Kate and Blanche argue over Kate's lack of sympathy and charity for the Murphys. Blanche then decides to move out the next day, get her own job and apartment, and send for her daughters as soon as possible. The next day, Nora and Stanley (who at the last minute decides not to join the Army because his father needs him) both return home and are reunited with their respective parents. Kate and Blanche reconcile, and Kate suggests that Blanche remain with the family while she looks for a job, and also suggests Blanche might move into the Murphys' apartment across the street. To thank Eugene for his brotherly support, Stanley gives him a picture of a beautiful naked woman. Jack receives the good news that his Polish relatives have escaped from their country and are en route to New York, and the Jeromes excitedly plan for these new additions to their household.

In San Francisco, CA, Theodore "Teddy" Pierce (Gene Wilder), director of information at an advertising agency, stands outside a high window ledge and thinks back to four weeks ago when his boring, but comfortable life suddenly changed: As Teddy parks his car in the underground garage at work, Teddy sees a beautiful woman in a red dress (Kelly Le Brock) and instantly becomes infatuated when she deliberately stands over an air vent, letting her dress billow up. A happily married man, Teddy was never interested in staring at pretty women, until now. At his office, he sees the "woman in red" again, waiting at the desk of his colleague, Ms. Milner (Gilda Radner), and telephones the extension to try and speak with her. The woman stands up as if she is reaching for the phone, but Milner returns and answers the call. However, Teddy, whose view of the desk is now blocked, mistakenly believes he is speaking to the woman in red and asks her to meet him that night at an Italian restaurant in North Beach. Milner, a plain-looking woman, recognizes Teddy's voice and is surprised by the invitation, but accepts. In need of an excuse to leave the house without arousing his wife Didi's (Judith Ivey) suspicions, Teddy asks his friend Michael (Michael Huddleston) to call him at home at exactly 8:15 p.m. and pretend to be his assistant, requiring immediate help at the office. Meanwhile, Teddy's philandering friend, Joe (Joseph Bologna), has been caught cheating by his wife Theresa, who moves out of their house with all the furniture. Didi calls Joe a "rat" and tells Teddy she would go crazy if Teddy ever had an affair. She also mentions that Joe tried an old trick by asking his secretary to call home one night to summon him for last-minute work at the office. When Michael telephones at 8:15 p.m., Teddy is now too nervous and abandons the scheme. Meanwhile, Ms. Milner waits for Teddy at the Italian restaurant in North Beach, until the place closes. When she sees Teddy arrive at work the next day, she vandalizes his car and gives him a hard, angry stare throughout the day. Later, Milner telephones Teddy and says she will give him another chance, but he is under the impression that the woman in red is calling. She asks him to meet her at a bar later that day, but when he arrives and sees Milner, he hastily leaves. Milner takes revenge for the rejection by continuing to vandalize Teddy's car. At a staff meeting, Teddy learns that the woman in red is the fashion model for the new cable car campaign and was discovered by the head of the advertising agency horseback riding in Golden Gate Park. After repeated visits to the park where he struggles to ride a horse, Teddy finally encounters the woman. Although she appears confused by his apology for leaving her at the restaurant, she is impressed by his gallantry and charm. A few days later, the woman in red arrives at the advertising agency to give Teddy an earring he dropped on the horse trail. He pretends that he does not recognize the jewelry, which belongs to his wife, and convinces the woman in red (who finally introduces herself as Charlotte) to meet him for dinner the following night. After Teddy anxiously prepares for the date, Charlotte telephones at the last minute to say that she has to travel to Los Angeles for work and asks him to meet her there. Teddy arranges for a fake telegram to be sent to his home, requesting him to immediately fly to San Diego for a conference. In Didi's presence, he yells and pretends he does want to leave his wife and family, as she urges him to quit acting childish and go. Teddy is stunned when his Los Angeles flight is rerouted to San Diego due to bad weather. Although he spends the night in the airport, he appreciates that his life now has "adventure." Returning to San Francisco, Teddy is relieved when Charlotte telephones and meets him for a walk. Meanwhile, Theresa has forgiven Joe for his infidelity, and Ms. Milner had received a makeover and flirts with Teddy's assistant, Richard. On their first date, Teddy asks Charlotte if they can briefly drop by to see his grandmother, "Mama Dell," and wish her a happy birthday. Buddy (Charles Grodin), another one of Teddy's friends, offers to chauffeur the couple for the evening since Teddy's car remains a wreck. When they arrive at the apartment, Teddy is shocked to see his entire family there as a surprise for his birthday, which is the following day. As Didi looks at Charlotte with curiosity, Buddy quickly rescues the situation and introduces Charlotte as his "sweetheart." Buddy and Charlotte leave the surprise party, while Teddy remains with his family. Later that evening, Joe, Michael, and Buddy, sneak Teddy away and take him to a rendezvous with Charlotte. After watching Charlotte pose for an all-night fashion shoot, Teddy returns with her to her apartment building. She tells him that despite his wife, two daughters, and poor horseback riding, she wants to be with him. After they undress, climb into bed and prepare to have sex for the first time, Charlotte's husband unexpectedly rings the intercom. Shocked that Charlotte is married, Teddy asks why she never told him that she was married when he told Charlotte that he was married, and Charlotte replies that he "never asked". Teddy puts on a robe and prepares to face the jealous husband, but a panicking Charlotte tells Teddy to hide outside on the window ledge while she deals with the husband. While siting on the ledge, waiting, a crowed of onlookers gather around the building after seeing Teddy on the ledge. Concerned that Teddy will jump, the fire department and media soon arrive in front of the apartment building. At home, Didi and her daughters see Teddy on television, sitting on the ledge and smoking a cigarette. As the fire department sets up a safety net trampoline to catch Teddy and yells for him to jump, he overhears Charlotte having sex with her husband. Suddenly, he realizes the ridiculousness of his near infidelity and thinks about his wonderful wife and family. Teddy jumps, believing that he has learned his lesson, but a cute, blonde reporter on the ground catches his eye while he falls....

A writer for a greeting card company discovers the struggles and tribulations of living alone after breaking up with his unfaithful girlfriend. When shy Larry Hubbard finds his girlfriend in bed with another man he is forced to begin a new life as single. But since he can't bear being on his own he tries to court Iris who is not however interested in him. Larry begins writing a book on his experience as a single which unexpectedly becomes a best seller. He becomes rich and famous and even his relationship with Iris can begin on a new basis. —Salvatore Santangelo <pappagone2@libero.it>