Every John Ritter Movie, Ranked
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1Billy Bob Thornton, Dwight Yoakam, J.T. WalshMentally disabled Karl Childers (Billy Bob Thornton) is released from the mental hospital where he has spent most of his life after murdering his mother and her lover. He soon forms a bond with Frank (Lucas Black), a boy whose father committed suicide. When Frank's mother, Linda (Natalie Canerday), lets Karl stay at their house, her cruel boyfriend, Doyle (Dwight Yoakam), tries to get Karl removed. Determined to protect his friend, Karl devises a way to save Frank from years of Doyle's abuse.More Sling Blade
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2John Ritter, Anne Archer, Bert ConvyAn actor (John Ritter) costumed as Captain Avenger foils a grocery-store robbery and becomes a sensation.
3John Ritter, Vincent Gardenia, Alyson ReedHard-drinking novelist Zach Hutton (John Ritter) spirals out of control after his wife (Alyson Reed) and mistress both leave him. Alone and crippled by a bad case of writer's block, Zach slips in and out of casual relationships and one-night stands, while his drinking becomes more and more severe. With the help of a bartender (Vincent Gardenia) and his therapist (Michael Kidd), Zach confronts his demons -- women and alcohol -- and rediscovers his writing voice.
4John Ritter, Pam Dawber, Jeffrey JonesSalesman Roy Knable (John Ritter) spends all his free time watching television, to the exasperation of his wife, Helen (Pam Dawber). One day, TV salesman Spike (Jeffrey Jones) convinces Roy to buy a satellite dish offering 666 channels. The new addition to Roy's home entertainment system sucks him and Helen into Hellvision, a realm run by Spike, who is an emissary of Satan. For 24 hours, the couple must survive devilish parodies of TV programs if they want to return to reality alive.
5Billy Bob Thornton, Tony Cox, Brett KellyIn Bad Santa, Willie Soke (Billy Bob Thornton) is a conman and a thief who, with his partner Marcus (Tony Cox), has an unusual seasonal job. Every Christmas, they work as Santa and his helper in different department stores, using this cover to rob the establishments blind after hours. Willie, a man troubled by alcoholism and self-loathing, strikes up an unlikely friendship with a naive but kind-hearted kid named Thurman Merman (Brett Kelly). This relationship sets Willie on a path that might lead him towards redemption or ruin. The movie is a dark comedy that turns holiday tropes on their head, offering viewers a twisted yet hilarious take on the genre.More Bad Santa- #552 of 769 onThe Most Rewatchable Movies
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- 6John Ritter, Michael Oliver, Jack WardenBen (John Ritter) is a good-hearted guy who's always wanted a son of his own, but so far he and his wife have had no success. The couple adopt Junior (Michael Oliver), a redheaded hellion who quickly makes their lives miserable. Disaster follows Junior wherever he goes, from camping trips that require emergency-room visits to birthday parties that turn into Grand Guignol affairs. When Ben's incensed family tells him to get rid of the boy, he starts to wonder if they might be right.More Problem Child
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7Jim Belushi, John Ritter, Barbara BarrieNick Pirandello (James Belushi) is considered to be the best of the best among his colleagues at the CIA. So, when the agency loses its inside man on a top-secret mission, Nick is recruited to work with an everyday citizen, meek suburban dad Bob Wilson (John Ritter), who is the spitting image of the agent initially assigned to the case. Not only is Bob unaccustomed to the nature of dangerous CIA work, he also finds Nick's claims that the mission involves aliens a bit suspect.
8Tim Curry, Seth Green, John RitterMaine friends struggle with the embodiment of evil.More It
9Jennifer Tilly, Katherine Heigl, Nick StabileBride of Chucky, a beloved horror-comedy classic, introduces audiences to Tiffany (Jennifer Tilly), the devoted girlfriend of notorious killer doll, Chucky (voiced by Brad Dourif). In this fourth installment of the Child's Play series, Tiffany reassembles the shattered pieces of Chucky, inadvertently resurrecting him. Driven by his insatiable thirst for murder and mayhem, Chucky forces Tiffany into a doll's body, marking her transformation into the Bride of Chucky. Together they embark on a blood-soaked journey filled with chaos, laughter and terror. With director Ronny Yu at the helm, this film offers a twisted blend of humor and gore that keeps viewers on edge from start to finish.More Bride of Chucky- #289 of 397 onThe Best Horror Movies Of All Time
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10Elijah Wood, Jon Lovitz, Matthew McCurleyNorth (Elijah Wood) is a talented and bright kid, but his mom (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) and dad (Jason Alexander) are utterly preoccupied with other things in their lives, leaving him largely ignored. Advised by a mysterious man (Bruce Willis) who pops up on occasion, North decides to legally separate himself from his parents and goes on a search across the globe for the ideal mother and father. Unfortunately for the young boy, most of the people that he meets have very little potential.More North- #62 of 85 onThe Best Movies Of 1994
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11John Ritter, Michael Oliver, Jack WardenBen Healy (John Ritter) and his adopted son, the mischievous and destructive Junior (Michael Oliver), move to a new town for a fresh start in what happens to be "the divorcée capital of the world." Now the two face a multitude of women throwing themselves at Ben, though a new mom isn't what Junior wants. But Junior has more to worry about than his father's dates -- the little troublemaker might have met his match in Trixie Young (Ivyann Schwan), a small girl with a big chip on her shoulder.More Problem Child 2- #68 of 86 onThe Best Movies Of 1991, Ranked
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12Patrick Swayze, John Ritter, Susan DeyThe Comeback Kid is a 1980 television film.
13Noises Off
Carol Burnett, Michael Caine, Denholm ElliottHired to helm an Americanized take on a British play, director Lloyd Fellowes (Michael Caine) does his best to control an eccentric group of stage actors. During practice sessions, things run smoothly. However, when Lloyd and his actors begin a series of performances leading up to a Broadway premiere, chaos ensues. Star actress Dotty (Carol Burnett) is quickly passing her prime, male lead Frederick (Christopher Reeve) has no confidence, and bit actor Selsdon (Denholm Elliott) is rarely sober.
14Jay Leno, George Carlin, Elvis CostelloAmericathon is a 1979 American comedy film starring John Ritter, Fred Willard, Peter Riegert, Harvey Korman, and Nancy Morgan, with narration by George Carlin, based on a play by Firesign Theatre alumni Phil Proctor and Peter Bergman. The film also includes appearances by Jay Leno, Meat Loaf, Tommy Lasorda, and Chief Dan George, with a musical performance by Elvis Costello. Being cast 20 years into the future, the film contains many prophetic elements, such as: predicting the demise of the Soviet Union, the prevalence of reality television, and the sale of public assets to the private sector Also, The Beach Boys are shown still together and recording in 1998.
15Heartbeat
John Ritter, Michael Lembeck, Polly DraperHeartbeat, also known as Danielle Steel's Heartbeat, is a 1993 television movie directed by Michael Miller and written by Jan Worthington based upon the 1991 novel of the same name by Danielle Steel for NBC. The film tells of a man who was abused as a child and, as a result, has no interest in having children of his own. When Adrian reveals to her husband that she is pregnant, her husband pressures her to have an abortion. Adrian rebuffs her husband's orders and he neglects her. The showrunner and Adrian's boss for the soap opera she writes and produces becomes romantically involved with her, eventually marrying her and helping Adrian raise her baby. John Ritter stars as the television producer, Polly Draper as Adrian, and Kevin Kilner portrays Adrian's husband. According to Hal Erickson, of Rovi, "the film was heavily criticized by time of its release, often called a 'yuppie love story.' " It also received an Emmy Award nomination in 1993 for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costuming for a Mini Series or a Special.
16Kurt Russell, Joe Flynn, Wally CoxEnthusiastic mailroom clerk Steven Post (Kurt Russell) hassles the uppity director of programming, Francis Wilbanks (Joe Flynn), on a daily basis with his ideas on how to salvage the ratings of their faltering television studio, but he's always shot down. Steven's girlfriend, Jennifer Scott (Heather North), is caring for a recently abandoned television-watching, beer-swilling chimpanzee named Raffles, and when Steven realizes that the chimp can predict television ratings, he hatches a new plan.More The Barefoot Executive- #2 of 12 onThe Most Absurd Things Animals Do In Live-Action Disney+ Movies
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17Martin Short, John Ritter, Susan DeySunset Limousine is a 1983 American comedy television film written by Dick Clement and Ian La Frenais. Directed by Terry Hughes and shot on locations in San Diego, the film stars John Ritter, Susan Dey, Paul Reiser, Audrie Neenan, Martin Short, and George Kirby in a story about a limo driver who aspires to be a stand-up comic. Pre-production began in 1979 after British company Witzend Productions signed to produce the project for CBS. Filming took place during May 1983 with Lainie Kazan, Martin Short, and Audie Neenan joining the cast that month. The film debuted October 12, 1983 on CBS.
18Philip Seymour Hoffman, Robin Tunney, Kyra SedgwickMontana is an American crime film released in 1998, directed by Jennifer Leitzes, written by Erich Hoeber and Jon Hoeber, and produced by Sean Cooley, Zane W. Levitt, and Mark Yellen. Claire is a professional hit woman who has been targeted by her own organization. Her boss gives her a low level task of retrieving his runaway girlfriend Kitty. Once Claire tracks down Kitty, she is unable to stop her from killing the boss' incompetent son.
19Bryan Cranston, John Ritter, Brenda StrongTerror Tract is a 2000 anthology dark comedy/horror film featuring John Ritter as a real-estate agent trying to sell a variety of houses to a young couple; each with a horror story associated with it. The segment "Make Me an Offer" is the overall plot of the film with Ritter and the three segments dramatized are the different, horrifying stories behind each house. Ritter as the estate agent is desperately trying to close a deal with them to meet a sales target that afternoon, but is confounded each time by his honesty which compels him to tell the grisly stories associated with each house he shows the couple.
20Sigourney Weaver, Aaron Stanford, John RitterBeautiful, sophisticated women are all over Oscar Grubman (Aaron Stanford). He is sensitive and compassionate, speaks French fluently, is passionate about Voltaire, and thinks the feature that tells the most about a woman is her hands. He would be a perfect catch -- except he's only fifteen years old.More Tadpole- #149 of 152 onThe Best Movies of 2002
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21Man of Miracles
John Ritter, Joanna GarcÃa, Meredith Baxter
22John Ritter, Annette O'Toole, Rue McClanahanThis docudrama chronicles the life of L. Frank Baum, the writer of "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." In 1900, Baum (John Ritter) used his profound imagination to create one of the timeless classics of children's literature -- but getting there was an uphill battle. With the unwavering support of his wife, Maude (Annette O'Toole), the author endured many rejections from publishers and encountered disheartening personal setbacks, but never gave up on his dream of bringing the land of Oz to life.
23Marg Helgenberger, John Ritter, Madeline ZimaLethal Vows is an American drama/thriller television movie, based on a true story of Richard K Overton, his ex-wife Dorothy Boyer, and Overton's third and late-wife Janet Overton. Starring John Ritter, Marg Helgenberger and Megan Gallagher. The movie premiered October 13, 1999, on CBS.
24Audrey Hepburn, Ben Gazzara, John RitterThe employees of New York City's Odyssey Detective Agency can't seem to prevent themselves from getting over-involved in their clients' lives. When aging gumshoe John Russo (Ben Gazzara) is assigned to trail an Italian millionaire's wife, Angela (Audrey Hepburn), he inevitably falls for her continental charm. His partner, Charles (John Ritter), is similarly unable to keep his hands off the woman he's trailing -- a winsome cheating spouse named Dolores (Dorothy Stratten).
25Dudley Moore, Laraine Newman, James CocoTourists (Dudley Moore, Laraine Newman) in Israel find an old scroll, the Book of Herschel, about a false savior upstaged by Moses.
26John Ritter, Alfre Woodard, Patti LaBelleVietnam veteran Frank Coleman (John Ritter) is suffering with cancer after his exposure to the poisonous chemical Agent Orange. To publicize the chemical's dangerous effects, Frank enlists the help of Maude DeVictor (Alfre Woodard), a Veterans Administration counselor. Despite the cover-up surrounding Agent Orange, which threatens to silence Frank and Maude, the partners refuse to back down until the government guarantees full compensation for afflicted veterans.
27Melanie Griffith, Tom Berenger, Craig ShefferAn attorney (Melanie Griffith) uncovers a political conspiracy in the brutal killing of a wealthy young woman.
28James Duval, Rachel True, Nathan BextonIn Los Angeles, a colorful assortment of bohemians try to make sense of their intersecting lives. The moody Dark Smith (James Duval), his bisexual girlfriend (Rachel True), her lesbian lover (Kathleen Robertson) and their shy gay friend (Nathan Bexton) plan on attending the wildest party of the year. But they'll only make it if they can survive the drug trips, suicides, trysts, rapes, mutilations and alien abductions that occur as one surreal day unfolds.More Nowhere- #139 of 185 onMovies With The Best Soundtracks
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29Ryan O'Neal, Burt Reynolds, Tatum O'NealIn the silent-film era, attorney Leo Harrigan (Ryan O'Neal) and gunslinger Buck Greenway (Burt Reynolds) are hired to stop an illegal film production. However, Leo and Buck soon team up with the filmmakers and become important players in the show business industry. Leo learns he has a talent for directing, and Buck's cowboy persona quickly earns him leading-man status -- but both men fall for beautiful starlet Kathleen Cooke (Jane Hitchcock), leading to a heated personal rivalry.
30Christopher Lloyd, Yasmine Bleeth, John RitterIt Came From the Sky, also known as Visiteurs impromptus, Les was a 1999 made-for-TV movie which was a comedy drama that starred Yasmine Bleeth, John Ritter, Christopher Lloyd and JoBeth Williams.
