Prepare For Tears With ‘Matchmaker’
Any doubts the rerun season is alive and well will be put to rest Sunday.
While NBC has the Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz in Game 4 of the NBA finals at 4:30, ABC and CBS have reached into their vaults to recycle two mediocre TV movies.
ABC has “Without Consent” (1994) Sunday at 9 in which a high school senior (Jennie Garth) is committed to a psychiatric facility where the staff and doctors are on the take.
You remember this movie. It’s the one where Jill Eikenberry (“L.A. Law”) plays a cold, unfeeling mom. Wasn’t that her role on “Law”?
The hospital where Laura Mills (Garth) is put away has been overcharging insurance companies and booting out sick kids due to lack of insurance for years.
Mills blows the whistle on the corruption in this by-the-numbers drama in which all professionals are the villains and teenagers know best. Don’t even bother to get consent to see this soap opera.
You’ll need lots of tissues for CBS’ “Our Son, the Matchmaker” (1996) Sunday at 9. The waterworks turn on quickly in this feel-good, fact-based drama about a beauty-shop owner’s search for the son (Drew Ebersole) she gave up for adoption 28 years ago.
This story begins with the shop owner, Julie Longwell (Ann Jillian), discovering her son is searching for her. Before you can say flashback, this movie is bouncing between the past and the present, detailing why the child was given up.
In the process of remembering her life and finding her son, Longwell is (can you guess?) reunited with her former lover (David Andrews).
As reruns go, this one isn’t so bad.
Highlights
“Spy Game,” ABC tonight at 10: Back for another run is this spy spoof. Dana Delany appears as an ex-spy who supplies many of the laughs as her character helps Lorne (Linden Ashby) and Max (Allison Smith) find a doomsday device.
“King of the Hill,” FOX Sunday at 8:30: Chuck Mangione lends his voice to this half-hour in which Hank attempts to play Cupid.
“The X-Files,” FOX Sunday at 9: Concluding Part 2 gets off to a fast pace as Mulder tries to bring Jeremiah Smith (Roy Thinnes) to his mother’s bedside. As usual, this series delivers psychological thrills. Repeat.
Parents’ Pick
“Jack Hanna’s Wildlife Adventures: Africa’s Heavyweights,” FAM tonight at 7: Gorillas, elephants, giraffes and hippos, oh my! These big animals star in this fast-paced African adventure featuring wild-animal expert Jack Hanna.
Hanna travels across the continent, where he finds the animal heavyweights at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro.
“Muppet Treasure Island” (1996), DISN Sunday at 7: Gather the family for this comedic update of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic. The movie overflows with waves of humor, some even aimed at adults.
There’s singing, dancing and high-seas adventure. It’s just the kind of stuff kids thrive on.
It’s hard to resist all this Muppet fun, especially when Tim Curry is thrown into the mix as Long John Silver.
Cable Calls
“Independence Day” (1994), HBO tonight at 8: This action movie is strictly for either special-effects fans or folks who like to watch mass destruction.
The visuals, which include the flattening of the White House, far outweigh the paper-thin plot about aliens trying to take over Earth. Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman star.
“Hockey,” ESPN tonight at 5: The Flyers and Red Wings meet in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup finals.
“Amnesia” (1996), TMC tonight at 9 (unavailable for review): The unknown entity is this comedy about a love triangle gone haywire.
Nicholas Walker plays a pastor who wants to leave his wife (Ally Sheedy). But a bump on the head changes all that. Sounds like a movie you can easily forget.
“Perversions of Science,” HBO tonight at 10:30: The pay cable channel introduces a new series from the creators of “Tales from the Crypt.” William Shatner directs and stars in the first of three back-to-back episodes.
“Pronto” (1997), SHO Sunday at 8: Elmore Leonard’s best seller has been turned into a fast-paced caper with Peter Falk laying on the camp as Harry Arno, a sports bookie on the lam.
The cast of characters includes Glenne Headly as an ex-stripper, James LeGros as a Stetson-clad U.S. marshal, and some not-too-bright mobsters. They keep things interesting as they track Arno in Italy.
“Weddings of a Lifetime Album,” LIF Sunday at 8: Seven couples who tied the knot on this show reminisce about the magical moment. Also included are wedding-planning tips from the editor in chief of Bride’s magazine.
Movie Marquee
“Clean Slate” (1994), NBC tonight at 9: This slapstick comedy was devised in hopes of cashing in on the success of “Groundhog Day” (1993).
It’s a poor copy as Dana Carvey portrays a detective about to testify against a mob figure.