Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows With Sean Penn

1. Curb Your Enthusiasm (2000–2024)

TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy

Larry David stars as an over-the-top version of himself in this comedy series that shows how seemingly trivial details of day-to-day life can precipitate a catastrophic chain of events.

Stars: Larry David, Cheryl Hines, Jeff Garlin, Susie Essman

Votes: 146,565

2. Friends (1994–2004)

TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy, Romance

Follows the personal and professional lives of six twenty to thirty year-old friends living in the Manhattan borough of New York City.

Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc

Votes: 1,086,641

3. Family Guy (1999– )

TV-MA | 22 min | Animation, Comedy

In a wacky Rhode Island town, a dysfunctional family strives to cope with everyday life as they are thrown from one crazy scenario to another.

Stars: Alex Borstein, Seth MacFarlane, Seth Green, Mila Kunis

Votes: 363,702

4. Two and a Half Men (2003–2015)

TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy, Romance

A hedonistic jingle writer's free-wheeling life comes to an abrupt halt when his brother and 10-year-old nephew move into his beach-front house.

Stars: Jon Cryer, Ashton Kutcher, Angus T. Jones, Conchata Ferrell

Votes: 280,298

5. Little House on the Prairie (1974–1983)

TV-PG | 60 min | Drama, Family, Romance

The life and adventures of the Ingalls family in the nineteenth century American Midwest.

Stars: Melissa Gilbert, Michael Landon, Karen Grassle, Rachel Lindsay Greenbush

Votes: 26,809

6. Saturday Night Live (1975– )

TV-14 | 90 min | Comedy, Music

A famous guest host stars in parodies and sketches created by the cast of this witty show.

Stars: The Saturday Night Live Band, Don Pardo, Darrell Hammond, Kenan Thompson

Votes: 52,642

7. Death Proof (2007)

R | 127 min | Action, Thriller

Two separate sets of voluptuous women are stalked at different times by a scarred stuntman who uses his "death proof" cars to execute his murderous plans.

Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: Kurt Russell, Zoë Bell, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito

Votes: 313,514

8. Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982)

R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama

A group of Southern California high school students are enjoying their most important subjects: sex, drugs and rock n' roll.

Director: Amy Heckerling | Stars: Sean Penn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Judge Reinhold, Robert Romanus

Votes: 115,619 | Gross: $27.09M

9. Into the Wild (2007)

R | 148 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama

After graduating from Emory University, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless abandons his possessions, gives his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhikes to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.

Director: Sean Penn | Stars: Emile Hirsch, Vince Vaughn, Catherine Keener, Marcia Gay Harden

Votes: 657,531 | Gross: $18.35M

10. Untitled Paul Thomas Anderson Event Film (2025)

Crime, Drama, Thriller | Filming

Plot under wraps

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Wood Harris, Regina Hall

11. The Game (1997)

R | 129 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller

After a wealthy San Francisco banker is given an opportunity to participate in a mysterious game, his life is turned upside down as he begins to question if it might really be a concealed conspiracy to destroy him.

Director: David Fincher | Stars: Michael Douglas, Deborah Kara Unger, Sean Penn, James Rebhorn

Votes: 428,688 | Gross: $48.32M

12. Mystic River (2003)

R | 138 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

The tragic murder of a 19-year-old girl reunites three childhood friends still living in Boston--the victim's gangster father, a detective, and the disturbed man they both suspect of killing her.

Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Emmy Rossum

Votes: 485,463 | Gross: $90.14M

13. Asphalt City (2023)

R | 125 min | Drama, Thriller

Ollie Cross is a young paramedic assigned to the NYC night shift with an uncompromising and seasoned partner Gene Rutkovsky. Each 911 call is often dangerous and uncertain, putting their lives on the line every day to help others.

Director: Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire | Stars: Sean Penn, Tye Sheridan, Gbenga Akinnagbe, Michael Pitt

Votes: 637

14. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)

PG | 114 min | Adventure, Comedy, Drama

When both he and a colleague are about to lose their job, Walter takes action by embarking on an adventure more extraordinary than anything he ever imagined.

Director: Ben Stiller | Stars: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, Jon Daly, Kathryn Hahn

Votes: 340,557 | Gross: $58.24M

15. The Thin Red Line (1998)

R | 170 min | Drama, History, War

Adaptation of James Jones' autobiographical 1962 novel, focusing on the conflict at Guadalcanal during the second World War.

Director: Terrence Malick | Stars: Jim Caviezel, Sean Penn, Nick Nolte, Kirk Acevedo

Votes: 199,418 | Gross: $36.40M

16. Licorice Pizza (2021)

R | 133 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

The story of Alana Kane and Gary Valentine growing up, running around and going through the treacherous navigation of first love in the San Fernando Valley, 1973.

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson | Stars: Alana Haim, Cooper Hoffman, Sean Penn, Tom Waits

Votes: 140,068

17. Carlito's Way (1993)

R | 144 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

A Puerto Rican former convict, just released from prison, pledges to stay away from drugs and violence despite the pressure around him and lead on to a better life outside of N.Y.C.

Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Al Pacino, Sean Penn, Penelope Ann Miller, John Leguizamo

Votes: 232,171 | Gross: $36.95M

18. Being John Malkovich (1999)

R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy

A puppeteer discovers a portal that leads literally into the head of movie star John Malkovich.

Director: Spike Jonze | Stars: John Cusack, Cameron Diaz, Catherine Keener, John Malkovich

Votes: 353,146 | Gross: $22.86M

19. The Tree of Life (2011)

PG-13 | 139 min | Drama, Fantasy

The story of a family in Waco, Texas in 1956. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence and struggles with his parents' conflicting teachings.

Director: Terrence Malick | Stars: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken

Votes: 184,006 | Gross: $13.30M

20. Risky Business (1983)

R | 99 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

A Chicago teenager is looking for fun at home while his parents are away, but the situation quickly gets out of hand.

Director: Paul Brickman | Stars: Tom Cruise, Rebecca De Mornay, Joe Pantoliano, Richard Masur

Votes: 99,709 | Gross: $63.50M

21. Babel (I) (2006)

R | 143 min | Drama

Tragedy strikes a married couple on vacation in the Moroccan desert, which jump starts an interlocking story involving four different families.

Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Stars: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Gael García Bernal, Mohamed Akhzam

Votes: 316,989 | Gross: $34.30M

22. I Am Sam (2001)

PG-13 | 132 min | Drama

An intellectually disabled man fights for custody of his 7-year-old daughter and in the process teaches his cold-hearted lawyer the value of love and family.

Director: Jessie Nelson | Stars: Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dakota Fanning, Dianne Wiest

Votes: 155,221 | Gross: $40.31M

23. The Angry Birds Movie (2016)

PG | 97 min | Animation, Action, Adventure

When an island populated by happy, flightless birds is visited by mysterious green pigs, it's up to three unlikely outcasts to figure out what the pigs are up to.

Directors: Clay Kaytis, Fergal Reilly | Stars: Jason Sudeikis, Josh Gad, Danny McBride, Maya Rudolph

Votes: 103,650 | Gross: $107.51M

24. Barnaby Jones (1973–1980)

60 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

Private eye Barnaby Jones works with his widowed daughter-in-law to solve cases.

Stars: Buddy Ebsen, Lee Meriwether, Mark Shera, John Carter

Votes: 3,134

25. The Pledge (I) (2001)

R | 124 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A retiring police detective pledges to catch the killer of a young child.

Director: Sean Penn | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Clarkson, Beau Daniels

Votes: 67,623 | Gross: $19.72M

26. The Professor and the Madman (2019)

Not Rated | 124 min | Biography, Drama, History

Professor James Murray begins work compiling words for the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary in the 19th century, and receives over 10,000 entries from a patient at Broadmoor Criminal Lunatic Asylum, Dr. William Minor.

Director: Farhad Safinia | Stars: Mel Gibson, Sean Penn, Eddie Marsan, Natalie Dormer

Votes: 50,946

27. Daddio (2023)

R | 101 min | Drama

A woman taking a cab ride from JFK engages in a conversation with the taxi driver about the important relationships in their lives.

Director: Christy Hall | Stars: Dakota Johnson, Sean Penn, Marcos A. Gonzalez, Shannon Gannon

Votes: 137

28. The View (1997– )

TV-PG | 60 min | Talk-Show

Five women with very different outlooks on politics, Hollywood and it's stars, and current events discuss these and other divisive topics of the day. Originated by Barbara Walters and currently (2021) led by longtime host, Whoopi Goldberg.

Stars: Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Virginia Hamilton, Sunny Hostin

Votes: 9,432

29. Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

PG | 101 min | Adventure, Drama, Family

Yearning for escape and adventure, a young boy runs away from home and sails to an island filled with creatures that take him in as their king.

Director: Spike Jonze | Stars: Max Records, Catherine O'Hara, Forest Whitaker, Pepita Emmerichs

Votes: 108,476 | Gross: $77.23M

30. Gaslit (2022)

TV-MA | 60 min | Biography, Drama, History

A modern take on the 1970s political Watergate scandal centering on untold stories and forgotten characters of the time.

Stars: Julia Roberts, Sean Penn, Dan Stevens, Betty Gilpin

Votes: 7,599

31. 21 Grams (2003)

R | 124 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

A freak accident brings together a critically ill mathematician, a grieving mother, and a born-again ex-con.

Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu | Stars: Sean Penn, Benicio Del Toro, Naomi Watts, Danny Huston

Votes: 245,743 | Gross: $16.29M

32. The Daily Show (1996– )

TV-14 | 22 min | Comedy, News, Talk-Show

A comedy news show featuring humorous takes on top stories.

Stars: Jon Stewart, Trevor Noah, Stephen Colbert, Roy Wood Jr.

Votes: 48,167

33. U Turn (1997)

R | 125 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

A man heading to Vegas to pay off his gambling debt before the Russian mafia kills him is forced to stop in an Arizona town where everything that can go wrong does go wrong.

Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Sean Penn, Jennifer Lopez, Nick Nolte, Billy Bob Thornton

Votes: 54,734 | Gross: $6.63M

34. Gangster Squad (2013)

R | 113 min | Action, Crime, Drama

It's 1949 Los Angeles, the city is run by gangsters and a malicious mobster, Mickey Cohen. Determined to end the corruption, John O'Mara assembles a team of cops, ready to take down the ruthless leader and restore peace to the city.

Director: Ruben Fleischer | Stars: Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Giovanni Ribisi

Votes: 222,645 | Gross: $46.00M

35. C*A*U*G*H*T (2023– )

Comedy

Four Australian soldiers sent on a mission to a war-torn country are captured by freedom fighters and produce a hostage video that goes viral.

Stars: Ben O'Toole, Kick Gurry, Lincoln Younes, Alexander England

Votes: 614

36. On the Road (2012)

R | 124 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance

Young writer Sal Paradise has his life shaken by the arrival of free-spirited Dean Moriarty and his girl, Marylou. As they travel across the country, they encounter a mix of people who each impact their journey indelibly.

Director: Walter Salles | Stars: Sam Riley, Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart, Amy Adams

Votes: 43,281 | Gross: $0.72M

37. Taps (I) (1981)

PG | 126 min | Drama

Military cadets take extreme measures to ensure the future of their academy when its existence is threatened by local condo developers.

Director: Harold Becker | Stars: George C. Scott, Timothy Hutton, Ronny Cox, Sean Penn

Votes: 20,076 | Gross: $35.86M

38. The Larry Sanders Show (1992–1998)

TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy

A comedic behind the scenes look at a late night talk show.

Stars: Garry Shandling, Jeffrey Tambor, Wallace Langham, Rip Torn

Votes: 9,373

39. Dead Man Walking (1995)

R | 122 min | Crime, Drama

A nun, while comforting a convicted killer on death row, empathizes with both the killer and his victim's families.

Director: Tim Robbins | Stars: Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Robert Prosky, Raymond J. Barry

Votes: 101,685 | Gross: $39.39M

40. All the King's Men (2006)

PG-13 | 128 min | Drama, Thriller

Based on the Robert Penn Warren novel. The life of populist Southerner Willie Stark, a political creature loosely based on Governor Huey Long of Louisiana.

Director: Steven Zaillian | Stars: Sean Penn, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Anthony Hopkins

Votes: 25,562 | Gross: $7.22M

41. Milk (I) (2008)

R | 128 min | Biography, Drama, History

The story of American gay activist Harvey Milk, who fought for gay rights and was elected as California's first openly gay official.

Director: Gus Van Sant | Stars: Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, Diego Luna

Votes: 179,770 | Gross: $31.84M

42. Real Time with Bill Maher (2003– )

TV-MA | 60 min | Comedy, News, Talk-Show

Comedian and political satirist Bill Maher discusses topical events with guests from various backgrounds.

Stars: Bill Maher, Andrew Sullivan, Michael Moore, Arianna Huffington

Votes: 14,326

43. Persepolis (2007)

PG-13 | 96 min | Animation, Biography, Drama

A precocious and outspoken Iranian girl grows up during the Islamic Revolution.

Directors: Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi | Stars: Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Gena Rowlands, Danielle Darrieux

Votes: 100,094 | Gross: $4.45M

44. Colors (1988)

R | 120 min | Action, Crime, Drama

An experienced cop and his rookie partner patrol the streets of East Los Angeles while trying to keep the gang violence under control.

Director: Dennis Hopper | Stars: Sean Penn, Robert Duvall, Maria Conchita Alonso, Randy Brooks

Votes: 29,788 | Gross: $46.62M

45. At Close Range (1986)

R | 111 min | Crime, Drama

Reunited with his career criminal father, tough teen Brad thinks he's found his ticket to an exciting life of crime, only to find out he's wrong.

Director: James Foley | Stars: Sean Penn, Christopher Walken, Mary Stuart Masterson, Chris Penn

Votes: 17,709 | Gross: $2.35M

46. Casualties of War (1989)

R | 113 min | Action, Crime, Drama

During the Vietnam War, a soldier finds himself the outsider of his own squad when they unnecessarily kidnap a female villager.

Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Michael J. Fox, Sean Penn, Don Harvey, John C. Reilly

Votes: 48,088 | Gross: $18.67M

47. State of Grace (1990)

R | 134 min | Action, Crime, Drama

A New York cop is recruited to return to his hometown and infiltrate the mob ran by his best friend's brother.

Director: Phil Joanou | Stars: Sean Penn, Ed Harris, Gary Oldman, Robin Wright

Votes: 24,747 | Gross: $1.91M

48. The Graham Norton Show (2007– )

TV-14 | 60 min | Comedy, Music, Talk-Show

Irish comedian Graham Norton hosts his very own chat show, which includes chatting to A-list celebrities, the very famous Red Chair game, live music, lots of jokes and fun from Graham and the celebrities themselves.

Stars: Graham Norton, Ricky Gervais, Judi Dench, Jack Whitehall

Votes: 13,171

49. Bad Boys (1983)

R | 123 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

Chicago crime kid Mick O'Brien is sent to reform school after accidentally killing a rival's kid brother.

Director: Rick Rosenthal | Stars: Sean Penn, Reni Santoni, Jim Moody, Eric Gurry

Votes: 17,036 | Gross: $9.20M

50. The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014– )

TV-14 | 60 min | Comedy, Music, Talk-Show

Jimmy Fallon hosts the Tonight Show and interviews celebrities, plays games with them and has a musical or comedic guest perform.

Stars: Jimmy Fallon, The Roots, Steve Higgins, Questlove

Votes: 19,010