Sort by Number of Votes - Most Rated Movies and TV Shows With Alexander Payne

1. Jurassic Park III (2001)

PG-13 | 92 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

A decidedly odd couple with ulterior motives convince Dr. Grant to go to Isla Sorna for a holiday, but their unexpected landing startles the island's new inhabitants.

Director: Joe Johnston | Stars: Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Téa Leoni, Alessandro Nivola

Votes: 341,227 | Gross: $181.17M

2. The Descendants (2011)

R | 115 min | Comedy, Drama

A land baron tries to reconnect with his two daughters after his wife is seriously injured in a boating accident.

Director: Alexander Payne | Stars: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller, Nick Krause

Votes: 251,905 | Gross: $82.58M

3. Sideways (2004)

R | 127 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Two men reaching middle age with not much to show but disappointment embark on a week-long road trip through California's wine country, just as one is about to take a trip down the aisle.

Director: Alexander Payne | Stars: Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, Sandra Oh

Votes: 204,420 | Gross: $71.50M

4. I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry (2007)

PG-13 | 115 min | Comedy, Romance

Two straight, single Brooklyn firefighters pretend to be a gay couple in order to receive domestic partner benefits.

Director: Dennis Dugan | Stars: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel, Dan Aykroyd

Votes: 154,167 | Gross: $120.06M

5. The Holdovers (2023)

R | 133 min | Comedy, Drama

A cranky history teacher at a prep school is forced to remain on campus over the holidays with a grieving cook and a troubled student who has no place to go.

Director: Alexander Payne | Stars: Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Dominic Sessa, Carrie Preston

Votes: 140,309

6. About Schmidt (2002)

R | 125 min | Drama

A recently retired man embarks on a journey to his estranged daughter's wedding, only to discover more about himself and life than he ever expected.

Director: Alexander Payne | Stars: Jack Nicholson, Hope Davis, Dermot Mulroney, Kathy Bates

Votes: 133,623 | Gross: $65.02M

7. Downsizing (2017)

R | 135 min | Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

A social satire in which a man realizes he would have a better life if he were to shrink himself to five inches tall, allowing him to live in wealth and splendor.

Director: Alexander Payne | Stars: Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau, Kristen Wiig

Votes: 124,700 | Gross: $24.45M

8. Nebraska (2013)

R | 115 min | Drama

An aging, booze-addled father makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim a million-dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize.

Director: Alexander Payne | Stars: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Bob Odenkirk

Votes: 123,579 | Gross: $17.65M

9. Election (1999)

R | 103 min | Comedy, Romance

A high school teacher meets his match in an over-achieving student politician.

Director: Alexander Payne | Stars: Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Loren Nelson, Chris Klein

Votes: 104,594 | Gross: $14.88M

10. Paris, I Love You (2006)

R | 120 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Through the neighborhoods of Paris, love is veiled, revealed, imitated, sucked dry, reinvented, and awakened.

Directors: Olivier Assayas, Frédéric Auburtin, Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Isabel Coixet, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Gérard Depardieu, Christopher Doyle, Richard LaGravenese, Vincenzo Natali, Alexander Payne, Bruno Podalydès, Walter Salles, Oliver Schmitz, Nobuhiro Suwa, Daniela Thomas, Tom Tykwer, Gus Van Sant | Stars: Juliette Binoche, Leonor Watling, Ludivine Sagnier, Fanny Ardant

Votes: 74,568 | Gross: $4.86M

11. I Heart Huckabees (2004)

R | 107 min | Comedy

A husband-and-wife team play detective, but not in the traditional sense. Instead, the happy duo helps others solve their existential issues, the kind that keep you up at night, wondering what it all means.

Director: David O. Russell | Stars: Jason Schwartzman, Jude Law, Naomi Watts, Mark Wahlberg

Votes: 66,288 | Gross: $12.78M

12. All Good Things (2010)

R | 101 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

David Marks, a real estate scion, is suspected of killing his wife Katie, who disappeared in 1982.

Director: Andrew Jarecki | Stars: Ryan Gosling, Kirsten Dunst, Frank Langella, Lily Rabe

Votes: 60,176 | Gross: $0.58M

13. The Visitor (I) (2007)

PG-13 | 104 min | Drama

A college professor travels to New York City to attend a conference and finds a young couple living in his apartment.

Director: Tom McCarthy | Stars: Richard Jenkins, Haaz Sleiman, Danai Gurira, Hiam Abbass

Votes: 44,537 | Gross: $9.42M

14. Cedar Rapids (2011)

R | 87 min | Comedy

Tim Lippe has no idea what he's in for when he's sent to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to represent his company at an annual insurance convention, where he soon finds himself under the "guidance" of three convention veterans.

Director: Miguel Arteta | Stars: Ed Helms, John C. Reilly, Anne Heche, Isiah Whitlock Jr.

Votes: 39,600 | Gross: $6.86M

15. The Colbert Report (2005–2014)

TV-14 | 30 min | Comedy, News, Talk-Show

Satirical newscaster Stephen Colbert provides humorous commentary on the big issues going on in the United States and the rest of the world, with his larger-than-life ego and overly-patriotic spirit along with him every step of the way.

Stars: Stephen Colbert, Jay Katsir, Jon Stewart, Paul Dinello

Votes: 39,175

16. The Savages (2007)

R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama

A sister and brother face the realities of familial responsibility as they begin to care for their ailing father.

Director: Tamara Jenkins | Stars: Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Philip Bosco, Peter Friedman

Votes: 38,642 | Gross: $6.61M

17. The Assassination of Richard Nixon (2004)

R | 95 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

Based on real life events, Assassination is set in 1974 and centers on a businessman who decides to take extreme measures to achieve his American dream.

Director: Niels Mueller | Stars: Sean Penn, Naomi Watts, Don Cheadle, Jack Thompson

Votes: 26,118 | Gross: $0.70M

18. King of California (2007)

PG-13 | 93 min | Comedy, Drama

An unstable dad who after getting out of a mental institution tries to convince his daughter that there's Spanish gold buried somewhere under suburbia.

Director: M. Cahill | Stars: Michael Douglas, Evan Rachel Wood, Willis Burks II, Laura Kachergus

Votes: 23,672 | Gross: $0.26M

19. Hung (2009–2011)

TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama

A former high school sports legend, turned middle-aged high school basketball coach, finds a way to benefit from his biggest asset.

Stars: Thomas Jane, Jane Adams, Charlie Saxton, Sianoa Smit-McPhee

Votes: 23,100

20. Private Life (2018)

R | 123 min | Comedy, Drama

An author is undergoing multiple fertility therapies to get pregnant, putting her relationship with her husband on edge.

Director: Tamara Jenkins | Stars: Kathryn Hahn, Paul Giamatti, Gabrielle Reid, Amy Russ

Votes: 22,179

21. A Good Person (2023)

R | 128 min | Drama

Follows Allison, whose life falls apart following her involvement in a fatal accident.

Director: Zach Braff | Stars: Florence Pugh, Morgan Freeman, Celeste O'Connor, Molly Shannon

Votes: 22,091

22. Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (2014)

Not Rated | 105 min | Drama

A jaded Japanese woman discovers a hidden copy of Fargo (1996) on VHS, believing it to be a treasure map indicating the location of a large case of money.

Director: David Zellner | Stars: Rinko Kikuchi, Nobuyuki Katsube, Kanako Higashi, Ichi Ômiya

Votes: 12,428 | Gross: $0.62M

23. Citizen Ruth (1996)

R | 106 min | Comedy, Drama

An irresponsible, drug-addicted, recently impregnated woman finds herself in the middle of an abortion debate when both parties attempt to sway her to their respective sides.

Director: Alexander Payne | Stars: Laura Dern, Swoosie Kurtz, Mary Kay Place, Kurtwood Smith

Votes: 9,124 | Gross: $0.15M

24. Above Suspicion (2019)

R | 104 min | Action, Biography, Crime

The true-crime story leading to the first-ever conviction of an F.B.I. Agent for murder.

Director: Phillip Noyce | Stars: Emilia Clarke, Jack Huston, Sophie Lowe, Johnny Knoxville

Votes: 8,645

25. Gray Matters (I) (2006)

PG-13 | 96 min | Comedy, Romance

Gray and Sam are brother and sister, best friends, and flatmates in New York City, where she creates ad campaigns and he's a surgery intern. Their social life is too insular, so they head ... See full summary »

Director: Sue Kramer | Stars: Heather Graham, Tom Cavanagh, Bridget Moynahan, Molly Shannon

Votes: 7,342 | Gross: $0.06M

26. Crash Pad (I) (2017)

R | 91 min | Comedy

A hopeless romantic who thinks he's found true love with an older woman learns that she's married and that the fling is merely an instrument of revenge against her neglectful husband.

Director: Kevin Tent | Stars: Domhnall Gleeson, Christina Applegate, Sunita Prasad, Balinder Johal

Votes: 5,646

27. The Last Shift (2020)

R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama

Stanley's last shift at his fast food job takes an unexpected turn when he befriends a young African-American work employee.

Director: Andrew Cohn | Stars: Richard Jenkins, Shane Paul McGhie, Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Ed O'Neill

Votes: 4,208

28. The Oscars (2014 TV Special)

TV-14 | 175 min | Comedy, Music, Reality-TV

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences celebrates the previous year's (2013) achievements in film.

Director: Hamish Hamilton | Stars: Ellen DeGeneres, Anne Hathaway, Barkhad Abdi, Bradley Cooper

Votes: 4,133

29. Committed (I) (2000)

R | 98 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

A young woman goes in search of her midlife crisis suffering husband who left her.

Director: Lisa Krueger | Stars: Heather Graham, Casey Affleck, Luke Wilson, Goran Visnjic

Votes: 4,045 | Gross: $0.04M

30. The Cutting Edge: The Magic of Movie Editing (2004)

TV-PG | 98 min | Documentary, History

Documentary about the art of film editing. Clips are shown from many groundbreaking films with innovative editing styles.

Director: Wendy Apple | Stars: Kathy Bates, Zach Staenberg, Jodie Foster, Michael Tronick

Votes: 3,198

31. Humboldt County (2008)

R | 97 min | Comedy, Drama

A disillusioned medical student is stranded for a summer in a remote community of counterculture pot farmers, the last place in the world he imagined he would discover himself.

Directors: Darren Grodsky, Danny Jacobs | Stars: Jeremy Strong, Fairuza Balk, Peter Bogdanovich, Vicky Monroe

Votes: 2,810 | Gross: $0.08M

32. The 84th Annual Academy Awards (2012 TV Special)

TV-14 | 157 min | Comedy

Annual awards presentation honoring the best film achievements of 2011.

Directors: Don Mischer, Kabir Akhtar, Archie Gips, Christopher Guest, Henry Hobson, Troy Miller | Stars: Emma Stone, Tom Cruise, Adam Sandler, Brad Pitt

Votes: 1,973

33. Z Channel: A Magnificent Obsession (2004 TV Movie)

R | 122 min | Documentary, Biography, History

The story of Z Channel, one of the first U.S. pay cable stations and its programming chief, Jerry Harvey. Debuting in 1974 in LA, their eclectic slate of movies became a prime example of the untapped power of cable television.

Director: Xan Cassavetes | Stars: Jerry Harvey, Chuck Ross, Timothy Ryerson, Bob Strock

Votes: 1,698

34. The Motel (2005)

Not Rated | 75 min | Comedy, Drama

Thirteen-year-old Ernest Chin lives and works at a sleazy hourly-rate motel on a strip of desolate suburban bi-way. Misunderstood by his family and blindly careening into puberty, Ernest ... See full summary »

Director: Michael Kang | Stars: Jeffrey Chyau, Sung Kang, Jade Wu, Samantha Futerman

Votes: 1,426 | Gross: $0.05M

35. Hollywood Insider (2018– )

Talk-Show

A show focused on substance and meaningful entertainment while staying away from gossip and scandal.

Stars: Pritan Ambroase, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Holland, Margot Robbie

Votes: 1,412

36. The Oscars (2024 TV Special)

TV-14 | 157 min | Music

The 96th Academy Awards, held on March 10th, 2024 from the Dolby Threatre in Hollywood and hosted by comedian Jimmy Kimmel for the fourth time. The cultural phenomenon of "Barbenheimer" in six different categories is a recurring theme.

Directors: Hamish Hamilton, Andy Fisher | Stars: Zendaya, Anya Taylor-Joy, Ryan Gosling, Josh Hartnett

Votes: 1,365

37. The 77th Annual Academy Awards (2005 TV Special)

194 min | Music

Films nominated for the annual awards include The Aviator (2004), Finding Neverland (2004), Million Dollar Baby (2004), Ray (2004) and Sideways (2004).

Directors: Louis J. Horvitz, Roger Goodman | Stars: Chris Rock, Andrew Adamson, Alan Alda, Jo Allen

Votes: 1,198

38. Charlie Rose (1991–2017)

60 min | News, Talk-Show

Charlie Rose interviews noteworthy people in fields including politics and government, business and economics, science and technology, media, sports and the arts.

Stars: Charlie Rose, Mark Halperin, Al Hunt, Thomas Friedman

Votes: 1,166

39. Under the Eiffel Tower (2018)

Not Rated | 87 min | Comedy, Romance

Stuart is a having a mid-life crisis. Desperate for something more in life, he tags along on his best friend's family vacation to Paris - then proposes to his friend's 26-year-old daughter, Rosalind, while standing under the Eiffel Tower.

Director: Archie Borders | Stars: Matt Walsh, Judith Godrèche, Reid Scott, Michaela Watkins

Votes: 1,128 | Gross: $0.01M

40. Trespassing Bergman (2013)

107 min | Documentary

A group of filmmakers visit Ingmar Bergman's house on the remote Swedish island of Faro to discuss his legacy.

Directors: Jane Magnusson, Hynek Pallas | Stars: Tomas Alfredson, Woody Allen, Wes Anderson, Harriet Andersson

Votes: 979

41. 71st Golden Globe Awards (2014 TV Special)

News

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association's 71 annual event honoring excellence in film and television.

Director: Louis J. Horvitz | Stars: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Jennifer Lawrence, Jacqueline Bisset

Votes: 940

42. The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2012 TV Special)

180 min | News

The annual Golden Globe Awards hosted by Ricky Gervais.

Director: Louis J. Horvitz | Stars: Emma Stone, Emily Blunt, Jake Gyllenhaal, Leonardo DiCaprio

Votes: 766

43. Hal (2018)

90 min | Documentary, Biography

Hal Ashby's obsessive genius led to an unprecedented string of Oscar®-winning classics, including Harold and Maude (1971), Shampoo and Being There. But as contemporaries Francis Ford Coppola... See full summary »

Director: Amy Scott | Stars: Hal Ashby, Norman Jewison, Haskell Wexler, Louis Gossett Jr.

Votes: 681 | Gross: $0.05M

44. Hung (2009–2011)
Episode: Pilot (2009)

TV-MA | 43 min | Comedy, Drama

Years ago, as a student at Detroit's West Lakefield High School, Ray Drecker was athletic, popular and destined for success. Today, as a West Lakefield teacher and coach of the varsity ... See full summary »

Director: Alexander Payne | Stars: Thomas Jane, Jane Adams, Eddie Jemison, Charlie Saxton

Votes: 561

45. The 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards 2005 (2005 TV Special)

Golden Globe Award - American award awarded by the Hollywood association of the foreign press from 1944 for works in movies and television's pictures.

Director: Chris Donovan | Stars: Natalie Portman, Leonardo DiCaprio, Hilary Swank, Alejandro Amenábar

Votes: 483

46. Hung (2009–2011)
Episode: Great Sausage or Can I Call You Dick? (2009)

TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama

Marketing Ray as a high-end "happiness consultant," Tanya tracks down former law-firm colleague Lenore, who agrees to take Ray for a test ride in exchange for the names and numbers of ... See full summary »

Director: Craig Zisk | Stars: Thomas Jane, Jane Adams, Eddie Jemison, Charlie Saxton

Votes: 453

47. Made in Hollywood (2005– )

TV-PG | 60 min | Talk-Show

"Made In Hollywood" provides an inside look at the new movie and DVD releases, bringing superstar talent and Hollywood magic to you.

Stars: Kylie Erica Mar, Julie L. Harkness, Patrick Stinson, Rahsan-Rahsan Lindsay

Votes: 444

48. Small Town Wisconsin (2020)

109 min | Comedy, Drama

A father tries hard to be a good dad but alcoholism is the huge deterrant.

Director: Niels Mueller | Stars: David Sullivan, Bill Heck, Kristen Johnston, Cooper J. Friedman

Votes: 438

49. Hung (2009–2011)
Episode: Strange Friends or the Truth Is, You're Sexy (2009)

TV-MA | 29 min | Comedy, Drama

Ray's fortunes, at low ebb after the Lenore debacle, sink further when his nosy neighbor Howard Koontz accuses him of public indecency. Fed up with Jessica's meddling, Damon and Darby yearn... See full summary »

Director: Scott Ellis | Stars: Thomas Jane, Jane Adams, Eddie Jemison, Charlie Saxton

Votes: 431

50. Hung (2009–2011)
Episode: The Pickle Jar (2009)

TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama

West Lakefield students choose "Coach Ray" to be the recipient of their fall fundraising efforts, but Ray sees their pickle-jar donation as an embarrassing metaphor for his downward spiral.... See full summary »

Director: David Petrarca | Stars: Thomas Jane, Jane Adams, Eddie Jemison, Charlie Saxton

Votes: 429