Top 45 Thomas Newman Scored Films

by brusty1 | created - 15 Dec 2016 | updated - 10 Jan 2020 | Public

I've seen 60 of his films in total. The rating are for the films as a whole, not just the scores. These are my 45 favorites in order.

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1. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

R | 142 min | Drama

82 Metascore

Over the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.

Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Tim Robbins, Morgan Freeman, Bob Gunton, William Sadler

Votes: 2,887,854 | Gross: $28.34M

2. American Beauty (1999)

R | 122 min | Drama

84 Metascore

A sexually frustrated suburban father has a mid-life crisis after becoming infatuated with his daughter's best friend.

Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Annette Bening, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley

Votes: 1,210,729 | Gross: $130.10M

3. WALL·E (2008)

G | 98 min | Animation, Adventure, Family

95 Metascore

In the distant future, a small waste-collecting robot inadvertently embarks on a space journey that will ultimately decide the fate of mankind.

Director: Andrew Stanton | Stars: Ben Burtt, Elissa Knight, Jeff Garlin, Fred Willard

Votes: 1,200,126 | Gross: $223.81M

4. The Player (1992)

R | 124 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

86 Metascore

A Hollywood studio executive is being sent death threats by a writer whose script he rejected, but which one?

Director: Robert Altman | Stars: Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Whoopi Goldberg

Votes: 65,771 | Gross: $21.71M

5. Real Genius (1985)

PG | 108 min | Comedy, Romance, Sci-Fi

71 Metascore

An uptight teenage prodigy enters a top engineering college, but feels awkward among the freewheeling students. When a professor aims to turn their laser project into a military weapon, he and his offbeat roommate plot to ruin the plan.

Director: Martha Coolidge | Stars: Val Kilmer, Stacy Peralta, Daniel Ades, Andres Aybar

Votes: 37,739 | Gross: $13.00M

6. Less Than Zero (1987)

R | 98 min | Crime, Drama

48 Metascore

A college freshman returns to L.A. for the holidays at his ex-girlfriend's request, but discovers that his former best friend has an out-of-control drug habit.

Director: Marek Kanievska | Stars: Andrew McCarthy, Jami Gertz, Robert Downey Jr., James Spader

Votes: 22,116 | Gross: $12.40M

7. Gung Ho (1986)

PG-13 | 111 min | Comedy, Drama

48 Metascore

When a Japanese automobile company buys an American plant, the American liaison must mediate the clash of work attitudes between the foreign management and native labor.

Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Michael Keaton, Gedde Watanabe, George Wendt, Mimi Rogers

Votes: 13,934 | Gross: $36.61M

8. The People vs. Larry Flynt (1996)

R | 130 min | Biography, Drama

79 Metascore

The story of controversial pornography publisher Larry Flynt, and how he became a defender of free speech.

Director: Milos Forman | Stars: Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton, Brett Harrelson

Votes: 100,713 | Gross: $20.19M

9. Revenge of the Nerds (1984)

R | 90 min | Comedy

44 Metascore

At Adams College, a group of bullied outcasts and misfits resolve to fight back for their peace and self-respect.

Director: Jeff Kanew | Stars: Robert Carradine, Anthony Edwards, Timothy Busfield, Andrew Cassese

Votes: 58,362 | Gross: $40.90M

10. 1917 (2019)

R | 119 min | Action, Drama, History

78 Metascore

April 6th, 1917. As an infantry battalion assembles to wage war deep in enemy territory, two soldiers are assigned to race against time and deliver a message that will stop 1,600 men from walking straight into a deadly trap.

Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays, Colin Firth

Votes: 675,290 | Gross: $159.23M

11. Skyfall (2012)

PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

81 Metascore

James Bond's loyalty to M is tested when her past comes back to haunt her. When MI6 comes under attack, 007 must track down and destroy the threat, no matter how personal the cost.

Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Naomie Harris, Judi Dench

Votes: 730,987 | Gross: $304.36M

12. In the Bedroom (2001)

R | 131 min | Crime, Drama

86 Metascore

A New England couple's college-aged son dates an older woman who has two small children and an unwelcome ex-husband.

Director: Todd Field | Stars: Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek, Nick Stahl, Marisa Tomei

Votes: 42,421 | Gross: $35.93M

13. Little Children (2006)

R | 137 min | Drama, Romance

75 Metascore

The lives of two lovelorn spouses from separate marriages, a registered sex offender, and a disgraced ex-police officer intersect as they struggle to resist their vulnerabilities and temptations in suburban Massachusetts.

Director: Todd Field | Stars: Kate Winslet, Jennifer Connelly, Patrick Wilson, Jackie Earle Haley

Votes: 116,733 | Gross: $5.46M

14. Towelhead (2007)

R | 124 min | Drama

57 Metascore

A young Arab-American girl struggles with her sexual obsession, a bigoted Army reservist and her strict father during the Gulf War.

Director: Alan Ball | Stars: Summer Bishil, Aaron Eckhart, Peter Macdissi, Chris Messina

Votes: 12,052 | Gross: $0.37M

15. Erin Brockovich (2000)

R | 131 min | Biography, Drama

73 Metascore

An unemployed single mother becomes a legal assistant and almost single-handedly brings down a California power company accused of polluting a city's water supply.

Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, David Brisbin, Dawn Didawick

Votes: 221,200 | Gross: $125.60M

16. The Green Mile (1999)

R | 189 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy

61 Metascore

A tale set on death row, where gentle giant John Coffey possesses the mysterious power to heal people's ailments. When the lead guard, Paul Edgecombe, recognizes John's gift, he tries to help stave off the condemned man's execution.

Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse, Bonnie Hunt

Votes: 1,406,892 | Gross: $136.80M

17. Road to Perdition (2002)

R | 117 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller

72 Metascore

A mob enforcer's son in 1930s Illinois witnesses a murder, forcing him and his father to take to the road, and his father down a path of redemption and revenge.

Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Tom Hanks, Tyler Hoechlin, Paul Newman

Votes: 284,473 | Gross: $104.45M

18. The Help (2011)

PG-13 | 146 min | Drama

62 Metascore

An aspiring author during the civil rights movement of the 1960s decides to write a book detailing the African American maids' point of view on the white families for which they work, and the hardships they go through on a daily basis.

Director: Tate Taylor | Stars: Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard

Votes: 492,686 | Gross: $169.71M

19. Pay It Forward (2000)

PG-13 | 123 min | Drama

40 Metascore

A young boy attempts to make the world a better place after his teacher gives him that chance.

Director: Mimi Leder | Stars: Kevin Spacey, Haley Joel Osment, Helen Hunt, Jay Mohr

Votes: 123,876 | Gross: $33.52M

20. Welcome Home, Roxy Carmichael (1990)

PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Drama

44 Metascore

A small town prepares for the homecoming of superstar Roxy Carmichael, as does a young outsider, who believes Roxy is her mother.

Director: Jim Abrahams | Stars: Winona Ryder, Jeff Daniels, Laila Robins, Thomas Wilson Brown

Votes: 5,933 | Gross: $3.99M

21. Brothers (I) (2009)

R | 105 min | Drama, Thriller, War

58 Metascore

While on tour in Afghanistan, Sam's helicopter is shot down and he is presumed dead. Back home, it is his screw-up brother who looks after the family. Sam does return, but with a lot of excess baggage.

Director: Jim Sheridan | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Natalie Portman, Tobey Maguire, Sam Shepard

Votes: 146,652 | Gross: $28.50M

22. Fried Green Tomatoes (1991)

PG-13 | 130 min | Drama

64 Metascore

Evelyn, an ordinary housewife, visits a nursing home and befriends the old lady Ninny. Together, they bond over stories from the past about two intrepid women of Whistle Stop Cafe.

Director: Jon Avnet | Stars: Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary-Louise Parker

Votes: 83,539 | Gross: $82.42M

23. Revolutionary Road (2008)

R | 119 min | Drama, Romance

69 Metascore

A young couple living in a Connecticut suburb during the mid-1950s struggle to come to terms with their personal problems while trying to raise their two children.

Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Christopher Fitzgerald, Jonathan Roumie

Votes: 224,960 | Gross: $22.91M

24. American Buffalo (1996)

R | 88 min | Drama

Long-repressed feelings of bitterness and betrayal explode when three inner-city losers plot the robbery of a valuable coin in a seedy second-hand junk shop.

Director: Michael Corrente | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Dennis Franz, Sean Nelson

Votes: 4,033 | Gross: $0.54M

25. The Lost Boys (1987)

R | 97 min | Comedy, Horror

63 Metascore

After moving to a new town, two brothers discover that the area is a haven for vampires.

Director: Joel Schumacher | Stars: Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Dianne Wiest, Barnard Hughes

Votes: 161,087 | Gross: $32.22M

26. Men Don't Leave (1990)

PG-13 | 115 min | Comedy, Drama

Jessica Lange plays Beth in this warm-hearted, funny fable about staying together when all else is falling apart.

Director: Paul Brickman | Stars: Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Arliss Howard, Joan Cusack

Votes: 2,747 | Gross: $6.07M

27. Saving Mr. Banks (2013)

PG-13 | 125 min | Biography, Comedy, Drama

65 Metascore

Author P.L. Travers reflects on her childhood after reluctantly meeting with Walt Disney, who seeks to adapt her Mary Poppins books for the big screen.

Director: John Lee Hancock | Stars: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Annie Rose Buckley, Colin Farrell

Votes: 170,019 | Gross: $83.30M

28. Side Effects (I) (2013)

R | 106 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

75 Metascore

A young woman's world unravels when a drug prescribed by her psychiatrist has unexpected side effects.

Director: Steven Soderbergh | Stars: Rooney Mara, Channing Tatum, Jude Law, Catherine Zeta-Jones

Votes: 197,115 | Gross: $32.17M

29. The War (1994)

PG-13 | 126 min | Drama, History, War

A Vietnam veteran helps his kids battle over a tree house while recovering from his traumatic war experience.

Director: Jon Avnet | Stars: Elijah Wood, Kevin Costner, Mare Winningham, Lexi Randall

Votes: 13,550 | Gross: $16.55M

30. Little Women (1994)

PG | 115 min | Drama, Family, Romance

87 Metascore

The March sisters live and grow in post-Civil War America.

Director: Gillian Armstrong | Stars: Susan Sarandon, Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst, Claire Danes

Votes: 63,567 | Gross: $50.08M

31. Scent of a Woman (1992)

R | 156 min | Drama

57 Metascore

A prep school student needing money agrees to "babysit" a blind man, but the job is not at all what he anticipated.

Director: Martin Brest | Stars: Al Pacino, Chris O'Donnell, James Rebhorn, Gabrielle Anwar

Votes: 328,674 | Gross: $63.90M

32. Light of Day (1987)

PG-13 | 107 min | Drama, Music

55 Metascore

A pair of siblings must choose whether to pursue their dream of touring with their rock band or support their family and stay in Cleveland, Ohio.

Director: Paul Schrader | Stars: Michael J. Fox, Gena Rowlands, Joan Jett, Michael McKean

Votes: 3,215 | Gross: $10.49M

33. Finding Nemo (2003)

G | 100 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

90 Metascore

After his son is captured in the Great Barrier Reef and taken to Sydney, a timid clownfish sets out on a journey to bring him home.

Directors: Andrew Stanton, Lee Unkrich | Stars: Albert Brooks, Ellen DeGeneres, Alexander Gould, Willem Dafoe

Votes: 1,113,133 | Gross: $380.84M

34. Phenomenon (1996)

PG | 123 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance

42 Metascore

An ordinary man sees a bright light descend from the sky, and discovers he now has super-intelligence and telekinesis.

Director: Jon Turteltaub | Stars: John Travolta, Kyra Sedgwick, Forest Whitaker, Robert Duvall

Votes: 83,779 | Gross: $104.64M

35. The Great Outdoors (1988)

PG | 91 min | Comedy

24 Metascore

A Chicago man and his family go camping with his obnoxious brother-in-law.

Director: Howard Deutch | Stars: Dan Aykroyd, John Candy, Stephanie Faracy, Annette Bening

Votes: 51,466 | Gross: $41.46M

36. How to Make an American Quilt (1995)

PG-13 | 117 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Bride-to-be Finn Dodd hears tales of romance and sorrow from her elders as they construct a quilt.

Director: Jocelyn Moorhouse | Stars: Winona Ryder, Ellen Burstyn, Anne Bancroft, Kaelynn Craddick

Votes: 12,503 | Gross: $23.57M

37. Finding Dory (2016)

PG | 97 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

77 Metascore

Friendly but forgetful blue tang Dory begins a search for her long-lost parents and everyone learns a few things about the real meaning of family along the way.

Directors: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane | Stars: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O'Neill, Kaitlin Olson

Votes: 303,343 | Gross: $486.30M

38. Bridge of Spies (2015)

PG-13 | 142 min | Drama, History, Thriller

81 Metascore

During the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for the Soviet captured American U2 spy plane pilot, Francis Gary Powers.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda, Amy Ryan

Votes: 327,681 | Gross: $72.31M

39. A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004)

PG | 108 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family

62 Metascore

When a massive fire kills their parents, three children are delivered to the custody of cousin and stage actor Count Olaf, who is secretly plotting to steal their parents' vast fortune.

Director: Brad Silberling | Stars: Jim Carrey, Jude Law, Meryl Streep, Liam Aiken

Votes: 221,066 | Gross: $118.63M

40. Passengers (I) (2016)

PG-13 | 116 min | Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi

41 Metascore

A malfunction in a sleeping pod on a spacecraft traveling to a distant colony planet wakes one passenger 90 years early.

Director: Morten Tyldum | Stars: Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen, Laurence Fishburne

Votes: 447,243 | Gross: $100.01M

41. Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)

PG-13 | 104 min | Comedy, Drama

71 Metascore

A bored New Jersey suburban housewife's fascination with a free-spirited woman she has read about in the personal columns leads to her being mistaken for the woman herself.

Director: Susan Seidelman | Stars: Rosanna Arquette, Madonna, Aidan Quinn, Mark Blum

Votes: 26,056 | Gross: $27.40M

42. Deceived (1991)

PG-13 | 104 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery

A man is murdered when checking authenticity of ancient Egyptian jewelry at a museum. Adrienne finds out after the death of her husband, that he was using a fake name. Are the 2 deaths linked?

Director: Damian Harris | Stars: Goldie Hawn, John Heard, Damon Redfern, Charles Kassatly

Votes: 7,958 | Gross: $28.74M

43. Threesome (1994)

R | 93 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

A girl named Alex is by mistake housed with 2 guys, Stuart and Eddy, in a college dorm suite. After initial problems they become friends. Stuart has the hots for Alex, Alex for Eddy and Eddy for Stuart. Can it work?

Director: Andrew Fleming | Stars: Lara Flynn Boyle, Josh Charles, Stephen Baldwin, Alexis Arquette

Votes: 13,661 | Gross: $14.82M

44. Spectre (I) (2015)

PG-13 | 148 min | Action, Adventure, Thriller

60 Metascore

A cryptic message from James Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover the existence of a sinister organisation named SPECTRE. With a new threat dawning, Bond learns the terrible truth about the author of all his pain in his most recent missions.

Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes

Votes: 466,107 | Gross: $200.07M

45. Jarhead (2005)

R | 125 min | Biography, Drama, War

58 Metascore

A psychological study of Marine's state of mind during the Gulf War. Told through the eyes of a U.S. Marine sniper who struggles to cope with boredom, a sense of isolation, and other issues back home.

Director: Sam Mendes | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jamie Foxx, Lucas Black, Scott MacDonald

Votes: 206,472 | Gross: $62.66M



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