Bob Balaban
Robert Elmer Balaban, Born: August 16, 1945, Chicago, Illinois, U.S (Height: 5' 5" [1.65 m]). is an American actor, author, comedian, director, and producer. He is best known for his appearances in the Christopher Guest mockumentary comedies Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006), as well as his roles in the films Midnight Cowboy (1969), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Altered States (1980), 2010 (1984), Deconstructing Harry (1997), and Capote (2005). Balaban has also directed three feature films, in addition to numerous television episodes and films. He is also an author of children's novels.
Balaban began his career in the 1960s, appearing in small roles in films and television shows. He made his breakthrough role in the 1969 film Midnight Cowboy, playing a young hustler who befriends an aging rodeo cowboy. In the 1970s, Balaban appeared in a number of popular films, including Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Altered States (1980), and 2010 (1984). He also continued to work in television, appearing in recurring roles on the shows Lou Grant and Designing Women.
In the 1990s, Balaban began a long and fruitful collaboration with filmmaker Christopher Guest. He appeared in all of Guest's mockumentary comedies, including Waiting for Guffman (1996), Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003), and For Your Consideration (2006). Balaban's performances in these films were widely praised, and he earned a reputation as one of the most reliable comedic actors in Hollywood.
In addition to his work in film and television, Balaban has also directed three feature films: The Last Shot (1999), Bernie (2011), and A Little Help (2010). He is also a successful author of children's novels, and he has won several awards for his writing.
Balaban is a respected and versatile actor who has enjoyed a long and successful career in the entertainment industry. He is known for his sharp wit, his impeccable comedic timing, and his ability to create memorable characters. He is a true Renaissance man, and he is sure to continue to entertain audiences for many years to come.
Balaban has been nominated for numerous awards throughout his career. He has won two Primetime Emmy Awards, for his work on the television shows Lou Grant and Designing Women. He has also been nominated for two Tony Awards, for his performances in the Broadway plays The Norman Conquests and The Plough and the Stars.
Balaban is a recipient of the American Film Institute's Lifetime Achievement Award. He is also a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Balaban is married to Lynn Grossman, and they have two children together. He is a resident of New York City.
| Known For | Acting |
|---|---|
| Most Rating | 1.1077 |
| Birthday | 1945-08-16 |
| Place of Birth | Chicago, Illinois, USA |
| Also Known As | Robert Elmer Balaban, Robert Balaban, 鮑勃・巴拉班, |
2023
80 for Brady
6.186/194
Four lifelong friends set out on an unforgettable journey to see their hero Tom Brady play in Super Bowl LI and witness one of the greatest comebacks...
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80 for Brady
2001
Ghost World
7.093/1567
Two quirky, cynical teenaged girls try to figure out what to do with their lives after high school graduation. After they play a prank on an eccentric...
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Ghost World
1977
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
7.35/4610
After an encounter with UFOs, an electricity linesman feels undeniably drawn to an isolated area in the wilderness where something spectacular is abou...
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Close Encounters of the Third Kind
1999
Jakob the Liar
6.703/402
In 1944 Poland, a Jewish shop keeper named Jakob is summoned to ghetto headquarters after being caught out after curfew. While waiting for the German...
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Jakob the Liar
1969
Midnight Cowboy
7.517/1584
Joe Buck is a wide-eyed hustler from Texas hoping to score big with wealthy New York City women; he finds a companion in Enrico "Ratso" Rizzo, an aili...
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Midnight Cowboy
1997
Conversation with the Beast
10/1
An American historian (Mr Webster) comes to Berlin to visit an old man who claims to be the real Adolf Hitler and to be 103 years old. The Hitler who...
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Conversation with the Beast
1997
Deconstructing Harry
7.261/1044
Writer Harry Block draws inspiration from people he knows, and from events that happened to him, sometimes causing these people to become alienated fr...
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Deconstructing Harry
2007
No Reservations
6.699/1476
Master chef Kate Armstrong runs her life and her kitchen with intimidating intensity. However, a recipe for disaster may be in the works when she beco...
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No Reservations
1984
2010
6.647/1048
While planet Earth poises on the brink of nuclear self-destruction, a team of Russian and American scientists aboard the Leonov hurtles to a rendezvou...
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2010
1989
Dead Bang
6.368/114
Los Angeles homicide detective Jerry Beck searches for the murderer who killed a police officer on Christmas Eve. The investigation takes Beck inside...
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Dead Bang
2001
Gosford Park
6.8/1229
In 1930s England, a group of pretentious rich and famous gather together for a weekend of relaxation at a hunting resort. But when a murder occurs, ea...
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Gosford Park
1996
The Late Shift
6.377/65
David Letterman vies with Jay Leno and his manager to succeed Johnny Carson, retiring from "The Tonight Show."
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The Late Shift
2001
The Majestic
6.748/824
Set in 1951, a blacklisted Hollywood writer gets into a car accident, loses his memory and settles down in a small town where he is mistaken for a lon...
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The Majestic
1991
Little Man Tate
6.6/335
Dede is a sole parent trying to bring up her son Fred. When it is discovered that Fred is a genius, she is determined to ensure that Fred has all the...
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Little Man Tate
1980
Altered States
6.728/749
A research scientist explores the boundaries and frontiers of human consciousness. Using sensory deprivation and hallucinogenic mixtures from Native A...
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Altered States
2001
The Mexican
5.954/1594
Jerry Welbach, a reluctant bagman, has been given two ultimatums: The first is from his mob boss to travel to Mexico and retrieve a priceless antique...
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The Mexican
1981
Whose Life Is It Anyway?
7.049/51
Ken Harrison is an artist that lives to make sculptures. One day he is involved in a car accident, and is paralyzed from his neck down. All he can do...
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Whose Life Is It Anyway?
1993
For Love or Money
6.191/390
New York concierge Doug Ireland wants to go into business for himself and refurbish a hotel on Roosevelt Island, N.Y., but he needs an investor. With...
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For Love or Money
2019
Carl Laemmle
4/5
A documentary about the life of Carl Laemmle, early cinema pioneer and founder of Universal Studios, documenting his life in Hollywood and his efforts...
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Carl Laemmle
2009
Rage
3.5/26
A schoolboy uses his cellphone camera to shoot intimate interviews with people working at a New York fashion house and secretly posts them on the inte...
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Rage
2006
Lady in the Water
5.6/1477
Apartment building superintendent Cleveland Heep rescues what he thinks is a young woman from the pool he maintains. When he discovers that she is act...
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Lady in the Water
2004
Scene Stealers
7/1
Billy Bottomsly, a struggling artist, is plagiarised by a Hollywood mogul. He involves his "typecast" friends in a star-jacking retribution plan. Bill...
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Scene Stealers
2000
Best in Show
6.885/663
The tension is palpable, the excitement is mounting and the heady scent of competition is in the air as hundreds of eager contestants from across Amer...
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Best in Show
2007
Dedication
6.379/107
A modern love story in which a misanthropic, emotionally complex author of a hit children's book is forced to team with a beautiful illustrator after...
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Dedication
2008
Recount
6.8/187
In 2000, the election of the U.S. Presidential boiled down to a few precious votes in the state of Florida — and a recount that would add "hanging cha...
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Recount
2009
The Windmill Movie
7/3
Filmmaker Richard P. Rogers tried for twenty years to make a documentary about his own life. He died in 2001, leaving the project unfinished, until hi...
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The Windmill Movie
1975
Report to the Commissioner
6.615/26
Police officer Patty Butler, alias "Chicklet," is the live-in girlfriend of Thomas 'Stick' Henderson to gather evidence. Detective Bo Lockley is instr...
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Report to the Commissioner
2006
For Your Consideration
5.772/178
The possibility of Oscar gold holds the cast and crew of an independent film in its grip after the performance of its virtually unknown, veteran star...
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For Your Consideration
2010
Howl
6.449/196
It's San Francisco in 1957, and an American masterpiece is put on trial. Howl, the film, recounts this dark moment using three interwoven threads: the...
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Howl
1997
Waiting for Guffman
7.024/272
Aspiring director Corky St. Clair and the marginally talented amateur cast of his hokey small-town musical production go overboard when they learn tha...
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Waiting for Guffman
1988
Funny
8/1
People are asked to tell their favorite jokes.
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Funny
1987
End of the Line
5.4/15
When the closure of a railway is announced, employees commandeer a locomotive to get to corporate headquarters and confront the president.
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End of the Line
1981
Absence of Malice
6.636/246
Megan Carter is a reporter duped into running an untrue story on Michael Gallagher, a suspected racketeer. He has an alibi for the time his crime was...
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Absence of Malice
1970
The Strawberry Statement
6.012/41
A college student joins a group of revolutionaries to meet girls but ends up committed to their goals.
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The Strawberry Statement
2012
Girl Most Likely
5.6/268
A failed New York playwright stages a suicide in an attempt to win back her ex, only to wind up in the custody of her gambling-addict mother.
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Girl Most Likely
1997
Clockwatchers
6.176/74
Four female temps working for a credit company find their friendship threatened by the arrival of a new hire, who lands a permanent position one of th...
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Clockwatchers
2023
Asteroid City
6.452/2455
In an American desert town circa 1955, the itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.
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Asteroid City
1992
Unnatural Pursuits
0/0
An English playwright sacrifices his health waiting for his play's make-or-break opening on Broadway.
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Unnatural Pursuits
2014
The Grand Budapest Hotel
8.029/15999
The Grand Budapest Hotel tells of a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars and his friendship with a young employee who becom...
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The Grand Budapest Hotel
1999
The Monster Hunter
5/10
Residents of an East Texas town react strangely when a serial killer invades their small town world.
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The Monster Hunter
2014
The Monuments Men
6.061/3797
Based on the true story of the greatest treasure hunt in history, The Monuments Men is an action drama focusing on seven over-the-hill, out-of-shape m...
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The Monuments Men
2018
An L.A. Minute
2/1
Best-selling author Ted Gold faces a moral dilemma when Velocity, an avant-garde performance artist and the living embodiment of integrity, rocks his...
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An L.A. Minute
1969
Me, Natalie
5.565/23
Since she was a child, Natalie Miller has always thought she was an ugly ducking. Despite her mother's encouragement that she will grow up to be prett...
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Me, Natalie
1971
Making It
4.25/4
A cocky high school student thinks nothing of using the people around him to satisfy his self-centered needs, until someone in his life gets pregnant.
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Making It
2013
Fading Gigolo
5.812/615
Fioravante decides to become a professional Don Juan as a way of making money to help his cash-strapped friend, Murray. With Murray acting as his "man...
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Fading Gigolo
2022
How Dare You Want More: The Short Film
0/0
A short film sequel to the six-episode web miniseries, "Thank You and Sorry."
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How Dare You Want More: The Short Film
2012
Moonrise Kingdom
7.675/6298
Set on an island off the coast of New England in the summer of 1965, Moonrise Kingdom tells the story of two twelve-year-olds who fall in love, make a...
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Moonrise Kingdom
1978
Girlfriends
6.669/86
A photographer and her best friend are roommates. She is stuck with small-change shooting jobs and dreams of success. When her roommate decides to get...
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Girlfriends
2015
Exploring the Set of 'Moonrise Kingdom'
6.1/4
Martin Scali, who was Wes Anderson's assistant on "Fantastic Mr. Fox", shot this short documentary in Newport, Rhode Island, during the filming of "Mo...
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Exploring the Set of 'Moonrise Kingdom'
1994
City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold
5.309/343
Mitch Robbins' 40th birthday begins quite well until he returns home and finds his brother Glen, the black sheep of the family, in his sofa. Neverthel...
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City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold
1984
Nothing Lasts Forever
6.29/31
An artist fails a test and is required to direct traffic in New York City's Holland Tunnel. He winds up falling in love with a beautiful woman, who ta...
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Nothing Lasts Forever
1998
Giving Up the Ghost
6.333/3
After a woman's husband dies while jogging in the park, the young widow's deep grief helps to awaken his ghost. The ghost urges her to commit suicide...
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Giving Up the Ghost
1999
Swing Vote
5.75/12
A newly-appointed Supreme Court Justice must settle a controversial moral and legal dilemma with his tie-breaking decision which may also have serious...
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Swing Vote
2003
A Mighty Wind
6.783/267
Three eclectic, never-quite-famous folk bands come together for the first time in decades following the death of their manager to put on an reunion co...
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A Mighty Wind
2005
Trust the Man
5.166/125
Overachieving actress Rebecca must come to grips with her failing marriage to stay-at-home dad Tom. While Rebecca's slacker brother Tobey can't seem t...
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Trust the Man
1997
The Definite Maybe
4.5/2
When 25-year-old New Yorker Eric Traber gets fired from his job and kicked out of his apartment, he fears the worst. But his best friend, Ziggy, shows...
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The Definite Maybe
2023
Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy
5.8/4
This is not a documentary about the making of Midnight Cowboy. It is about a humane and groundbreaking masterpiece and the flawed but gifted people wh...
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Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy
2012
Thin Ice
6.492/180
A dishonest insurance salesman's life quickly disintegrates during a Wisconsin winter when he teams up with a psychopath to steal a rare violin at the...
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Thin Ice
1999
Three to Tango
5.684/275
Oscar and Peter land a career-making opportunity when a Chicago tycoon chooses them to compete for the design of a cultural center. The tycoon mistake...
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Three to Tango
1994
Greedy
6.164/283
Meet the McTeagues. They've come to stake a claim in their wealthy uncle's will… only he's not dead yet!
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Greedy
2016
Mascots
5.403/199
Eager contestants don big heads and furry suits to vie for the title of World's Best Mascot.
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Mascots
1974
The Bank Shot
5.406/32
A bank temporarily housed in a mobile home while a new building is built, looks like an easy target to break into. On the other hand, why not steal th...
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The Bank Shot
1971
Marriage: Year One
6/2
A medical student marries a millionaire's daughter but insists they live on the money he earns.
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Marriage: Year One
1999
Cradle Will Rock
6.484/96
A true story of politics and art in the 1930s USA, centered around a leftist musical drama and attempts to stop its production.
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Cradle Will Rock
1996
Pie in the Sky
6.633/15
A young man obsessed with traffic patterns attempts to reunite with his first love.
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Pie in the Sky
2016
Eva Hesse
6.5/8
German American artist Eva Hesse (1936 – 1970) created her innovative art in latex and fiberglass in the whirling aesthetic vortex of 1960s New York....
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Eva Hesse
2011
The Five Stages of Grief
7/1
Daniel's father died yesterday. He seems to be totally fine. Luckily his friends can teach him to be miserable.
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The Five Stages of Grief
2018
Isle of Dogs
7.847/5367
In the future, an outbreak of canine flu leads the mayor of a Japanese city to banish all dogs to an island used as a garbage dump. The outcasts must...
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Isle of Dogs
1970
Catch-22
6.671/351
A WWII military pilot makes a valiant effort to be certified insane in order to be excused from flying missions. But there's a catch.
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Catch-22
1990
The Face of Fear
6.9/10
Graham Harris was once one of the world's foremost mountain climbers, until a fall five years earlier left him with a lame leg, a fear of heights...an...
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The Face of Fear
2016
I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
4.6/617
A young nurse takes care of an elderly author who lives in a haunted house.
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I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House
1995
George Romero's Golden Tales 2
0/0
Compilation of five horror stories from Tales from the Darkside (1983) that takes the viewer into the dark world of vampires, cursed objects and sinis...
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George Romero's Golden Tales 2
1981
Prince of the City
7.017/177
New York City detective Daniel Ciello agrees to help the United States Department of Justice eliminate corruption in the police department, as long as...
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Prince of the City
2016
Mike Nichols: An American Master
6.3/10
With charm and wit, Nichols discusses his life and 50-year career as a performer and director.
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Mike Nichols: An American Master
1992
Bob Roberts
6.571/177
Millionaire conservative Bob Roberts launches an insurgent campaign against incumbent senator Brickley Paiste, firing up crowds at his rallies by sing...
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Bob Roberts
2001
The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
7/10
A documentary film on the making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
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The Making of 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind'
2017
Spielberg
7.557/306
A documentary on the life and career of one of the most influential film directors of all time, Steven Spielberg.
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Spielberg
2015
Everything Is Copy
7.441/34
A candid portrait of writer/director Nora Ephron, directed by her son, journalist Jacob Bernstein.
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Everything Is Copy
2005
Capote
6.979/1630
A biopic of writer Truman Capote and his assignment for The New Yorker to write the non-fiction book "In Cold Blood".
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Capote
2002
The Tuxedo
5.738/2149
Cabbie-turned-chauffeur Jimmy Tong learns there is really only one rule when you work for playboy millionaire Clark Devlin : Never touch Devlin's priz...
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The Tuxedo
1993
Amos & Andrew
5.445/177
When Andrew Sterling, a successful black urbanite writer, buys a vacation home on a resort in New England the police mistake him for a burglar. After...
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Amos & Andrew
2006
Controversy and Acclaim: The Timelessness of a Groundbreaking Film
0/0
Documentary featuring the contentious news surrounding the movie "Midnight Cowboy" (1969), including its Oscar win for feature film.
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Controversy and Acclaim: The Timelessness of a Groundbreaking Film
2002
Plan B
4.545/11
A bookkeeper who thinks she killed three mobsters is subsequently promoted by her boss to be a hitman.
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Plan B
2016
Starring Austin Pendleton
6.7/3
A quirky and inspirational documentary film on the philosophical approach to the life and work of character actor, Austin Pendleton.
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Starring Austin Pendleton
2015
Hitchcock/Truffaut
7.25/252
Filmmakers discuss the legacy of Alfred Hitchcock and the book “Hitchcock/Truffaut” (“Le cinéma selon Hitchcock”), written by François Truffaut and pu...
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Hitchcock/Truffaut
2004
Marie and Bruce
4.4/20
A day in the life of a couple trapped in a sadomasochistic relationship. When Marie decides to break up with Bruce, their conversation devolves into a...
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Marie and Bruce
2012
Do You Like to Read?
6.313/83
The librarian of the town of New Penzance introduces six animated segments illustrating Suzy's favorite books.
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Do You Like to Read?
2021
The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun
7.011/2950
The staff of an American magazine based in France puts out its last issue, with stories featuring an artist sentenced to life imprisonment, student ri...
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The French Dispatch of the Liberty, Kansas Evening Sun
2007
License to Wed
5.666/915
Newly engaged, Ben and Sadie can't wait to start their life together and live happily ever after. However Sadie's family church's Reverend Frank won't...
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License to Wed
2010
F--k
5.8/6
Some people will do anything to find the location.
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F--k
2000
Tex, the Passive/Aggressive Gunslinger
8/1
The legend of Tex, who never lost a gunfight.
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Tex, the Passive/Aggressive Gunslinger
1990
Alice
6.384/337
Alice Tate, mother of two, with a marriage of 16 years, finds herself falling for a handsome sax player, Joe. Stricken with a backache, she consults h...
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Alice
2002
The Making of Gosford Park
5.333/6
A behind-the-scenes look at the making of Robert Altman's 2001 film 'Gosford Park'. Cast and crew relate some of their experiences with making the fil...
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The Making of Gosford Park
2013
Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight
6.417/42
Muhammad Ali’s historic Supreme Court battle from behind closed doors. When Ali was drafted into the Vietnam War at the height of his boxing career, h...
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Muhammad Ali's Greatest Fight
2021
How Moving
0/0
With some apprehension, Jared (Richard Ellis) flew across the country to move in with his boyfriend, Owen (writer-director Owen Thiele). On top of the...
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How Moving
2007
Prince of the City: The Real Story
0/0
The true story behind the Prince of the City.
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Prince of the City: The Real Story
2026
Fantasy Life
6/1
An anxious New York law school dropout stumbles into a job babysitting his psychiatrist's three granddaughters and falls for the girls' mother, an act...
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Fantasy Life
1984
2010 : The Odyssey Continues
10/1
This promotional short for 2010 (1984) shows moviegoers how some of the film's visual effects were created. This includes makeup for Keir Dullea's cha...
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2010 : The Odyssey Continues
2024
Bad Actors
0/0
A spirited group of activists inadvertently glue themselves together while preparing for a protest.
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Bad Actors
2004
Kramer vs. Kramer: Kenny to Cosmo
7/1
A look at how comedian Kenny Kramer inspired the character Cosmo Kramer from Seinfeld.
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