Sort by Popularity - Most Popular Movies and TV Shows With Alexander Payne

1. 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: 141,005

2. 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: 60,218 | Gross: $0.58M

3. 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: 341,284 | Gross: $181.17M

4. 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: 124,751 | Gross: $24.45M

5. 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: 204,466 | Gross: $71.50M

6. 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: 251,933 | Gross: $82.58M

7. 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: 22,117

8. 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: 104,628 | Gross: $14.88M

9. 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: 23,104

10. 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: 154,183 | Gross: $120.06M

11. 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: 123,599 | Gross: $17.65M

12. 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: 8,650

13. 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: 133,633 | Gross: $65.02M

14. 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: 74,576 | Gross: $4.86M

15. 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, Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Anya Taylor-Joy

Votes: 1,365

16. 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: 22,184

17. 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: 44,539 | Gross: $9.42M

18. 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: 66,294 | Gross: $12.78M

19. 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

20. 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: 38,644 | Gross: $6.61M

21. 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

22. 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: 4,209

23. 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: 12,430 | Gross: $0.62M

24. 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: 23,674 | Gross: $0.26M

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: 7,343 | Gross: $0.06M

26. Inside Out (1991 Video)

R | 89 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Playboy does to softcore sex films what HBO's Tales from the Crypt did for horror. Contains the stories: "Brush Strokes"; "Shrink Rap"; "Doubletalk"; "The Leda"; "My Secret Moments"; "Life ... See full summary »

Directors: Jeffrey Reiner, Lizzie Borden, Adam Friedman, Linda Hassani, Alexander Payne, Tony Randel, Richard Shepard | Stars: Sherrie Rose, Trevor Goddard, Scott Mitchell, Rachel Ryan

Votes: 225

27. All Happy Families (2023)

90 min | Comedy

Add a Plot

Director: Haroula Rose | Stars: Colleen Camp, Rob Huebel, Josh Radnor, John Ashton

Votes: 15

28. 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: 4,047 | Gross: $0.04M

29. 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: 26,119 | Gross: $0.70M

30. 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

31. 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: 439

32. 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

33. 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

34. 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: 1,130 | Gross: $0.01M

35. 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: 39,176

36. Inside Out III (1992 Video)

R | 93 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

Playboy does to softcore sex films what HBO's Tales from the Crypt did for horror. Contains the stories: "Dogs Playing Poker"; "The Branding"; "The Portal"; "The Perfect Woman"; "Within Ten... See full summary »

Directors: David Bernath, Stuart Cave, Nigel Dick, Martin Donovan, Charles McDougall, Alexander Payne, Paul Rachman, Bernard Rose, Yuri Sivo, John Wentworth | Stars: Deke Anderson, Linden Ashby, Collin Bernsen, Alison Brooks

Votes: 132

37. Sideways (2009)

Not Rated | 124 min | Comedy, Drama

A middle-aged Japanese man travels to California to attend the wedding of his American-based friend. Prior to the big event, they take one last trip to Napa Valley, where they taste wine, dally with romance.

Director: Cellin Gluck | Stars: Fumiyo Kohinata, Katsuhisa Namase, Rinko Kikuchi, Kyôka Suzuki

Votes: 271

38. 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

39. 81st Golden Globe Awards (2024 TV Special)

Awards show celebrating achievements in film and television from The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, hosted by Jo Koy.

Director: Glenn Weiss | Stars: Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Cailee Spaeny, Florence Pugh

Votes: 297

40. Imagine (2003– )

TV-14 | 60 min | Biography, History

Wide-ranging BBC arts programme.

Stars: Alan Yentob, Tracey Emin, Chuck Close, Richard Rogers

Votes: 147

41. The Passion of Martin (1991)

49 min | Comedy

A lonely photographer gradually develops a rather unhealthy obsession with a young woman he once met by sheer chance.

Director: Alexander Payne | Stars: Charley Hayward, Lisa Zane, Lauren Tuerk, Joe Marinelli

Votes: 325

42. Untitled Alexander Payne/Jeanine Basinger Documentary Project

Documentary | Pre-production

Pioneering film scholar Jeanine Basinger's 60-year journey, from her start as a movie usher to establishing one of the nation's first film studies programs. Her influential books and teaching profoundly impacted the American film industry.

Director: Alexander Payne

43. 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

44. Movie Night Extravaganza (2021– )

Talk-Show

An irreverent, quick moving & surprisingly in-depth live discussion show about movies with an end goal of discussing, debating and commenting on esoteric and populist films with a panel of guests. Sometimes formatted as "theme months".

Stars: Forrest Miller, J. Andrew World, Conan Neutron, Kristina Oakes

Votes: 27

45. The 60th Annual Golden Globe Awards (2003 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.

Directors: Chris Donovan, Al Schwartz | Stars: Calpernia Addams, Tim Allen, Pedro Almodóvar, Lauren Ambrose

Votes: 348

46. 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

47. 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: 3,199

48. 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: 1,699

49. Tracy Flick Can't Win

Comedy | Announced

Follow Tracy, now in her adult life as she continues to fight to rise to the top.

Director: Alexander Payne | Star: Reese Witherspoon

50. Once Upon a River (2019)

92 min | Drama

Margo Crane's odyssey on the Stark River introduces her to a world filled with wonders and dangers.

Director: Haroula Rose | Stars: Kenadi DelaCerna, John Ashton, Tatanka Means, Ajuawak Kapashesit

Votes: 285