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Lawrence Sher

Lawrence Sher

Cinematographer, also director · Born February 4, 1970 (56) · Teaneck, New Jersey, USA

Oscar nominee · BAFTA Award nominee · 1 other major award body

Lawrence Sher, ASC (born February 4, 1970) is an American cinematographer and film director, best known for comedy films such as Garden State, The Dictator, and The Hangover series, frequently collaborating with directors Todd Phillips and Zach Braff. He made his directorial debut with Father Figures, which began a wide theatrical release on December 22, 2017, by Warner Bros. Pictures. He was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA Award for Best Cinematography for the 2019 film Joker, directed by Phillips. Description above from the Wikipedia article Lawrence Sher, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 4, 1970 (56)
From
Teaneck, New Jersey, USA
Works as
Cinematographer, also director
Titles
40 on MovieCove · 45 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 23% in 30 days

What are Lawrence Sher's films like?

Across their 34 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy19 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 58th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Action5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 41st percentile
: browse their Action movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 31st percentile
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
33%
Self
27%
Survival
17%
Morality
10%
Power
9%
Society
2%
Ideas
1%
Friendship10 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose8 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds9 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love6 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief5 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 33 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 15 · Serious 10 · Dark 8

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 20 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 6

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 11 · Charged 14 · Intense 8

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

A split, not a type: Steady 12 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 11

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 11 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 14

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 12 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 9

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 20 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 2

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 25 · Open-ended 8 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
17
Absurd
15
Warm
8
Hopeful
9
Melancholic
10
Other
40

How their films linger

Hopeful13 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 7 with a twist

  • Happy11
  • Bittersweet16
  • Ambiguous7

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Lawrence Sher's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 28 of their 40 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Lawrence Sher's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

45 credits, 40 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Flesh Impact (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Cinematographer

  • Apex(2026)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Bride!(2026)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Joker: Folie à Deux(2024)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Black Adam(2022)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Kanye with Special Guest Drake: Free Larry Hoover Benefit Concert (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Cinematographer

  • The Starling(2021)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Joker(2019)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Godzilla: King of the Monsters(2019)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Most Likely to Succeed(2019)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Father Figures(2017)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • War Dogs(2016)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Aloha(2015)

    Additional Photography

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Wish I Was Here(2014)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Godzilla(2014)

    Additional Photography

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Hangover Part III(2013)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • The Dictator(2012)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • The Big Year(2011)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • The Hangover Part II(2011)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Paul(2011)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • Due Date(2010)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Hangover(2009)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • I Love You, Man(2009)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Eastmans (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Cinematographer

  • The Promotion(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Trucker(2008)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Dan in Real Life(2007)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • When a Man Falls(2007)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Andy Barker, P.I.(2007)

    Show Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Grilled(2006)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • The Dukes of Hazzard(2005)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • The Chumscrubber(2005)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Life of the Party(2005)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Garden State(2004)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Club Dread(2004)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Legally Blonde (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Cinematographer

  • Kissing Jessica Stein(2001)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Emmett's Mark(2002)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Facts of Life Reunion(2001)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • A Better Way to Die(2000)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Shark Attack(1999)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • From Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood Money(1999)

    "B" Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • 12 Stops on the Road to Nowhere (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Cinematographer

  • On the Border(1998)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Courting Courtney(1997)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 39 titles from 1999 to 2026.

Biggest box office

Joker (2019)

$1.1B worldwide

Highest rated

Joker (2019)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing1 of 39: 1 only directing, 0 with another roleCinematography35 of 39: 35 only cinematography, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score54thOther crew3 of 39: 3 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1990s3 · crew2000s16 · crew2010s13 · crew2020s7 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

3 major nominations and no wins, 2020.

  1. 2020
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Achievement in Cinematography
    • BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Cinematography
    • +1 other major body · 1 nomination
      • Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Cinematography

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Lawrence Sher's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 48th percentile, the median of all 39; across their 33 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 33

Approval · how many liked their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 33

Reach · how many have seen their films

93rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 33

Midcredits score across 40 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th12
  • 25th to 49th12
  • Below 25th9

Shape of the crowd

17 of their 40 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic3
  • Crowd Pleaser17
  • Broadly Agreed5
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · cinematographer

The Facts of Life Reunion (2001)

93rd percentile spread · 42% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · cinematographer

Joker (2019)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the cinematography 61/100 in their films, across 27 reviewed titles; fans 67, detractors 46. The element that speaks to their work as a cinematographer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Lawrence Sher's work okay for kids?

Across up to 23 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity, profanity and alcohol & drugs run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore19 titles20–83 · median 47 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity23 titles21–75 · median 42 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity19 titles40–90 · median 74 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs19 titles20–84 · median 56 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense19 titles12–76 · median 35 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Lawrence Sher work with?

People who share at least 2 of Lawrence Sher's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Todd Phillips shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers