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Barry W. Blaustein

Barry W. Blaustein

Writer, actor, director and producer · Died May 12, 2026, aged 71 · Long Island, New York, USA

Directors Guild Award nominee

Barry Wayne Blaustein (September 10, 1954 – May 12, 2026) was an American comedy writer best known for his writing on Saturday Night Live and the screenplays for Coming to America, Coming 2 America, and The Nutty Professor, all written in collaboration with David Sheffield. As a writer he helped launch Eddie Murphy's career.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
September 10, 1954
Died
May 12, 2026 (aged 71)
From
Long Island, New York, USA
Works as
Writer, actor, director and producer
Titles
14 on MovieCove · 16 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 1% in 30 days

What are Barry W. Blaustein's films like?

Across their 13 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
41%
Self
27%
Society
15%
Morality
9%
Survival
4%
Power
2%
Friendship5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 11 · Serious 1 · Dark 1

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

Grounded 5 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 3

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 7 · Charged 6 · Intense 0

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

Steady 5 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 12

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

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 2

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

Casual 12 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 13 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
9
Absurd
8
Warm
6
Romantic
3
Melancholic
3
Other
9

How their films linger

Feel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy11
  • Bittersweet1
  • Ambiguous1

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 Barry W. Blaustein's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 8 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Pluto TV (4).

Subscription and free streaming for Barry W. Blaustein'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

16 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page; 4 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • GCW The Indie Wrestling Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    as Barry Blaustein

  • Coming 2 America(2021)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Peep World(2010)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Guys 'N Divas: Battle of the High School Musicals (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director · Writer

  • The Ringer(2005)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • The Honeymooners(2005)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • Nutty Professor II: The Klumps(2000)

    Screenplay · Story · as Man in Bathroom

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Beyond the Mat(1999)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Narrator

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Nutty Professor(1996)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Boomerang(1992)

    Co-Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Coming to America(1988)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Police Academy 5: Assignment: Miami Beach(1988)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol(1987)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Police Academy 3: Back in Training(1986)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment(1985)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Saturday Night Live(1975)

    Show 55 episodes · Writer · as Bar Patron (uncredited) · as Self (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

Career shape

A full career of 14 titles from 1975 to 2023.

Biggest box office

Coming to America (1988)

$289M worldwide

Highest rated

Beyond the Mat (1999)

Midcredits 94th

Most popular right now

Coming to America (1988)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting4 of 14: 1 only acting, 3 with another roleDirecting4 of 14: 2 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting11 of 14: 6 only writing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score32ndProducing2 of 14: 0 only producing, 2 with another role

14 titles, 5 with more than one role — writing and acting overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1970s1 · 1 acting · 1 crew1980s3 · crew1990s3 · 1 acting · 3 crew2000s4 · 1 acting · 4 crew2010s1 · crew2020s2 · 1 acting · 1 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

Nominated for a Directors Guild Award in 2000, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary.

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 Barry W. Blaustein's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 24th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 32nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

32ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

21stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

94thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 14 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th7

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 14 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · writer

The Honeymooners (2005)

77th percentile spread · 70% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor, director, writer, producer

Beyond the Mat (1999)

Midcredits 94th · 83% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 41/100 and the plot and story 36/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

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 Barry W. Blaustein's work okay for kids?

Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity and profanity run heavier than most films and violence & gore and frightening / intense lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles21–36 · median 26 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity10 titles16–58 · median 47 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity10 titles28–66 · median 57 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles20–35 · median 31 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles3–20 · median 13 · minimallighter than most 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 Barry W. Blaustein work with?

People who share at least 2 of Barry W. Blaustein's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; David Sheffield shares the most, 10.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles