Todd Phillips (born Todd Philip Bunzl; December 19, 1970) is an American filmmaker. Phillips began his career in 1993 and directed films in the 2000s such as Road Trip, Old School, Starsky & Hutch, and School for Scoundrels. He came to wider prominence in the early 2010s for directing The Hangover film series. In 2019, he co-wrote and directed the psychological thriller film Joker, based on the DC Comics character of the same name, which premiered at the 76th Venice International Film Festival where it received the top prize, the Golden Lion. Joker went on to earn Phillips three Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay, with his co-writer Scott Silver, his second, third, and fourth Academy Award nominations after also being nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for Borat at the 79th Academy Awards.
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Biography from TMDB.
- December 20, 1970 (55)
- Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA
- Producer, director and writer
- 17 on MovieCove · 22 credits in all
What are Todd Phillips' films like?
Across their 16 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 2 · Wry 2 · Earnest 11
A split, not a type: Light 10 · Serious 1 · Dark 5
Grounded 4 · Stylized 9 · Heightened 3
Gentle 4 · Charged 7 · Intense 5
A split, not a type: Steady 3 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 7
Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 11
A split, not a type: Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 7
Casual 8 · Engaged 7 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 11 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 4
Resolved 12 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy7
- Bittersweet4
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous3
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 Todd Phillips' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Todd Phillips' 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
22 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page; 9 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Joker: Folie à Deux(2024)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
Joker(2019)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
A Star Is Born(2018)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
War Dogs(2016)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Limitless(2015)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows
The Hangover Part III(2013)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
Project X(2012)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films
The Hangover Part II(2011)
Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
Due Date(2010)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
The Hangover(2009)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Road Trip: Beer Pong(2009)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
Borat(2006)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
School for Scoundrels(2006)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
All the King's Men(2006)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Starsky & Hutch(2004)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Old School(2003)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Phish: Bittersweet Motel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Road Trip(2000)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Frat House (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Screwed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Hated: GG Allin and The Murder Junkies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
The Fixer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 21 titles, 20 of them dated from 1993 to 2024.
Film career
- 2003Screen debut· Old School
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
4 major awards from 17 major nominations, 1997–2024.
- Venice award, nominated · Best Film
- Oscar, nominated · Best Achievement in Directing
- Oscar, nominated · Best Adapted Screenplay
- Oscar, nominated · Best Motion Picture of the Year
- Golden Globe, nominated · Best Director - Motion Picture
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Director
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Film
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Screenplay (Adapted)
+3 other major bodies · 3 nominations
- Writers Guild Award, nominated · Adapted Screenplay
- Producers Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures
- Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Adapted Screenplay
- Venice award, won · Best Film
- Venice award, won · Graffetta d'Oro for Best Film
- Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay
+1 other major body · 1 nomination
- Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Adapted Screenplay
- Sundance award, won · Documentary
- Grammy Award, won · Best Bluegrass Album
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 Todd Phillips' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 60th percentile, the median of all 16; across their 16 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 57th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up7
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
8 of their 17 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved3
- Crowd Pleaser8
- Broadly Agreed4
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the atmosphere 63/100 and the pacing 53/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
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 Todd Phillips' work okay for kids?
Across up to 16 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and alcohol & drugs run heavier than most films.
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 Todd Phillips work with?
People who share at least 2 of Todd Phillips' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Daniel Goldberg shares the most, 7.
Writers
- Scot ArmstrongShared titles: The Hangover Part II (2011), School for Scoundrels (2006), Starsky & Hutch (2004), Old School (2003), Road Trip (2000)See all 5 shared titles with Scot Armstrong
- Jon LucasShared titles: The Hangover Part III (2013), The Hangover Part II (2011), The Hangover (2009)See all 3 shared titles with Jon Lucas
- Scott MooreShared titles: The Hangover Part III (2013), The Hangover Part II (2011), The Hangover (2009)See all 3 shared titles with Scott Moore
- Craig MazinShared titles: The Hangover Part III (2013), The Hangover Part II (2011), School for Scoundrels (2006)See all 3 shared titles with Craig Mazin
Actors
- Bradley CooperShared titles: Joker (2019), A Star Is Born (2018), War Dogs (2016), The Hangover Part III (2013), The Hangover Part II (2011), The Hangover (2009)See all 6 shared titles with Bradley Cooper
- Zach GalifianakisShared titles: The Hangover Part III (2013), The Hangover Part II (2011), Due Date (2010), The Hangover (2009)See all 4 shared titles with Zach Galifianakis
- Ed HelmsShared titles: The Hangover Part III (2013), The Hangover Part II (2011), The Hangover (2009)See all 3 shared titles with Ed Helms
- Jeffrey TamborShared titles: The Hangover Part III (2013), The Hangover Part II (2011), The Hangover (2009)See all 3 shared titles with Jeffrey Tambor
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Lawrence SherShared titles: Joker (2019), War Dogs (2016), The Hangover Part III (2013), The Hangover Part II (2011), Due Date (2010), The Hangover (2009)See all 6 shared titles with Lawrence Sher
- Christophe BeckShared titles: The Hangover Part III (2013), The Hangover Part II (2011), Due Date (2010), The Hangover (2009), School for Scoundrels (2006)See all 5 shared titles with Christophe Beck
- Jeff GrothShared titles: Joker (2019), War Dogs (2016), The Hangover Part III (2013), Project X (2012)See all 4 shared titles with Jeff Groth
- Debra Neil-FisherShared titles: The Hangover Part III (2013), The Hangover Part II (2011), Due Date (2010), The Hangover (2009)See all 4 shared titles with Debra Neil-Fisher
Producers
- Daniel GoldbergShared titles: The Hangover Part III (2013), The Hangover Part II (2011), Due Date (2010), The Hangover (2009), School for Scoundrels (2006), Old School (2003), Road Trip (2000)See all 7 shared titles with Daniel Goldberg
- Scott BudnickShared titles: Project X (2012), The Hangover Part II (2011), Due Date (2010), All the King's Men (2006), School for Scoundrels (2006), Starsky & Hutch (2004)See all 6 shared titles with Scott Budnick
- Joseph GarnerShared titles: Joker: Folie à Deux (2024), The Hangover Part II (2011), Due Date (2010)See all 3 shared titles with Joseph Garner
- David SiegelShared titles: The Hangover Part II (2011), Starsky & Hutch (2004)See all 2 shared titles with David Siegel