Bruce Joel Rubin (b. March 10, 1943, Detroit, Michigan) is a screenwriter best known for the supernatural romance, Ghost for which he won the 1991 Oscar for Best Original Screenplay. He also wrote the screenplay for the 1990 psychological thriller Jacob's Ladder.
Biography from TMDB.
- March 10, 1943 (83)
- Detroit, Michigan, USA
- Writer, producer and director, also actor
- 12 on MovieCove · 17 credits in all
What are Bruce Joel Rubin's films like?
Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.
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 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 11
Light 4 · Serious 4 · Dark 4
A split, not a type: Grounded 7 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 1
Gentle 0 · Charged 8 · Intense 4
Steady 4 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 4
Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0
Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 0
Casual 3 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 3
A split, not a type: Easy watch 2 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 7
A split, not a type: Resolved 9 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 2
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet6
- Tragic1
- 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 Bruce Joel Rubin's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Bruce Joel Rubin'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
17 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 7 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Jacob's Ladder(2019)
Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films
Ghost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
The Time Traveler's Wife(2009)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
The Last Mimzy(2007)
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
Stuart Little 2(2002)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Deep Impact(1998)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
My Life(1993)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Deceived(1991)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Jacob's Ladder(1990)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Ghost(1990)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Deadly Friend(1986)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films
Brainstorm(1983)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Hi, Mom!(1970)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Dionysus in '69 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
To Bridge This Gap (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)
The Responsive Eye (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)
Jennifer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Career shape
A full career of 17 titles from 1964 to 2019.
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.
How do Bruce Joel Rubin's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 53rd percentile, the median of all 12; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 54th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up3
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
5 of their 12 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser5
- Broadly Agreed3
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the dialogue 48/100 and the plot and story 45/100 in their films, across 12 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 Bruce Joel Rubin's work okay for kids?
Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and alcohol & drugs lighter.
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 Bruce Joel Rubin work with?
People who share at least 2 of Bruce Joel Rubin's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; James Horner shares the most, 2.
Composers
- James HornerShared titles: Deep Impact (1998), Brainstorm (1983)See all 2 shared titles with James Horner
- Maurice JarreShared titles: Ghost (1990), Jacob's Ladder (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Maurice Jarre
Producers
- Justis GreeneShared titles: The Time Traveler's Wife (2009), The Last Mimzy (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Justis Greene
Mixed roles
- Jerry ZuckerShared titles: My Life (1993), Ghost (1990)See all 2 shared titles with Jerry Zucker
