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Coke Sams

Producer, writer and director

Coke Sams was born on 3 December 1945. He is a producer and director, known for Existo (1999), Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam (1985) and Ernest Scared Stupid (1991).

Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Producer, writer and director
Titles
9 on MovieCove · 14 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 37 days to Oct 26Down 41% in 30 days

What are Coke Sams' films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
40%
Bonds
31%
Society
13%
Power
11%
Morality
4%
Self-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGreed2 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 9 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 4 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 3

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

Gentle 6 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

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

Steady 3 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 8

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

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 9 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 9 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
6
Joyful
6
Warm
5
Hopeful
2
Tense
3
Other
4

How their films linger

Feel-good8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy9

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 Coke Sams' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Coke Sams' 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

14 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Identical(2014)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Blue Like Jazz (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Executive Producer

  • Chonda Pierce: Did I Say That Out Loud? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Director

  • The Second Chance (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

    Producer

  • Existo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director · Writer

  • Lunker Lake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Writer

  • Ernest Goes to School(1994)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Ernest Rides Again(1993)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • Ernest Scared Stupid(1991)

    Co-Producer · Story · Writer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Ernest Goes to Jail(1990)

    Co-Producer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Ernest Saves Christmas(1988)

    Co-Producer · Second Unit Director

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Ernest Goes to Camp(1987)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Dr. Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam(1985)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album(1983)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 14 titles from 1983 to 2014.

Biggest box office

Ernest Saves Christmas (1988)

$28M worldwide

Highest rated

Ernest Scared Stupid (1991)

Midcredits 42nd

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing3 of 14: 1 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting7 of 14: 3 only writing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score31stProducing8 of 14: 5 only producing, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score29thOther crew1 of 14: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

14 titles, 5 with more than one role — producing and writing overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1980s4 · crew1990s6 · crew2000s1 · crew2010s3 · 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.

How do Coke Sams' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 29th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 28th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

28thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

35thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 9 titles, by percentile

  • 50th to 74th1
  • 25th to 49th6
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 9 titles are Mixed.

  • Cult Classic2
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · producer

The Identical (2014)

85th percentile spread · 29% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer, producer

Knowhutimean? Hey Vern, It's My Family Album (1983)

Midcredits 60th · 71% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 44/100 and the plot and story 30/100 in their films, across 8 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.

Who does Coke Sams work with?

People who share at least 2 of Coke Sams' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John R. Cherry III shares the most, 8.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers and cinematographers

Producers