From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Jerry Stahl (born September 28, 1953) is an American novelist and screenwriter, He is best known for his memoir of addiction Permanent Midnight. A film adaptation followed with Ben Stiller in the lead role. Stahl has worked extensively in film and television. He has one daughter named Stella, who is a senior at Northwestern University and is studying theater and political science. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jerry Stahl, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- September 28, 1953 (73)
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
- Writer and actor
- 19 on MovieCove · 25 credits in all
What are Jerry Stahl's films like?
Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
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 0 · Earnest 7
Light 0 · Serious 1 · Dark 6
A split, not a type: Grounded 4 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1
A split, not a type: Gentle 1 · Charged 2 · Intense 4
Steady 2 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 1
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1
Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 1
Casual 3 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 3
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet5
- 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 Jerry Stahl's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).
Subscription and free streaming for Jerry Stahl'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
25 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Severance(2022)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
Escape at Dannemora(2018)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows
The Icarus Line Must Die(2017)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
A Thousand Junkies(2017)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Chuck(2016)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Urge(2016)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
August: Osage County(2013)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Maron(2013)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows
Hemingway & Gellhorn(2012)
Midcredits score: 52nd percentile of all films
Inland Empire(2006)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Bad Boys II(2003)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Zoolander(2001)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows
12 Rounds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Gun Shy(2000)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Permanent Midnight(1998)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Shades of L.A. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Northern Exposure(1990)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
Twin Peaks(1990)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
Dr. Caligari (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
thirtysomething (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)
ALF(1986)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
Moonlighting(1985)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows
Café Flesh (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Nightdreams (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Career shape
A full career of 25 titles from 1981 to 2022.
Film career
- 1998Screen debut· Permanent Midnight
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 Jerry Stahl's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 62nd percentile, the median of all 11; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 64th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up9
- 50th to 74th8
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
11 of their 19 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved3
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser11
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the dialogue 46/100 and the plot and story 37/100 in their films, across 6 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 Jerry Stahl's work okay for kids?
Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs 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 Jerry Stahl work with?
People who share at least 2 of Jerry Stahl's MovieCove titles; Jeff Rice shares the most, 2.
- Jeff RiceShared titles: Chuck (2016), Urge (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Jeff Rice
