John Patrick Whitesell is an American television and film director. He has directed numerous films such as Calendar Girl, Big Momma's House 2 and Holidate. He started his career as a film director in 1993. Description above from the Wikipedia article John Whitesell, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- December 2, 1953 (72)
- Iowa Falls, Iowa, USA
- Director, also producer
- 23 on MovieCove · 47 credits in all
What are John Whitesell's films like?
Across their 11 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 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 8
Light 9 · Serious 0 · Dark 0
A split, not a type: Grounded 5 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 1
Gentle 8 · Charged 1 · Intense 0
Steady 6 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 6
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0
Casual 9 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 9 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 0
Resolved 9 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy10
- Bittersweet1
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 John Whitesell's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 15 of their 23 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Roku Channel (4).
Subscription and free streaming for John Whitesell'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
47 credits, 23 with a MovieCove page.
Holidate(2020)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Your Family or Mine(2015)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all shows
Girl Meets World(2014)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all shows
Faking It(2014)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all shows
Chicago P.D.(2014)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows
Thunderstruck(2012)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
The Client List(2011)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows
Rob(2012)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films
Hot in Cleveland(2010)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows
Valentine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Deck the Halls(2006)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
Big Momma's House 2(2006)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
Listen Up! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Malibu's Most Wanted(2003)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Old School(2003)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all filmsMen, Women & Dogs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Raising Dad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
See Spot Run(2001)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Grounded for Life(2001)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows
Jack & Jill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Action(1999)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all showsGrown Ups (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Providence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Costello (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Damon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Cosby (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Pearl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Clarissa (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Jancis Robinson's Wine Course (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
Pig Sty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)
The Cosby Mysteries (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
The Martin Short Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Someone Like Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Calendar Girl(1993)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
The John Larroquette Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Rachel Gunn, R.N. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Law & Order(1990)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows
Blossom(1990)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all shows
Capital News (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Doctor Doctor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Coach(1989)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all showsRaising Miranda (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Tattingers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)
Roseanne(1988)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all shows
A Different World(1987)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all shows
Another World (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)
Career shape
A full career of 45 titles from 1964 to 2020.
Biggest box office
Big Momma's House 2 (2006)
Highest rated
Holidate (2020)
Most popular right now
Deck the Halls (2006)
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 Primetime Emmy in 1994, Outstanding Individual Achievement in Directing in a Comedy Series.
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 John Whitesell's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 25th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 25th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th7
- 25th to 49th5
- Below 25th7
Shape of the crowd
12 of their 23 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser10
- Mixed12
Reviewers score the atmosphere 53/100 and the pacing 39/100 in their films, across 8 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 John Whitesell's work okay for kids?
Across up to 6 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 John Whitesell work with?
People who share at least 2 of John Whitesell's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Don Rhymer shares the most, 3.
Writers
- Don RhymerShared titles: Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011), Big Momma's House 2 (2006), Deck the Halls (2006)See all 3 shared titles with Don Rhymer
- Darryl QuarlesShared titles: Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011), Big Momma's House 2 (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Darryl Quarles
Actors
- Kristin ChenowethShared titles: Holidate (2020), Deck the Halls (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Kristin Chenoweth
- Brandon T. JacksonShared titles: Thunderstruck (2012), Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Brandon T. Jackson
- Martin LawrenceShared titles: Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011), Big Momma's House 2 (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Martin Lawrence
- Jorge GarciaShared titles: Deck the Halls (2006), Old School (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Jorge Garcia
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Mark IrwinShared titles: Big Momma's House 2 (2006), Deck the Halls (2006), Malibu's Most Wanted (2003)See all 3 shared titles with Mark Irwin
- Priscilla Nedd-FriendlyShared titles: Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011), Big Momma's House 2 (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Priscilla Nedd-Friendly
- George S. ClintonShared titles: Big Momma's House 2 (2006), Deck the Halls (2006)See all 2 shared titles with George S. Clinton
- Cara SilvermanShared titles: Malibu's Most Wanted (2003), See Spot Run (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Cara Silverman
Producers
- Arnon MilchanShared titles: Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011), Big Momma's House 2 (2006), Deck the Halls (2006)See all 3 shared titles with Arnon Milchan
- Jeremiah SamuelsShared titles: Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011), Big Momma's House 2 (2006), Deck the Halls (2006)See all 3 shared titles with Jeremiah Samuels
- Bill JohnsonShared titles: Thunderstruck (2012), Malibu's Most Wanted (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Bill Johnson
- Mike KarzShared titles: Thunderstruck (2012), Malibu's Most Wanted (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Mike Karz
