Skip to content
MovieCove
Michael Ritchie

Michael Ritchie

Director, also producer and writer · Died April 16, 2001, aged 62 · Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Michael Brunswick Ritchie (November 28, 1938 - April 16, 2001) was an American film director. Ritchie was born in Waukesha, Wisconsin, the son of Patricia (née Graney) and Benbow Ferguson Ritchie. His family later moved to Berkeley, California, where his father was a professor of experimental psychology at the University of California at Berkeley and his mother was the art and music librarian for the city. He attended Berkeley High School before becoming interested in film, and was accepted at Harvard University following high school. Ritchie attracted attention in his senior year at Harvard in 1960 by directing the original production of the Arthur Kopit play, Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His work on Kopit's play led to a job offer from Robert Saudek, the producer of the Omnibus television series. Ritchie also directed episodes of Profiles in Courage and such TV series as The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Dr. Kildare and Felony Squad prior to making his Hollywood feature-film debut in 1969 with Downhill Racer. His sister, Elsie Ritchie, acted in two of his films (The Candidate and Smile). In 1994, Ritchie purchased the hacienda-style house at 12305 Fifth Helena Drive, in the Brentwood district of Los Angeles, where Marilyn Monroe died in 1962. He bought it for $995,000. In 1994, Ritchie moved to Manhattan with his wife, Jimmie B. Ritchie, and daughters, Lillian (b. 1986) and Miriam (b. 1988). His additional children include a son, Steven (b. 1973); daughters Lauren (b. 1966) and Jessica (b. 1973), and two stepchildren, Nelly Bly and Billy Bly. Ritchie died at age 62 of complications from prostate cancer, on April 16, 2001, in New York. Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Ritchie (film director), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 28, 1938
Died
April 16, 2001 (aged 62)
From
Waukesha, Wisconsin, USA
Works as
Director, also producer and writer
Titles
28 on MovieCove · 38 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 38 days to Oct 27Down 38% in 30 days

What are Michael Ritchie's films like?

Across their 26 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Comedy14 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 32nd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 69th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Action3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 40th percentile
: browse their Action movies

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

share of theme weight
Self
28%
Bonds
19%
Morality
18%
Society
17%
Power
10%
Survival
5%
Ideas
2%
Ambition8 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity6 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception7 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption3 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 26 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 17 · Serious 5 · Dark 4

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 13 · Stylized 12 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 10 · Charged 11 · Intense 5

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

Steady 17 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 2

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

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 13

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

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 19 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 18 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 23 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
10
Joyful
11
Tense
11
Thrilling
5
Warm
5
Other
22

How their films linger

Feel-good14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy12
  • Bittersweet8
  • Ambiguous6

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 Michael Ritchie's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 28 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Michael Ritchie'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

38 credits, 28 with a MovieCove page.

  • Big Shot: Confessions of a Campus Bookie(2002)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • The Fantasticks(2000)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Beggars and Choosers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Skip Chasers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director

  • A Simple Wish(1997)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Comfort, Texas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director

  • The Scout(1994)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Cops and Robbersons(1994)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Cool Runnings(1993)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • The Positively True Adventures of the Alleged Texas Cheerleader-Murdering Mom(1993)

    Director · as Minister (voice)

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Einstein (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Director

  • Innocent Blood(1992)

    as Night Watchman

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Diggstown(1992)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • Fletch Lives(1989)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • The Couch Trip(1988)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • The Golden Child(1986)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Wildcats(1986)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Fletch(1985)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Survivors(1983)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Student Bodies(1981)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Divine Madness(1980)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Island(1980)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • An Almost Perfect Affair(1979)

    Director · Story · as Bus Passenger

    Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films

  • The Bad News Bears Go to Japan(1978)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • Semi-Tough(1977)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • The Bad News Bears(1976)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Smile(1975)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Candidate(1972)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Prime Cut(1972)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • Downhill Racer(1969)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Sound of Anger(1968)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Outsider (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Outsider (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Director

  • Felony Squad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • The Big Valley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Run for Your Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 6 episodes · Director

  • Profiles in Courage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • The Man from U.N.C.L.E.(1964)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows

Career shape

A full career of 38 titles from 1964 to 2002.

Biggest box office

Cool Runnings (1993)

$155M worldwide

Highest rated

The Bad News Bears (1976)

Midcredits 91st

Most popular right now

Cool Runnings (1993)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting3 of 38: 1 only acting, 2 with another roleDirecting34 of 38: 30 only directing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score43rdWriting3 of 38: 2 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing3 of 38: 1 only producing, 2 with another role

38 titles, 4 with more than one role — directing and acting overlap on 2 of them.

By decade

1960s9 · crew1970s7 · 1 acting · 7 crew1980s9 · crew1990s11 · 2 acting · 10 crew2000s2 · 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 Michael Ritchie's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 42nd percentile, the median of all 27; across their 26 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 43rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

43rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Approval · how many liked their films

41stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Reach · how many have seen their films

78thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 26

Midcredits score across 28 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th11
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

12 of their 28 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser12
  • Broadly Agreed8
  • Mixed6

Most divisive · director, producer

The Fantasticks (2000)

74th percentile spread · 24% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

The Bad News Bears (1976)

Midcredits 91st · 78% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 62/100 and the pacing 48/100 in their films, across 25 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 Michael Ritchie's work okay for kids?

Across up to 14 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films and violence & gore and frightening / intense lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles15–46 · median 30 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity14 titles13–64 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles42–65 · median 53 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles14–52 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles3–35 · median 17 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

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 Michael Ritchie work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael Ritchie's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Richard A. Harris shares the most, 14.

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles