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Michael Elias

Michael Elias

Writer · Born September 20, 1940 (86) · Woodburn, New York, USA

Born
September 20, 1940 (86)
From
Woodburn, New York, USA
Works as
Writer
Titles
6 on MovieCove · 18 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 3% in 30 days

What are Michael Elias' films like?

Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
41%
Self
40%
Morality
5%
Ideas
5%
Power
4%
Society
4%
Identity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 5 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Wry: How sincerely it treats its story and characters, from ironic to earnest. Browse their wry movies.
Tone · Sincerity
ironicearnest

A split, not a type: Ironic 3 · Wry 0 · Earnest 2

Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 5 · Serious 0 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 0 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 2

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

Gentle 2 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

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

Steady 2 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 4

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

Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 2

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

A split, not a type: Casual 3 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
4
Joyful
5
Warm
1
Romantic
2
Contemplative
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Fun4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy5

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 Elias' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 1 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, on Prime Video (1).

Subscription and free streaming for Michael Elias' 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

18 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page.

  • Head of the Class (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Show 10 episodes · Creator · Original Series Creator

  • No Laughing Matter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director · Teleplay

  • Children of the Dust (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 2 episodes · as Reporter

  • Lush Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Beaches(1988)

    as Seedy Bar Patron

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Envoyez les violons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Screenplay · Story

  • The American Snitch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Executive Producer

  • Young Doctors in Love(1982)

    Writer · as The Others - Spectator

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Serial(1980)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Steve Martin: Comedy Is Not Pretty(1980)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Jerk(1979)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Frisco Kid(1979)

    Writer · as Rabbi

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films

  • Co-Ed Fever (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Show Creator

  • Steve Martin: A Wild and Crazy Guy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Writer

  • Black Bart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Writer

  • Another Nice Mess (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    as Chauffeur

  • Who's Crazy? (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Actor

  • The Brig (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    as Prisoner No.5

Career shape

A full career of 18 titles from 1964 to 2021.

Biggest box office

The Jerk (1979)

$74M worldwide

Highest rated

The Jerk (1979)

Midcredits 82nd

Most popular right now

Young Doctors in Love (1982)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting7 of 18: 5 only acting, 2 with another roleDirecting2 of 18: 0 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting11 of 18: 6 only writing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score58thProducing1 of 18: 1 only producing, 0 with another roleOther crew2 of 18: 1 only other crew, 1 with another role

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

By decade

1960s2 · acting1970s6 · 2 acting · 5 crew1980s6 · 2 acting · 5 crew1990s3 · 1 acting · 2 crew2020s1 · 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 Elias' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 68th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 58th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Approval · how many liked their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Reach · how many have seen their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 5

Midcredits score across 6 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th2
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

None of their 6 titles divides audiences: 4 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser4
  • Mixed1

Most loved · writer

The Jerk (1979)

Midcredits 82nd · 73% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 64/100 and the plot and story 40/100 in their films, across 4 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 Michael Elias work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael Elias' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Rich Eustis shares the most, 2.

Writers

Actors

Producers