Daniel Leiner (May 13, 1961 – October 18, 2018) was an American film and television director. He was best known for directing the stoner comedy films Dude, Where's My Car? and Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle.
Biography from TMDB.
- May 13, 1961
- October 18, 2018 (aged 57)
- Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA
- Director, also producer
- 19 on MovieCove · 26 credits in all
Known for
What are Danny Leiner's films like?
Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
A split, not a type: Ironic 1 · Wry 1 · Earnest 2
Light 3 · Serious 0 · Dark 2
Grounded 2 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1
Gentle 1 · Charged 2 · Intense 2
Steady 2 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 1
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 3
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0
Casual 3 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 3 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 2
A split, not a type: Resolved 3 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 2
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Ambiguous2
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 Danny Leiner's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Danny Leiner'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
26 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
The Young Kieslowski (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films
The Architect(2006)
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
The Great New Wonderful(2005)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
The Office(2005)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Arrested Development(2003)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
Everwood(2002)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows
The Tick(2001)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows
Maybe It's Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
The Mind of the Married Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Dude, Where's My Car?(2000)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films
Gilmore Girls(2000)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows
Opposite Sex (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Freaks and Geeks(1999)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
Action(1999)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows
Strangers with Candy(1999)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows
The Sopranos(1999)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows
Felicity(1998)
Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all shows
Sports Night(1998)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
Layin' Low (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
Remember WENN(1996)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
Party of Five(1994)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all showsTime Expired (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Saturday TV Funhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 26 titles, 25 of them dated from 1992 to 2014.
Biggest box office
Dude, Where's My Car? (2000)
Highest rated
Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004)
Most popular right now
Dude, Where's My Car? (2000)
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 Danny Leiner's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 28th percentile, the median of all 5; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 28th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up13
- 25th to 49th4
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
7 of their 19 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved7
- Crowd Pleaser6
- Mixed6
Reviewers score the atmosphere 53/100 and the pacing 41/100 in their films, across 5 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 Danny Leiner's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Danny Leiner work with?
People who share at least 2 of Danny Leiner's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Seann William Scott shares the most, 2.
Actors
- Seann William ScottShared titles: Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach (2009), Dude, Where's My Car? (2000)See all 2 shared titles with Seann William Scott
Composers
- John SwihartShared titles: Balls Out: Gary the Tennis Coach (2009), The Great New Wonderful (2005)See all 2 shared titles with John Swihart
- David KitayShared titles: Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle (2004), Dude, Where's My Car? (2000)See all 2 shared titles with David Kitay
Mixed roles
- Matt TauberShared titles: The Architect (2006), The Great New Wonderful (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Matt Tauber
