Phil Leirness has always been a storyteller. At the age of six, he was writing short stories. By the age of nine, he was acting in plays and musicals. By the time he graduated from high school, he was already a published film critic, a stand-up comic and a television host (in his native San Francisco Bay Area). After moving to Los Angeles, Leirness continued to perform stand-up comedy (at such venues as the Comedy Store on Hollywood's Sunset Strip). It was upon seeing the Wim Wenders masterpiece Wings of Desire (1987) in 1988 that he knew he had to become a filmmaker.
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Biography from TMDB.
- November 25, 1968 (57)
- Director, actor, cinematographer, editor, writer and producer
- 5 on MovieCove · 10 credits in all
What are Phil Leirness' films like?
Across a limited sample of 3 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
A split, not a type: Ironic 1 · Wry 0 · Earnest 2
Light 2 · Serious 0 · Dark 1
Grounded 1 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0
A split, not a type: Gentle 2 · Charged 0 · Intense 1
A split, not a type: Steady 2 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
A split, not a type: Casual 2 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 1
Resolved 1 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
- Shadowas John Reid in The Lady Killers (2017)
Moods and endings
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 Phil Leirness' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 5 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Phil Leirness' 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
10 credits, 5 with a MovieCove page.
The Lady Killers(2017)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films
West Hollywood Motel(2013)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
The Cheating Pact(2013)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
The Perfect Boyfriend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Dirty Teacher(2013)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
The Truth Is Out There(2011)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Karl Rove, I Love You (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Spectres (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
The Story of O: Untold Pleasures (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
The Party Crashers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Career shape
A full career of 10 titles from 1998 to 2017.
How do Phil Leirness' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 37th percentile, the median of all 5; across a limited sample of 3 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 36th percentile for acclaim.
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th2
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
2 of their 5 titles are Divisive.
- Divisive2
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the atmosphere 57/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles; fans 73, detractors 60. 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.
Who does Phil Leirness work with?
People who share at least 2 of Phil Leirness' MovieCove titles; Dean Haglund shares the most, 2.
- Dean HaglundShared titles: The Lady Killers (2017), The Truth Is Out There (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Dean Haglund
- Greg De BellesShared titles: The Lady Killers (2017), The Truth Is Out There (2011)See all 2 shared titles with Greg De Belles