Skip to content
MovieCove
Theodore Melfi

Theodore Melfi

Producer, director and writer · Born October 27, 1970 (56) · Brooklyn, New York, USA

Theodore Melfi is an American filmmaker. In 2016, Melfi co-wrote, directed, and co-produced Hidden Figures, for which he received Oscar nominations for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. He is of Italian descent. Description above from the Wikipedia article Theodore Melfi, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 27, 1970 (56)
From
Brooklyn, New York, USA
Works as
Producer, director and writer
Titles
10 on MovieCove · 17 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 157 days to Oct 28Down 25% in 30 days

What are Theodore Melfi's films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
31%
Bonds
25%
Morality
18%
Society
14%
Survival
12%
Family bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGuilt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 5 · Serious 3 · Dark 1

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

Grounded 8 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 5 · Charged 3 · Intense 1

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

Steady 7 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 3

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

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 7 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 7 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Hopeful
6
Tense
4
Absurd
5
Warm
3
Bittersweet
3
Other
6

How their films linger

Hopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet2
  • Ambiguous3

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 Theodore Melfi's films?

As of October 24, 2026, all 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Theodore Melfi'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

17 credits, 10 with a MovieCove page.

  • Corner Office(2022)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • American Dreamer(2022)

    Producer · Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • The Starling(2021)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • El Camino Christmas(2017)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • The Black Ghiandola (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Director

  • Going in Style(2017)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Hidden Figures(2016)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • St. Vincent(2014)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Bed & Breakfast(2010)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • The Beneficiary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director

  • Game of Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    Co-Producer

  • Larva(2005)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Tricks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Producer

  • Winding Roads (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • To the Ends of Time(1996)

    as Aralon Soldier

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Fruitloops (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Underworld (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Writer

Career shape

A full career of 17 titles, 15 of them dated from 1996 to 2023.

Biggest box office

Hidden Figures (2016)

$238M worldwide

Highest rated

Hidden Figures (2016)

Midcredits 98th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 17: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting8 of 17: 2 only directing, 6 with another roleWriting8 of 17: 1 only writing, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score66thProducing12 of 17: 5 only producing, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score45th

17 titles, 8 with more than one role — producing and directing overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

1990s2 · 1 acting · 1 crew2000s4 · crew2010s6 · crew2020s3 · 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 Theodore Melfi's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 45th percentile, the median of all 10; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

48thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

92ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 10 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

3 of their 10 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed3

Most divisive · actor

To the Ends of Time (1996)

83rd percentile spread · 37% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer, producer

Hidden Figures (2016)

Midcredits 98th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 61/100 and the pacing 50/100 in their films, across 9 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 Theodore Melfi's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity and alcohol & drugs run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 26 · mildMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity5 titles10–39 · median 27 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles40–72 · median 60 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles32–67 · median 44 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 29 · mildMedian 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 Theodore Melfi work with?

People who share at least 2 of Theodore Melfi's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Kimberly Quinn shares the most, 5.

Writers

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers