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Randall Miller

Randall Miller

Director, producer, writer and editor · Born July 24, 1962 (64) · Pasadena, California, USA

Randall Miller (born July 24, 1962) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, editor, and occasional actor. At the American Film Institute (AFI), Miller received acclaim for his 1990 short film Marilyn Hotchkiss Ballroom Dancing & Charm School. This led to a career directing films in Hollywood in the 1990s, including the comedies Class Act (1992), Houseguest (1995), and The 6th Man (1997). In his 40s, he ventured into independent film, taking money out of his house to direct and produce Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School (2005), an expansion of his 1990 short into a full-length feature. He followed this with the indie films Nobel Son (2007), Bottle Shock (2008), and CBGB (2013), all starring Alan Rickman in the lead role. He self-distributed and raised the money for Bottle Shock, his greatest critical success. He closely collaborated with his wife Jody Savin on many of his projects, writing and producing multiple films together. In 2015, he pled guilty in the train crash death of film crew member Sarah Jones in a plea deal so that his wife, also charged, could go home to their two school-aged children. The film was Midnight Rider, which he was directing and producing. He served one year in jail and is completing nine years of probation. He is the first filmmaker to be imprisoned for a film-related death.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 24, 1962 (64)
From
Pasadena, California, USA
Works as
Director, producer, writer and editor
Titles
18 on MovieCove · 24 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 14% in 30 days

What are Randall Miller's films like?

Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy10 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 45th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 36th percentile
: browse their Drama 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
Bonds
39%
Self
25%
Society
14%
Morality
8%
Power
7%
Survival
4%
Ideas
3%
Friendship6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 10 · Serious 3 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 10 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 12 · Charged 0 · Intense 1

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

Steady 11 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 6

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 6 · 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 11 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 13 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
9
Joyful
8
Hopeful
5
Absurd
6
Melancholic
3
Other
4

How their films linger

Feel-good9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet6
  • Ambiguous1

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 Randall Miller's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 18 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (10).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Randall Miller'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

24 credits, 18 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Coffee Wars(2023)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Ten Tricks(2022)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • CBGB(2013)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Savannah(2013)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Bottle Shock(2008)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Story · Writer · as Patron

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Nobel Son(2007)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing & Charm School(2005)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Till Dad Do Us Part(2001)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • A Tale of Two Bunnies(2000)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • H-E Double Hockey Sticks(1999)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Popular (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Jack & Jill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Sixth Man(1997)

    Director · as Booster

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Houseguest(1995)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all films

  • Class Act(1992)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Salute Your Shorts(1991)

    Show Director

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director · Writer

  • Parker Lewis Can't Lose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Northern Exposure(1990)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Throw Momma from the Train(1987)

    as Bucky

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • thirtysomething (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Ratings Game(1984)

    as Car Attendant

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Cheers(1982)

    Show 1 episode · as Michael

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • Supercrip (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Writer

Career shape

A full career of 23 titles, 22 of them dated from 1982 to 2023.

Biggest box office

Houseguest (1995)

$26M worldwide

Highest rated

Salute Your Shorts (1991)

Midcredits 91st

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting5 of 23: 3 only acting, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score51stDirecting17 of 23: 10 only directing, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score49thWriting7 of 23: 1 only writing, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score58thProducing7 of 23: 2 only producing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score58thEditing3 of 23: 0 only editing, 3 with another role

23 titles, 7 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

1980s4 · 3 acting · 1 crew1990s9 · 1 acting · 9 crew2000s5 · 1 acting · 5 crew2010s2 · crew2020s2 · 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 Randall Miller's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 43rd percentile, the median of all 15; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 41st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

41stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

46thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 18 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up3
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

9 of their 18 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · producer

Ten Tricks (2022)

85th percentile spread · 49% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Northern Exposure (1990)

Midcredits 95th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 60/100 and the pacing 44/100 in their films, across 12 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 Randall Miller's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, every category sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Sex & Nudity5 titles23–52 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32

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 Randall Miller work with?

People who share at least 2 of Randall Miller's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jody Savin shares the most, 8.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers