Skip to content
MovieCove
Robert Mulligan

Robert Mulligan

Director and producer, also actor · Died December 19, 2008, aged 83 · New York City, New York, USA

Robert Mulligan (August 23, 1925 – December 20, 2008) was an American film and television director. Description above from the Wikipedia article Robert Mulligan, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 23, 1925
Died
December 19, 2008 (aged 83)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Director and producer, also actor
Titles
19 on MovieCove · 31 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 39 days to Oct 28Down 46% in 30 days

What are Robert Mulligan's films like?

Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Drama9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 66th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 79th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 74th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime 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
Self
32%
Bonds
29%
Survival
14%
Morality
11%
Society
10%
Ideas
2%
Power
2%
Romantic love6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age5 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 19 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 5 · Serious 3 · Dark 11

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

Grounded 15 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 4 · Charged 11 · Intense 4

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

Steady 14 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 0

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

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 12 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 2

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

Slow burn 17 · Even-paced 2 · 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 10 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 0

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 11 · Open-ended 5 · Ambiguous 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
14
Tense
10
Bittersweet
8
Warm
7
Romantic
5
Other
12

How their films linger

Bittersweet10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful9 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 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 · 3 with a twist

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet13
  • Tragic1
  • 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 Robert Mulligan's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 19 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Pluto TV (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Robert Mulligan'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

31 credits, 19 with a MovieCove page; 3 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Man in the Moon(1991)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Clara's Heart(1988)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Kiss Me Goodbye(1982)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Bloodbrothers(1978)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Same Time, Next Year(1978)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • The Nickel Ride (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Director · Producer

  • The Other(1972)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Summer of '42(1971)

    Director · as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • The Pursuit of Happiness(1971)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Stalking Moon(1968)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Up the Down Staircase(1967)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Inside Daisy Clover(1965)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Baby the Rain Must Fall(1965)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Love with the Proper Stranger(1963)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • To Kill a Mockingbird(1962)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • The Spiral Road(1962)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Come September(1961)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Great Impostor(1960)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • The Rat Race(1960)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • The Moon and Sixpence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Director

  • The Mystery of Thirteen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Director

  • DuPont Show of the Month (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

  • Fear Strikes Out(1957)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Defender (Studio One) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Director

  • A Man Is Ten Feet Tall (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Director

  • Mr. Matches (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Director

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Goodyear Television Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Suspense (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)

    Show 9 episodes · Director

  • Studio One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Show 8 episodes · Director

  • The Philco Television Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1948)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Actor

Career shape

A full career of 31 titles from 1948 to 1991.

Biggest box office

Same Time, Next Year (1978)

$20M worldwide

Highest rated

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting2 of 31: 0 only acting, 2 with another roleDirecting31 of 31: 24 only directing, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score73rdProducing5 of 31: 0 only producing, 5 with another role

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

By decade

1940s3 · 1 acting · 3 crew1950s9 · crew1960s10 · crew1970s6 · 1 acting · 6 crew1980s2 · crew1990s1 · 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 Robert Mulligan's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 73rd percentile, the median of all 19; across their 19 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 69th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Approval · how many liked their films

74thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Reach · how many have seen their films

70thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 19

Midcredits score across 19 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th6

Shape of the crowd

None of their 19 titles divides audiences: 13 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser13
  • Mixed5

Most loved · director, producer

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Midcredits 99th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 73/100 and the pacing 47/100 in their films, across 19 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 Robert Mulligan's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 34 · mildMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 29 · mildMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 19 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 42 · moderateMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Robert Mulligan work with?

People who share at least 2 of Robert Mulligan's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alan J. Pakula shares the most, 7.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers