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John Scheinfeld

John Scheinfeld

Director, writer and producer

John Scheinfeld is a critically acclaimed documentary filmmaker with a broad range of subjects and productions to his credit.

Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Director, writer and producer
Titles
15 on MovieCove · 36 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 37 days to Oct 26Up 57% in 30 days

What are John Scheinfeld's films like?

Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Ideas.

Themes

share of theme weight
Society
48%
Ideas
21%
Morality
8%
Self
7%
Power
7%
Bonds
4%
Survival
4%
Legacy8 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFame5 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRedemption2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 15 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 11 · Serious 4 · Dark 0

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

Grounded 15 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 10 · Charged 5 · Intense 0

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

Steady 13 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 9 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 10 · 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 12 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 15 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
9
Contemplative
8
Hopeful
8
Melancholic
3
Joyful
3
Other
5

How their films linger

Hopeful8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic1
  • 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 John Scheinfeld's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (7).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for John Scheinfeld'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

36 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page.

  • Baseball: Beyond Belief (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Starring Dick Van Dyke(2025)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • M*A*S*H: The Comedy That Changed Television (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Director · Executive Producer

  • Reinventing Elvis: The '68 Comeback(2023)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • What the Hell Happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?(2023)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films

  • Mixtape Trilogy: Stories of the Power of Music (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Executive Producer

  • Sergio Mendes in the Key of Joy(2020)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films

  • Herb Alpert Is...(2020)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Happy Days of Garry Marshall(2020)

    Director · Executive Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • This Is Bob Hope... (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

    Director

  • Chasing Trane: The John Coltrane Documentary(2016)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • I Hope You Dance: The Power and Spirit of Song(2015)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Dick Cavett's Vietnam (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Director

  • Dick Cavett's Watergate(2014)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • In Search of Heaven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

    Director

  • Chicago Cubs: The Heart and Soul of Chicago (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him?)(2010)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • We Believe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director · Writer

  • The Television Revolution Begins: "All in the Family" Is On the Air (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director · Producer

  • Those Were the Days: The Birth of "All in the Family" (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Director · Producer

  • The U.S. vs. John Lennon(2006)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Divine Bette Midler (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Director · Executive Producer

  • Best Sellers or: Peter Sellers and Dr. Strangelove(2004)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • No Fighting in the War Room Or: 'Dr Strangelove' and the Nuclear Threat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director · Writer

  • Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of 'Smile'(2004)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Jack Paar: Smart Television(2003)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Bob Hope: The Road to Laughter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Vintage Sinatra (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director

  • Mysteries of the Sphinx (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Director · Writer

  • Mysteries of Easter Island(2002)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Bee Gees: This Is Where I Came In (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director

  • The Unknown Peter Sellers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Director · Writer

  • Jonathan Winters: On the Loose (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Director

  • The Unknown Marx Brothers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Director

  • American Masters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Show 1 episode · Director · Producer · Writer

  • Mysteries Of Stonehenge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    as Director/Writer

Career shape

A full career of 36 titles, 35 of them dated from 1986 to 2026.

Biggest box office

The U.S. vs. John Lennon (2006)

$1.4M worldwide

Highest rated

Beautiful Dreamer: Brian Wilson and the Story of 'Smile' (2004)

Midcredits 97th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 36: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting33 of 36: 9 only directing, 24 with another role · typical Midcredits score87thWriting20 of 36: 0 only writing, 20 with another role · typical Midcredits score85thProducing18 of 36: 2 only producing, 16 with another role · typical Midcredits score85th

36 titles, 24 with more than one role — directing and writing overlap on 20 of them.

By decade

1980s1 · crew1990s1 · crew2000s16 · crew2010s8 · crew2020s9 · 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 John Scheinfeld's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 88th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 88th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

88thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Approval · how many liked their films

90thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Reach · how many have seen their films

36thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Midcredits score across 15 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up12
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th1

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 15 titles are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Divisive3
  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · director, writer, producer

Jack Paar: Smart Television (2003)

97th percentile spread · 28% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director, writer, producer

Starring Dick Van Dyke (2025)

Midcredits 98th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 68/100 and the pacing 58/100 in their films, across 8 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.

Who does John Scheinfeld work with?

People who share at least 2 of John Scheinfeld's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Peter S. Lynch II shares the most, 10.

Directors

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles