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Penelope Spheeris

Penelope Spheeris

Director, producer, actor, writer and cinematographer · Born December 2, 1945 (80) · New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

Penelope Spheeris (born December 2, 1945) is an American director, producer and screenwriter. She is best known as a documentary film director whose works include the trilogy titled The Decline of Western Civilization.  She has also directed feature films, including Wayne's World, her highest grossing film.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 2, 1945 (80)
From
New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Works as
Director, producer, actor, writer and cinematographer
Titles
23 on MovieCove · 54 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 155 days to Oct 26Down 9% in 30 days

What are Penelope Spheeris' films like?

Across their 23 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy11 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 48th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 85th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 42nd 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
26%
Self
21%
Society
18%
Survival
13%
Power
12%
Morality
7%
Ideas
3%
Family bonds7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship4 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love3 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 23 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 10 · Serious 5 · Dark 8

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

Grounded 15 · Stylized 7 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 7 · Charged 12 · Intense 4

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

A split, not a type: Steady 11 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 8

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

Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 12 · Relentless 2

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

Casual 17 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 2

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

Resolved 20 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Absurd
9
Melancholic
9
Joyful
8
Warm
5
Other
17

How their films linger

Fun10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy10
  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous5
  • Cyclical2

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 Penelope Spheeris' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 23 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Penelope Spheeris' 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

54 credits, 23 with a MovieCove page; 16 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The Real St. Nick(2012)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Five(2011)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • Balls to the Wall(2011)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • The Kid & I(2005)

    Director · Producer · as Penelope Spheeris

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Cracking Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Crooked E: The Unshredded Truth About Enron(2003)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • We Sold Our Souls for Rock 'n Roll(2001)

    Director · Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • N.Y.H.C. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Thanks

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

    Director

  • The Decline of Western Civilization Part III(1998)

    Director · Camera Operator

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • No Use Walkin' When You Can Stroll (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director

  • Senseless(1998)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Black Sheep(1996)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Little Rascals(1994)

    Director · Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • The Beverly Hillbillies(1993)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Danger Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 5 episodes · Director · Creator

  • Wayne's World(1992)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Rap's Most Wanted (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director

  • Visitors from the Unknown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director

  • Lifers Group ‎– World Tour: Rahway Prison, That's It (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Director

  • Prison Stories: Women on the Inside(1991)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Banned in the USA (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director

  • Wedding Band (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    as Nicky's Mom

  • Thunder and Mud (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

    Director · as Herself

  • Heavy Metal Heaven Hosted by Elvira (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years(1988)

    Director · as Self

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Dudes(1987)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Summer Camp Nightmare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Screenplay

  • The Boys Next Door(1985)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Hollywood Vice Squad(1986)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films

  • Suburbia(1983)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Likely Stories, Vol. 4(1983)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Decline of Western Civilization(1981)

    Director · Additional Photography · Producer · Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Real Life(1979)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Audience Research (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Producer

  • Sick (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Producer

  • Upcoming Season (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Producer

  • Open Heart Surgery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Producer

  • Home Movies & Failed Candid-Camera Stunts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Producer

  • Saturday Night Live(1975)

    Show 1 episode · Producer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • The Impossible Truth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Producer

  • The Second Coming of Suzanne(1974)

    as Margo, Logan's Film Group

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Brothers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    as Penny

  • Hats Off to Hollywood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Director

  • I Don't Know (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Director · Writer

  • The Ski Bum (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    as Star the Witch

  • Vice Hustler (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Actor

  • Bath (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Director

  • Shit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Director

  • The National Rehabilitation Center (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Director

  • Uncle Tom's Fairy Tales (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Director

  • Synthesis (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Director

  • Boy and Crows (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Director

  • Superman's Loneliness (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director · Actor

Career shape

A full career of 53 titles, 52 of them dated from 1968 to 2012.

Biggest box office

Wayne's World (1992)

$183M worldwide

Highest rated

The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)

Midcredits 94th

Most popular right now

The Little Rascals (1994)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting7 of 53: 5 only acting, 2 with another roleDirecting38 of 53: 29 only directing, 9 with another role · typical Midcredits score48thWriting5 of 53: 1 only writing, 4 with another roleProducing11 of 53: 8 only producing, 3 with another role · typical Midcredits score71stOther crew4 of 53: 1 only other crew, 3 with another role

53 titles, 9 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 3 of them.

By decade

1960s6 · crew1970s14 · 4 acting · 10 crew1980s8 · crew1990s17 · 1 acting · 16 crew2000s4 · 1 acting · 4 crew2010s3 · 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 Penelope Spheeris' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 53rd percentile, the median of all 22; across their 23 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 45th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Approval · how many liked their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Reach · how many have seen their films

69thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 23

Midcredits score across 23 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 23 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Divisive2
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser10
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · director, cinematographer

We Sold Our Souls for Rock 'n Roll (2001)

95th percentile spread · 24% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor, director, writer, producer

The Decline of Western Civilization (1981)

Midcredits 94th · 81% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 60/100 and the pacing 46/100 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 Penelope Spheeris' work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore runs lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles17–68 · median 28 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles26–60 · median 40 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 40 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 31 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 11 · minimalMedian 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 Penelope Spheeris work with?

People who share at least 2 of Penelope Spheeris' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Ross Albert shares the most, 6.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles