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Michael Paul Stephenson

Michael Paul Stephenson

Actor, director, producer and writer · Born February 28, 1978 (48) · Salt Lake City, Utah, USA

Michael Paul Stephenson (born February 28, 1978 in Salt Lake City, Utah) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 28, 1978 (48)
From
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
Works as
Actor, director, producer and writer
Titles
8 on MovieCove · 11 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 9% in 30 days

What are Michael Paul Stephenson's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.

Genres

Comedy3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 15th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 78th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary 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
30%
Society
23%
Bonds
20%
Survival
11%
Ideas
9%
Morality
8%
Community2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this themeObsession2 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 4 · Serious 2 · Dark 1

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

Grounded 4 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 1

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 4 · Charged 3 · Intense 0

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

Steady 2 · 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 3 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 2

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

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 3 · 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 6 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 4 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

1 analyzed role
  • Heroas Joshua Waits in Troll 2 (1990)

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
4
Absurd
4
Contemplative
4
Melancholic
2
Warm
2
Other
1

How their films linger

Thought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous1
  • Cyclical1

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 Michael Paul Stephenson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, all 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Michael Paul Stephenson'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

11 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page.

  • Attack of the Murder Hornets(2021)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Girlfriend's Day(2017)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Zero Charisma(2013)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • The American Scream(2012)

    Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Best Worst Movie(2009)

    Director · Producer · Writer · as Himself

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Before He Wakes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    as Jordan

  • The Paper Brigade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    as Luke

  • Touched by an Angel(1994)

    Show 1 episode · as Jordan (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows

  • The Bulkin Trail (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    as Nick Jackson

  • Troll 2(1990)

    as Joshua Waits

    Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films

  • Beyond Darkness(1990)

    as Martin

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

Career shape

Star power in the 75th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 11 titles from 1990 to 2021; peak year 1990.

Biggest box office

Best Worst Movie (2009)

$110K worldwide

Highest rated

Best Worst Movie (2009)

Midcredits 86th

Most popular right now

Troll 2 (1990)

Film career

19902021

Peak 1990 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting6 of 11: 6 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting4 of 11: 3 only directing, 1 with another roleWriting1 of 11: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing2 of 11: 1 only producing, 1 with another role

By decade

1990s6 · acting2000s1 · crew2010s3 · crew2020s1 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do Michael Paul Stephenson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 55th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 58th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

58thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

51stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 8 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

3 of their 8 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · actor

Troll 2 (1990)

91st percentile spread · 72% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor, director, writer, producer

Best Worst Movie (2009)

Midcredits 86th · 77% liked

Reviewers score the acting 48/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 67, detractors 38. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

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 Michael Paul Stephenson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael Paul Stephenson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Bobby Tahouri shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers