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Ernest Thompson

Ernest Thompson

Writer, actor and director · Born November 6, 1949 (76) · Bellows Falls, Vermont

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Ernest Thompson (born Richard Ernest Thompson; November 6, 1949) is an American writer, actor, and director. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ernest Thompson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia. ​

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
November 6, 1949 (76)
From
Bellows Falls, Vermont
Works as
Writer, actor and director
Titles
8 on MovieCove · 15 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 27Up 36% in 30 days

What are Ernest Thompson's films like?

Across their 6 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
55%
Survival
14%
Self
9%
Society
9%
Power
5%
Ideas
5%
Morality
4%
Family bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themeMarriage2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 6 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 2 · Charged 4 · Intense 0

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 4 · 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 4 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
5
Contemplative
4
Melancholic
3
Bittersweet
3
Tense
2

How their films linger

Bittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet4

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 Ernest Thompson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 2 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (2).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ernest Thompson'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

15 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page.

  • Friction (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    as Terry Plant

  • La Maison du lac (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Theatre Play

  • On Golden Pond (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director · Writer

  • Out of Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Director · Writer

  • Next Stop Wonderland(1998)

    as Nathan

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • On Golden Pond (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Author

  • The West Side Waltz(1995)

    Director · Writer · as Manville Truple

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • The Lies Boys Tell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Writer

  • ICE Train North America Tour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Executive Producer

  • Sweet Hearts Dance(1988)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • 1969(1988)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Answers(1985)

    Writer

  • Star 80(1983)

    as Phil Wass

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • On Golden Pond(1981)

    Screenplay · Theatre Play

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films

  • F. Scott Fitzgerald and 'the Last of the Belles'(1974)

    as Earl Shoen

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 14 titles from 1974 to 2010.

Biggest box office

On Golden Pond (1981)

$119M worldwide

Highest rated

On Golden Pond (1981)

Midcredits 93rd

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting5 of 14: 4 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting4 of 14: 0 only directing, 4 with another roleWriting9 of 14: 5 only writing, 4 with another roleProducing1 of 14: 1 only producing, 0 with another role

14 titles, 4 with more than one role — writing and acting overlap on 1 of them.

By decade

1970s1 · acting1980s4 · 1 acting · 3 crew1990s5 · 2 acting · 4 crew2000s3 · crew2010s1 · acting

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

How do Ernest Thompson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 44th percentile, the median of the 7 of 8 with a score; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 37th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

37thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Approval · how many liked their films

33rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

44thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 7 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th4

Shape of the crowd

4 of their 7 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser2
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · actor, director, writer

The West Side Waltz (1995)

69th percentile spread · 21% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

On Golden Pond (1981)

Midcredits 93rd · 83% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 50/100 and the plot and story 40/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

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 Ernest Thompson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ernest Thompson's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; George Schaefer shares the most, 2.

Directors

Actors

Editors

Producers