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Gary Weis

Director, producer, cinematographer and actor, also writer

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Gary Weis is a movie and television director. He was the second creator of short films for Saturday Night Live (following Albert Brooks and preceding Tom Schiller). Description above from the Wikipedia article Gary Weis, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Director, producer, cinematographer and actor, also writer
Titles
11 on Motif · 19 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 157 days to Oct 28Down 17% in 30 days

What are Gary Weis' films like?

Across their 10 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Ideas.

Genres

Comedy5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Documentary4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 94th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies

Their Motif 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
Society
33%
Ideas
25%
Self
21%
Bonds
15%
Survival
4%
Morality
3%
Fame4 titles, browse their movies with this themeArt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this themeLegacy2 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 10 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 9 · Serious 0 · Dark 1

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 7 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 2

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

Gentle 6 · Charged 4 · Intense 0

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

Steady 8 · Shifting 2 · 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 5

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

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 9 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 8 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
7
Warm
5
Absurd
3
Melancholic
3
Contemplative
4
Other
3

How their films linger

Fun5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet3
  • Ambiguous2

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 Gary Weis' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 11 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Gary Weis' titles on Motif; 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

19 credits, 11 with a Motif page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Action Family (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1987)

    Director

  • Looney Tunes 50th Anniversary(1986)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Homage to Steve(1984)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Young Lust(1984)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Wholly Moses!(1980)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • 80 Blocks from Tiffany's (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1980)

    Director · Producer

  • Manhattan(1979)

    as Television Director

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Diary of a Young Comic(1979)

    Director · Producer · Writer

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

  • Steve Martin: A Wild and Crazy Guy (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1978)

    Director

  • The Things We Did Last Summer (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1978)

    Director · Producer

  • The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash(1978)

    Director · Cinematographer · Producer · as Photographer getting off train

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • The Beach Boys: It's OK (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1976)

    Director

  • The Beach Boys: It's OK (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1976)

    Director

  • Saturday Night Live(1975)

    Show 33 episodes · Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • Jimi Hendrix(1973)

    Director · Producer · Visual Effects

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Taylor Mead's Cat (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1973)

    Director

  • The Manipulator (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1971)

    Assistant Camera

  • Celebration at Big Sur(1971)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Gimme Shelter(1970)

    Cinematographer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 19 titles from 1970 to 1987.

Biggest box office

Manhattan (1979)

$40M worldwide

Highest rated

Manhattan (1979)

Midcredits 97th

Film career

  • 1978Screen debut· The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting2 of 19: 1 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting15 of 19: 10 only directing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score77thProducing5 of 19: 0 only producing, 5 with another roleCinematography3 of 19: 2 only cinematography, 1 with another roleOther crew2 of 19: 1 only other crew, 1 with another role

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

By decade

1970s13 · 2 acting · 12 crew1980s6 · 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 Motif, shown from 5 scored.

How do Gary Weis' films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 86th percentile, the median of all 10; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 84th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

84thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Approval · how many liked their films

84thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Reach · how many have seen their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 10

Midcredits score across 11 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th1
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

4 of their 11 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Mixed4

Most divisive · director

Young Lust (1984)

92nd percentile spread · 57% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

Manhattan (1979)

Midcredits 97th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 75/100 and the pacing 48/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; 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 Motif 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 Gary Weis work with?

People who share at least 2 of Gary Weis' Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Patrick Williams shares the most, 2.

Composers

Producers

Mixed roles