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Michelle Buteau

Michelle Buteau

Actor and writer, also producer · Born July 24, 1977 (49) · New Jersey, USA

Michelle Buteau (born July 24, 1977) is an American film and television actress, stand-up comedienne, and podcast host. She is best known for her roles in the films Happiest Season (2020), Marry Me (2022), and Babes (2024).

Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 24, 1977 (49)
From
New Jersey, USA
Works as
Actor and writer, also producer
Titles
35 on MovieCove · 40 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 156 days to Oct 27Down 37% in 30 days

What are Michelle Buteau's films like?

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

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
45%
Self
33%
Ideas
9%
Society
7%
Survival
3%
Morality
3%
Friendship10 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth8 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age4 titles, browse their movies with this themeHope4 titles, browse their movies with this themeParenthood2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 17 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 16 · Serious 0 · Dark 1

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

Grounded 12 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 7 · Charged 10 · Intense 0

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

Steady 12 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 12

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

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 13 · 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 16 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 16 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Roles they play

10 analyzed roles

Usually the Ally: 6 of 10 analyzed roles.

Ally
6 of 10
Hero
2 of 10
Herald
1 of 10
Trickster
1 of 10
Show the 10 roles

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
17
Warm
11
Hopeful
11
Romantic
5
Absurd
4
Other
13

How their films linger

Feel-good20 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy11
  • Bittersweet8
  • Ambiguous2
  • 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 Michelle Buteau's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 30 of their 35 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Netflix (15).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Michelle Buteau'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

40 credits, 35 with a MovieCove page; 25 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Spa Weekend(2026)

    as Coco

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Storm on Sesame Street(2026)

    as Sammy Squalls

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Fixed(2025)

    as Molasses (voice)

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip(2025)

    as Missy McGill

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • Michelle Buteau: A Buteau-ful Mind at Radio City Music Hall(2024)

    Producer · Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Babes(2024)

    as Dawn

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Survival of the Thickest(2023)

    Show 24 episodes · Creator · Writer · as Mavis Beaumont

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows

  • Meet Me in Paris(2023)

    as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Zootopia+(2022)

    Show 1 episode · as Tru Tru (voice)

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows

  • The Clerks 3 Documentary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    Actor

  • Clerks III(2022)

    as Little Lisa's Mom

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Moonshot(2022)

    as Captain Tarter

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Crush(2022)

    as Principal Collins

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Principles of Pleasure(2022)

    Show 3 episodes · as Narrator (voice)

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all shows

  • Marry Me(2022)

    as Melissa

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness(2022)

    Show as Actress

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows

  • The Stand In(2020)

    as Ingrid

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Happiest Season(2020)

    as Trudy

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia(2020)

    Executive Producer · Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Work It(2020)

    as Ms. Ramirez

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Awkwafina Is Nora from Queens(2020)

    Show 2 episodes · as Margaret

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all shows

  • Bless the Harts(2019)

    Show 1 episode · as Detective Bassett (voice)

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all shows

  • First Wives Club(2019)

    Show 29 episodes · as Bree Washington

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows

  • Thirsty (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as Nurse

  • Almost Love(2019)

    as Cammy

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Tales of the City(2019)

    Show 5 episodes · as Wrenita Butler

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all shows

  • Always Be My Maybe(2019)

    as Veronica

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Someone Great(2019)

    as Cynthia

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Isn't It Romantic(2019)

    as Martina

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Russian Doll(2019)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows

  • Endgame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

    as Teacher

  • The Comedy Lineup(2018)

    Show 1 episode · Producer · Writer · as Self

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all shows

  • The Tick(2016)

    Show 2 episodes · as Beck

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • Broad City(2014)

    Show 1 episode · as Host

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • Enlisted(2014)

    Show 13 episodes · as Private Robinson

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

  • Rick and Morty(2013)

    Show 1 episode · as The Sperm Queen (voice)

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Key and Peele(2012)

    Show 1 episode · as Girlfriend · as Wife

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Whitney(2011)

    Show 1 episode · as Girlfriend

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all shows

  • Heather of the Valley (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • She's Fine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Show 2 episodes · as Melissa

Career shape

Star power in the 97th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 39 titles, 37 of them dated from 2011 to 2026; peak year 2019.

Biggest box office

Marry Me (2022)

$51M worldwide

Highest rated

Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia (2020)

Midcredits 79th

Most popular right now

Survival of the Thickest (2023)

Film career

MilestoneBreakout
20112026

Peak 2019 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 2 MovieCove titles. 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
Acting36 of 39: 35 only acting, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score54thWriting4 of 39: 2 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing1 of 39: 0 only producing, 1 with another roleOther crew1 of 39: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

2010s17 · 16 acting · 1 crew2020s20 · 18 acting · 3 crew

Billing

usually 7th · top billed in 0% of 15 roles

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. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.

How do Michelle Buteau's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 45th percentile, the median of all 19; across their 17 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 42nd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

42ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Approval · how many liked their films

33rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Reach · how many have seen their films

87thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 17

Midcredits score across 35 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up6
  • 50th to 74th11
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th9

Shape of the crowd

17 of their 35 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Divisive1
  • Crowd Pleaser11
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed17

Most divisive · actor

Meet Me in Paris (2023)

93rd percentile spread · 47% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor, writer, producer

Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia (2020)

Midcredits 79th · 64% liked

Reviewers score the acting 66/100 in their films, across 12 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 40. 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.

Is Michelle Buteau's work okay for kids?

Across up to 10 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity and alcohol & drugs run heavier than most films and violence & gore and frightening / intense lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore9 titles4–43 · median 11 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity10 titles25–57 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity9 titles37–85 · median 55 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs10 titles20–87 · median 53 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense9 titles4–33 · median 7 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian 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 Michelle Buteau work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michelle Buteau's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Neil A. Sheridan shares the most, 3.

Directors

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles