Ron Howard Movies
by BaxterCallow | created - 18 May 2017 | updated - 16 May 2018 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Grand Theft Auto (1977)
PG | 84 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A rich girl steals her dad's Rolls Royce and heads off to Las Vegas to get married. However, her angry parents, a jealous suitor, and a bunch of reward seekers are determined to stop her.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Ron Howard, Nancy Morgan, Elizabeth Rogers, Barry Cahill
Votes: 2,968
This is by no means a terrible movie, but I think we can all be thankful that Howard got this out of his system early on.
2. Night Shift (1982)
R | 106 min | Comedy
A mild-mannered morgue attendant is assigned to the night shift, and his new coworker, along with his prostitute neighbor, convince him of running a prostitution ring out of the morgue.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Henry Winkler, Michael Keaton, Shelley Long, Gina Hecht
Votes: 17,926 | Gross: $23.60M
This is a halfway funny movie, one that's got loads of good gags in its first half and nothing but trouble in its second.
3. Splash (1983)
PG | 111 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
A young man is reunited with a mermaid he briefly encountered as a boy and falls in love with her without knowing her secret.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Tom Hanks, Daryl Hannah, Eugene Levy, John Candy
Votes: 83,373 | Gross: $62.10M
A perfectly light, warmly funny romantic comedy that's kept afloat by Ron Howard's unobtrusive direction and charming performances from Tom Hanks and Daryl Hannah.
4. Cocoon (1985)
PG-13 | 117 min | Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi
When a group of trespassing seniors swim in a pool containing alien cocoons, they find themselves energized with youthful vigor.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn, Brian Dennehy
Votes: 68,773 | Gross: $76.11M
Though it may be too sentimental for some, Ron Howard's supernatural tale of eternal youth is gentle and heartwarming, touching on poignant issues of age in the process.
5. Gung Ho (1986)
PG-13 | 111 min | Comedy, Drama
When a Japanese automobile company buys an American plant, the American liaison must mediate the clash of work attitudes between the foreign management and native labor.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Michael Keaton, Gedde Watanabe, George Wendt, Mimi Rogers
Votes: 13,926 | Gross: $36.61M
A disappointment, a movie in which the Japanese are mostly used for the mechanical requirements of the plot, and the Americans are constructed from durable but boring stereotypes.
6. Willow (1988)
PG | 126 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A young farmer is chosen to undertake a perilous journey in order to protect a special baby from an evil queen.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Warwick Davis, Jean Marsh
Votes: 129,787 | Gross: $57.27M
Good production value and decent special effects, but the story is too insipid and slowly paced.
7. Parenthood (1989)
PG-13 | 124 min | Comedy, Drama
Four Buckman siblings attempt to raise their children - each in their own different style - and deal with the joys and sorrows that the process brings.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Steve Martin, Mary Steenburgen, Dianne Wiest, Jason Robards
Votes: 54,831 | Gross: $100.05M
Bolstered by a delightful cast, Parenthood is a funny and thoughtfully crafted look at the best and worst moments of family life that resonates broadly.
8. Backdraft (1991)
R | 137 min | Action, Drama, Mystery
Two feuding siblings carrying on a heroic family tradition as Chicago firefighters. But when a puzzling series of arson attacks is reported, they are forced to set aside their differences to solve the mystery surrounding these crimes.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Kurt Russell, William Baldwin, Robert De Niro, Donald Sutherland
Votes: 87,797 | Gross: $77.87M
It's not particularly deep, but Backdraft is a strong action movie with exceptional special effects.
9. Far and Away (1992)
PG-13 | 140 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
A young Irish couple flee to the States, but subsequently struggle to obtain land and prosper freely.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Thomas Gibson, Robert Prosky
Votes: 68,290 | Gross: $58.88M
Away isn't for cynics, providing an authentic rush of experience that makes the effort feel huge, even when it details the smallest interests of the heart.
10. The Paper (1994)
R | 112 min | Comedy, Drama
New York City tabloid editor Henry's faced with tough decisions while he faces several serious life challenges, and a tempting job offer.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Michael Keaton, Glenn Close, Robert Duvall, Marisa Tomei
Votes: 15,086 | Gross: $38.82M
Fast and frenetic, The Paper captures the energy of the newsroom thanks to its cast and director on first-rate form.
11. Apollo 13 (I) (1995)
PG | 140 min | Adventure, Drama, History
NASA must devise a strategy to return Apollo 13 to Earth safely after the spacecraft undergoes massive internal damage putting the lives of the three astronauts on board in jeopardy.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Tom Hanks, Bill Paxton, Kevin Bacon, Gary Sinise
Votes: 315,335 | Gross: $173.84M
In recreating the troubled space mission, Apollo 13 pulls no punches: it's a masterfully told drama from director Ron Howard, bolstered by an ensemble of solid performances.
12. Ransom (1996)
R | 121 min | Action, Crime, Thriller
Multi-millionaire Tom Mullen's son is kidnapped, but after initially agreeing to pay the ransom Mullen then decides to use the ransom money as a bounty.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Mel Gibson, Gary Sinise, Rene Russo, Brawley Nolte
Votes: 135,410 | Gross: $136.49M
The special nature of this story is its many climaxes that border on false endings and also how Gibson's character responds to the ransom demand of $2 million.... it is Gibson who sells us on it and sells it well.
13. Edtv (1999)
PG-13 | 122 min | Comedy, Drama
A video store clerk agrees to have his life filmed by a camera crew for a television show.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Jenna Elfman, Geoffrey Blake, Gail Boggs
Votes: 45,009 | Gross: $22.36M
If it's not as ambitious as The Truman Show in satirizing the voyeuristic nature of television, EdTV is an amiable, witty comedy with fine performances from Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson.
14. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
PG | 104 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
On the outskirts of Whoville lives a green, revenge-seeking Grinch who plans to ruin Christmas for all of the citizens of the town.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Jim Carrey, Taylor Momsen, Kelley, Jeffrey Tambor
Votes: 291,354 | Gross: $260.04M
Jim Carrey shines as the Grinch. Unfortunately, it's not enough to save this movie. You'd be better off watching the TV cartoon.
15. A Beautiful Mind (2001)
PG-13 | 135 min | Biography, Drama, Mystery
A mathematical genius, John Nash made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a harrowing journey of self-discovery.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Russell Crowe, Ed Harris, Jennifer Connelly, Christopher Plummer
Votes: 986,242 | Gross: $170.74M
The well-acted A Beautiful Mind is both a moving love story and a revealing look at mental illness.
16. The Missing (I) (2003)
R | 137 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
In 1885 New Mexico, a frontier medicine woman forms an uneasy alliance with her estranged father when her daughter is kidnapped by an Apache brujo.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Tommy Lee Jones, Cate Blanchett, Evan Rachel Wood, Jenna Boyd
Votes: 38,214 | Gross: $26.90M
An expertly acted and directed Western. But like other Ron Howard features, the movie is hardly subtle.
17. Cinderella Man (2005)
PG-13 | 144 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The true story of James J. Braddock, a supposedly washed-up boxer, who returned to the spotlight to win the heavyweight championship of the world.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Craig Bierko, Paul Giamatti
Votes: 198,234 | Gross: $61.65M
With grittiness and an evocative sense of time and place, Cinderella Man is a powerful underdog story. And Ron Howard and Russell Crowe prove to be a solid combination.
18. The Da Vinci Code (2006)
PG-13 | 149 min | Mystery, Thriller
A murder inside the Louvre, and clues in Da Vinci paintings, lead to the discovery of a religious mystery protected by a secret society for two thousand years, which could shake the foundations of Christianity.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Jean Reno, Ian McKellen
Votes: 458,570 | Gross: $217.54M
What makes Dan Brown's novel a best seller is evidently not present in this dull and bloated movie adaptation of The Da Vinci Code.
19. Frost/Nixon (2008)
R | 122 min | Biography, Drama, History
A dramatic retelling of the post-Watergate television interviews between British talk-show host David Frost and former president Richard Nixon.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Frank Langella, Michael Sheen, Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell
Votes: 112,443 | Gross: $18.59M
Frost/Nixon is weighty and eloquent; a cross between a boxing match and a ballet with Oscar worthy performances.
20. Angels & Demons (2009)
PG-13 | 138 min | Action, Mystery, Thriller
Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon works with a nuclear physicist to solve a murder and prevent a terrorist act against the Vatican during one of the significant events within the church.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgård
Votes: 309,436 | Gross: $133.38M
Angels and Demons is a fast-paced thrill ride, and an improvement on the last Dan Brown adaptation, but the storyline too often wavers between implausible and ridiculous, and does not translate effectively to the big screen.
21. The Dilemma (2011)
PG-13 | 111 min | Comedy, Drama
A man discovers that his best friend's wife is having an affair.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Vince Vaughn, Kevin James, Winona Ryder, Jennifer Connelly
Votes: 56,853 | Gross: $48.48M
It boasts a likable cast and an interesting premise, but The Dilemma can't decide what to do with them; the result is an uneven blend of cheesy slapstick and surprisingly dark comedy.
22. Rush (I) (2013)
R | 123 min | Action, Biography, Drama
The merciless 1970s rivalry between Formula One rivals James Hunt and Niki Lauda.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Daniel Brühl, Chris Hemsworth, Olivia Wilde, Alexandra Maria Lara
Votes: 513,187 | Gross: $26.95M
A sleek, slick, well-oiled machine, Rush is a finely crafted sports drama with exhilarating race sequences and strong performances from Chris Hemsworth and Daniel Brühl.
23. In the Heart of the Sea (2015)
PG-13 | 122 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
A recounting of a New England whaling ship's sinking by a giant whale in 1820, an experience that later inspired the great novel Moby-Dick.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Chris Hemsworth, Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, Ben Whishaw
Votes: 148,683 | Gross: $25.02M
The admirably old-fashioned In the Heart of the Sea boasts thoughtful storytelling to match its visual panache, even if it can't claim the depth or epic sweep to which it so clearly aspires.
24. Inferno (I) (2016)
PG-13 | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Crime
When Robert Langdon wakes up in an Italian hospital with amnesia, he teams up with Dr. Sienna Brooks and they race across Europe together against the clock to foil a deadly global plot.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Tom Hanks, Felicity Jones, Irrfan Khan, Ben Foster
Votes: 189,610 | Gross: $34.34M
Senselessly frantic and altogether shallow, Inferno sends the Robert Langdon trilogy spiraling to a convoluted new low.
25. Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)
PG-13 | 135 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
During an adventure in the criminal underworld, Han Solo meets his future co-pilot Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian years before joining the Rebel Alliance.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Alden Ehrenreich, Woody Harrelson, Emilia Clarke, Donald Glover
Votes: 378,867 | Gross: $213.77M
A flawed yet fun and fast-paced space adventure, Solo: A Star Wars Story should satisfy newcomers to the saga as well as longtime fans who check their expectations at the theater door.
26. Zelda (I)
Biography, Drama | Announced
The life of novelist and Jazz Age socialite Zelda Fitzgerald during her marriage to author F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Directors: Ron Howard, Wes Ball | Star: Jennifer Lawrence
27. The Girl Before (2021)
TV-MA | 46 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
A woman falls for an architect and gets an eerie premonition about his house, when she finds out that another woman died there.
Stars: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, David Oyelowo, Jessica Plummer, Ben Hardy
Votes: 5,627
28. Seveneves
Sci-Fi | Announced
A colony of survivors living in outer space try to return to Earth thousands of years after it was evacuated.
Director: Ron Howard
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