21 Movies Starring John Lithgow

Obsession

Obsession

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1976-09-13

Languages:

English, Italian

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

98 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

6.8 (5475 Reviews)

Director:

Brian De Palma

Cast:

Writer:

Brian De Palma (story)

Paul Schrader (story)

Paul Schrader (screenplay)

Fullplot:

New Orleans businessman Michael Courtland's life is shattered when his wife and daughter are tragically killed in a botched kidnap rescue attempt. Many years later whilst visiting Italy he meets and falls in in love with Sandra Portinari, who bears a striking resemblance to his wife.

The Big Fix

The Big Fix

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1978-10-06

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

108 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

6.4 (1002 Reviews)

Director:

Jeremy Kagan

Cast:

Writer:

Roger L. Simon (screenplay)

Roger L. Simon (novel)

Fullplot:

An ex-'60s radical now working as a private eye is hired by an old flame to investigate a political smear campaign. The case becomes more dangerous as it unfolds.

Rich Kids

Rich Kids

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1979-08-01

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

101 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

6.2 (364 Reviews)

Director:

Robert M. Young

Genres:

ComedyDrama

Fullplot:

Two ultra-precocious Upper West Side twelve-year-olds, Franny and Jamie, are best friends. Jamie, the "new boy" in town, has experienced his parents' divorce and guides his friend Franny in the art of surviving her own folks' imminent split. Franny senses the divorce because she has been secretly watching her father arrive home at 5:00 every morning and pathetically try to brush off (to his wife) and hide (from his daughter) the fact that he has been away all night. She is down in the dumps and finds a kindred spirit in her buddy Jamie, whose mother and father split up long ago. He points out the advantages of being a "child of divorce" - and is so persuasive that he almost convinces himself as well as Franny. When Franny connivingly convinces her parents to let her go to a sleep-over with Jamie, they explore their budding curiosity for the opposite sex. When Franny's mother finds the book "The Joy of Sex" in her daughter's bedroom and discovers that her daughter has deceived her, four frantic "adult" couples converge on the sleep-over site, Jamie's father's swanky, fantastical bachelor pad, to catch the two young ones in a compromising position. Ultimately, Jamie and Franny realize that, in order to survive the undeniable disadvantages of their parents' divorce, they must try to weather the hard times together as friends...if not more.

Blow Out

Blow Out

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1981-07-24

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

107 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

7.4 (24453 Reviews)

Director:

Brian De Palma

Fullplot:

This stylish Brian De Palma thriller plays off the theme of the unsuspecting witness who discovers a crime and is thereby put in grave danger, but with a novel twist. Jack Terry is a master sound recordist who works on grade-B horror movies. Late one evening, he is recording sounds for use in his movies when he hears something unexpected through his sound equipment and records it. Curiosity gets the better of him when the media become involved, and he begins to unravel the pieces of a nefarious conspiracy. As he struggles to survive against his shadowy enemies and expose the truth, he does not know whom he can trust.

The World According to Garp

The World According to Garp

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1982-08-13

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

136 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

7.2 (19237 Reviews)

Director:

George Roy Hill

Genres:

ComedyDrama

Cast:

Writer:

John Irving (novel)

Steve Tesich (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Based on the John Irving novel, this film chronicles the life of T S Garp, and his mother, Jenny. Whilst Garp sees himself as a "serious" writer, Jenny writes a feminist manifesto at an opportune time, and finds herself as a magnet for all manner of distressed women.

2010

2010

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1984-12-07

Languages:

English, Russian

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

116 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

6.8 (38850 Reviews)

Director:

Peter Hyams

Cast:

Writer:

Arthur C. Clarke (novel)

Peter Hyams (screenplay)

Fullplot:

In this sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey, a joint American- Soviet expedition is sent to Jupiter to discover what went wrong with the U.S.S. Discovery against a backdrop of growing global tensions. Among the mysteries the expedition must explain are the appearance of a huge black monolith in Jupiter's orbit and the fate of H.A.L., the Discovery's sentient computer. Based on a novel written by Arthur C. Clarke.

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1984-08-10

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

103 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

6.4 (16877 Reviews)

Director:

W.D. Richter

Fullplot:

Neurosurgeon/Rock Star/Superhero Buckaroo has perfected the oscillation overthruster, which allows him to travel through solid matter by using the eighth dimension. The Red Lectroids from Planet 10 are after this device for their own evil ends, and it's up to Buckaroo and his band and crime-fighting team The Hong Kong Cavaliers to stop them.

Footloose

Footloose

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1984-02-17

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

107 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

6.5 (46558 Reviews)

Director:

Herbert Ross

Fullplot:

Classic tale of teenage rebellion and repression features a delightful combination of dance choreography and realistic and touching performances. When teenager Ren McCormack and his family move from big-city Chicago to a small Midwestern town, he's in for a real case of culture shock. Though he tries hard to fit in, the streetwise Ren can't quite believe he's living in a place where rock music and dancing are illegal. However, there is one small pleasure: Ariel Moore, a troubled but lovely blonde with a jealous boyfriend. And a Bible-thumping minister, who is responsible for keeping the town dance-free. Ren and his classmates want to do away with this ordinance, especially since the senior prom is around the corner, but only Ren has the courage to initiate a battle to abolish the outmoded ban and revitalize the spirit of the repressed townspeople. Fast-paced drama is filled with such now-famous hit songs as the title track and "Let's Hear It for the Boy".

The Manhattan Project

The Manhattan Project

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1986-06-13

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

117 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

6.1 (3930 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Marshall Brickman

Thomas Baum

Fullplot:

A teen and his girlfriend make an atomic bomb with plutonium stolen from a scientist dating his mother.

Harry and the Hendersons

Harry and the Hendersons

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1987-06-05

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

110 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

5.9 (22115 Reviews)

Director:

William Dear

Cast:

Writer:

William Dear

Bill Martin

Ezra D. Rappaport

Fullplot:

Returning from a hunting trip in the forest, the Henderson family's car hits an animal in the road. At first they fear it was a man, but when they examine the "body" they find it's a "bigfoot". They think it's dead so they decide to take it home (there could be some money in this..). As you guessed, "it" isn't dead. Far from being the ferocious monster they fear "Harry" to be, he's a friendly giant. In their attempts to keep Harry a secret, the Henderson's have to hide him from the authorities and a man, who has made it his goal in life, to catch a "bigfoot".

At Play in the Fields of the Lord

At Play in the Fields of the Lord

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1991-12-06

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA, Brazil

Runtime:

189 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

6.7 (2528 Reviews)

Director:

Hector Babenco

Genres:

DramaRomance

Cast:

Writer:

Peter Matthiessen (based on the novel by)

Jean-Claude Carrière (screenplay)

Hector Babenco (screenplay)

Vincent Patrick (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Martin and Hazel Quarrier are small-town fundamentalist missionaries sent to the jungles of South America to convert the Indians. Their remote mission was previously run by the Catholics, before the natives murdered them all. They are sent by the pompous Leslie Huben, who runs the missionary effort in the area but who seems more concerned about competing with his Catholic 'rivals' than in the Indians themselves. Hazel is terrified of the Indians while Martin is fascinated. Soon American pilot Lewis Moon joins the Indian tribe but is attracted by Leslie's young wife, Andy. Can the interaction of these characters and cultures, and the advancing bulldozers of civilization, avoid disaster?

Raising Cain

Raising Cain

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1992-08-07

Languages:

English, Spanish

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

91 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

5.9 (9250 Reviews)

Director:

Brian De Palma

Fullplot:

Jenny Nix, wife of eminent child psychologist Carter Nix, becomes increasingly concerned about her husband's seemingly obsessive concern over the upbringing of their daughter. Her own adulterous affair with an old flame, however, causes her to neglect her motherly duties until a spate of local kidnapings forces her to accept the possibility that he may be trying to recreate the twisted mind-control experiments of his discreditied psychologist father.

Cliffhanger

Cliffhanger

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1993-05-28

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA, Italy, France

Runtime:

112 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

6.4 (88702 Reviews)

Director:

Renny Harlin

Cast:

Writer:

John Long (premise)

Michael France (screen story)

Michael France (screenplay)

Sylvester Stallone (screenplay)

Fullplot:

Whilst crossing a ledge, 4000 feet above the earth, Gabe's friend's equipment fails to work and she slips out of his hand, falling to the ground. Almost a year later, Gabe is asked to go back to the same mountain range and rescue a group of 'stranded' people. The only catch is that these so called 'stranded' people are in fact looking for three boxes filled with $100,000,000 and they need a mountain ranger to lead them to them!!

World War II: When Lions Roared

World War II: When Lions Roared

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1994-04-19

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

194 min

IMDB Ratings:

6.6 (343 Reviews)

Director:

Joseph Sargent

Fullplot:

This TV Movie is about the Tehran Conference between FDR, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin. It shows the interaction between the three leaders at the close of the Second World War.

Silent Fall

Silent Fall

Basic Info:

Released Date:

1994-10-28

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

101 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

5.9 (2868 Reviews)

Director:

Bruce Beresford

Fullplot:

An autistic boy witnesses his parents' double murder. Richard Dreyfuss as a controversial therapist, seeks to probe the child's mind in order to solve the case.

Shrek

Shrek

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2001-05-18

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

90 min

Rated:

PG

IMDB Ratings:

7.9 (420957 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

William Steig (book)

Ted Elliott (screenplay)

Terry Rossio (screenplay)

Joe Stillman (screenplay)

Roger S.H. Schulman (screenplay)

Cody Cameron (additional dialogue)

Chris Miller (additional dialogue)

Conrad Vernon (additional dialogue)

Fullplot:

When a green ogre named Shrek discovers his swamp has been 'swamped' with all sorts of fairytale creatures by the scheming Lord Farquaad, Shrek sets out with a very loud donkey by his side to 'persuade' Farquaad to give Shrek his swamp back. Instead, a deal is made. Farquaad, who wants to become the King, sends Shrek to rescue Princess Fiona, who is awaiting her true love in a tower guarded by a fire-breathing dragon. But once they head back with Fiona, it starts to become apparent that not only does Shrek, an ugly ogre, begin to fall in love with the lovely princess, but Fiona is also hiding a huge secret.

Don Quixote

Don Quixote

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2000-04-09

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

120 min

IMDB Ratings:

6.2 (1258 Reviews)

Director:

Peter Yates

Cast:

Writer:

Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra (novel)

John Mortimer (teleplay)

Fullplot:

Adapted from the work of Miguel de Cervantes, this is the story of a hidalgo, fanatic for chivalry novels, who loses his sanity and believing to be a knight named Don Quixote de La Mancha, decides to go on imaginary adventures along with his friend, the simple farmer Sancho Panza, who becomes his squire. On their journeys, they rescue dames in distress in honorable acts and fight giants among other perils, with Don longing to be with the love of his life, lady Dulcinea, and Sancho waiting to be rewarded with an island where he's about to become a governor.

The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

The Life and Death of Peter Sellers

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2004-10-01

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA, UK

Runtime:

122 min

Rated:

NOT RATED

IMDB Ratings:

(12545 Reviews)

Director:

Stephen Hopkins

Cast:

Writer:

Roger Lewis (book)

Christopher Markus (teleplay)

Stephen McFeely (teleplay)

Fullplot:

The professional and personal life of actor and comedian Peter Sellers was a turbulent one. His early movie fame was based primarily on his comic characterizations, often of bumbling and foreign-accented persons, characters which he embodied. As his movie fame rose, he began to lose his own personal identity to his movie characters, leading to self-doubt of himself as a person and a constant need for reassurance and acceptance of his work. This self-doubt manifested itself in fits of anger and what was deemed as arrogance by many. In turn, his personal relationships began to deteriorate as his characterizations were continually used to mask his problems. His first wife, Anne Howe, left/divorced him and his relationships with his parents and children became increasingly distant. His relationship with his second wife, Swedish actress Britt Ekland, was based on this mask. In his later life, he tried to rediscover himself and his career with what would become his penultimate film role, that of Chance in Being There (1979).

Interstellar

Interstellar

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2014-11-07

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA, UK, Canada

Runtime:

169 min

Rated:

PG-13

IMDB Ratings:

8.7 (699518 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Jonathan Nolan

Christopher Nolan

Fullplot:

In the near future, Earth has been devastated by drought and famine, causing a scarcity in food and extreme changes in climate. When humanity is facing extinction, a mysterious rip in the space-time continuum is discovered, giving mankind the opportunity to widen its lifespan. A group of explorers must travel beyond our solar system in search of a planet that can sustain life. The crew of the Endurance are required to think bigger and go further than any human in history as they embark on an interstellar voyage into the unknown. Coop, the pilot of the Endurance, must decide between seeing his children again and the future of the human race.

Love Is Strange

Love Is Strange

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2014-11-12

Languages:

English, Russian

Countries:

USA, France, Brazil, Greece

Runtime:

94 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

6.7 (7548 Reviews)

Director:

Ira Sachs

Genres:

Drama

Cast:

Writer:

Ira Sachs

Mauricio Zacharias

Fullplot:

After nearly four decades together, Ben (John Lithgow) and George (Alfred Molina) finally tie the knot in an idyllic wedding ceremony in lower Manhattan. But when George loses his job soon after, the couple must sell their apartment and - victims of the relentless New York City real estate market - temporarily live apart until they can find an affordable new home. While George moves in with two cops (Cheyenne Jackson and Manny Perez) who live down stairs, Ben lands in Brooklyn with his nephew (Darren Burrows), his wife (Marisa Tomei), and their temperamental teenage son (Charlie Tahan), with whom Ben shares a bunk bed. While struggling with the pain of separation, Ben and George are further challenged by the intergenerational tensions and capricious family dynamics of their new living arrangements.

Best of Enemies

Best of Enemies

Basic Info:

Released Date:

2015-07-31

Languages:

English

Countries:

USA

Runtime:

87 min

Rated:

R

IMDB Ratings:

7.8 (347 Reviews)

Cast:

Writer:

Robert Gordon

Morgan Neville

Fullplot:

'Best of Enemies' is a documentary about the legendary series of nationally televised debates in 1968 between two great public intellectuals, the liberal Gore Vidal and the conservative William F. Buckley Jr. Intended as commentary on the issues of their day, these vitriolic and explosive encounters came to define the modern era of public discourse in the media, marking the big bang moment of our contemporary media landscape when spectacle trumped content and argument replaced substance. Best of Enemies delves into the entangled biographies of these two great thinkers and luxuriates in the language and the theater of their debates, begging the question, 'What has television done to the way we discuss politics in our democracy today?'

Become a Movie Insider

Join our mailing list and get access to expert analysis, trivia, and recommendations that will elevate your movie-watching experience.

View our privacy policy.