Directing

Alexander Payne

Born February 10, 1961 · Omaha, Nebraska, USA (age 65)

Alexander Payne (born February 10, 1961) is an Oscar-winning filmmaker whose work has helped define modern-day American cinema. He is best known for the features Election (1999), Sideways (2004), The Descendants (2011), About Schmidt (2002), Nebraska (2013) and The Holdovers (2023). His movies have garnered a total of 24 Academy Award nominations, including four times for Best Picture and three ti…

Known For

The Holdovers

The Holdovers · 2023

MovieDramaComedy

A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam.

Downsizing

Downsizing · 2017

MovieDramaScience Fiction

A kindly occupational therapist undergoes a new procedure to be shrunken to four inches tall so that he and his wife can help save the planet and afford a nice lifestyle at the same time.

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry · 2007

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

MovieComedyRomance

Firefighters Chuck Ford and Larry Valentine are guy's guys, loyal to the core—which is why when widower Larry asks Chuck to pose as his lover so that he can get domestic partner benefits for his kids, his buddy agrees. However, things get dicey when a bureaucrat comes calling, and the boys are forced to present a picture of domestic bliss.

The Descendants

The Descendants · 2011

The Descendants

MovieComedyDrama

With his wife Elizabeth on life support after a boating accident, Hawaiian land baron Matt King takes his daughters on a trip from Oahu to Kauai to confront a young real estate broker, who was having an affair with Elizabeth before her misfortune.

Sideways

Sideways · 2004

MovieComedyDrama

Two middle-aged men embark on a spiritual journey through Californian wine country. One is an unpublished novelist suffering from depression, and the other is only days away from walking down the aisle.

Paris Je T'aime

Paris Je T'aime · 2006

Paris Je T'aime

MovieDramaRomance

Olivier Assayas, Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven and Alfonso Cuaron are among the 20 distinguished directors who contribute to this collection of 18 stories, each exploring a different aspect of Parisian life. The colourful characters in this drama include a pair of mimes, a husband trying to choose between his wife and his lover, and a married man who turns to a prostitute for advice.

Election

Election · 1999

MovieComedyDrama

A high school teacher meets his match in an over-achieving student politician.

About Schmidt

About Schmidt · 2002

MovieDramaComedy

A recently retired man embarks on a journey to his estranged daughter's wedding, only to discover more about himself and life than he ever expected.

Filmography

Sort

The Holdovers

The Holdovers · 2023

MovieDramaComedy

A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam.

Director

Downsizing

Downsizing · 2017

MovieDramaScience Fiction

A kindly occupational therapist undergoes a new procedure to be shrunken to four inches tall so that he and his wife can help save the planet and afford a nice lifestyle at the same time.

Director

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry · 2007

I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry

MovieComedyRomance

Firefighters Chuck Ford and Larry Valentine are guy's guys, loyal to the core—which is why when widower Larry asks Chuck to pose as his lover so that he can get domestic partner benefits for his kids, his buddy agrees. However, things get dicey when a bureaucrat comes calling, and the boys are forced to present a picture of domestic bliss.

Screenplay

The Descendants

The Descendants · 2011

The Descendants

MovieComedyDrama

With his wife Elizabeth on life support after a boating accident, Hawaiian land baron Matt King takes his daughters on a trip from Oahu to Kauai to confront a young real estate broker, who was having an affair with Elizabeth before her misfortune.

Screenplay

Sideways

Sideways · 2004

MovieComedyDrama

Two middle-aged men embark on a spiritual journey through Californian wine country. One is an unpublished novelist suffering from depression, and the other is only days away from walking down the aisle.

Screenplay

Paris Je T'aime

Paris Je T'aime · 2006

Paris Je T'aime

MovieDramaRomance

Olivier Assayas, Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven and Alfonso Cuaron are among the 20 distinguished directors who contribute to this collection of 18 stories, each exploring a different aspect of Parisian life. The colourful characters in this drama include a pair of mimes, a husband trying to choose between his wife and his lover, and a married man who turns to a prostitute for advice.

Director

Election

Election · 1999

MovieComedyDrama

A high school teacher meets his match in an over-achieving student politician.

Director

About Schmidt

About Schmidt · 2002

MovieDramaComedy

A recently retired man embarks on a journey to his estranged daughter's wedding, only to discover more about himself and life than he ever expected.

Screenplay

Nebraska

Nebraska · 2013

MovieDramaAdventure

An aging, booze-addled father takes a trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim what he believes to be a million-dollar sweepstakes prize.

Director

The Savages

The Savages · 2007

MovieDramaComedy

A sister and brother face the realities of familial responsibility as they begin to care for their ailing father.

Executive Producer

King of California

King of California · 2007

King of California

MovieComedyDrama

Charlie gets released from an insane asylum and moves in with Miranda, the young daughter he left behind. Charlie believes that there is treasure hidden beneath the local Costco, so he puts together a plan to unearth the loot. By convincing Miranda to quit her job at McDonald's and instead work at the wholesale store, he is able to obtain a key. Although Miranda is skeptical, she helps her father with his irrational quest.

Producer

Cedar Rapids

Cedar Rapids · 2011

A naive Midwesterner insurance salesman travels to a big-city convention in an effort to save the jobs of his co-workers.

Producer

The Assassination of Richard Nixon

The Assassination of Richard Nixon · 2004

The Assassination of Richard Nixon

MovieDramaHistory

It’s 1974 and Sam Bicke has lost everything. His wife leaves him with his three kids, his boss fires him, his brother turns away from him, and the bank won’t give him any money to start anew. He tries to find someone to blame for his misfortunes and comes up with the President of the United States who he plans to murder.

Executive Producer

Crash Pad

Crash Pad · 2017

Hopeless romantic Stensland thinks he's found true love with an older woman, Morgan, only to learn that she's married and that their fling is merely an instrument of revenge against her neglectful husband, Grady. Initially out for blood, Grady finds himself strangely sympathetic to Stensland's plight and decides to get revenge on his wife instead.

Executive Producer

The Last Shift

The Last Shift · 2020

MovieComedyDrama

Stanley, an aging fast food worker, prepares to work his final graveyard shift after 38 years. When he's asked to train his replacement, Jevon, Stanley's weekend takes an unexpected turn.

Executive Producer

Gray Matters

Gray Matters · 2007

MovieComedyRomance

Sam and Gray are such a well-matched pair that it is difficult to believe they are brother and sister rather than husband and wife. They both share a love of 1940s movies and dancing, and when they meet Charlie, they have something else in common: They both fall in love with her. Sam must deal with unexpected feelings of jealousy, while Gray struggles to come to terms with her sexual orientation.

Executive Producer

Citizen Ruth

Citizen Ruth · 1996

MovieDramaComedy

"Citizen Ruth" is the story of Ruth Stoops, a woman who nobody even noticed -- until she got pregnant. Now, everyone wants a piece of her. The film is a comedy about one woman caught in the ultimate tug-of-war: a clash of wild, noisy, ridiculous people that rapidly dissolves into a media circus.

Screenplay

Inside Out

Inside Out · 1991

MovieComedyDrama

Softcore anthology film containing stories: "Brush Strokes"; "Shrink Rap"; "Doubletalk"; "The Leda"; "My Secret Moments"; "Life Is For The Taking"; "The Diaries"; "Love The One You're With"; and "My Better Half".

Writer

Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern

Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern · 2026

Dernsie: The Amazing Life of Bruce Dern

MovieDocumentary

DERNSIE is an intimate portrait of Bruce Dern—tireless, uncompromising, and one of the last living legends of his generation—whose endurance has shaped both a turbulent life and one of Hollywood’s most enduring careers. A relentless runner on and off screen, Dern has outlasted the very industry that defined him.

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter · 2014

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter

Frustrated with her mundane life, a Tokyo office worker becomes obsessed with a fictional movie that she mistakes for a documentary. Fixating on a scene where stolen cash is buried in North Dakota, she travels to America to find it.

Executive Producer

Small Town Wisconsin

Small Town Wisconsin · 2020

Small Town Wisconsin

MovieDramaComedy

After losing a custody battle, perpetual teenager Wayne Stobierski steals his son away for one last father-son weekend to the city of their dreams - Milwaukee, Wisconsin. What's supposed to be a light-hearted adventure soon transforms into a journey of profound redemption.

Executive Producer

Inside Out 3

Inside Out 3 · 1992

MovieDramaComedy

Softcore anthology film containing stories: "Dogs Playing Poker"; "The Branding"; "The Portal"; "The Perfect Woman"; "Within Ten Minutes"; "Tango"; "The Houseguest"; "Cafe L'Amour"; and "The Wet Dream".

Director

Sideways

Sideways · 2009

MovieComedyRomance

A struggling writer and his engaged buddy hit the road for California wine country.

Executive Producer

The Replacement Child

The Replacement Child · 2008

The Replacement Child

After spending a year in a juvenile center for beating up his stepfather, Todd Turnbull returns to his backwoods hometown a repentant, deeply religious boy. When he finds his best friend, Michael, withering away without any medical attention due to the family's spiritual beliefs, Todd must make a choice: let his friend die; or break his oath of non-violence and take matters into his own hands.

Thanks

Hung

Desperate times call for desperate measures and Ray Drecker's situation couldn't be much tougher. The former high school sports legend turned middle-aged high school basketball coach is divorced and struggling to provide for his kids when his already run-down house catches fire. Looking to take on a second job, Ray decides to exploit his best asset in a last-ditch attempt to change his fortunes.

Director