Bob Rafelson

Directing

Bob Rafelson

Born February 21, 1933 · New York City, New York, USA

Died July 23, 2022 · aged 89

Robert "Bob" Rafelson (February 21, 1933-July 23, 2022) was an American film director, writer and producer. He was most famous for directing and co-writing the film Five Easy Pieces, starring Jack Nicholson, as well as being one of the creators of the pop group and TV series, The Monkees (with Raybert/BBS Productions partner Bert Schneider). Rafelson was born in New York City, the son of a hat ma…

Known For

Leaving Las VegasLeaving Las Vegas · 1995
Leaving Las Vegas
7.31995
MovieDramaRomance
Ben Sanderson, an alcoholic Hollywood screenwriter who lost everything because of his drinking, arrives in Las Vegas to drink himself to death. There, he meets and forms an uneasy friendship and non-interference pact with prostitute Sera.
No Good DeedNo Good Deed · 2002
No Good Deed
5.42002
MovieActionCrime
While doing a friend a favor and searching for a runaway teenager, a police detective stumbles upon a bizarre band of criminals about to pull off a bank robbery.
Poodle SpringsPoodle Springs · 1998
Poodle Springs
5.51998
MovieTV MovieCrime
Private eye Philip Marlowe and his bride move to a desert town, where he uncovers a land scheme.
The Postman Always Rings TwiceThe Postman Always Rings Twice · 1981
The Postman Always Rings Twice
6.51981
MovieCrimeRomance
The sensuous wife of a lunch wagon proprietor and a rootless drifter begin a sordidly steamy affair and conspire to murder her Greek husband.
The Last Picture ShowThe Last Picture Show · 1971
The Last Picture Show
7.61971
MovieDramaRomance
High school seniors and best friends, Sonny and Duane, live in a dying Texas town. The handsome Duane is dating a local beauty, while Sonny is having an affair with the coach's wife. As graduation nears and both boys contemplate their futures, Duane eyes the army and Sonny takes over a local business. Each struggles to figure out if he can escape this dead-end town and build a better life somewhere else.
Black WidowBlack Widow · 1987
Black Widow
6.21987
MovieThriller
Federal agent Alexandra Barnes believes that Catherine Petersen is a serial killer who marries rich men and then murders them for their money. But since Catherine is seemingly a master of disguise and has multiple identities, Alexandra can't prove anything with conventional detective work. With no other option, she goes undercover, pursuing the same man as Catherine, and hoping that Catherine will slip up and reveal her true identity.
Five Easy PiecesFive Easy Pieces · 1970
Five Easy Pieces
7.11970
MovieDrama
Robert Dupea spends his days doing various odd jobs, drinking and womanizing until an encounter with his sister makes him revisit his past.
HeadHead · 1968
Head
6.21968
MovieComedyMusic
In this surrealistic and free-form follow-up to the Monkees' television show, the band frolic their way through a series of musical set pieces and vignettes containing humor and anti-establishment social commentary.

Movies

Leaving Las VegasLeaving Las Vegas · 1995
Leaving Las Vegas
7.31995
MovieDramaRomance
Ben Sanderson, an alcoholic Hollywood screenwriter who lost everything because of his drinking, arrives in Las Vegas to drink himself to death. There, he meets and forms an uneasy friendship and non-interference pact with prostitute Sera.
No Good DeedNo Good Deed · 2002
No Good Deed
5.42002
MovieActionCrime
While doing a friend a favor and searching for a runaway teenager, a police detective stumbles upon a bizarre band of criminals about to pull off a bank robbery.
Poodle SpringsPoodle Springs · 1998
Poodle Springs
5.51998
MovieTV MovieCrime
Private eye Philip Marlowe and his bride move to a desert town, where he uncovers a land scheme.
The Postman Always Rings TwiceThe Postman Always Rings Twice · 1981
The Postman Always Rings Twice
6.51981
MovieCrimeRomance
The sensuous wife of a lunch wagon proprietor and a rootless drifter begin a sordidly steamy affair and conspire to murder her Greek husband.
The Last Picture ShowThe Last Picture Show · 1971
The Last Picture Show
7.61971
MovieDramaRomance
High school seniors and best friends, Sonny and Duane, live in a dying Texas town. The handsome Duane is dating a local beauty, while Sonny is having an affair with the coach's wife. As graduation nears and both boys contemplate their futures, Duane eyes the army and Sonny takes over a local business. Each struggles to figure out if he can escape this dead-end town and build a better life somewhere else.
Black WidowBlack Widow · 1987
Black Widow
6.21987
MovieThriller
Federal agent Alexandra Barnes believes that Catherine Petersen is a serial killer who marries rich men and then murders them for their money. But since Catherine is seemingly a master of disguise and has multiple identities, Alexandra can't prove anything with conventional detective work. With no other option, she goes undercover, pursuing the same man as Catherine, and hoping that Catherine will slip up and reveal her true identity.
Five Easy PiecesFive Easy Pieces · 1970
Five Easy Pieces
7.11970
MovieDrama
Robert Dupea spends his days doing various odd jobs, drinking and womanizing until an encounter with his sister makes him revisit his past.
HeadHead · 1968
Head
6.21968
MovieComedyMusic
In this surrealistic and free-form follow-up to the Monkees' television show, the band frolic their way through a series of musical set pieces and vignettes containing humor and anti-establishment social commentary.
Blood and WineBlood and Wine · 1996
Blood and Wine
5.71996
MovieCrimeThriller
A man who has failed as a father and husband commits a heist to make money for his fledging business, but things become complicated when his wife interferes.
The Mother and the WhoreThe Mother and the Whore · 1973
The Mother and the Whore
7.41973
MovieDramaRomance
Aimless young Alexandre juggles his relationships with his girlfriend, Marie, and a casual lover named Veronika. Marie becomes increasingly jealous of Alexandre's fling with Veronika and as the trio continues their unsustainable affair, the emotional stakes get higher, leading to conflict and unhappiness.
Stay HungryStay Hungry · 1976
Stay Hungry
5.71976
MovieComedyDrama
A dishonest businessman asks rich layabout Craig Blake to help him buy a gym, which will be demolished for a development project in Alabama. But after spending time with weightlifter Joe Santo and gym worker Mary Tate Farnsworth, Craig wants out of the deal. The property negotiations turn ugly, causing a brawl at the gym and a spectacle at a big bodybuilding meet, as Craig learns that it's not easy to turn your back on fair-weather friends.
Mountains of the MoonMountains of the Moon · 1990
Mountains of the Moon
6.51990
MovieAdventureDrama
The story of Captain Richard Francis Burton's and Lt. John Hanning Speke's expedition to find the source of the Nile river in the name of Queen Victoria's British Empire.
WetWet · 1994
Wet
4.71994
MovieComedy
The attractive Davida enters a shop shortly before off-time and wants to buy a bathtub. Just the manager is still there. As business is not well, he is willing to stay longer. Davida wants to try the bathtubs. Although this is not allowed in the shop the manager agrees. As if that is not enough, Davida says she wants the bathtub for two and needs to be sure it fits her needs. She wants the manager to take place in the bathtub too.
Who Is Henry Jaglom?Who Is Henry Jaglom? · 1997
Who Is Henry Jaglom?
6.81997
MovieDocumentary
Hailed by some as a cinematic genius, a feminist voice and a true maverick of American cinema, dismissed by others as a voyeuristic fraud and the "world's worst director," Henry Jaglom obsessively confuses and abuses the line between life and art. Featuring scores of interviews (including Orson Welles, Dennis Hopper, Milos Forman and Peter Bogdanovich) and rare behind-the-scenes footage, this hilarious documentary explores the fascinating question of Who Is Henry Jaglom?
We Blew ItWe Blew It · 2017
We Blew It
5.22017
MovieDocumentary
How did America change from Easy Rider into Donald Trump? What became of the dreams and utopias of the 1960's and 1970's? What do the people who lived in that golden age think about it today? Did they really blow it? Shot in Cinemascope - from New Jersey to California - this melancholic and elegiac road-movie draws upon the portrait of a confused, complex and incandescent America one year after the start of the electoral campaign. That golden age has become its last romantic border and an inconsolable America is about to pull on a trigger called Trump.
AfterthoughtsAfterthoughts · 2002
Afterthoughts
6.52002
MovieDocumentary
A 2002 video piece featuring director Bob Rafelson, cinematographer László Kovács, and actor Bruce Dern discussing style and process of the film The King of Marvin Gardens (1972).
Picture Windows: Armed ResponsePicture Windows: Armed Response · 1995
Picture Windows: Armed Response
10.01995
MovieDramaTV Movie
Part of the anthology series "Picture Windows," Bob Rafelson’s "Armed Response" draws on David Hockney’s Pool with Two Figures to tell the story of a wealthy lawyer whose American Dream shatters when his children plot his murder, forcing hidden family secrets to the surface.
Hey, Hey, We're The MonkeesHey, Hey, We're The Monkees · 1997
Hey, Hey, We're The Monkees
8.41997
MovieDocumentaryTV Movie
Documentary focusing The Monkees, the 1960s pop group originally created for a TV sitcom. Interviews with the band members, the show's creators, and musical collaborators and peers are featured.
Man TroubleMan Trouble · 1992
Man Trouble
4.91992
MovieComedyRomance
A sleazy but affable guard dog trainer is blackmailed to steal a manuscript for a tell-all book from one of his clients.
Tales of EroticaTales of Erotica · 1996
Tales of Erotica
3.91996
MovieComedyDrama
Four erotic short films, all with similar unexpected endings: 'The Dutch Master': a woman who enters a living painting; 'The Insatiable Mrs. Kirsch': a woman is lured by noises from a chamber; 'Vroom Vroom Vroooom': a motorcycle transforms into a woman; and 'Wet': a hot tub salesman seduced by a woman.
ModestyModesty · 1981
Modesty
9.01981
MovieDocumentary
Bob Rafelson: Self-portrait
No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & VilmosNo Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos · 2009
No Subtitles Necessary: Laszlo & Vilmos
5.62009
MovieDocumentary
The artistry, triumph and lifelong friendship of the great cinematographers Laszlo Kovacs and Vilmos Zsigmond. With film school equipment, they shoot the Soviet crackdown of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. As refugees they struggle in Hollywood, finally breaking into the mainstream with their pivotal contribution to the "American New Wave."
The King of Marvin GardensThe King of Marvin Gardens · 1972
The King of Marvin Gardens
5.91972
MovieDrama
Jason Staebler lives on the Boardwalk and fronts for the local mob in Atlantic City. He is a dreamer who asks his brother David, a radio personality from Philadelphia, to help him build a paradise on a Pacific Island, which might be just another of his pie-in-the-sky schemes. Inevitably, complications begin to pile up.
Notre Dame de la CroisetteNotre Dame de la Croisette · 1983
Notre Dame de la Croisette
7.51983
MovieDramaTV Movie
A woman goes to Cannes and, lost in its chaos and unable to obtain tickets, ends up watching it on television from her hotel room.

TV Shows