Want to know the best Richard Dreyfuss movies? How about the worst Richard Dreyfuss movies? Curious about Richard Dreyfuss box office grosses or which Richard Dreyfuss movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Richard Dreyfuss movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences and which got the worst reviews? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
Richard Dreyfuss (1947-) is an Oscar® winning American actor….who has been appearing in motion pictures for over 50 years! His IMDb page shows over 120 acting credits since 1964. This page ranks Richard Dreyfuss movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, bit parts and his movies not released in North America theaters are not included in the rankings.
Drivel part of the page: I have not met too many Oscar® winners in my lifetime…..but I did get to meet Mr. Richard Dreyfuss. The place: Old Dominion University ….Norfolk, Va. The time: March 25th, 2009. The situation: Dreyfuss was the opening speaker at the 2009 ONFilm Festival of Independent Film. After his talk….he took questions from the audience….and after that part was over… the audience was given the opportunity to meet Mr. Dreyfuss. I of course took advantage of that opportunity….which is how I was lucky enough to get him to sign the Tin Men DVD cover shown in the first picture on this page.
Richard Dreyfuss Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
Year
Movie (Year)
Rating
S
Year Movie (Year) Rating S
1975
Jaws (1975)
AA Best Picture Nom
1977
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)
1973
American Graffiti (1973)
AA Best Picture Nom
1977
The Goodbye Girl (1977)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Actor Win
1986
Stand By Me (1986)
1995
Mr. Holland's Opus (1995)
AA Best Actor Nom
1986
Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986)
1987
Stakeout (1987)
1991
What About Bob? (1991)
1995
The American President (1995)
1990
Postcards from the Edge (1990)
2010
Red (2010)
1989
Always (1989)
1980
The Competition (1980)
1987
Tin Men (1987)
1996
James and the Giant Peach (1996)
2018
Book Club (2018)
1973
Dillinger (1973)
1978
The Big Fix (1978)
1981
Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981)
2006
Poseidon (2006)
1974
The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974)
1987
Nuts (1987)
1991
Once Around (1991)
1993
Lost in Yonkers (1993)
2008
W. (2008)
2010
Piranha 3D (2010)
1996
Night Falls on Manhattan (1996)
1990
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1990)
1975
Inserts (1975)
1969
Hello Down There (1969)
2003
Coast To Coast (2003)
Showtime Movies
1988
Moon Over Parador (1988)
2019
Astronaut (2019)
Film Festival Circuit Only
2019
Polar (2019)
Netflix
2009
Leaves of Grass (2009)
1984
The Buddy System (1984)
1968
The Young Runaways (1968)
1997
Call of the Wild (1997)
2019
The Last Laugh (2019)
Netflix
2015
Zipper (2015)
2009
The Lightkeepers (2009)
Limited Release
2023
Sweetwater (2023)
2001
Who Is Cletis Tout? (2001)
2004
Silver City (2004)
2018
Asher (2018)
1994
Silent Fall (1994)
1993
Another Stakeout (1993)
1995
The Last Word (1995)
1989
Let It Ride (1989)
2000
The Crew (2000)
2009
My Life in Ruins (2009)
2018
Bayou Caviar (2018)
2013
Very Good Girls (2013)
1998
Krippendorf's Tribe (1998)
1996
Mad Dog Time (1996)
2013
Paranoia (2013)
1974
The Second Coming of Suzanne (1974)
Richard Dreyfuss Movies Can Be Ranked 6 Ways In This Table
The really cool thing about this table is that it is “user-sortable”. Rank the movies anyway you want.
- Sort Richard Dreyfuss movies by co-stars of his movies.
- Sort Richard Dreyfuss movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Richard Dreyfuss movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Richard Dreyfuss movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie.
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations each Richard Dreyfuss movie received and how many Oscar® wins each Richard Dreyfuss movie won.
- Sort Richard Dreyfuss movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR Score puts box office, reviews and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
- Use the search and sort button to make this page very interactive.
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Actual B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Domestic (mil) | Adj. B.O. Worldwide (mil) | B.O. Rank by Year | Review | Oscar Nom / Win | UMR Score | S |
| 1 | Jaws (1975) AA Best Picture Nom |
Roy Scheider & Directed by John Williams |
262.50 | 1,600.6 | 2,885.10 | 1 | 93 | 04 / 03 | 99.7 | |
| 4 | Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) | Teri Garr & Directed by Steven Spielberg |
124.40 | 697.3 | 1,659.70 | 3 | 91 | 08 / 01 | 99.4 | |
| 2 | American Graffiti (1973) AA Best Picture Nom |
Ron Howard & Harrison Ford |
116.10 | 820.2 | 1,077.10 | 3 | 87 | 05 / 00 | 99.3 | |
| 3 | The Goodbye Girl (1977) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Actor Win |
Marsha Mason | 91.00 | 510.1 | 510.10 | 4 | 80 | 05 / 01 | 98.9 | |
| 6 | Stand By Me (1986) | John Cusack & Directed by Rob Reiner |
52.30 | 176.2 | 176.20 | 14 | 85 | 01 / 00 | 96.5 | |
| 5 | Mr. Holland's Opus (1995) AA Best Actor Nom |
Glenne Headley | 82.60 | 237.3 | 305.40 | 14 | 74 | 01 / 00 | 96.0 | |
| 7 | Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986) | Nick Nolte & Bette Midler |
62.10 | 209.3 | 209.30 | 12 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 95.4 | |
| 8 | Stakeout (1987) | Emilio Estevez | 65.70 | 210.0 | 210.00 | 9 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 95.4 | |
| 10 | What About Bob? (1991) | Bill Murray | 63.70 | 189.2 | 189.20 | 19 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 94.5 | |
| 9 | The American President (1995) | Michael Douglas & Michael J. Fox |
60.10 | 172.6 | 310.00 | 29 | 78 | 01 / 00 | 94.3 | |
| 11 | Postcards from the Edge (1990) | Meryl Streep & Shirley MacLaine |
39.10 | 115.5 | 115.50 | 33 | 78 | 02 / 00 | 89.1 | |
| 12 | Red (2010) | Bruce Willis & Morgan Freeman |
90.40 | 143.2 | 315.30 | 38 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 88.1 | |
| 13 | Always (1989) | John Goodman & Directed by Steven Spielberg |
43.90 | 138.1 | 233.40 | 29 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 83.2 | |
| 13 | The Competition (1980) | Amy Irving | 16.90 | 81.5 | 81.50 | 45 | 71 | 02 / 00 | 81.1 | |
| 15 | Tin Men (1987) | Danny DeVito & Barbara Hershey |
25.40 | 81.2 | 81.20 | 46 | 72 | 00 / 00 | 80.7 | |
| 16 | James and the Giant Peach (1996) | Susan Sarandon | 28.90 | 81.9 | 81.90 | 53 | 70 | 01 / 00 | 80.2 | |
| 18 | Book Club (2018) | Jane Fonda & Diane Keaton |
68.60 | 93.6 | 109.00 | 42 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 76.4 | |
| 17 | Dillinger (1973) | Warren Oates | 6.10 | 42.8 | 42.80 | 56 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 73.6 | |
| 20 | The Big Fix (1978) | Susan Anspach | 15.50 | 82.8 | 82.80 | 46 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 73.6 | |
| 19 | Whose Life Is It Anyway? (1981) | John Cassavetes | 8.20 | 36.9 | 36.90 | 81 | 74 | 00 / 00 | 72.3 | |
| 21 | Poseidon (2006) | Kurt Russell | 60.70 | 115.3 | 345.10 | 49 | 48 | 01 / 00 | 72.0 | |
| 21 | The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (1974) | Jack Warden & Randy Quaid |
5.20 | 34.4 | 34.40 | 63 | 71 | 01 / 00 | 69.2 | |
| 25 | Nuts (1987) | Barbra Streisand | 31.00 | 98.9 | 98.90 | 38 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 68.7 | |
| 23 | Once Around (1991) | Holly Hunter | 14.90 | 44.1 | 44.10 | 78 | 67 | 00 / 00 | 67.2 | |
| 25 | Lost in Yonkers (1993) | Mercedes Ruehl | 9.30 | 28.0 | 28.00 | 114 | 69 | 00 / 00 | 62.7 | |
| 26 | W. (2008) | Josh Brolin & Directed by Oliver Stone |
25.50 | 44.5 | 51.40 | 108 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 60.3 | |
| 28 | Piranha 3D (2010) | Christopher Lloyd | 25.00 | 39.6 | 132.50 | 104 | 62 | 00 / 00 | 58.8 | |
| 27 | Night Falls on Manhattan (1996) | Andy Garcia | 9.90 | 28.0 | 28.00 | 126 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 58.1 | |
| 29 | Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (1990) | Gary Oldman | 0.70 | 2.2 | 2.20 | 195 | 70 | 00 / 00 | 51.0 | |
| 30 | Inserts (1975) | Bob Hoskins | 2.70 | 16.6 | 16.60 | 93 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 49.1 | |
| 32 | Hello Down There (1969) | Tony Randall & Janet Leigh |
2.60 | 22.7 | 22.70 | 83 | 58 | 00 / 00 | 40.3 | |
| 31 | Coast To Coast (2003) Showtime Movies |
Fred Ward | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 357 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 39.0 | |
| 34 | Moon Over Parador (1988) | Raul Julia | 11.40 | 34.8 | 34.80 | 84 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 38.3 | |
| 33 | Astronaut (2019) Film Festival Circuit Only |
Graham Greene | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 427 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 38.0 | |
| 34 | Polar (2019) Netflix |
Mads Mikkelsen | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 327 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 37.3 | |
| 34 | Leaves of Grass (2009) | Edward Norton & Susan Sarandon |
0.10 | 0.1 | 1.70 | 292 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 32.3 | |
| 36 | The Buddy System (1984) | Susan Sarandon | 1.80 | 6.8 | 6.80 | 142 | 59 | 00 / 00 | 32.1 | |
| 38 | The Young Runaways (1968) | Brooke Bundy | 1.90 | 17.8 | 17.80 | 125 | 56 | 00 / 00 | 31.9 | |
| 38 | Call of the Wild (1997) | Rutger Hauer | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 322 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 31.6 | |
| 40 | The Last Laugh (2019) Netflix |
Chevy Chase | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 333 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 29.6 | |
| 39 | Zipper (2015) | Patrick Wilson | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 402 | 60 | 00 / 00 | 29.1 | |
| 41 | The Lightkeepers (2009) Limited Release |
Bruce Dern | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.20 | 288 | 57 | 00 / 00 | 24.7 | |
| 43 | Sweetwater (2023) | Cary Elwes | 0.50 | 0.6 | 0.60 | 166 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 20.6 | |
| 44 | Who Is Cletis Tout? (2001) | Tim Allen & Christian Slater |
0.30 | 0.6 | 0.60 | 256 | 55 | 00 / 00 | 20.4 | |
| 43 | Silver City (2004) | Chris Cooper | 1.00 | 2.1 | 2.10 | 205 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 17.7 | |
| 44 | Asher (2018) | Ron Perlman & Jacqueline Bisset |
0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 367 | 53 | 00 / 00 | 17.4 | |
| 45 | Silent Fall (1994) | Linda Hamilton & John Lithgow |
3.20 | 9.7 | 9.70 | 156 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 16.4 | |
| 48 | Another Stakeout (1993) | Emilio Estevez | 20.20 | 61.0 | 61.00 | 73 | 33 | 00 / 00 | 15.6 | |
| 48 | The Last Word (1995) | Timothy Hutton | 0.00 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 300 | 51 | 00 / 00 | 14.4 | |
| 49 | Let It Ride (1989) | Teri Garr | 5.00 | 15.7 | 15.70 | 108 | 44 | 00 / 00 | 11.8 | |
| 51 | The Crew (2000) | Burt Reynolds | 13.00 | 30.2 | 30.20 | 119 | 39 | 00 / 00 | 11.3 | |
| 50 | My Life in Ruins (2009) | Nia Vardalos | 8.70 | 14.4 | 34.10 | 147 | 44 | 00 / 00 | 11.3 | |
| 53 | Bayou Caviar (2018) | Cuba Gooding Jr. | 0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 341 | 46 | 00 / 00 | 8.4 | |
| 53 | Very Good Girls (2013) | Dakota Fanning & Demi Moore |
0.10 | 0.1 | 0.10 | 236 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 8.1 | |
| 55 | Krippendorf's Tribe (1998) | Mila Kunis | 7.60 | 20.2 | 20.20 | 130 | 30 | 00 / 00 | 2.3 | |
| 54 | Mad Dog Time (1996) | Burt Reynolds & Richard Pryor |
0.10 | 0.3 | 0.30 | 248 | 36 | 00 / 00 | 2.2 | |
| 56 | Paranoia (2013) | Harrison Ford & Gary Oldman |
7.40 | 11.4 | 21.20 | 139 | 28 | 00 / 00 | 1.0 | |
| 57 | The Second Coming of Suzanne (1974) | Sondra Locke | 0.00 | 0.2 | 0.20 | 169 | 29 | 00 / 00 | 0.7 |
Possibly Interesting Facts About Richard Dreyfuss
1. Richard Steven Dreyfuss was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1947.
2. Richard Dreyfuss auditioned for the role as one of the Von Trapp children in 1965’s The Sound of Music. The fact that he cannot dance really hurt his chances of getting that role.
3. One of Richard Dreyfuss’ first IMDb credits is his brief appearance in 1967’s The Graduate.
4. Richard Dreyfuss starred in 4 of the Top 100 Adjusted Box Office Hits of All-Time. Even more amazing is the fact that he did it during a 4 year period….1973 to 1977. Those 4 movies: 1973’s American Graffiti, 1975’s Jaws, 1977’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind and 1977’s The Goodbye Girl.
5. During the filming of 1975’s Jaws…. Robert Shaw could not stand Richard Dreyfuss and the two argued all the time, which resulted in some good tension between Hooper and Quint.
6. Richard Drefuss got his role as Roy Neary in 1977’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind after Al Pacino and Gene Hackman turned down the role.
7. Richard Dreyfuss has appeared in three films that were nominated for the Best Picture Oscar®: 1973’s American Graffiti, 1975’s Jaws and 1977’s The Goodbye Girl.
8. Richard Dreyfuss won the Best Actor Oscar® for 1977’s The Goodbye Girl. At the time of his win…he was the youngest actor (he was 30) to win this award. That record has since been beaten.
9. Richard Dreyfuss is one of five actors to appear in films directed by both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. The other 4? Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson, Christopher Lee and Samuel L. Jackson.
10. Richard Dreyfuss has been married three times and has three children.
Check out Richard Dreyfuss’ career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Despite in taking over 5 years to write a Richard Dreyfuss UMR page….he is actually one of my favorite actors (I have seen 40 of the 46 movies listed here)….so I felt I should list my personal Top 10 Richard Dreyfuss movies in alphabetical order.
- American Graffiti (1973)….what a cast….and what a fun movie to watch….the success of this movie helped the Star Wars universe get launched
- The American President (1995)….this is one of my wife’s favorite all-time movies…so I watch it a lot….but it is always entertaining
- Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)….saw this in theaters with my dad a few times….still a fun movie to watch
- Jaws (1975)…simply one of the best movies ever made!
- Let It Ride (1989)….this was a huge flop for Dreyfuss….but I love the movie…it is funny and Dreyfuss is great in the lead role…plus you get Dreyfuss and Teri Garr as a married couple….which is a Close Encounters reunion
- Lost in Yonkers (1993)….Dreyfuss’ return to the world of Neil Simon was not nearly as successful as their The Goodbye Girl….but Dreyfuss is a blast to watch in this one
- Stakeout (1987)….great chemistry between Dreyfuss and Emilio Estevez….this was a hit…..and yet somehow it seems forgotten in time
- Stand By Me (1986)…Dreyfuss did this small part as a favor to his childhood friend, Rob Reiner. This is one entertaining movie.
- Tin Men (1987)….loved this movie when I saw in theaters….and I still love it all of these years later….DeVito and Dreyfuss are awesome in this movie
- Who Is Cletis Tout? (2002)….actually the reason I like this movie so much has nothing to do with Dreyfuss…..but all to do with Tim Allen’s movie loving hitman Critical Jim…..a movie all movie buffs will like
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For comments….all you need is a name and a comment….please ignore the rest.
He played in my wife all-time favorite movie, What about Bob.
Hey George….What About Bob was one of his last leading role box office hits. Dreyfuss and Murray did not get along behind the scenes…or at least Dreyfuss did not like working with Murray at all. Might be why there was not a sequel. I have since added the trailer….figure I have to get Bev’s all-time favorite movie some time in the UMR spotlight.