Want to know the best Steve Martin movies? How about the worst Steve Martin movies? Curious about Steve Martin’s box office grosses or which Steve Martin movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Steve Martin movie got the best reviews from critics and audiences? Well you have come to the right place….because we have all of that information.
We recently got a request all the way from Alaska to do a Ultimate Movie Ranking page on Steve Martin. So seeing that Steve Martin was just given a Honorary Oscar®…I figured I would make his year even better by doing this page that looks at his entire movie career.
Steve Martin (1945-) is an American actor and writer. Martin went from being a writer on The Smother Brothers Comedy Hour to regularly appearing on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson as a standup comedian to a movie star to an Oscar® honoree. Steve Martin has over 70 acting credits listed on his IMDb page. This page will be ranking most of his movies from Best to Worst. They are ranked by looking at the movie’s box results, the movie’s reviews by both critics and audiences and by how much award recognition the movie earned. Cameos, uncredited roles and shorts were not included in the rankings…but that does leave almost 50 movies to rank. Just a quick explanation on how the critic/audience rating was determined. We take an average of the following places that review movies or rate them…IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, Yahoo Movies, RogerEbert.com, VideoHound Golden Retrievers and Leonard Maltin. RottenTomatoes.com uses 60% as the cut off between a good movie and an average or worse movies….seems like a good percentage to use.
Steve Martin Movies Ranked In Chronological Order With Ultimate Movie Rankings Score (1 to 5 UMR Tickets) *Best combo of box office, reviews and awards.
Steve Martin 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 Steve Martin movies by co-stars of his movies
- Sort Steve Martin movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Steve Martin movies by yearly domestic box office rank
- Sort Steve Martin movies how they were received by critics and audiences. 60% rating or higher should indicate a good movie
- Sort by how many Oscar® nominations and how many Oscar® wins each Steve Martin movie received.
- Sort Steve Martin 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.
Steve Martin Adjusted World Wide Box Office Grosses
Our Thoughts on Every Steve Martin Movie
All of Me (1984) My thoughts: Lily Tomlin’s soul gets stuck in Steve Martin’s body….gives Martin plenty of chances to perform lots of physical comedy. Never been a huge fan of this movie. Baby Mama (2008) My thoughts: Martin provides a supporting role in this Tina Fey comedy. Needed more Martin a little less Amy Poehler in my opinion. The Big Year (2011) My thoughts: Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson play bird watchers in another movie that I liked but seem to be in the minority. Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (2016) My thoughts: At one time this was considered a serious Oscar contender….instead weak reviews resulted in tiny tiny box office. Bowfinger (1999) Box Office: My thoughts: Martin plays a struggling Hollywood director, while Eddie Murphy gets to play two roles. A funny behind the scenes look at the making of movies. Takes more than a few funny swipes at Scientology. Bringing Down the House (2003) My thoughts: Another one of his big blockbusters that did not register well with me or critics…but it was a monster hit. Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) My thoughts: I have to side with the critics on this one…I never understood how this movie made so much money at the box office. Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005) My thoughts: The sequel to one of his biggest box office hits of his career. Not nearly as fun or as entertaining as the first one. Home (2015) My thoughts: Martin provides a supporting role in this computer animated movie. Movie was popular at box office but is far from a memorable movie. Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid My thoughts: One of my favorite Steve Martin movies. Movie does an excellent job of using movie clips from the golden era and incorporating them into the movie. So Martin gets to share scenes with screen legends Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart and many others. Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988) My thoughts: The second of three of his movies that I can watch repeatedly. In this remake, Martin gets to play the part that Marlon Brando played in 1964’s Bedtime Story while Michael Caine gets the David Niven part. One of the few times the remake was much better than the original. Father of the Bride (1991) My thoughts: I am willing to beat this is many people’s favorite Steve Martin movie. In this remake, Martin takes over the Spencer Tracy role and hits a homerun.
Father of the Bride Part II (1995) My thoughts: The sequel to one of his best movies, Father of the Bride. I am actually surprised with the box office success of the first two in this series, that they never made part III.
Grand Canyon (1991) My thoughts: Plenty of stars in the movie…but….it is a pretty uneven and slow movie…although Steve Martin easily has the best role in the movie. Grand Canyon did receive one Oscar® nomination.
Housesitter (1992) My thoughts: Housesitter is Martin’s 10th biggest box office hit of his career…but not a favorite of mine. Goldie Hawn as her moments in the movie….but I could never buy him falling in love with her character by the end of the movie.
It’s Complicated (2009) My thoughts: Martin, Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin in a love triangle, in this, at times funny comedy. I actually think 4th billed, John Krasinski, has the funniest part in the movie.
The Jerk (1979) My thoughts: The movie that made Steve Martin a star. Has not aged well at all…but it still has lots of funny scenes.
Joe Gould’s Secret (2000) My thoughts: ot only have I not seen this movie….before doing this page I was not even aware of its existence. It appears Martin has a very small role. L.A. Story (1991) My thoughts: One of the three Steve Martin movies that I can watch repeatedly. I never understood how Martin did not receive an Oscar® nomination for his screenplay for L.A. Story. Leap of Faith (1992) Box Office: My thoughts: A pretty good drama, with a very good Martin performance. Nice work by Debra Winger and Liam Neeson as well. Little Shop of Horrors (1986) My thoughts: Martin has a small but memorable role in this twice Oscar® nominated film. The scene with Martin and Bill Murray is the highlight of the film. The Lonely Guy (1984) My thoughts: It has been many years since I have seen this movie. Not a bad comedy…but it was completely ignored when released in 1984. Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) My thoughts: I remember when this movie was about to be released….it was assumed that it was going to be a box office hit. That did not happen and the movie has been quickly forgotten. Love The Coopers (2015) My thoughts: Martin provides the voice of the dog is this romantic comedy. Nice cast….just too bad they did not have a better script to work with. The Man with Two Brains (1983) My thoughts: Wow… this silly but fun movie is already over 30 years old….how did that happen? Kathleen Turner is very entertaining in the movie. One of the first movies in which I noticed veteran character actor, James Cromwell. Mixed Nuts (1994) My thoughts: Who would have thought a Christmas movie about people working a suicide hotline would not be a crowd pleaser? Probably one of the movies that he wishes he would not have made….look for Adam Sandler in one of his first movie roles. Movers and Shakers (1985) My thoughts: Martin has a very small role in the movie. With a cast of Walter Matthau, Charles Grodin and Martin this one should have been much better. The Muppet Movie (1979) My thoughts: I actually remember how much buzz Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy and the rest of the muppets generated in 1979. Now 30 plus years later, the muppets are still doing well at the box office. My Blue Heaven (1990) My thoughts: A decent comedy that teams him with Rick Moranis and Joan Cusack. Loosely based on Henry Hill of Good Fellas fame. Arnold Schwarzenegger was originally cast in the Martin role. Novocaine (2001) My thoughts: Martin plays a dentist in this thriller. Personally I would rate this movie higher…but almost no box office and pretty bad reviews lands Novocaine pretty low in rankings. The Out-of-Towners (1999) My thoughts: Remake of the Jack Lemmon movie….pairs Martin with Goldie Hawn again….not as successful or as good as their first movie, Housesitter. Parenthood (1989) My thoughts: A great movie with one great cast. The Ron Howard film starred Martin, Keanu Reeves, Joaquin Phoenix, Oscar® winners Mary Steenburgen, Jason Robards and Diane Wiest. Pennies from Heaven (1981) My thoughts: This was a huge box office flop when it was first released. Audiences walked into theaters expecting The Jerk instead they got a serious dancing musical. Time has been kind to this movie and is now considered to be one of Martin’s better movies.…but I still do not really like it. The Pink Panther (2006) My thoughts: Martin takes over the role that Peter Sellers made famous. Movie was a huge hit but not funny at all in my book. The Pink Panther 2 (2003) My thoughts: The success of The Pink Panther brought this unneeded and pretty bad sequel. One of my least favorite Steve Martin movies.
Planes Trains and Automobiles (1987) My thoughts: Easily my favorite Steve Martin movie. The best Thanksgiving movie ever. This movie is keeping the memory of John Candy alive and well. I watch this movie it least once a year….it is getting better as time goes by.
The Prince of Egypt (1998) My thoughts: Martin provides a voice in one of the first animated movies from DreamWorks. The Prince of Egypt received 3 Oscar® nominations…including 1 Oscar® win.
Roxanne (1987) My thoughts: A very funny comedy. His role almost got him an Oscar® nomination for Best Actor…and it would have been deserved. Has not aged as well as some of his better comedies. Sgt. Bilko (1996) My thoughts: A remake of the classic television show is not a good movie at all. Should have been better. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978) My thoughts: Probably one of the worst musicals ever made…this is one of Martin’s first ever appearances in movies. I guess we had to suffer through Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band to get movies like Roxanne and Parenthood. Shopgirl (2005) Box Office: My thoughts: Based on Martin’s own novel….the movie is about a love triangle that includes Steve Martin, Claire Danes and Jason Schwartzman. Not a bad movie…just do not expect many laughs in this drama.
A Simple Twist of Fate (1994) My thoughts: 1994 was a rough year for Martin as Mixed Nuts and A Simple Twist of Fate both crashed and burned. This is the better of the two movies, but that is not really saying much.
The Spanish Prisoner (1998) My thoughts: David Mamet wrote and directed this excellent thriller that has plenty of twists and turns.
Three Amigos (1986) My thoughts: This could have been a great comedy. Chevy Chase, Martin Short and Martin try their best but this one falls short of becoming a comedy classic.
Well Cogerson – you did it again. Steve Martin is not one of my favorite actors but the facts you have done on his movies is great as usual. Hope Alaska appreciates all the hard work you have done on this one – I am sure he does………….
Good luck with your football team playing right now. I hope they win!!!
Thank you BERN1960….especially since Steve Martin is not one of your favorites…thanks for the good wishes for my team
Great page. I have actually seen Mixed Nuts. Thanks for the Martin info.
Thank you BryRog57…..you are one of the few people that has actually watched Mixed Nuts…..you and your idol worship of Adam Sandler was very humorous to me when you were younger.
“Into the mud, scum queen!” One of my favorite screen comics though it’s been a couple of decades since I last raved over one of his films.
I’ve seen 22 of the 41 films you’ve moviescored, I enjoyed Parenthood, its in my top 10 Steve Martin films, ditto Planes, Trains, Little Shop, Roxanne, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid and his two funniest IMO – The Jerk and The Man With Two Brains.
Good work Bruce, reminds me to add Martin to my Poster page list.
Eddie Murphy next? He used to be king once too.
Hey Steve…it is hard to believe that Steve Martin is almost 70. The Man With Two Brains has some funny lines…like the one you mentioned. I have seen 34 of these movies….I bet Flora where ever she is….has seen 3 or less of these movies. Thanks for the visit and the comment.
Mmmm. Roxanne and Dirty Rotten Scroundels not in the Top 10? And yet Bringing Down the House and Father of the Bride 2 sit in the Top 10. Not sure I see that at all. But other than that pretty cool rankings on his movies.
@Tom S. I agree that Dirty Rotten and Roxanne seem a little low..but box office results are huge part of a movie’s success…both of the movies are great but did not set the box office on fire. Meanwhile…Bringing Down the House and Father of the Bride 2…despite being weaker movies ….their return on investment was outstanding.
That was pretty interesting. The famous line, “I grew up a poor black child” is comedy gold!
@Scotty…that is indeed one of the greatest comedy lines in movies