Want to know the best Sydney Pollack movies? How about the worst Sydney Pollack movies? Curious about Sydney Pollack box office grosses or which Sydney Pollack movie picked up the most Oscar® nominations? Need to know which Sydney Pollack 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.
Sydney Pollack (1934-2008) was an Oscar®-winning American director, actor and producer. Pollack directed 20 movies and acted in over 30 movies. He won the Academy Award® for Best Director for 1985’s Out Of Africa, which also won the Oscar® for Best Picture His IMDb page shows 85 acting and directing credits from 1956 to 2008. This page will rank Sydney Pollack movies from Best to Worst in six different sortable columns of information. Television shows, shorts, cameos, uncredited roles, and movies that were not released in North American were not included in the rankings.
Sydney Pollack 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
1985
Out of Africa (1985)
AA Best Picture Win
1982
Tootsie (1982)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Director Nom
1972
Jeremiah Johnson (1972)
1975
Three Days of the Condor (1975)
1981
Absence of Malice (1981)
1969
They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969)
AA Best Director Nom
1973
The Way We Were (1973)
1993
The Firm (1993)
Director
1979
The Electric Horseman (1979)
2007
Michael Clayton (2007)
AA Best Picture Nom
AA Best Picture Nom
1999
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
2002
Changing Lanes (2002)
1998
A Civil Action (1998)
1992
Death Becomes Her (1992)
1995
Sabrina (1995)
2005
The Interpreter (2005)
1992
The Player (1992)
1968
The Scalphunters (1968)
1992
Husbands and Wives (1992)
2008
The Reader (2008)
AA Best Picture Nom
1965
The Slender Thread (1965)
1968
The Swimmer (1968)
1966
This Property Is Condemned (1966)
Director
1974
The Yakuza (1974)
2008
Made of Honor (2008)
1969
Castle Keep (1969)
1999
Random Hearts (1999)
1977
Bobby Deerfield (1977)
1962
War Hunt (1962)
1990
Havana (1990)
Sydney Pollack 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 any way you want.
- Sort Sydney Pollack movies by his co-stars
- Sort Sydney Pollack movies by adjusted domestic box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Sydney Pollack movies by adjusted worldwide box office grosses using current movie ticket cost (in millions)
- Sort Sydney Pollack 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 Sydney Pollack movie received.
- Sort Sydney Pollack movies by Ultimate Movie Rankings (UMR) Score. UMR puts box office, reviews, and awards into a mathematical equation and gives each movie a score.
| CreditRank | Movie (Year) | UMR Co-Star Links | Review % | Oscar Nom / Win | S | UMR Score | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CreditRank | 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 | S | UMR Score |
| 2 | Out of Africa (1985) AA Best Picture Win |
Meryl Streep & Robert Redford |
87.10 | 306.6 | 937.2 | 5 | 66 | 11 / 07 | 99.7 | |
| 1 | Tootsie (1982) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Director Nom |
Dustin Hoffman & Jessica Lange |
167.20 | 710.9 | 876.7 | 2 | 87 | 10 / 01 | 99.6 | |
| 3 | Jeremiah Johnson (1972) | Robert Redford & Will Geer |
57.30 | 421.1 | 421.1 | 6 | 84 | 00 / 00 | 97.9 | |
| 4 | Three Days of the Condor (1975) | Robert Redford & Faye Dunaway |
60.60 | 369.8 | 369.8 | 5 | 80 | 01 / 00 | 97.4 | |
| 7 | Absence of Malice (1981) | Paul Newman & Sally Field |
50.50 | 227.0 | 227.0 | 9 | 76 | 03 / 00 | 96.7 | |
| 10 | They Shoot Horses, Don't They? (1969) AA Best Director Nom |
Jane Fonda & Bruce Dern |
16.90 | 148.4 | 148.4 | 20 | 81 | 09 / 01 | 95.6 | |
| 5 | The Way We Were (1973) | Barbra Streisand & Robert Redford |
68.10 | 480.6 | 480.6 | 5 | 66 | 06 / 02 | 95.5 | |
| 7 | The Firm (1993) Director |
Tom Cruise & Jeanne Tripplehorn |
158.30 | 478.1 | 816.0 | 4 | 69 | 02 / 00 | 95.0 | |
| 9 | The Electric Horseman (1979) | Robert Redford & Jane Fonda |
81.90 | 407.8 | 407.8 | 7 | 64 | 01 / 00 | 92.8 | |
| 10 | Michael Clayton (2007) AA Best Picture Nom AA Best Picture Nom |
George Clooney & Pollack Acting and Produced |
49.00 | 89.1 | 169.0 | 55 | 85 | 07 / 01 | 92.3 | |
| 12 | Eyes Wide Shut (1999) | Tom Cruise & Directed by Stanley Kubrick |
55.70 | 137.6 | 400.4 | 42 | 75 | 00 / 00 | 89.7 | |
| 13 | Changing Lanes (2002) | Ben Affleck & Only Pollack Acting |
66.80 | 144.0 | 204.6 | 40 | 73 | 00 / 00 | 89.6 | |
| 14 | A Civil Action (1998) | John Travolta & Only Pollack Acting |
56.70 | 151.1 | 151.1 | 37 | 67 | 02 / 00 | 88.9 | |
| 16 | Death Becomes Her (1992) | Bruce Willis & Robert Zemeckis |
58.40 | 176.0 | 448.9 | 24 | 55 | 01 / 01 | 87.5 | |
| 15 | Sabrina (1995) | Harrison Ford & Greg Kinnear |
53.70 | 154.2 | 250.8 | 33 | 62 | 02 / 00 | 86.7 | |
| 17 | The Interpreter (2005) | Nicole Kidman & Sean Penn |
72.70 | 142.0 | 318.3 | 33 | 64 | 00 / 00 | 86.1 | |
| 14 | The Player (1992) | Tim Robbins & Directed by Robert Altman |
21.70 | 65.4 | 87.1 | 57 | 86 | 03 / 00 | 86.0 | |
| 20 | The Scalphunters (1968) | Burt Lancaster & Shelley Winters |
8.00 | 76.3 | 76.3 | 48 | 71 | 00 / 00 | 79.6 | |
| 18 | Husbands and Wives (1992) | Liam Neeson & Directed by Woody Allen |
10.60 | 31.8 | 31.8 | 96 | 83 | 02 / 00 | 79.2 | |
| 19 | The Reader (2008) AA Best Picture Nom |
Kate Winslet & Pollack Produced |
34.20 | 59.5 | 189.6 | 82 | 70 | 05 / 01 | 78.8 | |
| 22 | The Slender Thread (1965) | Sidney Poitier & Anne Bancroft |
3.40 | 41.4 | 41.4 | 74 | 73 | 02 / 00 | 74.1 | |
| 21 | The Swimmer (1968) | Burt Lancaster & Janet Landgard |
1.80 | 17.6 | 17.6 | 127 | 82 | 00 / 00 | 74.0 | |
| 23 | This Property Is Condemned (1966) Director |
Natalie Wood & Robert Redford |
5.50 | 62.5 | 62.5 | 52 | 66 | 00 / 00 | 72.4 | |
| 24 | The Yakuza (1974) | Robert Mitchum & Brian Keith |
10.90 | 72.9 | 105.8 | 44 | 61 | 00 / 00 | 70.2 | |
| 25 | Made of Honor (2008) | Patrick Dempsey & Only Pollack Acting |
46.00 | 80.1 | 80.1 | 61 | 50 | 00 / 00 | 59.7 | |
| 26 | Castle Keep (1969) | Burt Lancaster & Bruce Dern |
5.10 | 45.3 | 45.3 | 54 | 52 | 00 / 00 | 42.6 | |
| 28 | Random Hearts (1999) | Harrison Ford & Kristin Scott Thomas |
31.50 | 77.8 | 184.3 | 65 | 35 | 00 / 00 | 29.9 | |
| 27 | Bobby Deerfield (1977) | Al Pacino & Marthe Keller |
11.90 | 66.7 | 66.7 | 53 | 39 | 00 / 00 | 28.9 | |
| 29 | War Hunt (1962) | John Saxon & Only Pollack Acting |
1.10 | 19.0 | 19.0 | 117 | 45 | 00 / 00 | 13.4 | |
| 30 | Havana (1990) | Robert Redford & Lena Olin |
9.20 | 27.3 | 27.3 | 100 | 41 | 01 / 00 | 12.9 |
Check out Sydney Pollack‘s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
Possibly Interesting Facts About Sydney Pollack
1. Sydney Irwin Pollack was born in Lafayette, Indiana in 1934.
2. Sydney Pollack and Robert Redford were lifelong friends. Both men made their feature film acting debuts in 1962’s War Hunt.
3. Robert Redford was the star of 7 of the Sydney Pollack directed movies. That would 35% of Pollack’s movies.
4. During Sydney Pollack’s career, he directed 12 different actors in Oscar®-nominated performances: Jane Fonda, Gig Young, Susannah York, Barbra Streisand, Paul Newman, Melinda Dillon, Jessica Lange, Dustin Hoffman, Teri Garr, Meryl Streep, Klaus Maria Brandauer and Holly Hunter. Young and Lange won Oscars for their performances in Pollack’s films.
5. Sydney Pollack had 7 Oscar® nominations for 5 different movies. 3 for directing and 4 for producing.
Check out Sydney Pollack‘s career compared to current and classic actors. Most 100 Million Dollar Movies of All-Time.
I’ve seen 15 of the 30 films on the chart, not all of them directed by Sydney Pollack who also acted in a few. Favorites include – Three Days of the Condor, The Firm, The Yakuza, The Scalphunters, Death Becomes Her and Out of Africa (I’m a big fan of John Barry’s music score for this film, Barry is one of my favorite composers.)
According to IMDB Pollack directed 20 movies and I’ve seen 9 of those.
Tootsie was a huge hit but isn’t a favorite of mine, Pollack’s scene with Hoffman made up as Tootsie did make me laugh though. He had a funny bit in Death Becomes Her too.
Good stuff Bruce. Vote Up!
Hey Steve. Good information on Sydney Pollack. Tally count: Tally count: Cogerson 26, Bob 18, Steve 15 and Flora 8. I have seen all of your favorites….not a big fan of Out Of Africa….but I did notice the music. I love his brief supporting role in Death Becomes Her. I think it took a couple of viewings before I realize it is Pollack’s character having the heart attack in that one. Tootsie is alright….but it is like Mrs. Doubtfire….comedy is more than a man dressing up as a woman. Good stuff as always.
At the time of his death Sydney had a net worth of $16 million according to Celebrity Net Worth site. Well-earned and on this occasion I have seen enough of the movies of a relatively modern director to make worthwhile my listing them as Flora is almost-always able to admirably do; and whilst it’s good of her to let me go before her for once The Work Horse still takes the crown – d**n him!! My list based on the tables above is-
1/Scalphunters
2/3 Days of the Condor
3/Bobby Deerfield
4/Electric Horseman- Horsemen tend to be electric!
5/Tootsie
6/Absence of Malice-a project that Hirsch certainly wouldn’t have been involved with! My own fave Pollock film-DVD sits on my shelf.
7.Havana-lovely nostalgic movie in my view.
8/The Interpreter
9/The Firm
10/Sabrina-entertaining but just an average remake of Bogie/Golden Holden 1954 classic
11/Eyes Wide Shut – unfathomable to me; understanding it would have required the likes of Joel’s superior analytical skills
12/Changing Lanes
13/A Civil Action
14/Michael Clayton I didn’t previously know that was a Pollock film.
15/They Shhot Horses – nice thought at times!
16/Jeremiah Johnson – I didn’t like
17/Out of Virginia-my 2nd fave Pollock movie.
Denys Finch Hatton [Robert Redford]: I don’t want to find out one day that I’m at the end of someone else’s life.”
Karen Blixen-Finecke [Meryl Streep]: I had a farm in Virginia
18/The Swimmer-a strange film that many would have considered “dry goods”; but we had the joy of seeing Burt still a fine physical specimen outrunning a horse and laughingly mocking the horse as he did so. The Rocky Steps would have been like a stroll in the park for Burton Lancaster in his heyday! However as the saying goes there are “[Work] Horses for courses”.
Hey Bob ….thanks for sharing your thoughts on Syndey Pollack….another Oscar winning director off the list of pages to do. Good information about his net worth. Bob sharing a tally count…I like it. Tally count: Cogerson 26, Bob 18, Steve 15 and Flora 8. I liked the mini-reviews. I have only seen Out of Africa two times….once when it first came out (and it bored me) and most recently a few years ago….so I guess I watch it every 17 or 18 years. I liked it more the second time around. I was not too impressed with Eyes Wide Shut either. Pollack got a producing Oscar nomination for Michael Clayton….plus he has a memorable supporting role. I have never seen The Swimmer, but I want to. Good stuff as always.
I have seen 8 Sydney Pollak movies, 5 of them in the top 10.
The HIGHEST ranked movie I have seen is Tootsie.
The highest ranked movie I have NOT seen is Jeremiah Johnson.
The LOWEST ranked movie I have seen is The Yakuza.
Favourite Sydney Pollack movies:
Tootsie
Three Days of the Condor
The Way We Were
Absence of Malice
The Slender Thread
Other Sydney Pollack Movies I Have seen:
Out of Africa
This Property Is Condemned
The Yakuza
Hey Flora….thanks for checking out our Sydney Pollack page. Tally count: 26 for me…including the Top 17…..and 8 for you. I have 7 of the eight you have seen. The Slender Thread is one of the four I have not seen. Three Days of the Condor, Absence of Malice, Death Becomes Her and The Firm would be my favorites. I am right there with you on Out of Africa…..a one and done movie in my book. Good stuff as always.
Great UMR Page
Thank you Mike.