Todd Solondz (/ˈsoʊləndz/; born October 15, 1959) is an American filmmaker and playwright known for his style of dark, socially conscious satire. Solondz's work has received critical acclaim for its commentary on the "dark underbelly of middle-class American suburbia", a reflection of his own background in New Jersey. His work includes Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995), Happiness (1998), Storytelling (2001), Palindromes (2004), Life During Wartime (2009), Dark Horse (2011), and Wiener-Dog (2016). He is also a professor at New York University. Description above from the Wikipedia article Todd Solondz, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- March 14, 1959 (67)
- Newark, New Jersey, USA
- Director, writer and actor, also producer
- 12 on MovieCove · 22 credits in all
What are Todd Solondz's films like?
Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
A split, not a type: Ironic 6 · Wry 1 · Earnest 1
Light 1 · Serious 1 · Dark 6
Grounded 3 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 0
Gentle 2 · Charged 3 · Intense 3
Steady 1 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 3
Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 7 · Funny 1
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0
A split, not a type: Casual 4 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 2
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 5
A split, not a type: Resolved 3 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 4
Roles they play
- Heroas Ira Ellis in Fear, Anxiety & Depression (1989)
Moods and endings
- Bittersweet1
- Ambiguous5
- Cyclical2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Todd Solondz's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 12 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Todd Solondz's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
22 credits, 12 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Bust (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)
Aftersun(2022)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films
Wiener-Dog(2016)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Venice 70: Future Reloaded (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
Keep the Lights On(2012)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
Dark Horse(2011)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Life During Wartime(2009)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Cinema16: American Short Films (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
Palindromes(2004)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Storytelling(2001)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Happiness(1998)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
As Good as It Gets(1997)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
Welcome to the Dollhouse(1995)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Married to the Mob(1988)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
In Transit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)
Schatt's Last Shot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Feelings (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Babysitter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
I Miss My Mom & Dream of Our New Home (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Love Child (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
The Quarters: Jerusalem (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 22 titles, 19 of them dated from 1984 to 2024.
Biggest box office
Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)
Highest rated
Happiness (1998)
Most popular right now
Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Todd Solondz's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 65th percentile, the median of all 12; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 57th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th5
- 25th to 49th3
Shape of the crowd
None of their 12 titles divides audiences: 4 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved3
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the atmosphere 70/100 and the pacing 39/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Todd Solondz's work okay for kids?
Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Todd Solondz work with?
People who share at least 2 of Todd Solondz's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Kevin Messman shares the most, 4.
Actors
- Selma BlairShared titles: Dark Horse (2011), Storytelling (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Selma Blair
- Angela PietropintoShared titles: Palindromes (2004), Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Angela Pietropinto
- Bill BuellShared titles: Palindromes (2004), Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Bill Buell
- Matthew FaberShared titles: Palindromes (2004), Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Matthew Faber
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Kevin MessmanShared titles: Wiener-Dog (2016), Dark Horse (2011), Life During Wartime (2009), Palindromes (2004)See all 4 shared titles with Kevin Messman
- Nathan LarsonShared titles: Wiener-Dog (2016), Palindromes (2004), Storytelling (2001)See all 3 shared titles with Nathan Larson
- Alan OxmanShared titles: Storytelling (2001), Happiness (1998), Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)See all 3 shared titles with Alan Oxman
- Edward LachmanShared titles: Wiener-Dog (2016), Life During Wartime (2009)See all 2 shared titles with Edward Lachman
Producers
- Derrick TsengShared titles: Wiener-Dog (2016), Dark Horse (2011), Life During Wartime (2009), Palindromes (2004)See all 4 shared titles with Derrick Tseng
- Christine VachonShared titles: Wiener-Dog (2016), Storytelling (2001), Happiness (1998)See all 3 shared titles with Christine Vachon
- Ted HopeShared titles: Dark Horse (2011), Storytelling (2001), Happiness (1998)See all 3 shared titles with Ted Hope
- Mike S. RyanShared titles: Life During Wartime (2009), Palindromes (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Mike S. Ryan
Mixed roles
- Jill WisoffShared titles: Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995), Fear, Anxiety & Depression (1989)See all 2 shared titles with Jill Wisoff
