Jon Brion (born December 11, 1963) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer, and composer. He performed with the Excerpts, the Bats, 'Til Tuesday and the Grays before becoming an established producer and film score composer. Brion has produced music for artists and bands including Of Montreal, Aimee Mann, Love Jones, Eels, Fiona Apple, Elliott Smith, Robyn Hitchcock, Rhett Miller, The Crystal Method, Kanye West, Sky Ferreira and Mac Miller. According to Stereogum, Brion's work on Mann's first solo albums "lay the groundwork for a sound that became synonymous with a strain of notable alternative acts at the turn of the century". Brion's film scores include Hard Eight (1996), Magnolia (1999), Punch-Drunk Love (2002), Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and I Heart Huckabees (both 2004), Synecdoche, New York (2008), ParaNorman (2012), Lady Bird (2017), and Christopher Robin (2018). He released his debut solo album, Meaningless, in 2001. Brion was born in Glen Ridge, New Jersey on December 11, 1963. He comes from a musical family; his mother, LaRue, was an administrative assistant and singer, and his father, Keith Brion, was a band director at Yale. His brother and sister became a composer/arranger and a violinist, respectively. Brion grew up in Connecticut, where he dropped out of Hamden High School at the age of 17, opting instead to play music professionally. From 1980–85 Jon was part of the band The Excerpts, along with Stephen Harris, Dean Falcone, Jim Balga, Bobby Butcher & Spike Priggen. In the early 1980s, Brion and musician/producer Bill Murphy began a writing collaboration in New Haven, Connecticut. They eventually enlisted bassist Don "Riff" Fertman and together formed the Bats (not to be confused with the New Zealand group or South African group of the same name). The Bats released a single, "Popgun", and one album, How Pop Can You Get?, on Gustav Records in 1982. The recordings had much critical acclaim, but little commercial success, and the trio eventually disbanded. In 1987, Brion moved to Boston, where he played solo gigs, formed the short-lived band World's Fair and became a member of the last touring version of Aimee Mann's new wave band 'Til Tuesday. He contributed guitar work to Jellyfish's 1993 album Spilt Milk, and in 1994, joined Dan McCarroll, Buddy Judge and ex-Jellyfish guitarist Jason Falkner in the short-lived pop band the Grays. He also played guitar on the Wallflowers' hit song "One Headlight", using a screwdriver that was sitting atop a nearby amp as a slide. Brion played numerous instruments on Sam Phillips' 1996 release Omnipop. Brion is featured as keyboardist and drummer on Marianne Faithfull's 2003 album, Kissin Time, and co-wrote a song, "City of Quartz", for her next work, 2005's Before the Poison. After being recognized as an accomplished session player, Brion branched out into production on then-girlfriend Mann's 1993 solo debut, Whatever, and its follow-up, I'm With Stupid. He has also produced albums by Fiona Apple, Rufus Wainwright, Eleni Mandell, Rhett Miller, Robyn Hitchcock, Brad Mehldau and Evan Dando, and co-produced Kanye West's Late Registration in 2005. ... Source: Article "Jon Brion" from Wikipedia in English, licensed under CC-BY-SA 3.0."
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Biography from TMDB.
- December 11, 1963 (62)
- Glen Ridge, New Jersey, USA
- Composer and actor
- 29 on MovieCove · 35 credits in all
What are Jon Brion's films like?
Across their 25 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 2 · Wry 1 · Earnest 21
A split, not a type: Light 13 · Serious 7 · Dark 4
A split, not a type: Grounded 13 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 6
Gentle 10 · Charged 10 · Intense 4
Steady 8 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 7
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 9
A split, not a type: Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 0
Casual 13 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 3
Easy watch 10 · Affecting 11 · Heavy 3
A split, not a type: Resolved 14 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 4
Moods and endings
- Happy8
- Bittersweet14
- Ambiguous3
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 Jon Brion's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 21 of their 29 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (5).
Subscription and free streaming for Jon Brion'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
35 credits, 29 with a MovieCove page; 9 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Outcome(2026)
Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films
One Battle After Another(2025)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Pee-wee as Himself(2025)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all shows
Beating Hearts(2024)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
Fool's Paradise(2023)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
Sink or Swim(2018)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Christopher Robin(2018)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Lady Bird(2017)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Wilson(2017)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Curmudgeons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Trainwreck(2015)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
The Gambler(2014)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
Delivery Man(2013)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Margot Rourke & The Boys Club (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)
The Blue Umbrella(2013)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
This Is 40(2012)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
ParaNorman(2012)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
The Future(2011)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
The Other Guys(2010)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Funny People(2009)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
Synecdoche, New York(2008)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Step Brothers(2008)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Glago's Guest (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
The Break-Up(2006)
Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all filmsScratches: Part 2 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)
I Heart Huckabees(2004)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Live at the Olympic (The Last DJ) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)
Punch-Drunk Love(2002)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Magnolia(1999)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Boogie Nights(1997)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Hard Eight(1996)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Disconnected (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)
Career shape
A full career of 35 titles from 1984 to 2026.
Biggest box office
The Break-Up (2006)
Highest rated
John Mulaney: The Comeback Kid (2015)
Most popular right now
The Other Guys (2010)
Film career
- 1984Screen debut· Disconnected
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.
Awards
1 major award from 6 major nominations, 2001–2010.
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
- Grammy Award, won · Best Rap Album
- Grammy Award, nominated · Album of the Year
- Grammy Award, nominated · Record of the Year
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
- Grammy Award, nominated · Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Jon Brion's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 83rd percentile, the median of all 28; across their 24 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 77th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up17
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th6
- Below 25th2
Shape of the crowd
12 of their 29 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved8
- Universally Panned1
- Crowd Pleaser12
- Broadly Agreed5
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the sound and music 70/100 in their films, across 16 reviewed titles; fans 77, detractors 56. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.
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 Jon Brion's work okay for kids?
Across up to 20 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity and profanity run heavier than most films and frightening / intense lighter.
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 Jon Brion work with?
People who share at least 2 of Jon Brion's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Philip Seymour Hoffman shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Paul Thomas AndersonShared titles: Punch-Drunk Love (2002), Magnolia (1999), Hard Eight (1996)See all 3 shared titles with Paul Thomas Anderson
- Judd ApatowShared titles: Trainwreck (2015), This Is 40 (2012), Step Brothers (2008)See all 3 shared titles with Judd Apatow
- Gilles LelloucheShared titles: Beating Hearts (2024), Sink or Swim (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Gilles Lellouche
- Adam McKayShared titles: The Other Guys (2010), Step Brothers (2008)See all 2 shared titles with Adam McKay
Writers
- Ahmed HamidiShared titles: Beating Hearts (2024), Sink or Swim (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Ahmed Hamidi
- Julien LambroschiniShared titles: Beating Hearts (2024), Sink or Swim (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Julien Lambroschini
- John MulaneyShared titles: John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous at Radio City (2018), John Mulaney: The Comeback Kid (2015)See all 2 shared titles with John Mulaney
Actors
- Philip Seymour HoffmanShared titles: Synecdoche, New York (2008), Punch-Drunk Love (2002), Magnolia (1999), Hard Eight (1996)See all 4 shared titles with Philip Seymour Hoffman
- Mark WahlbergShared titles: The Gambler (2014), The Other Guys (2010), I Heart Huckabees (2004)See all 3 shared titles with Mark Wahlberg
- John C. ReillyShared titles: Step Brothers (2008), Magnolia (1999), Hard Eight (1996)See all 3 shared titles with John C. Reilly
- Benoît PoelvoordeShared titles: Beating Hearts (2024), Sink or Swim (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Benoît Poelvoorde
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Brent WhiteShared titles: This Is 40 (2012), The Other Guys (2010), Step Brothers (2008)See all 3 shared titles with Brent White
- Robert ElswitShared titles: Punch-Drunk Love (2002), Magnolia (1999), Hard Eight (1996)See all 3 shared titles with Robert Elswit
- Michael PennShared titles: Pee-wee as Himself (2025), Hard Eight (1996)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Penn
- Laurent TangyShared titles: Beating Hearts (2024), Sink or Swim (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Laurent Tangy
Producers
- Eli BushShared titles: Pee-wee as Himself (2025), Lady Bird (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Eli Bush
- Alain AttalShared titles: Beating Hearts (2024), Sink or Swim (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Alain Attal
- Hugo SélignacShared titles: Beating Hearts (2024), Sink or Swim (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Hugo Sélignac
- Patrick QuinetShared titles: Beating Hearts (2024), Sink or Swim (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Patrick Quinet
