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Ken Kwapis

Ken Kwapis

Director and producer, also writer · Born August 17, 1957 (69) · East St. Louis, Illinois, USA

Primetime Emmy nominee

Ken Kwapis (born August 17, 1957) is an American film and television director and screenwriter. He specialized in the single-camera sitcom in the 1990s and 2000s and has directed feature films such as Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and He's Just Not That Into You.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 17, 1957 (69)
From
East St. Louis, Illinois, USA
Works as
Director and producer, also writer
Titles
33 on MovieCove · 40 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Down 34% in 30 days

What are Ken Kwapis' films like?

Across their 19 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 40th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 45th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Drama2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 35th percentile
: browse their Drama movies

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

share of theme weight
Bonds
53%
Self
25%
Society
10%
Morality
6%
Power
4%
Survival
1%
Ideas
1%
Family bonds10 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 13 · Serious 1 · Dark 0

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 10 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 0

Gentle: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their gentle movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 12 · Charged 2 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 13 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 5

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 9 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 10 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
11
Hopeful
8
Joyful
7
Absurd
6
Bittersweet
5
Other
14

How their films linger

Feel-good14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet7
  • Ambiguous5

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 Ken Kwapis' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 23 of their 33 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (5).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ken Kwapis' 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

40 credits, 33 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Malcolm in the Middle: Life's Still Unfair(2026)

    Show 4 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows

  • We Are The Shaggs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

    Director

  • The Paper(2025)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows

  • Space Force(2020)

    Show 7 episodes · Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all shows

  • #BlackAF(2020)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all shows

  • The Dangerous Book for Boys(2018)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all shows

  • Santa Clarita Diet(2017)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows

  • One Mississippi(2015)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows

  • A Walk in the Woods(2015)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Happyish(2015)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows

  • Big Miracle(2012)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Outsourced(2010)

    Show 22 episodes · Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows

  • Parks and Recreation(2009)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • He's Just Not That Into You(2009)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • License to Wed(2007)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants(2005)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Office(2005)

    Show 13 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all shows

  • Sexual Life(2004)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Watching Ellie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • The Bernie Mac Show(2001)

    Show 104 episodes · Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows

  • Grounded for Life(2001)

    Show 4 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows

  • Malcolm in the Middle(2000)

    Show 19 episodes · Director · Producer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Freaks and Geeks(1999)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

  • Border Line(1999)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Noah (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Director

  • Ghosts of Fear Street(1998)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Beautician and the Beast(1997)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Dunston Checks In(1996)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • ER(1994)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Bakersfield P.D. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • The Larry Sanders Show(1992)

    Show 13 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • Eerie, Indiana(1991)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows

  • He Said, She Said(1991)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • Vibes(1988)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Amazing Stories(1985)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Follow That Bird(1985)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • The Beniker Gang(1984)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Summer Switch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director

  • For Heaven's Sake (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Jerry Lewis At The Palladium (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Actor

Career shape

A full career of 40 titles from 1979 to 2026.

Biggest box office

He's Just Not That Into You (2009)

$179M worldwide

Highest rated

Eerie, Indiana (1991)

Midcredits 91st

Most popular right now

The Paper (2025)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 40: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting39 of 40: 32 only directing, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score58thWriting2 of 40: 0 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing5 of 40: 0 only producing, 5 with another role · typical Midcredits score56th

40 titles, 7 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

1970s1 · acting1980s6 · crew1990s11 · crew2000s10 · crew2010s7 · crew2020s5 · crew

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

2 major nominations and no wins, 2001–2007.

  1. 2007
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
  2. 2001
    • Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Comedy Series

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 Ken Kwapis' films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 40th percentile, the median of all 14; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 46th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

46thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

37thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

86thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 33 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th12
  • 25th to 49th9
  • Below 25th4

Shape of the crowd

14 of their 33 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved6
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser14
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · director

Ghosts of Fear Street (1998)

85th percentile spread · 33% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

The Office (2005)

Midcredits 99th · 93% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 59/100 and the pacing 49/100 in their films, across 12 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 Ken Kwapis' work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films and violence & gore and frightening / intense lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore5 titles7–19 · median 15 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles16–45 · median 27 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity7 titles18–68 · median 48 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs5 titles13–43 · median 27 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense5 titles5–26 · median 12 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

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 Ken Kwapis work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ken Kwapis' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Bailey shares the most, 5.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Mixed roles