James S. Levine
Composer · Born October 15, 1974 (52) · Medford, Massachusetts, United States
Primetime Emmy nominee
James Scott Levine (born 1974) is an American composer and member of Remote Control Productions. He has won seven BMI awards and seven ASCAP awards. His credits include the films Running with Scissors, Delta Farce, and The Weather Man, and the television shows Nip/Tuck, Glee, The Closer, Rizzoli & Isles, and American Horror Story. He has also provided additional music for films such as Madagascar, Pearl Harbor, and Something's Gotta Give. James Levine grew up in Medford, Massachusetts, where he played multiple instruments in various genres. The main instrument he played growing up was the piano, performing at multiple events growing up. At the age of 13 Levine shifted his focus from playing the piano, to learning Jazz, as well as improvisation. Composers that Levine looked up to when he was younger were Mozart, Morricone and James Newton Howard. He is of Jewish heritage. Levine attended Tufts University, where he was originally a pre-med student. However he switched subject areas, and subsequently in college Levine studied Sociology and Musicology, and got his degree in American Studies. He graduated from Tufts in 1996. Levine came to Hollywood in 1997 to begin his career as a composer, leaving behind money and family. He first started off his career by doing intern work around Los Angeles. James Levine is a composer for shows like American Horror Story, Glee, Nip/Tuck, Royal Pains and The Closer. The music for American Horror Story is one of his most known works, receiving many awards such as the Best Music in a Series, Best music in a non-series, and has been nominated for outstanding sound mixing for television movies and miniseries two years in a row. Due to the success of his music he has continued to create music for the show. His work on Glee has also won him many awards and he has gone on to keep composing for the show until the final season.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- October 15, 1974 (52)
- Medford, Massachusetts, United States
- Composer
- 31 on MovieCove · 32 credits in all
What are James S. Levine's films like?
Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Society.
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 1 · Wry 1 · Earnest 11
Light 8 · Serious 1 · Dark 4
A split, not a type: Grounded 7 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 2
A split, not a type: Gentle 5 · Charged 4 · Intense 4
A split, not a type: Steady 6 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 4
Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 5 · Funny 5
Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 1
Casual 9 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 7 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 3
Resolved 9 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy8
- Bittersweet3
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous2
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 James S. Levine's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 23 of their 31 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
- Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again (2004) · composer · free
- Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie (2003) · composer · free
- Running with Scissors (2006) · composer · free
- More Sex & the Single Mom (2005) · composer · free
- La Brea (2021) · composer · free
- The Assistants (2009) · composer · free
- Delta Farce (2007) · composer · free
Subscription and free streaming for James S. Levine'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
32 credits, 31 with a MovieCove page.
Doc(2025)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows
The New Look(2024)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all shows
La Brea(2021)
Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all shows
Ordinary Joe(2021)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows
For Life(2020)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all shows
Billy Boy(2017)
Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
Instinct(2018)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all shows
A Midsummer's Nightmare(2017)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Last Ship(2014)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
The Blacklist(2013)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows
American Horror Story(2011)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Rizzoli & Isles(2010)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows
The Assistants(2009)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
Royal Pains(2009)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all shows
Glee(2009)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all shows
Ghost Town(2008)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Otis(2008)
Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films
Damages(2007)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows
Delta Farce(2007)
Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films
Running with Scissors(2006)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
The Closer(2005)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows
Madagascar(2005)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
The Weather Man(2005)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
The In-Laws(2003)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
The Challenge(2003)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films
A Little Inside (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
The in Crowd(2000)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 26 titles from 2000 to 2024.
Biggest box office
The In-Laws (2003)
Highest rated
Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again (2004)
Most popular right now
Doc (2025)
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
Nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 2014, Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Original Dramatic Score).
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 James S. Levine's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 49th percentile, the median of all 17; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 46th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up8
- 50th to 74th10
- 25th to 49th8
- Below 25th5
Shape of the crowd
14 of their 31 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Divisive2
- Cult Classic3
- Crowd Pleaser14
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed10
Reviewers score the sound and music 57/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 65, detractors 38. 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 James S. Levine's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does James S. Levine work with?
People who share at least 2 of James S. Levine's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; C.B. Harding shares the most, 3.
Directors
- C.B. HardingShared titles: Delta Farce (2007), Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again (2004), Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie (2003)See all 3 shared titles with C.B. Harding
Writers
- Bill EngvallShared titles: Delta Farce (2007), Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again (2004), Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie (2003)See all 3 shared titles with Bill Engvall
- Larry the Cable GuyShared titles: Delta Farce (2007), Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again (2004), Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie (2003)See all 3 shared titles with Larry the Cable Guy
- Ryan MurphyShared titles: Glee: The 3D Concert Movie (2011), Running with Scissors (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Ryan Murphy
- Jeff FoxworthyShared titles: Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again (2004), Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Jeff Foxworthy
Cinematographers and editors
- Bruce L. FinnShared titles: Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again (2004), Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Bruce L. Finn
- Tony HaymanShared titles: Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again (2004), Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie (2003)See all 2 shared titles with Tony Hayman
Producers
- Alan C. BlomquistShared titles: Delta Farce (2007), Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again (2004), Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie (2003)See all 3 shared titles with Alan C. Blomquist
- J.P. WilliamsShared titles: Delta Farce (2007), Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again (2004), Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie (2003)See all 3 shared titles with J.P. Williams
- Maggie HoulehanShared titles: Delta Farce (2007), Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again (2004), Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie (2003)See all 3 shared titles with Maggie Houlehan
- Emily WolfeShared titles: Delta Farce (2007), Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Emily Wolfe
