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Ira Newborn

Ira Newborn

Composer · Born December 26, 1949 (76) · New York City, New York

James Ira Newborn (born December 26, 1949) is an American musician known for scores for comedy films of the 1980s and 1990s, including many with director John Hughes.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 26, 1949 (76)
From
New York City, New York
Works as
Composer
Titles
34 on MovieCove · 38 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 9% in 30 days

What are Ira Newborn's films like?

Across their 28 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy23 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 64th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Action4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 52nd percentile
: browse their Action 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
43%
Self
27%
Morality
18%
Society
7%
Power
3%
Survival
3%
Friendship12 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love8 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds5 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose4 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 28 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Wry: How sincerely it treats its story and characters, from ironic to earnest. Browse their wry movies.
Tone · Sincerity
ironicearnest

A split, not a type: Ironic 5 · Wry 5 · Earnest 17

Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 25 · Serious 2 · Dark 1

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

A split, not a type: Grounded 13 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 10

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 14 · Charged 12 · Intense 2

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

A split, not a type: Steady 14 · Shifting 10 · Whiplash 4

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

Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 20

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

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 16 · Relentless 6

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

Casual 21 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 1

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

Resolved 26 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
19
Absurd
16
Warm
7
Tense
7
Thrilling
5
Other
20

How their films linger

Fun22 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good21 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy21
  • Bittersweet4
  • 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 Ira Newborn's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 19 of their 34 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ira Newborn'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

38 credits, 34 with a MovieCove page.

  • America's Blues (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

    Actor

  • Ivans xtc.(2000)

    as Rabbi No. 2

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Angels in the Infield(2000)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Autopsy: Through the Eyes of Death's Detectives (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Composer

  • Bad Manners(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • BASEketball(1998)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • The Pest(1997)

    Music Consultant

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • High School High(1996)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • The Late Shift(1995)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Mallrats(1995)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • The Jerky Boys(1995)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Junior(1994)

    as Lyndon Executive

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult(1994)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Ace Ventura: Pet Detective(1994)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all films

  • The Opposite Sex and How to Live with Them(1992)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all films

  • Innocent Blood(1992)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Brain Donors(1992)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear(1991)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • My Blue Heaven(1990)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Short Time(1990)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Cast the First Stone(1989)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Uncle Buck(1989)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films

  • Tales from the Crypt(1989)

    Show 1 episode · Composer

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • Collision Course(1989)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!(1988)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Caddyshack II(1988)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • Planes, Trains & Automobiles(1987)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Amazon Women on the Moon(1987)

    as Fred (segment "Silly Paté")

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Dragnet(1987)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Guilty of Innocence: The Lenell Geter Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Composer

  • Ferris Bueller's Day Off(1986)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Wise Guys(1986)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Weird Science(1985)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Into the Night(1985)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Sixteen Candles(1984)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Police Squad! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 6 episodes · Composer

  • All Night Long(1981)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Xanadu(1980)

    as 40's Band Leader

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 38 titles from 1980 to 2015.

Biggest box office

Ace Ventura: Pet Detective (1994)

$107M worldwide

Highest rated

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

Weird Science (1985)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting5 of 38: 5 only acting, 0 with another roleMusic32 of 38: 31 only music, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score58thOther crew2 of 38: 1 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1980s18 · 2 acting · 16 crew1990s17 · 1 acting · 16 crew2000s2 · 1 acting · 1 crew2010s1 · acting

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 Ira Newborn's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 50th percentile, the median of all 33; across their 28 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 55th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 28

Approval · how many liked their films

56thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 28

Reach · how many have seen their films

88thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 28

Midcredits score across 34 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7
  • 50th to 74th11
  • 25th to 49th8
  • Below 25th8

Shape of the crowd

14 of their 34 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser14
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed12

Most divisive · composer

The Jerky Boys (1995)

79th percentile spread · 41% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)

Midcredits 97th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 57/100 in their films, across 17 reviewed titles; fans 63, detractors 45. 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 Ira Newborn's work okay for kids?

Across up to 15 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity and profanity run heavier than most films and violence & gore and frightening / intense lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore13 titles18–39 · median 34 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity15 titles33–61 · median 50 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity15 titles33–84 · median 59 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs14 titles28–58 · median 35 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense14 titles8–30 · median 15 · mildlighter 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 Ira Newborn work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ira Newborn's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; David Zucker shares the most, 6.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles