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Michael Small

Michael Small

Composer · Died November 24, 2003, aged 64 · New York City, New York, USA

Born
May 30, 1939
Died
November 24, 2003 (aged 64)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Composer
Titles
44 on MovieCove · 55 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 37 days to Oct 26Down 13% in 30 days

What are Michael Small's films like?

Across their 43 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Crime12 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 57th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies
Drama12 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 47th percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy9 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 12th percentile
: browse their Adventure movies
Documentary3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 94th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Documentary movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: 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
Self
26%
Bonds
22%
Survival
17%
Morality
15%
Power
12%
Society
5%
Ideas
3%
Family bonds10 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age8 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity5 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice5 titles, browse their movies with this themeCorruption6 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival5 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship5 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma5 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 42 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 11 · Serious 7 · Dark 24

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

Grounded 31 · Stylized 10 · Heightened 1

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 8 · Charged 16 · Intense 18

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

Steady 14 · Shifting 25 · Whiplash 3

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 29 · Some laughs 10 · Funny 3

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 21 · Even-paced 21 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 15 · Engaged 20 · Full focus 7

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 12 · Affecting 13 · Heavy 17

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

Resolved 29 · Open-ended 9 · Ambiguous 4

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
31
Melancholic
22
Dread
12
Warm
12
Contemplative
11
Other
28

How their films linger

Bittersweet16 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful14 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 11 with a twist

  • Happy9
  • Bittersweet24
  • Tragic3
  • Ambiguous7

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 Michael Small's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 16 of their 44 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (9).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Michael Small'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

55 credits, 44 with a MovieCove page.

  • A Nero Wolfe Mystery(2001)

    Show 27 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows

  • The Golden Spiders: A Nero Wolfe Mystery(2000)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • The Endurance(2000)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • Norman Rockwell: Painting America (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Composer

  • Into My Heart(1998)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Poodle Springs(1998)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Wagons East(1994)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Queen(1993)

    Show Composer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows

  • Consenting Adults(1992)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Mobsters(1991)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • American Dream(1990)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Mountains of the Moon(1990)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • See You in the Morning(1989)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • 1969(1988)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Heat and Sunlight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Composer

  • Orphans(1987)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • Jaws: The Revenge(1987)

    Composer · Music Arranger

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • The Making of Jaws The Revenge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

    Composer

  • Black Widow(1987)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Brighton Beach Memoirs(1986)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Nobody's Child (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Composer

  • Dream Lover(1986)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Target(1985)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Firstborn(1984)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Kidco(1984)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Chiefs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Show 3 episodes · Composer

  • The Star Chamber(1983)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Miss Right (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Composer · Conductor

  • Rollover(1981)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Continental Divide(1981)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Gin Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Composer

  • The Postman Always Rings Twice(1981)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Those Lips, Those Eyes(1980)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • The Boy Who Drank Too Much(1980)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Lathe of Heaven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Composer

  • Going in Style(1979)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Comes a Horseman(1978)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Girlfriends(1978)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • The Driver(1978)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Audrey Rose(1977)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • Pumping Iron(1977)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Marathon Man(1976)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • The Drowning Pool(1975)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Night Moves(1975)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • The Stepford Wives(1975)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Parallax View(1974)

    Composer · Conductor · Orchestrator

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing(1973)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • Child's Play(1972)

    Composer · Conductor

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • Dealing: Or The Berkeley-to-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues(1972)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Klute(1971)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Sporting Club (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Composer

  • Puzzle of a Downfall Child(1970)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films

  • The Revolutionary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Composer

  • Jenny (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Composer

  • Out of It(1969)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 53 titles from 1969 to 2001.

Biggest box office

Jaws: The Revenge (1987)

$52M worldwide

Highest rated

The Endurance (2000)

Midcredits 96th

Most popular right now

Jaws: The Revenge (1987)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Music53 of 53: 46 only music, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score51stOther crew7 of 53: 0 only other crew, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score75th

53 titles, 7 with more than one role — music and other crew overlap on 7 of them.

By decade

1960s1 · crew1970s19 · crew1980s23 · crew1990s8 · crew2000s2 · 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.

How do Michael Small's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 51st percentile, the median of all 42; across their 42 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 42

Approval · how many liked their films

55thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 42

Reach · how many have seen their films

73rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 42

Midcredits score across 44 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up14
  • 50th to 74th9
  • 25th to 49th16
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

21 of their 44 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved5
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser21
  • Broadly Agreed7
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · composer

The Boy Who Drank Too Much (1980)

69th percentile spread · 21% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

The Endurance (2000)

Midcredits 96th · 88% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 62/100 in their films, across 34 reviewed titles; fans 68, detractors 49. 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 Michael Small's work okay for kids?

Across up to 18 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore11 titles36–83 · median 50 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity18 titles25–58 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity9 titles34–73 · median 49 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs8 titles29–44 · median 35 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense9 titles32–68 · median 53 · moderateheavier 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 Michael Small work with?

People who share at least 2 of Michael Small's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alan J. Pakula shares the most, 9.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers