Sean Anders (born June 19, 1969) is an American film director, actor, screenwriter, and producer. He co-wrote and directed the 2005 film Never Been Thawed, the 2008 film Sex Drive, the 2014 film Horrible Bosses 2, the 2015 film Daddy's Home, the 2017 sequel Daddy's Home 2, the 2018 film Instant Family based on his own history, and the 2022 holiday film Spirited. He also directed the 2012 comedy That's My Boy. He is the brother of actress Andrea Anders.
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Biography from TMDB.
- June 19, 1969 (57)
- DeForest, Wisconsin, USA
- Writer, director and producer
- 13 on MovieCove · 16 credits in all
What are Sean Anders' films like?
Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 2 · Earnest 10
Light 10 · Serious 2 · Dark 0
A split, not a type: Grounded 6 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 3
Gentle 4 · Charged 7 · Intense 1
Steady 3 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 10
Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 2
Casual 10 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 9 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 0
Resolved 12 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy10
- Bittersweet2
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 Sean Anders' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 13 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Paramount+ (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Sean Anders' 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
16 credits, 13 with a MovieCove page.

Spirited(2022)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Countdown(2019)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
Instant Family(2018)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Daddy's Home 2(2017)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films
Daddy's Home(2015)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Dumb and Dumber To(2014)
Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films
Horrible Bosses 2(2014)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
We're the Millers(2013)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
That's My Boy(2012)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
Mr. Popper's Penguins(2011)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Hot Tub Time Machine(2010)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
She's Out of My League(2010)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Sex Drive(2008)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Never Been Thawed (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
The Game of Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Untitled Inspector Gadget Reboot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 16 titles, 14 of them dated from 2005 to 2022.

Biggest box office
We're the Millers (2013)

Highest rated
Instant Family (2018)

Most popular right now
Dumb and Dumber To (2014)
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 Sean Anders' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 47th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 45th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th6
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
7 of their 13 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Crowd Pleaser7
- Broadly Agreed4
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the dialogue 47/100 and the plot and story 38/100 in their films, across 12 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
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 Sean Anders' work okay for kids?
Across up to 12 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 Sean Anders work with?
People who share at least 2 of Sean Anders' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John Morris shares the most, 11.
Writers
- John MorrisShared titles: Spirited (2022), Countdown (2019), Instant Family (2018), Daddy's Home 2 (2017), Daddy's Home (2015), Dumb and Dumber To (2014), Horrible Bosses 2 (2014), We're the Millers (2013), Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011), Hot Tub Time Machine (2010), Sex Drive (2008)See all 11 shared titles with John Morris

- Brian BurnsShared titles: Daddy's Home 2 (2017), Daddy's Home (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Brian Burns

Actors
- Will FerrellShared titles: Spirited (2022), Daddy's Home 2 (2017), Daddy's Home (2015)See all 3 shared titles with Will Ferrell

- Mark WahlbergShared titles: Instant Family (2018), Daddy's Home 2 (2017), Daddy's Home (2015)See all 3 shared titles with Mark Wahlberg

- Octavia SpencerShared titles: Spirited (2022), Instant Family (2018)See all 2 shared titles with Octavia Spencer

- Linda CardelliniShared titles: Daddy's Home 2 (2017), Daddy's Home (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Linda Cardellini

Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Brad WilhiteShared titles: Spirited (2022), Countdown (2019), Daddy's Home 2 (2017), Daddy's Home (2015)See all 4 shared titles with Brad Wilhite
- Julio MacatShared titles: Daddy's Home 2 (2017), Daddy's Home (2015), Horrible Bosses 2 (2014)See all 3 shared titles with Julio Macat

- Eric KissackShared titles: Instant Family (2018), Daddy's Home (2015), Horrible Bosses 2 (2014)See all 3 shared titles with Eric Kissack
- Michael AndrewsShared titles: Daddy's Home 2 (2017), Daddy's Home (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Andrews

Producers
- David KoplanShared titles: Spirited (2022), Daddy's Home (2015), Dumb and Dumber To (2014)See all 3 shared titles with David Koplan

- Jessica ElbaumShared titles: Spirited (2022), Daddy's Home (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Jessica Elbaum

- John RickardShared titles: Countdown (2019), Horrible Bosses 2 (2014)See all 2 shared titles with John Rickard

- Allegra CleggShared titles: Instant Family (2018), Daddy's Home 2 (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Allegra Clegg



