Ivan Reitman was undeniably one of the greatest comedy filmmakers of all time, responsible for some of the most iconic, wackiest movies to hit screens. Reitman, who ed away on February 12, 2022, was thoroughly multitalented, influencing the ways movies were made as a writer, producer, and director. His legacy lives on through his films and the actors and filmmakers he inspired.
Initially intending to be a composer and musician, Reitman found a love for movie-making as he graduated from college in Canada. He started out as a contributor on Toronto’s CITY-TV station, soon moving on to produce horror films, and subsequently National Lampoon’s Animal House. Through his career, Reitman found a crew of favorite actors whom he helped develop into comedy stars - these actors famously include Bill Murray, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Eugene Levy. His legacy of humor and filmmaking lives on through his children, Jason, director of comedies Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Juno, and Catherine, star of CBC’s Workin’ Moms.
Though Reitman specialized in comedy, his body of work incorporates a wide variety of genres, from romance and action to horror and science fiction. Hitting his heyday in the 1980s, Reitman directed many famous films, including Twins, Kindergarten Cop, and Ghostbusters. Here is every movie Ivan Reitman directed ranked from worst to best.
17. Father's Day
Robin Williams and Billy Crystal star in Father’s Day, a movie that falls short of its intended genre: comedy. When an old girlfriend asks both Williams and Crystal, playing a hippie and lawyer respectively, to find her missing son, both men work together to determine which of them is the teenager’s real father. Father’s Day is surprisingly intense at times and makes the mistake of giving its stellar comedic actors nothing to do, much to its detriment. However, the opportunity to see the talents of Robin Williams and Billy Crystal makes Father’s Day at least a bit worth seeing.
16. Foxy Lady
Not much left is known about Foxy Lady, Reitman’s debut feature film. Foxy Lady is a proudly low-budget love story between a poor, but generous man named Hero and a young, wealthy woman named Leader. The film marks the first feature-film appearances of both Andrea Martin and Schitt’s Creek star Eugene Levy, who would go on to star in Reitman’s second feature film two years later. Perhaps more revered for marking Reitman’s humble beginnings than its overall quality, Foxy Lady is still an important landmark in the director’s history.
15. Six Days, Seven Nights
Reitman’s Six Days, Seven Nights is one of his most serious films, although comedy still manages to sneak in here and there. This romantic adventure film stars Harrison Ford (Indiana Jones) as a pilot who crash lands on a remote island with his enger, Anne Heche, forcing the two to endure isolation, pirates, and their growing affection for each other. While the movie flip-flops between genres constantly, Six Days, Seven Nights was a minor hit when it premiered. An action-packed romp with plenty of levity courtesy of Friends’ David Schwimmer, Six Days, Seven Nights is a watchable - albeit imperfect - film.
14. Cannibal Girls
A true example of comedy-horror schlock, Cannibal Girls is a wild, messy, low-budget masterpiece. In the film, three murderous, seductive women prey on civilians of a small town. When two young lovers, played by Eugene Levy and Andrea Martin, find themselves trapped there, their survival will come at a grave cost. Shamelessly violent and exploitative, Cannibal Girls includes a warning alarm that plays during its runtime to alert squeamish viewers of gruesome scenes. Reitman has acknowledged Cannibal Girls as a film crucial to his future success. Without this whirlwind of sex and gore, it’s possible Reitman would have never found his footing in the film industry.
13. My Super Ex-Girlfriend
The talents of Uma Thurman and Luke Wilson are the highlights of the super-powered comedy My Super Ex-Girlfriend. Coming two years before the start of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, My Super Ex-Girlfriend exhibits what happens when an average civilian breaks up with an unstable, unstoppable superhero. Though the plot and characters are steeped in sexist clichés, Uma Thurman’s emotive performance in particular consistently shines through her limitations, giving her superhero enough depth for audiences to keep rooting for her through action-packed battles. Reitman has created wittier films, but My Super Ex-Girlfriend still stands as a solid mid-2000s comedy.
12. Evolution
Reitman attempted to create a new generation’s Ghostbusters with the sci-fi comedy Evolution. In the film, a group of investigators attempts to contain a rapidly evolving biome of alien life forms before it overwhelms the entire Earth. Starring performances by David Duchovny, Julianne Moore, and Orlando Jones highlight the film’s most hilarious moments. Though the CGI is outdated and the film doesn’t live up to Ghostbuster’s high standard, Evolution successfully provides much laughter and enjoyment.
11. Junior
Loved and hated by audiences and critics alike, Junior is one of Reitman’s most divisive and iconic comedies. After undergoing an experimental pregnancy treatment on himself, a geneticist, played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, becomes pregnant. He and his peers, played by Danny DeVito and Emma Thompson, hide this anomaly from a fame-hungry FDA representative. Whether Junior’s writing and acting live up to its ridiculous plot is highly contested, but Reitman’s direction certainly elevates the comedy. Junior is an undeniably unique and funny movie.
10. Legal Eagles
Robert Redford, Daryl Hannah, and Debra Winger headline Reitman’s Legal Eagles, a thriller, comedy, legal drama, and crime film all in one. Redford and Winger are two attorneys determined to clear a young performance artist, played by Hannah, from accusations over the death of her father and destruction of his art collection. Legal Eagles almost bites off more than it can chew, but Reitman guides its more intimate, cerebral, and romantic moments to compliment well with Redford’s thrilling action scenes. Reitman’s direction never stands out more clearly than in Legal Eagles, which would certainly not have succeeded to the degree it did without him.
9. No Strings Attached
Star-studded and warmly romantic, No Strings Attached is elevated by Reitman’s direction and Natalie Portman’s lead performance. In the film, a doctor and a production assistant, played by Portman and Ashton Kutcher respectively, struggle to keep their casual relationship from becoming truly romantic. No Strings Attached poises itself as somewhat of a feminist film, but it hesitates to take advantage of the true talents of its cast. Greta Gerwig and Mindy Kaling star in minor roles, though their characters are some of the best in the movie. This romantic comedy is not bad by any means. On the contrary, Reitman’s No Strings Attached leaves audiences yearning for more.
8. Kindergarten Cop
Arnold Schwarzenegger is at his most loveable in Reitman’s action-comedy Kindergarten Cop. In order to track down the ex-wife of a notorious drug dealer, Schwarzenegger’s detective goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher for her son. Kindergarten Cop features funny scene after scene along with surprisingly enthralling action, but these two qualities end up clashing. The film’s mix of darkness and levity struggled to find critical acclaim. However, Schwarzenegger’s performance proved perfect in audiences’ eyes, and Kindergarten Cop is considered by some to be a modern classic comedy.
