Alexander Payne

A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school is forced to remain on campus during Christmas break to babysit the handful of students with nowhere to go. Eventually, he forms an unlikely bond with one of them — a damaged, brainy troublemaker — and with the school’s head cook, who has just lost a son in Vietnam.

Dir. Alexander Payne · With Paul Giamatti, Dominic Sessa, Da'Vine Joy Randolph

An aging, booze-addled father takes a trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim what he believes to be a million-dollar sweepstakes prize.

Dir. Alexander Payne · With Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb

Two middle-aged men embark on a spiritual journey through Californian wine country. One is an unpublished novelist suffering from depression, and the other is only days away from walking down the aisle.

Dir. Alexander Payne · With Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen

With his wife Elizabeth on life support after a boating accident, Hawaiian land baron Matt King takes his daughters on a trip from Oahu to Kauai to confront a young real estate broker, who was having an affair with Elizabeth before her misfortune.

Dir. Alexander Payne · With George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Amara Miller

A high school teacher meets his match in an over-arching student politician.

Dir. Alexander Payne · With Matthew Broderick, Reese Witherspoon, Chris Klein

A recently retired man embarks on a journey to his estranged daughter's wedding, only to discover more about himself and life than he ever expected.

Dir. Alexander Payne · With Jack Nicholson, Kathy Bates, Hope Davis

Olivier Assayas, Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven and Alfonso Cuaron are among the 20 distinguished directors who contribute to this collection of 18 stories, each exploring a different aspect of Parisian life. The colourful characters in this drama include a pair of mimes, a husband trying to choose between his wife and his lover, and a married man who turns to a prostitute for advice.

Dir. Olivier Assayas, Frédéric Auburtin, Gurinder Chadha, Sylvain Chomet, Isabel Coixet, Wes Craven, Alfonso Cuarón, Gérard Depardieu, Christopher Doyle, Richard LaGravenese, Vincenzo Natali, Alexander Payne, Walter Salles, Oliver Schmitz, Nobuhiro Suwa, Daniela Thomas, Tom Tykwer, Gus Van Sant, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Bruno Podalydès · With Steve Buscemi, Natalie Portman, Willem Dafoe

"Citizen Ruth" is the story of Ruth Stoops, a woman who nobody even noticed -- until she got pregnant. Now, everyone wants a piece of her. The film is a comedy about one woman caught in the ultimate tug-of-war: a clash of wild, noisy, ridiculous people that rapidly dissolves into a media circus.

Dir. Alexander Payne · With Laura Dern, Swoosie Kurtz, Kurtwood Smith

Firefighters Chuck Ford and Larry Valentine are guy's guys, loyal to the core—which is why when widower Larry asks Chuck to pose as his lover so that he can get domestic partner benefits for his kids, his buddy agrees. However, things get dicey when a bureaucrat comes calling, and the boys are forced to present a picture of domestic bliss.

Dir. Dennis Dugan · With Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Jessica Biel

In need of funds for research, Dr. Alan Grant accepts a large sum of money to accompany Paul and Amanda Kirby on an aerial tour of the infamous Isla Sorna. It isn't long before all hell breaks loose and the stranded wayfarers must fight for survival as a host of new -- and even more deadly -- dinosaurs try to make snacks of them.

Dir. Joe Johnston · With Sam Neill, William H. Macy, Téa Leoni

A kindly occupational therapist undergoes a new procedure to be shrunken to four inches tall so that he and his wife can help save the planet and afford a nice lifestyle at the same time.

Dir. Alexander Payne · With Matt Damon, Christoph Waltz, Hong Chau