Richard Portnow’s Typical Vibe
Signature vibe

Highest-ranked title
Highest-ranked title
Richard Portnow has 9 titles in the CriticCrunch catalog across a career spanning the 1980s through the 2010s. 1 ranks in the Top 10%, led by Barton Fink.
Recurring themes

A renowned New York playwright is enticed to California to write for the movies and discovers the hellish truth of Hollywood.
Dir. Joel Coen, Ethan Coen · With John Turturro, John Goodman, Judy Davis

A Black hitman who models after the samurai of old finds himself targeted for death by the mob.
Dir. Jim Jarmusch · With Forest Whitaker, John Tormey, Cliff Gorman

The life and career of shock-jock superstar Howard Stern is recounted from his humble beginnings to his view from the top. Possessing a desire to be an on-air personality since childhood, Stern meanders through the radio world, always with his supportive wife, Alison, by his side. Landing a gig in Washington, D.C., Stern meets Robin Quivers, who will become his long-time partner in crime. When the two move to New York, they face the wrath of NBC executives.
Dir. Betty Thomas · With Howard Stern, Robin Quivers, Mary McCormack

A minor car accident drives two rival aluminum-siding salesmen to the ridiculous extremes of man versus man in 1963 Baltimore.
Dir. Barry Levinson · With Richard Dreyfuss, Danny DeVito, Barbara Hershey

When lively lounge singer Deloris sees her mobster beau commit murder, she is relocated for her protection. Set up in the guise of a nun in a California convent, she proceeds to upend the quiet lives of the resident sisters.
Dir. Emile Ardolino · With Whoopi Goldberg, Maggie Smith, Kathy Najimy
An alienated and misanthropic teenager gains sudden and unwanted celebrity status after he's taken hostage by terrorists where his indifference to their threats to kill him makes news headlines.
Dir. Jefery Levy · With Stephen Dorff, Reese Witherspoon, Jake Busey

Following his great success with "North by Northwest," director Alfred Hitchcock makes a daring choice for his next project: an adaptation of Robert Bloch's novel "Psycho." When the studio refuses to back the picture, Hitchcock decides to pay for it himself in exchange for a percentage of the profits. His wife, Alma Reville, has serious reservations about the film but supports him nonetheless. Still, the production strains the couple's marriage.
Dir. Sacha Gervasi · With Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson

A journalist goes undercover to ferret out businessman Harrison Hill as her best friend's killer. Posing as one of his temps, she enters into a game of online cat-and-mouse.
Dir. James Foley · With Halle Berry, Bruce Willis, Giovanni Ribisi
Ben Archer is not happy. His mother, Sandy, has just met a man, and it looks like things are pretty serious. Driven by a fear of abandonment, Ben tries anything and everything to ruin the "love bubble" which surrounds his mom. However, after Ben and Jack's experiences in the Indian Guides, the two become much closer.
Dir. James Orr · With Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Chevy Chase, Farrah Fawcett