Ranking Ivan Reitman's Greatest Films
The Master of High-Concept Comedy and Heart
Explore the essential filmography of Ivan Reitman, from Ghostbusters to Dave, celebrating the legacy of a legendary Hollywood director.
About Ivan Reitman
In the landscape of late twentieth century cinema, few filmmakers understood the alchemy of the high concept blockbuster quite like Ivan Reitman. He possessed a rare, invisible hand that could balance the anarchic energy of Saturday Night Live veterans with the polished machinery of a major studio production. While his peers often chased visual grandeur or heavy handed drama, he focused on a specific brand of populist magic, grounding impossible premises in a recognizable, blue collar reality. This approach turned comedies into cultural events, proving that a movie about paranormal investigators or a pregnant man could be handled with the same technical precision as a summer action flick.
His breakthrough work in the late seventies and early eighties redefined the comedy landscape by weaponizing the deadpan charisma of Bill Murray. In Meatballs and Stripes, Reitman captured a chaotic, anti establishment spirit that felt dangerous yet accessible. He had a gift for letting improvisational geniuses riff within a structured frame, ensuring the jokes landed without sacrificing the narrative momentum. This culminated in 1984 with Ghostbusters, a film that remains the gold standard for genre blending. By treating the supernatural threat with total earnestness while allowing his cast to play the skeptics, he created a masterpiece of tone that bridged the gap between horror, science fiction, and slapstick.
The director’s real genius lay in his ability to subvert an actor's persona. He famously took Arnold Schwarzenegger, the world’s most intimidating action star, and placed him in the domestic absurdity of Twins and Kindergarten Cop. These were not just gimmicks. He found the warmth and comedic timing beneath the muscles, effectively extending the career of an icon by humanizing him. Even when moving into the realm of political satire with Dave or legal comedy in Legal Eagles, he maintained a certain lightness of touch. He never let the message overwhelm the entertainment value, preferring a brisk, rhythmic pacing that kept the audience locked in.
Later outings like Six Days Seven Nights and Evolution showed his continued commitment to the spectacle of the everyman under pressure. Even his foray into the modern rom com with No Strings Attached carried that signature clarity and focus on chemistry. He looked at the world through a lens of optimistic irony, believing that whether you were fighting aliens or navigating the halls of the White House, the human element was the only thing that mattered. His legacy is found in the DNA of every modern blockbuster that refuses to take itself too seriously. Reitman didn't just make funny movies; he built sturdy, indestructible pieces of entertainment that managed to feel both gargantuan in scale and intimately hilarious. He was the architect of the summer vibe, a craftsman who knew that the biggest explosions in the world weren't nearly as effective as a perfectly timed smirk.
Junior
1994A research scientist becomes the world's first pregnant man in order to test a drug he and a colleague have designed for expectant women. To carry out the trial, he has an embryo implant, believing that he will only carry the baby for three months – hardly expecting to face the prospect of giving birth.
Legal Eagles
1986District Attorney Tom Logan is set for higher office, at least until he becomes involved with defence lawyer Laura Kelly and her unpredictable client Chelsea Deardon. It seems the least of Chelsea's crimes is the theft of a very valuable painting, but as the women persuade Logan to investigate further and to cut some official corners, a much more sinister scenario starts to emerge.
Meatballs
1979Tripper is the head counselor at a budget summer camp called Camp Northstar. In truth, he's young at heart and only marginally more mature than the campers themselves. Tripper befriends Rudy, a loner camper who has trouble fitting in. As Tripper inspires his young charges to defeat rival Camp Mohawk in the annual Olympiad competition, Rudy plays matchmaker between Tripper and Roxanne, a female counselor at Northstar.
In his breakout effort, Reitman captures the raw, unpolished spirit of summer camp rebellion that would influence decades of R-rated comedies. This film established his career-long fascination with outsiders finding a sense of belonging through collective mischief and irreverent charm.
No Strings Attached
2011Emma is a busy doctor who sets up a seemingly perfect arrangement when she offers her best friend Adam a relationship with one rule: No strings attached. But when a fling becomes a thing, can sex friends stay best friends?
Reitman enters the contemporary romantic comedy landscape with a polished, mature eye for the complexities of modern intimacy. This late-career entry proves his enduring ability to capture the zeitgeist while maintaining the professional polish and rhythmic timing that defined his decade-spanning career.
Six Days Seven Nights
1998In the South Pacific island of Makatea, career-driven magazine editor Robin Monroe is on a week-long vacation getaway with her boyfriend, Frank Martin. An emergency work assignment in neighboring Tahiti requires Robin to hire the cantankerous pilot Quinn Harris who had flown them to Makatea on a small transport plane. While flying, a powerful storm forces Quinn to make an emergency landing on a nearby deserted island. The dissimilar pair avoid each other at first, until they're forced to team up to escape from the island -- and some pirates who want their heads.
This venture into the romantic adventure genre demonstrates Reitman’s facility with old-fashioned star chemistry and sweeping location filming. It marks a moment in his filmography where he prioritized classic narrative friction and survivalist tension over overt comedic set pieces.
Evolution
2001A comedy that follows the chaos that ensues when a meteor hits the Earth carrying alien life forms that give new meaning to the term "survival of the fittest." David Duchovny, Orlando Jones, Seann William Scott, and Julianne Moore are the only people standing between the aliens and world domination... which could be bad news for the Earth.
Attempting to modernize the sci-fi comedy formula, Reitman utilizes digital advancement to revisit the communal heroics found in his earlier work. It serves as a fascinating look at a veteran director adapting his sensibilities to the burgeoning CGI era of the new millennium.
Kindergarten Cop
1990Hard-edged cop John Kimble gets more than he bargained for when he goes undercover as a kindergarten teacher to get the goods on a brutal drug lord while at the same time protecting the man's young son. Pitted against a class of boisterous moppets whose antics try his patience and test his mettle, Kimble may have met his match … in more ways than one.
Reitman brilliantly subverts the hyper-masculine iconography of the era by placing a physical powerhouse in a delicate, high-stakes environment of domestic chaos. The film stands as a testament to his knack for finding the sweet spot between high-concept absurdity and genuine emotional resonance.
Ghostbusters II
1989The discovery of a massive river of ectoplasm and a resurgence of spectral activity allows the staff of Ghostbusters to revive the business.
While often overshadowed by its predecessor, this sequel finds Reitman leaning into a more stylized, visually ambitious aesthetic to explore the cynical psyche of New York City. It remains a crucial study in how he could scale his signature themes of camaraderie against an even more daunting technical canvas.
Twins
1988Julius and Vincent Benedict are the results of an experiment that would allow for the perfect child. Julius was planned and grows to athletic proportions. Vincent is an accident and is somewhat smaller in stature. Vincent is placed in an orphanage while Julius is taken to a south seas island and raised by philosophers. Vincent becomes the ultimate low life and is about to be killed by loan sharks.
The success of this film rests entirely on Reitman’s intuition for unorthodox casting and his refusal to treat a gimmick as a punchline. He manages to extract a surprising level of sincerity from a bizarre premise, cementing his reputation as a filmmaker who could humanize even the most outrageous concepts.
Dave
1993A sweet-natured Temp Agency operator and amateur Presidential look-alike is recruited by the Secret Service to become a temporary stand-in for the President of the United States.
Moving away from slapstick, Reitman displays a sophisticated hand for Capra-esque idealism tempered by sharp political observation. This film showcases his mastery of pacing and heart, proving his directorial range extended far beyond the anarchic energy of his early career.
Stripes
1981Hard-luck cabbie John Winger, directionless after being fired from his job and dumped by his girlfriend, enlists in the U.S. Army with his close pal, Russell Ziskey. After his barely satisfactory performance in basic training, the irreverent Winger emerges as the figurehead for a ragtag band of misfits. However, his hijinks threaten to cause an international scandal when he inadvertently commandeers a military assault vehicle behind enemy lines.
This foundational piece of the 1980s comedy boom highlights Reitman’s ability to turn institutional rebellion into a populist art form. His direction balances the chaotic brilliance of his leads with a sturdy narrative structure that would become the blueprint for the military comedy subgenre.
Ghostbusters
1984After losing their academic posts at a prestigious university, a team of parapsychologists goes into business as proton-pack-toting "ghostbusters" who exterminate ghouls, hobgoblins and supernatural pests of all stripes. An ad campaign pays off when a knockout cellist hires the squad to purge her swanky digs of demons that appear to be living in her refrigerator.
Reitman’s magnum opus represents the rare instance where high-concept blockbuster spectacle and dry improvisational wit converge into a singular, lightning-in-a-bottle genre. By grounding the supernatural in the mundane bureaucracy of a New York startup, he redefined the tonal possibilities of the modern action-comedy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about this list and SnakeDrafts
- Ghostbusters is ranked #1 because it perfectly encapsulates Ivan Reitman's signature style of blending comedy, fantasy, and relatable characters. Its enduring cultural impact and revolutionary mix of humor with supernatural elements highlight Reitman's masterful direction.
- Reitman's films often combine humor with grounded, relatable situations, as seen in Stripes' military comedy and Twins' exploration of unlikely family bonds. His work frequently balances high-concept premises with blue-collar sensibilities, making the stories accessible and engaging.
- Dave stands out as a politically charged comedy that showcases Reitman's ability to tackle timely social themes with wit and heart. Its ranking reflects its unique place as a film that combines sharp political satire with warm, character-driven storytelling.
- Later films such as No Strings Attached and Junior rank lower primarily due to their comparatively lighter critical reception and less innovative premises. While still showcasing Reitman's comedic talent, these movies didn't achieve the cultural resonance or groundbreaking status of his earlier works.
- Evolution is notable for its blend of comedy, science fiction, and action, showcasing Reitman's versatility beyond pure comedy. Its imaginative premise and effects-driven storytelling highlight his ability to mix genres effectively while maintaining a humorous tone.
- The inclusion of Six Days Seven Nights, an action-romance, and Legal Eagles, a comedy-crime film, demonstrates the range of Reitman's directorial pursuits beyond his best-known comedies. However, the list omits some lesser-known productions he produced but did not direct, focusing strictly on his directorial legacy.
- Ghostbusters II, ranked just below the original, continues the comedic fantasy blend but is often seen as less groundbreaking. Its inclusion reflects its status as a successful sequel that maintains much of the charm and humor that made the first film iconic, despite a less enthusiastic reception.
