Barry Sonnenfeld

Filmmakers

Barry Sonnenfeld (born April 1, 1953) is an American filmmaker and television director. He originally worked as a cinematographer for the Coen Brothers on their first three films: Blood Simple (1984), with John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, and M. Emmet Walsh; Raising Arizona (1987), with Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, Trey Wilson, John Goodman, William Forsythe, McDormand, Sam McMurray, and Randall “Tex” Cobb; and Miller’s Crossing (1990), with Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, John Turturro, Jon Polito, J.E. Freeman, and Albert Finney.

He was also cinematographer for Frank Perry’s Compromising Positions (1985), with Susan Sarandon, Raul Julia, Judith Ivey, Edward Herrmann, Mary Beth Hurt, Joe Mantegna, Deborah Rush, Anne De Salvo, and Josh Mostel; Phil Joanou’s Three O’Clock High (1987), with Casey Siemaszko, Anne Ryan, Richard Tyson, Jeffrey Tambor, Philip Baker Hall, and John P. Ryan; Throw Momma from the Train (1987), with Danny DeVito (who also directed), Billy Crystal, Anne Ramsey, Rob Reiner, Branford Marsalis, Kim Greist, and Kate Mulgrew; Penny Marshall’s Big (1988), with Tom Hanks, Elizabeth Perkins, David Moscow, John Heard, and Robert Loggia; When Harry Met Sally… (1989), with Crystal, Meg Ryan, Carrie Fisher, and Bruno Kirby; and Misery (1990), with James Caan, Kathy Bates, Lauren Bacall, Richard Farnsworth, and Frances Sternhagen.

Sonnenfeld made his directorial debut with a feature film adaptation of The Addams Family (1991), with Anjelica Huston, Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Christina Ricci, Jimmy Workman, Judith Malina, Carel Struycken, Elizabeth Wilson, Hadeya, and Dana Ivey. He followed this up with For Love or Money (1993), with Michael J. Fox, Gabrielle Anwar, Anthony Higgins, Bob Balaban, and Michael Tucker; and Addams Family Values (1993), with much of the cast from the previous film returning (Carol Kane replaced Malina), along with Joan Cusack, David Krumholtz, Peter MacNicol, and Christine Baranski.

His next films were Get Shorty (1995), with John Travolta, Gene Hackman, Rene Russo, and DeVito; followed by Men in Black (1997), with Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D’Onofrio, and Rip Torn; Wild Wild West (1999), with Smith, Kevin Klein, Kenneth Branagh, Salma Hayek, Ted Levine, and Walsh; Big Trouble (2002, with Tim Allen, Omar Epps, Dennis Farina, Ben Foster, Zooey Deschanel, Patrick Warburton, Janeane Garofalo, Jason Lee, Russo, Tom Sizemore, and Stanley Tucci; Men in Black II (2002), with Jones, Smith, Lara Flynn Boyle, Johnny Knoxville, Rosario Dawson, Tony Shalhoub and Torn; RV (2006), with Robin Williams, Cheryl Hines, Joanna Levesque, Josh Hutcherson, Kristin Chenoweth, and Jeff Daniels; Men in Black 3 (2012), with Smith, Jones, Josh Brolin, Jemaine Clement, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Emma Thompson; and Nine Lives (2016), with Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Garner, Robbie Amell, Cheryl Hines, Malina Weissman, and Christopher Walken.

Each review will be linked to the title below.

(*seen originally in theaters)

(**seen rereleased in theaters)

Cinematographer

  • In Our Water (1982) – directed by Meg Switzgable – co-cinematographer – documentary
  • Blood Simple (1984) – directed by Joel & Ethan Coen
  • Compromising Positions (1985) – directed by Frank Perry
  • Doubletake (1985) – directed by Jud Taylor – miniseries
  • Welcome Home Bobby (1986) – directed by Herbert Wise – TV movie
  • Classified Love (1986) – directed by Don Taylor – TV movie
  • Raising Arizona (1987) – directed by Joel & Ethan Coen
  • Three O’Clock High (1987) – directed by Phil Joanou
  • Throw Momma from the Train (1987) – directed by Danny DeVito – cinematographer
  • Big (1988) – directed by Penny Marshall
  • When Harry Met Sally (1989) – directed by Rob Reiner
  • Miller’s Crossing (1990) – directed by Joel & Ethan Coen
  • Misery (1990) – directed by Rob Reiner

Director

  • The Addams Family (1991)
  • For Love or Money (1993)
  • Addams Family Values (1993)*
  • Get Shorty (1995)
  • Men in Black (1997)*
  • Wild Wild West (1999)*
  • Big Trouble (2002)*
  • Men in Black II (2002)*
  • RV (2006)
  • Men in Black 3 (2012)
  • Nine Lives (2016)

Producer or Executive Producer

  • Out of Site (1998) – directed by Steven Soderbergh
  • The Crew (2000) – directed by Michael Dinner
  • The Ladykillers (2004) – directed by Joel & Ethan Coen
  • Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) – directed by Brad Silberling
  • Enchanted (2007)* – directed by Kevin Lima
  • Space Chimps (2008) – directed by Kirk DeMicco
  • Men in Black: International (2019) – directed by F. Gary Gray
  • Disenchanted (2022) – directed by Adam Shankman