The Best Barry Levinson Movies Ranked And Where to Watch them

If you're looking for the best Barry Levinson movies of all time then here is a definitive list. We rank every movie directed by Barry Levinson based on their popularity score from IMDB from best to worst. Click on the ‘see more’ button to find out where to watch them in Australia covering all streaming services. In April 2024 there are 25 films in this list.

List of the Best Movies Directed by Barry Levinson In Order of Popularity

  1. Rain Man
  2. Sleepers
  3. The Natural
  4. Good Morning, Vietnam
  5. Wag the Dog
  6. Diner
  7. You Don't Know Jack
  8. Liberty Heights
  9. The Wizard of Lies
  10. Bugsy
  11. Young Sherlock Holmes
  12. The Survivor
  13. Tin Men
  14. Bandits
  15. Paterno
  16. An Everlasting Piece
  17. Man of the Year
  18. Disclosure
  19. Sphere
  20. The Bay
  21. What Just Happened
  22. The Humbling
  23. Rock the Kasbah
  24. Jimmy Hollywood
  25. Envy

Stream the top 25 Movies directed by Barry Levinson

1. Rain Man

Rated: R

8.0/10

Selfish yuppie Charlie Babbitt's father left a fortune to his savant brother Raymond and a pittance to Charlie; they travel cross-country.

2. Sleepers

Rated: R

7.5/10

Two gangsters seek revenge on the state jail worker who during their stay at a youth prison sexually abused them. A sensational court hearing takes place to charge him for the crimes.

3. The Natural

Rated: PG

7.4/10

An unknown middle-aged batter named Roy Hobbs with a mysterious past appears out of nowhere to take a losing 1930s baseball team to the top of the league.

4. Good Morning, Vietnam

Rated: R

7.3/10

Radio funny man Adrian Cronauer is sent to Vietnam to bring a little comedy back into the lives of the soldiers. After setting up shop, Cronauer delights the G.I.s but shocks his superior officer, Sergeant Major Dickerson, with his irreverent take on the war. While Dickerson attempts to censor Cronauer's broadcasts, Cronauer pursues a relationship with a Vietnamese girl named Trinh, who shows him the horrors of war first-hand.

5. Wag the Dog

Rated: R

7.1/10

During the final weeks of a presidential race, the President is accused of sexual misconduct. To distract the public until the election, the President's adviser hires a Hollywood producer to help him stage a fake war.

6. Diner

Rated: R

7.1/10

This pilot for a TV version of the critically acclaimed feature Diner (1982) focused on the complaints of the wives, Elyse and Beth, that their husbands were spending too much time hanging at the diner with their friends.

7. You Don't Know Jack

Rated: Not Rated

7/10

Jack Kevorkian is one of the most polarizing figures in modern US history, a man whose passionate belief that people have the right to die has brought him both praise and vilification.

8. Liberty Heights

Rated: R

7.0/10

This semi-autobiographical film by Barry Levinson follows various members of the Kurtzman clan, a Jewish family living in suburban Baltimore during the 1950s. As teenaged Ben completes high school, he falls for Sylvia, a black classmate, creating inevitable tensions. Meanwhile, Ben's brother, Van, attends college and becomes smitten with a mysterious woman while their father tries to maintain his burlesque business.

9. The Wizard of Lies

Rated: TV-MA

6.8/10

A look behind the scenes at Bernie Madoff's massive Ponzi scheme, how it was perpetrated on the public and the trail of destruction it left in its wake, both for the victims and Madoff's family.

10. Bugsy

Rated: R

6.8/10

New York gangster Ben 'Bugsy' Siegel takes a brief business trip to Los Angeles. A sharp-dressing womanizer with a foul temper, Siegel doesn't hesitate to kill or maim anyone crossing him. In L.A. the life, the movies, and most of all strong-willed Virginia Hill detain him while his family wait back home. Then a trip to a run-down gambling joint at a spot in the desert known as Las Vegas gives him his big idea.

11. Young Sherlock Holmes

Rated: PG-13

6.8/10

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson meet as boys in an English Boarding school. Holmes is known for his deductive ability even as a youth, amazing his classmates with his abilities. When they discover a plot to murder a series of British business men by an Egyptian cult, they move to stop it.

12. The Survivor

Rated: MA15+

6.7/10

Harry Haft is a boxer who fought fellow prisoners in the concentration camps to survive. Haunted by the memories and his guilt, he attempts to use high-profile fights against boxing legends like Rocky Marciano as a way to find his first love again.

13. Tin Men

Rated: R

6.6/10

A minor car accident drives two rival aluminum-siding salesmen to the ridiculous extremes of man versus man in 1963 Baltimore.

14. Bandits

Rated: PG-13

6.5/10

Two bank robbers fall in love with the girl they've kidnapped.

15. Paterno

Rated: TV-MA

6.5/10

After becoming the winningest coach in college football history, Joe Paterno is embroiled in Penn State's Jerry Sandusky sexual abuse scandal, challenging his legacy and forcing him to face questions of institutional failure regarding the victims.

16. An Everlasting Piece

Rated: R

6.2/10

Colin (Barry McEvoy) is a Catholic and George (Brian O'Byrne) is a poetry-loving Protestant. In Belfast in the 1980s, they could have been enemies, but instead they became business partners. After persuading a mad wig salesman, known as the Scalper (Billy Connolly), to sell them his leads, the two embark on a series of house calls

17. Man of the Year

Rated: PG-13

6.2/10

The irreverent host of a political satire talk show decides to run for president and expose corruption in Washington. His stunt goes further than he expects when he actually wins the election, but a software engineer suspects that a computer glitch is responsible for his surprising victory.

18. Disclosure

Rated: R

6.1/10

A computer specialist is sued for sexual harassment by a former lover turned boss who initiated the act forcefully, which threatens both his career and his personal life.

19. Sphere

Rated: PG-13

6.1/10

A spacecraft is discovered on the floor of the Pacific Ocean, presumed to be at least 300 years old and of alien origin. A crack team of scientists and experts is assembled and taken to the Habitat, a state-of-the-art underwater living environment, to investigate.

20. The Bay

Rated: R

5.7/10

Two million fish washed ashore. One thousand blackbirds dropped from the sky. On July 4, 2009 a deadly menace swept through the quaint seaside town of Claridge, Maryland, but the harrowing story of what happened that Independence Day has never been told—until now. The authorities believed they had buried the truth about the tragedy that claimed over 700 human lives. Now, three years later, a reporter has emerged with footage revealing the cover-up and an unimaginable killer: a mysterious parasitic outbreak. Told from the perspective of those who were there and saw what happened, The Bay unfolds over 24 hours through people's iPhones, Androids, 911 calls, webcams, and whatever else could be used to document the nightmare in Claridge. What follows is a nerve-shredding tale of a small town plunged into absolute terror.

21. What Just Happened

Rated: R

5.6/10

During the course of an ordinary week in Hollywood, movie producer Ben must navigate his way through shark-infested waters as he struggles to complete his latest projects. A demanding studio boss demands extensive changes to a movie starring Sean Penn, while another chief won't greenlight a project unless star Bruce Willis shaves his beard. Meanwhile, Ben tries to reconcile with his wife and maintain a relationship with his young daughter.

22. The Humbling

Rated: R

5.6/10

Following a breakdown and suicide attempt, an aging actor becomes involved with a much younger woman but soon finds that it's difficult to keep pace with her.

23. Rock the Kasbah

Rated: R

5.5/10

A washed-up music producer finds one last shot at redemption with a golden-voiced young girl in Afghanistan. However, when jealousy gets the better of a disgruntled ex-boyfriend, he decides to oppose the young star with talent of his own.

24. Jimmy Hollywood

Rated: R

5.3/10

Jimmy Alto is an actor wannabe who stumbles into the role of a lifetime. He becomes a vigilante crime-fighter, aided by his sidekick William, who has suffered a head wound and has problems with short-term memory. Jimmy's vigilante alter ego soon becomes a media wonder--but Jimmy remains a total unknown and his long-suffering girl friend Lorraine is getting fed up with the whole situation.

25. Envy

Rated: PG-13

4.8/10

A man becomes increasingly jealous of his friend's newfound success.