---
name: "Dean Parisot"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/dean-parisot"
fi1m_id: "dean-parisot"
imdb_id: "nm0661751"
tmdb_id: 15002
wikidata_id: "Q1181116"
roles: ["Director"]
born: "6 July 1952"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 7
average_fi1m_score: 79
average_as: "director"
average_over: 7
updated: "2026-10-05T03:56:09.881632+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Dean Parisot

## Identity

Dean Parisot

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/dean-parisot
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** dean-parisot
- **IMDb ID:** nm0661751
- **TMDB ID:** 15002
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1181116
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Parisot, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1181116, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0661751/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/15002

Director. Born 6 July 1952 in Wilton, Connecticut, United States.

## Details

- **Work:** Director
- **Born:** 6 July 1952, Wilton, Connecticut, United States
- **Active:** 1990–2010
- **Frequently works with:** [Lesli Linka Glatter](https://film.one/person/lesli-linka-glatter.md), [Michael Katleman](https://film.one/person/michael-katleman.md), [Rod Holcomb](https://film.one/person/rod-holcomb.md), [Adam Arkin](https://film.one/person/adam-arkin.md), [Barbara Hall](https://film.one/person/barbara-hall.md), [Christopher Misiano](https://film.one/person/christopher-misiano.md), [Dee Johnson](https://film.one/person/dee-johnson.md), [Félix Enríquez Alcalá](https://film.one/person/felix-alcala.md)
- **Academy Awards:** 1 Oscar (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 79, as director, over 7 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 85 (2), 2000s 74 (4), 2010s 87 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 78 to 77 across 6 titles
- **Score spread:** 5 at 80+, 1 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Genres:** Comedy 4, Drama 4, Crime 2, Sci-Fi & Fantasy 1
- **Screen time:** 2 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $202m across 1 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dean_Parisot, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1181116, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0661751/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/15002

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*ER*](https://film.one/tv/er.md) (88), [*Justified*](https://film.one/tv/justified.md) (87), [*Modern Family*](https://film.one/tv/modern-family.md) (77)
- **Paramount+:** [*The Good Wife*](https://film.one/tv/the-good-wife.md) (84)
- **HBO Max:** [*Curb Your Enthusiasm*](https://film.one/tv/curb-your-enthusiasm.md) (84)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Fun with Dick and Jane*](https://film.one/film/fun-with-dick-and-jane.md) (50)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Dean Parisot

> Dean Parisot gets laughs by letting people take absurd situations seriously. We rate his care with comic ensembles, though his films can be hesitant when the material needs a firmer push.

Larry David keeps talking, and the people around him know how long to wait. In *Curb Your Enthusiasm* (2000), an ordinary disagreement becomes painfully funny because nobody knows when to stop. We laughed at those prolonged quarrels, then grew weary of the repetition. Parisot is one of the series’ directors, and we should not credit him alone with a comic method sustained by David and the supporting cast. But it is a useful starting point for his work: he treats the ridiculous things happening to his characters as problems that deserve to be taken seriously.

His route from the short *The Appointments of Dennis Jennings* (1988) to the feature debut *Home Fries* (1998) led to *Galaxy Quest* (1999), still his best-known film. That science-fiction parody suits his habit of treating comic material as drama, with room for performer vanity and affection for the genre. The action and the characters’ feelings matter alongside the jokes, although the reluctance to push the absurdity further can make the pace uneven. We prefer that care to mockery, but it should not require the comedy to slow down.

Alongside the features came television work such as the pilot of *Monk* (2002), with opportunities to establish how an ensemble should play together. His film collaborators include producer Mark Johnson and writer and actor Steven Wright, each of whom has worked with him twice. We value that attention to a group in *Curb Your Enthusiasm*, where the supporting cast’s patience is essential to the joke. David needs people who will let him continue, even when there is every reason to interrupt.

Later features include the remake *Fun with Dick and Jane* (2005), the action-comedy sequel *RED 2* (2013) and *Bill & Ted Face the Music* (2020). Returning to established comic material has not always been rewarding: *RED 2* feels stretched and less inventive than its strong cast deserves. We want more from him than keeping capable performers occupied, particularly when his science-fiction comedy shows how well he can combine action with concern for the people involved. Start with *Galaxy Quest*, and take *Curb Your Enthusiasm* an episode at a time.

## Biography

Dean Parisot is an American film and television director. He was born on 6 July 1952 in Wilton, Connecticut.

Parisot won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 1988 for *The Appointments of Dennis Jennings*, which he co-wrote with Steven Wright. He graduated from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and participated in the Sundance Institute's June Lab. His feature films include *Galaxy Quest* (1999), *Fun with Dick and Jane* (2005), *RED 2* (2013) and *Bill & Ted Face the Music* (2020). He has also directed episodes of series including *Monk*, *Curb Your Enthusiasm*, *Modern Family* and *Justified*. Parisot was married to film editor Sally Menke until her death in 2010.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (7)

- *Justified* (2010), Fi1m 87, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/justified.md)
- *Modern Family* (2009), Fi1m 77, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/modern-family.md)
- *The Good Wife* (2009), Fi1m 84, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-good-wife.md)
- *Fun with Dick and Jane* (2005), Fi1m 50, Director — [page](https://film.one/film/fun-with-dick-and-jane.md)
- *Curb Your Enthusiasm* (2000), Fi1m 84, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/curb-your-enthusiasm.md)
- *ER* (1994), Fi1m 88, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/er.md)
- *Northern Exposure* (1990), Fi1m 82, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/northern-exposure.md)

## Complete filmography (38)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Bill & Ted Face the Music* (2020), Director
- *Good Girls* (2018), series, Director
- *Santa Clarita Diet* (2017), series, Director
- *Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency* (2016), series, Director
- *Grace and Frankie* (2015), series, Director
- *RED 2* (2013), Director
- *Charlie Countryman* (2013), Executive Producer
- *Justified* (2010), series, Director — Fi1m 87, [page](https://film.one/tv/justified.md)
- *Modern Family* (2009), series, Director — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/tv/modern-family.md)
- *The Good Wife* (2009), series, Director — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-good-wife.md)
- *See Kate Run* (2009), Director
- *Area 57* (2007), Executive Producer, Director
- *Fun with Dick and Jane* (2005), Director — Fi1m 50, [page](https://film.one/film/fun-with-dick-and-jane.md)
- *Monk* (2002), series, Director
- *The Tick* (2001), series, Director
- *The Job* (2001), series, Director
- *The Heart Department* (2001), Director
- *Curb Your Enthusiasm* (2000), series, Director — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/curb-your-enthusiasm.md)
- *Galaxy Quest* (1999), Director
- *ATF* (1999), Director, Executive Producer
- *Home Fries* (1998), Director
- *L.A. Doctors* (1998), series, Director
- *The Kathy & Mo Show: The Dark Side* (1995), Director
- *The Marshal* (1995), series, Director
- *The Conversation* (1995), Director
- *ER* (1994), series, Director — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/er.md)
- *Bakersfield P.D.* (1993), series, Director
- *Two Mikes Don't Make a Wright* (1993), Director
- *Get a Life* (1990), series, Director
- *Steven Wright: Wicker Chairs and Gravity* (1990), Director, Writer
- *Still Life* (1990), Writer
- *Northern Exposure* (1990), series, Director — Fi1m 82, [page](https://film.one/tv/northern-exposure.md)
- *Framed* (1990), Director
- *The Appointments of Dennis Jennings* (1988), Director
- *Tom Goes to the Bar* (1985), Director
- *Gemini* (1982), Camera Operator
- *REO Speedwagon - Live Infidelity* (1981), Camera Operator
- *The Pirates of Penzance* (1980), Camera Operator

## Awards

### Academy Awards — 1 won

- 1989: Best Live Action Short Film (won), for *The Appointments of Dennis Jennings*

### Other awards — 1 won

- Hugo Awards 2000: Best Dramatic Presentation (won), for *Galaxy Quest*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/dean-parisot