Line #33 Creator/ChrisColumbus


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/600full-chris-columbus.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:300:[[Justforfun/IThoughtItMeant No, not]] ''[[UsefulNotes/ChristopherColumbus that]]'' Chris Columbus.]]
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4	Chris Joseph Columbus (born September 10, 1958) is the guy who directed ''Film/HomeAlone'' (and the first sequel, ''Home Alone 2: Lost in New York''), ''Film/MrsDoubtfire'', the first two ''Film/HarryPotter'' films, the movie version of ''Film/{{RENT}}'', and the movie of ''Film/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians''. A protégé of Creator/StevenSpielberg as well as a Spangler, Pennsylvania native, Columbus started off as a screenwriter in TheEighties, during which time he wrote the scripts for ''Film/{{Gremlins\|1984}}'', ''Film/TheGoonies'' and ''Film/YoungSherlockHolmes''. He got a reasonably good start as a director in 1987 with ''Film/AdventuresInBabysitting''. And, no, we don't know [[NamedAfterSomebodyFamous what the hell his parents were thinking]].
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6	Is well-regarded as being a great director of young children, especially in films where they carry a bulk of the film. His work with Creator/MacaulayCulkin in ''Home Alone'' gave him an edge in getting the ''Film/HarryPotter'' gig, as they needed an experienced hand with three children (for two of them, it was their feature film debut) who were going to carry most of the film's two-and-a-half-hour running time then an entire franchise growing up. Has also hit box-office gold like few directors have; at various points in his career, he's had the third-highest-grossing domestic film of all time (''Home Alone''), the TWO highest-grossing live-action comedies of all time (''Home Alone'' and ''Mrs. Doubtfire'', which also won a Golden Globe for Best Picture- Musical/Comedy), and then the second-highest-grossing film worldwide of all time with the first ''Harry Potter'' film (all have been surpassed since).
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8	Some have noticed similarities between ''Film/YoungSherlockHolmes'' and the ''Literature/HarryPotter'' series (both being about a trio of students solving a mystery at a British BoardingSchool full of eccentric professors) and noted what an odd six-degrees twist it would be if Creator/JKRowling had been influenced by the film. Reportedly, the script of '' Young Sherlock Holmes'' was even used to audition actors for the first ''Potter'' film.
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10	Columbus's production company [[{{Pun}} 1492 Pictures]] has also produced several movies he did not write or direct, such as the ''Film/NightAtTheMuseum'' series and the 2005 ''Film/{{Fantastic Four\|2005}}'' plus [[Film/FantasticFourRiseOfTheSilverSurfer its sequel]].
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13	!!Films Directed by Chris Columbus:
14	[[index]]
15	* ''Film/AdventuresInBabysitting'' (1987)
16	* ''Film/HeartbreakHotel'' (1988) (also wrote the script)
17	* ''Film/HomeAlone'':
18	** ''Film/HomeAlone1'' (1990)
19	** ''Film/HomeAlone2LostInNewYork'' (1992)
20	* ''Film/OnlyTheLonely'' (1991) (also wrote the script; produced by Creator/JohnHughes)
21	* ''Film/MrsDoubtfire'' (1993)
22	* ''Film/NineMonths'' (1995) (also wrote the script)
23	* ''Film/{{Stepmom}}'' (1998)
24	* ''Film/BicentennialMan'' (1999)
25	* ''Film/HarryPotter'':
26	** ''Film/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'' (2001)
27	** ''Film/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets'' (2002)
28	* ''Film/{{RENT}}'' (2005)
29	* ''Film/ILoveYouBethCooper'' (2009)
30	* ''Film/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians: The Lightning Thief'' (2010)
31	* ''Film/{{Pixels}}'' (2015)
32	* ''Film/TheChristmasChronicles 2'' (2020)
33	[[/index]]
34	----
35	!!Common tropes in his movies:
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37	* AssociatedComposer: No one consistently, but Music/JohnWilliams scored five of his films (the ''[[Film/HomeAlone Home]] [[Film/HomeAlone2LostInNewYork Alone]]'' films, ''Film/{{Stepmom}}'' and his two ''[[Film/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone Harry]] [[Film/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets Potter]]'' films), while, more recently, Music/ChristopheBeck has scored three (''Film/ILoveYouBethCooper'', ''[[Film/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians Percy Jackson]]'' and ''Film/TheChristmasChronicles 2'').
38	* TheFilmOfTheBook: ''Harry Potter'' and ''Percy Jackson'' are the obvious examples, but ''Mrs. Doubtfire'' and ''Bicentennial Man'' are based on books as well.
39	%%* KidHero
40	%%* {{Suburbia}}

Context Creator / ChrisColumbus