Paul Thomas Anderson, one of the most versatile directors of the 21st century. Starting at the age of 18 with The Dirk Diggler Story to his most recent film One Battle After Another he has managed to build incredible worlds, fascinating characters, and draw out interesting performances out of his actors. This is his filmography of 10 features, 1 documentary, and 7 short films, all ranked.

#18. Junun (MUBI / Amazon Prime Video)

Made between Inherent Vice and Phantom Thread, Paul Thomas Anderson documented the making of the album Junun in Mehrangarh Fort in Rajasthan, India. The creators of the album (and the stars of the documentary) are… Israeli composer Shye Ben Tzur, PTA’s composer and Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood, Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich, and the Indian Ensemble, the Rajasthan Express. It’s filled with great music and cool new instrumental creations. It is considerably PTA’s weakest film.

Available On: Fandango, YouTube, Apple TV+, and Google Play Movies.

#17. Anima (Netflix)

Paul Thomas Anderson directed this music video/short film for Radiohead. The choreography and music are incredible, but this feels slightly out of place if someone were to look at his filmography as a whole.

Available On: Netflix.

#16. Couch

This short film is about a man (Adam Sandler) looking to buy a couch; in the same vein as the early Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton films, this almost feels like a misfire in Paul Thomas Anderson’s career.

Available On: YouTube.

#15. Inherent Vice (Warner Bros. Pictures)

After making his powerful masterpiece, The Master, Paul Thomas Anderson adapted Thomas Pynchon’s novel of the same name. It stars Joaquin Phoenix as “Doc”, a private detective in 70s Los Angeles who is wrapped up in a twisted case when his ex-girlfriend Shasta (Katherine Waterston) appears one night, believing that she is being followed and that her new lover’s wife is conspiring to put him in a mental institution to steal all his money. Now this seems like a very straightforward plot…it is everything but that. There are storylines that don’t amount to anything, a feud between Josh Brolin’s Lieutenant “Bigfoot” Bjornson and Joaquin’s “Doc” that makes no sense, and a mystery that’s not really a mystery. It’s not Paul Thomas Anderson’s highest-rated film for those reasons (the film community has spoken about it). But it does contain a plethora of incredible actors, including: Reese Witherspoon, Martin Short, Hong Chau, Owen Wilson, Jena Malone, Michael K. Williams, Jillian Bell, Timothy Simons, Jeannie Berlin, Joanna Newsom, Eric Roberts, Maya Rudolph, and Benicio Del Toro.

Available On: YouTube, Apple TV+, Fandango, Prime Video, and Google Play Movies.

#14. Blossoms & Blood (Columbia Pictures / New Line Cinema)

This is a collection of deleted scenes from Punch-Drunk Love that didn’t make the final cut.

Available On: YouTube.

#13. Mattress Man Commercial (Columbia Pictures / New Line Cinema)

In this deleted scene from Punch-Drunk Love, this shows Dean Trumbull, the owner of the mattress store and head operator of a phone sex line filming his commercial for his mattress store and taking a huge fall (which is absolutely hilarious). Akin to his fall in Along Came Polly.

Available On: YouTube.

#12. For the Hungry Boy (Focus Features)

This is a collection of deleted scenes from Phantom Thread featuring a voice-over from Alma (Vicky Krieps).

Available On: YouTube.

#11. Hard Eight (The Samuel Goldwyn Company)

In his feature film debut, Paul Thomas Anderson decided to make his Pulp Fiction. The story centers on a senior gambler named Sydney (Philip Baker Hall) who teaches a young man named John (John C. Reilly) how to win enough money in Vegas to finance his mother’s funeral. In Vegas, they meet Clementine (Gwyneth Paltrow), a cocktail waitress and hooker, and Jimmy (Samuel L. Jackson), a rough security worker. From double crosses to eloping to blackmail, this is a one-of-a-kind film that PTA has never made again.

Available on: YouTube, Fandango, Prime Video,  Apple TV+, and Google Play Movies.

#10. The Dirk Diggler Story 

Paul Thomas Anderson made this short film mockumentary when he was 18 years old. This is the basis for his sophomore feature, Boogie Nights. It follows the story of an adult film star named Dirk Diggler who is the subject of a documentary. Dirk is a very dumb hunk who is loved by everyone but has his personal demons to fight (a fight that he sadly loses). Tinged with comedy, drama, and sadness, this short film is a must for any Paul Thomas Anderson fan.

Available On: YouTube.

#9. Cigarettes and Coffee (Hex Films)

In his sophomore short film, Paul Thomas Anderson creates a layered story featuring numerous characters, including a mentor and his mentee, a married couple, and a criminal. Every one of their stories is tied to a singular twenty-dollar bill.

Available On: YouTube.

#8. Licorice Pizza (MGM / Focus Features)

Licorice Pizza is Paul Thomas Anderson’s love letter to the 1970s. It’s the story of a teenage actor named Gary (Cooper Hoffman) and his unique friendship with a photographer’s assistant named Alana (Alana Haim), who is in her early 20s. Gary and Alana wander through Los Angeles getting themselves caught in numerous hijinks; whether it’s flooding Jon Peters’ (Bradley Cooper) house, getting caught up in a wild movie star (Sean Penn), or even opening a pinball arcade. It also features memorable appearances by: John Michael Higgins, Maya Rudolph, Skyler Gisondo, Tom Waits, Benny Safdie, Christine Ebersole, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Danielle Haim, Este Haim, and Joseph Cross. It’s a coming-of-age comedy that only Paul Thomas Anderson could make.

Available On: MUBI, Apple TV+, Prime Video, YouTube, Fandango, and Google Play Movies.

#7. Punch-Drunk Love (Columbia Pictures / New Line Cinema)

Three years after Magnolia, Paul Thomas Anderson took one of comedy’s biggest superstars and turned him into a dramatic actor. That superstar was Adam Sandler; before Uncut Gems, Hustle, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, Spaceman, and now Noah Baumbach’s latest film Jay Kelly; Adam Sandler starred in Punch-Drunk Love as Barry Egan, a novelty plunger salesman with social anxiety and anger issues. This is Paul Thomas Anderson’s foray into the romantic comedy genre (that is putting it loosely). Punch-Drunk Love is a funny, heartwarming, yet anxiety-inducing film that boasts incredible performances from Adam Sandler, Emily Watson, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Luis Guzmán, and Mary Lynn Rajskub.

Available On: Paramount+, Hulu, YouTube, Prime Video, Fandango, Apple TV+, Roku Channel, and Google Play Movies.

#6. Magnolia (New Line Cinema)

Magnolia is not only Paul Thomas Anderson’s third film, it’s also his most ambitious. He made a movie that shows the lives of numerous people in Los Angeles and the random events that connect them. Paul Thomas Anderson also assembled a STACKED cast consisting of: Tom Cruise (as a misogynistic motivational speaker), John C. Reilly (as a religious cop), William H. Macy (as a gay child prodigy who has fallen from grace in his adulthood), Julianne Moore (as a drug addicted wife of a producer), Jason Robards (as a dying producer), Philip Seymour Hoffman (as a hospice nurse), Philip Baker Hall (as a game show host), Melinda Dillon (as the wife of a game show host), Melora Walters (as a daughter of a game show host who is troubled), Jeremy Blackman (as a child prodigy competing on a game show), Michael Bowen (as the overbearing dad of a child prodigy), Felicity Huffman (as a liaison for a game show), Alfred Molina (as William H. Macy’s domineering boss), and Ricky Jay (as the narrator). It also features a finale unlike any movie in the history of film. Tom Cruise received a Best Supporting Actor nomination for his performance as Frank T. J. Mackie.

Available On: Pluto TV, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Fandango, YouTube, and Google Play Movies.

#5. The Master (Annapurna Pictures / The Weinstein Company)

Some call The Master Paul Thomas Anderson’s greatest film. Could it be about the battle of ego that is fought between Freddie Quell (Joaquin Phoenix) and Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman)? Could it be about the foolishness of cults? Could it be about who is truly in power, Freddie, Lancaster, or Peggy Dodd (Amy Adams)? There are so many questions but very few answers. Even in its ambiguity, The Master tells a fascinating story of a sex-obsessed navy veteran (Phoenix) who drunkenly stows himself away on a yacht which is occupied by Dodd (Hoffman) and his followers. When Dodd discovers Quell, he questions him and then bonds with him; what follows is a twisted story of power, ego, truth, and deception. It also features great performances from Jesse Plemons, Rami Malek, Laura Dern, Jillian Bell, and Patty McCormick.

Available On: Tubi, Fandango, Roku Channel, Prime Video, YouTube, and Google Play Movies.

#4. One Battle After Another (Warner Bros. Pictures)

One Battle After Another, or OBAA, is Paul Thomas Anderson’s most politically driven film. It’s not only the story of injustice brought upon certain people or the strong undercurrent of racism that is still present in people with power; it is also the story of a father who will do anything for his daughter. The Father and Daughter are Bob Ferguson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Willa Ferguson (Chase Infiniti), who have been in hiding since the mid-2000s when Willa’s mother, Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor), turned in her fellow French 75 members to escape a murder charge. That is just the starting point, throw in a government official with a twisted fantasy (Sean Penn), a Christmas-themed racist cult, an uber chill sensei (Benicio Del Toro), stunning action sequences, and a ton of weed; that will turn into one of the greatest movies of the past century.

Available On: Apple TV+, Fandango, and Google Play Movies.

#3. Phantom Thread (Focus Features)

In what can only be described as Paul Thomas Anderson’s most “lush” film, set in 1950s London, England. This is the story about a fashion designer, Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis), a perfectionist, his muse Alma (Vicky Krieps), a shy but strong woman, and his sister and business partner Cyril Woodcock (Leslie Manville), a jealous b*tch. This film contains the most beautiful dresses ever made, a rose-colored filter on the world, and literally the most toxic love story ever put on screen. From the struggle for perfection, to jealousy for attention, to the battle for power, and a bunch of poisonous mushrooms. It was nominated for 6 Oscars but only won 1, Best Costume Design (a very well-deserved win).

Available On: Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Fandango, YouTube, and Google Play Movies.

#2. There Will Be Blood (Paramount Vantage / Miramax Films)

In 2007, two westerns combated as the greatest films of the year: Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood. There Will Be Blood is a film about two men who are driven by their personal desires: greed and power. The two men are Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis), an oil man who worships the dollar and Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), a charismatic preacher who worships ego. Daniel Plainview begins as a lone miner who breaks his leg in a mine shaft who quickly finds oil, starts his own mining company, adopts a child named H.W., buys the Sunday family’s land, and strikes it rich. That doesn’t last for long when Daniel and Eli pit themselves against each other, H.W. becomes deaf, and Daniel becomes greedy, which causes him to separate himself from everyone. A tale of power and destruction. The Film was nominated for 8 Oscars, winning 2: Best Actor (Daniel Day-Lewis) and Best Cinematography.

Available On: Paramount+, Roku Channel, Apple TV+, YouTube, Prime Video, Fandango, and Google Play Movies.

#1. Boogie Nights (New Line Cinema)

This is Paul Thomas Anderson’s sophomore feature (and his greatest movie) about a young man named Eddie Adams (Mark Wahlberg) who…well…in the words of Jack Horner (Burt Reynolds), “I got a feeling beneath those jeans there’s something wonderful just waiting to get out.” It chronicles the story of Edie Adams and his foray into the adult film industry of the late 70s and early 80s, from changing his name to Dirk Diggler, meeting a host of interesting characters: Rollergirl (Heather Graham), Amber Waves (Julianne Moore), Maurice (Luis Guzmán), Reed Rothchild (John C. Reilly), Buck Swipe (Don Cheadle), The Colonel (Robert Ridgely), Little Bill (William H. Macy), Floyd Gandoli (Philip Baker Hall), Becky Barnett (Nicole Ari Parker), Scotty J. (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Jessie St. Vincent (Melora Walters), and Rahad Jackson (Alfred Molina); becoming a coke addict, and witnessing the decline from film to digital. It has become one of the most influential films of the last fifty years, continuing to inspire future filmmakers, actors, editors, etc. It was also nominated for 3 Oscars, Best Supporting Actor – Burt Reynolds, Best Supporting Actress – Julianne Moore, and Best Original Screenplay – Paul Thomas Anderson.

Available On: Pluto TV, Prime Video, YouTube, Fandango, and Google Play Movies.