Sam Harper
Encyclopedia
Sam Harper is an American
filmmaker of comedies notable for films which have mixed to neutral reviews from film critics but which have been highly profitable at the box office in terms of gross receipts.
Harper was born into an artistic family with a father who was a painter
and a mother who was a writer. While a youth during a vacation to Port Antonio, Jamaica
, he performed with his brothers and friends the Beatles song A Hard Day's Night at the Blue Lagoon. After college, he worked as a reporter and associate editor for the advertising industry trade publication Advertising Age
in New York City before coming to California to work as a story analyst. Harper's primary role has been a screenwriter
but he has been a director and producer as well. He is perhaps best known for the 2003 romantic comedy
film Just Married
starring Ashton Kutcher
and Brittany Murphy
which achieved neutral to negative reviews but which had substantial profitability. Harper based the story, in part, on his own self-declared less-than-idyllic honeymoon
in Italy
with his wife. Harper worked with Jamie Fox on Rio, Martin Lawrence
on Open Season, Bonnie Hunt
on Cheaper by the Dozen 2, David Moscow
on Just Married
, and Bonnie Hunt
on Cheaper by the Dozen. He has loosely drawn characters in his screenplays from experiences involving his family members.
Harper is the son of painter
and advertising agency
chairman of Needham Harper Worldwide Paul Harper Jr., and has four siblings including actress Jessica Harper
, composer William Harper, and brother Charles and sister Diana. He is the father of three boys.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
filmmaker of comedies notable for films which have mixed to neutral reviews from film critics but which have been highly profitable at the box office in terms of gross receipts.
Career
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and a mother who was a writer. While a youth during a vacation to Port Antonio, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, he performed with his brothers and friends the Beatles song A Hard Day's Night at the Blue Lagoon. After college, he worked as a reporter and associate editor for the advertising industry trade publication Advertising Age
Advertising Age
Advertising Age is a magazine, delivering news, analysis and data on marketing and media. The magazine was started as a broadsheet newspaper in Chicago in 1930...
in New York City before coming to California to work as a story analyst. Harper's primary role has been a screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
but he has been a director and producer as well. He is perhaps best known for the 2003 romantic comedy
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
film Just Married
Just Married
Just Married is a 2003 American romantic comedy film directed by Shawn Levy and written by Sam Harper starring Ashton Kutcher and the late Brittany Murphy. In its opening week, the film was number one, making $17 million at the box office. It stayed in the Top 10 for 4 weeks.-Plot:The film starts...
starring Ashton Kutcher
Ashton Kutcher
Christopher Ashton Kutcher , best known as Ashton Kutcher, is an American actor, producer, former fashion model and comedian, best known for his portrayal of Michael Kelso in the Fox sitcom That '70s Show...
and Brittany Murphy
Brittany Murphy
Brittany Anne Murphy-Monjack , known professionally as Brittany Murphy, was an American actress and singer. She starred in films such as Clueless, Just Married, Girl Interrupted, Spun, 8 Mile, Uptown Girls, Sin City, Happy Feet, and Riding in Cars with Boys...
which achieved neutral to negative reviews but which had substantial profitability. Harper based the story, in part, on his own self-declared less-than-idyllic honeymoon
Honeymoon
-History:One early reference to a honeymoon is in Deuteronomy 24:5 “When a man is newly wed, he need not go out on a military expedition, nor shall any public duty be imposed on him...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
with his wife. Harper worked with Jamie Fox on Rio, Martin Lawrence
Martin Lawrence
Martin Fitzgerald Lawrence is an American actor, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and stand up comedian. He came to fame during the 1990s, establishing a Hollywood career as a leading actor, most notably the films Bad Boys, Blue Streak, and Big Momma's House...
on Open Season, Bonnie Hunt
Bonnie Hunt
Bonnie Lynne Hunt is an American actress, comedian, writer, director, television producer and daytime television host.- Early life :...
on Cheaper by the Dozen 2, David Moscow
David Moscow
David Raphael Moscow is an American actor. His first major role was as the young Josh Baskin in the 1988 film Big, in which his character was magically transformed into an adult played by Tom Hanks.-Early life:...
on Just Married
Just Married
Just Married is a 2003 American romantic comedy film directed by Shawn Levy and written by Sam Harper starring Ashton Kutcher and the late Brittany Murphy. In its opening week, the film was number one, making $17 million at the box office. It stayed in the Top 10 for 4 weeks.-Plot:The film starts...
, and Bonnie Hunt
Bonnie Hunt
Bonnie Lynne Hunt is an American actress, comedian, writer, director, television producer and daytime television host.- Early life :...
on Cheaper by the Dozen. He has loosely drawn characters in his screenplays from experiences involving his family members.
Harper is the son of painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
and advertising agency
Advertising agency
An advertising agency or ad agency is a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients. An ad agency is independent from the client and provides an outside point of view to the effort of selling the client's products or services...
chairman of Needham Harper Worldwide Paul Harper Jr., and has four siblings including actress Jessica Harper
Jessica Harper
Jessica Harper is an American actress and producer, as well as a singer and author of children's music and books.-Early life:...
, composer William Harper, and brother Charles and sister Diana. He is the father of three boys.
Film projects
| Year | Film | Medium | Role(s) | Budget | Earnings | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Rookie of the Year | Film | Screenwriter | $53,579,269 | ||
| 2003 | Cheaper by the Dozen | Film | Screenwriter | $40,000,000 | $190,212,113 | |
| 2003 | Just Married | Film | Screenwriter | $18,000,000 | $101,564,935 | |
| 2005 | Cheaper by the Dozen 2 | Film | Screenwriter | $82,569,532 | ||
| 2006 | Open Season | Film | Screenwriter | |||
| 2007 | The Last Day of Summer | TV movie | Executive producer | |||
| 2009 | House Broken | Film | Screenwriter, director | Earlier title No place like home | ||
| 2011 | Rio | Film | Screenwriter | $90,000,000 | $141,932,576 | |
| Overparenting | Screenwriter | (in development) | ||||
| The Jetsons | Screenwriter | (in development) | ||||
| In Harm's Way | Screenwriter | (in development) | ||||