Tim Storyhas had a long and successful career in Hollywood, making some of the biggest and best films of the past few decades, with his latest film,The Pickup,now streaming on Prime Video. Thecast ofThe Pickupis very strong, andthat has tended to be a common theme throughout Story’s work,which has attracted great talent.
Many of Story’s films could fit in with thebest comedies of all time, butthe director has shown great versatility in his body of work.He has directed superhero blockbusters, includingFantastic Four, and even has a few strong dramas, includingHurricane Season,in his filmography.
A complex filmmaker, Story has made some great films and someterrible moviesalike. With that in mind,it is worth reviewing the extensive career that the director has built since his debut in 1997 withOne of Us Tripped,all of which has contributed to making him one of the most successful Black directors of all time.
16Taxi
Released in 2004, this film, which remade the 1998 French movie of the same name, focused on an NYPD officer who was banned from driving.JimmyFallon’s Detective Andrew Washburn was forced to depend on Queen Latifah’s Belle Williams to get aroundin order to solve a string of bank robberies.
Taxipromised to be a greatmovie star team-up, pairing Latifah with Fallon when both were at the height of their powers. Unfortunately, the film was a massive disappointment critically, withcriticism being pointed toward an unfunny script and weak chemistry between the stars.
15The Firing Squad
Story’s second film was a work of passion for the director, who borrowed money from all kinds of different sources in order to get it made. The film is a dramatic work that stars Kevin Mambo, and was co-written by Story.It tells a dark story of a violent crime kingpin and the woman who loves him.
The Firing Squadhelped to show Story’s desire to tell complex stories, but the film did not get a major release.It was not a strong story, and few remember its middling execution fondly.Distributed by Xenon Pictures, it remains a mostly forgotten curiosity.
14One Of Us Tripped
One of Us Trippedis Story’s directorial debut. Starring Mambo and Kimani Callende,the film is a detective thriller that was made on a shoestring budget in 1997.
While there is little that makesOne of Us Trippedworth watching in 2025 on its own merits, it is an interesting entry in Story’s filmography, andhelps to show much of what would go on to become the director’s style.Still,One of Us Trippedremains difficult to find, and is really only worth the effort for completionists.
13Dashing Through The Snow
Loaded with seasonal cheer, thebest Christmas moviesare often given added grace from viewers. Unfortunately,even with tempered expectations,Dashing Through the Snowfails to be a worthwhile watch. Starring Lil Rel Howery as a new take on Santa Claus, the film is best forgotten.
Story’s directorial skill shines through, but the script, written by Scott Rosenberg, doesn’t work.Dashing Through the Snowis, unfortunately, just not very funny, charming, or clever,and sits among the most disposable of Disney+ releases.
12Ride Along 2
Following up on the massive success ofRide Along,the sequel unfortunately had little justification to be made other than money.The movie felt like a lesser retread of the original film, and despite strong box office returns, did not leave a good impression on viewers.
Kevin Hart and Ice Cube are a great pairing, butthe two deserve better material than this paint-by-numbers sequel.The script was uninspired, and made the prospect of afutureRide Along 3no longer appealing. This is disappointing, especially after how strong the first entry was.
11Shaft (2019)
Featuring one of thelongest gaps between sequels,Shaftwas released in 2019 to little acclaim.While the originalShaftmovie from 1971 was clever and transgressive, this uninspired latest entry felt oddly out of touch with contemporary audiences.
While there can be reasons to keep bringingShaftto the big screen, this movie failed to find any.Featuring poor action and weak comedy, the 2019 sequel is one of the weaker entries in Story’s filmography and in the long-running film series.
10Think Like A Man Too
A sequel that failed to live up to its potential,Think Like a Man Toois a middling effort that brings back the cast of the first filmand moves the action to Las Vegas. There are some funny jokes, and the cast members all have great charisma, but there is little to justify this sequel’s existence.
Forgettable more than bad,Think Like a Man Toofeels like a sequel on rails.The film depended even more heavily on Kevin Hart’s fame than the previous installment, and the results left most audiences feeling very little by the time the credits rolled.
9The Pickup
Story’s latest film released straight to Prime Video, andThe Pickup’s low Rotten Tomatoes scoremakes it clear why. While not a terrible film,the movie squanders the potential of a strong cast that includes Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson, and Keke Palmer,resulting in a disappointing action-comedy.
The stars are great, but their chemistry doesn’t quite work.The humor is occasionally very funny, but many of the other jokes don’t work at all.The film is too uneven to recommend strongly, but there are worse streaming releases to spend a couple of hours with.
8Fantastic Four
Released during the superhero craze of the 2000s, and following the massive success ofX-MenandSpider-Man,Fantastic Fourwas a fairly generic superhero blockbuster that had great universal appeal.Colorful, exciting, and with a charisma-packed cast, the adventure was decently received by audiences.
While not among thebest superhero movies,Fantastic Fourwas a fun time at the movies for casual filmgoers.The movie was fairly uninspired, but made for decently disposable popcorn entertainment, and audiences enjoyed seeing the spectacle of Marvel’s First Family taking on Doctor Doom.
7Hurricane Season
An inspiring sports drama,Hurricane Seasonis a decent entry in Story’s body of work. The film depicts the true story of a Louisiana high school basketball team, whereAl Collins, played by Forrest Whitaker, puts together a championship-winning team in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Inspiring and emotional, Story’s direction in the film is strong. While not among thebest inspirational sports movies,the film allowed the director to show off some of his more dramatic skills.
