Patrick H. Willems
Patrick Willems | |
|---|---|
 Willems in 2025 | |
| Born | September 29, 1987 |
| Education | Oberlin College |
| Occupations | video essayist, filmmaker |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| YouTube information | |
| Channel | |
| Years active | 2011 - present |
| Genres | |
| Subscribers | 609,000 |
| Views | 73.4 million |
| Last updated: January 24, 2026 | |
| Website | www |
Patrick H. Willems (born September 29, 1987)[1][2][3] is an American video-essayist and filmmaker. On his YouTube channel, Willems initially posted short films before transitioning into producing video essays in 2016. His video essays are about films and the state of the film industry.
In 2022 he released his feature directorial debut Night of the Coconut on Nebula. In 2025, he was named the "Director of Creative Programming" for the creator-owned streaming service.
Career
YouTube
Willems began posting videos onto his YouTube channel in 2011, posting short film skits.
He then branched out into making trailers for "alternative movies." In 2013, Willems rendered Point Break in the styles of Wes Anderson, David Lynch, Tommy Wiseau, and Joe Swanberg.[4] A 2013 short, "Breaking Bad Jr." recast children as the leads of the TV show Breaking Bad, then in its final season.[5] It remains his channel's most-watched video, with 6.9 million views as of January 2016.[6] In a popular 2015 video, he also showed X-Men with Anderson's directing.[7]
In 2016, Willems uploaded his first video essay, which critiqued the colour grading of the MCU films.[2] The video went viral, gaining over 3.2 million views as of January 2026.[8]
In 2023 he produced The Patrick (H) Willems Star Wars Holiday special, which featured previous channel guests.[9]
Film projects
During video essays, Willems began incorporating short serialised skits about a coconut named Charl.[10] The story arc closed out in his feature directorial debut, Night of the Coconut.[11][12] The film was released on 3 June 2022 on the streaming platform Nebula.
In 2025, Willems released his short film The Dinner Plan—starring Griffin Newman, John Hodgman, and Miriam Shor—onto Nebula.[13]
In 2025 it was announced Willems would direct an episode of the Nebula anthology series Sub/Liminal, executive produced by Dan Jinks.[14] Later in the same year he was appointed by Nebula as 'Director of Scripted Development'.[15]
Personal life
Willems lives in New York.[5]
External links
References
- ^ Willems, Patrick [@patrickhwillems] (September 12, 2024). "Dear @Criterion you're coming to my city (NYC) on my birthday (9/29) and it would make my year if I got to visit the closet. Love, Patrick" (Tweet). Retrieved 29 April 2025 – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Mattise, Nathan (2021-03-22). "YouTuber Patrick (H) Willems has thoughts on movies—lots of thoughts". Ars Technica. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
- ^ |last=Willems |first=Patrick url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o3uRsckMto&t=123s%7Ctitle= THIRTY date=September 29, 2017 via=YouTube. Retreived December 22, 2025
- ^ Goodman, Stephanie (2013-08-09). "A Remake So Bad, It's Outright Homage". The New York Times. Retrieved 2026-01-24.
- ^ a b Savage, Lesley (2013-08-08). "Middle school kids make their own "Breaking Bad"". www.cbsnews.com. Retrieved 2026-01-24.
- ^ Patrick (H) Willems (2013-08-07). Breaking Bad Jr. Retrieved 2026-01-24 – via YouTube.
- ^ Fitz-Gerald, Sean (2015-03-03). "X-Men Receive Wes Anderson Treatment in Spot-on Fan-Made Mash-up". Vulture. Retrieved 2026-01-24.
- ^ Why Do Marvel’s Movies Look Kind of Ugly?, November 16, 2016, retrieved December 23, 2025
- ^ "Nebula Announces Patrick Willems' STAR WARS HOLIDAY SPECIAL Special". Nerdist. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
- ^ King, Andrew (2022-06-24). "Patrick Willems Interview: The YouTube Filmmaker On His Feature Debut, Night Of The Coconut". TheGamer. Retrieved 2026-01-24.
- ^ I Accidentally Made A Feature Film - Here Is What I Learned, November 26, 2021, retrieved December 23, 2025
- ^ Mann, Will (2022-09-01). "Review of YouTuber Patrick Willems' 'Night of the Coconut'". International Policy Digest. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
- ^ Maas, Jennifer (2025-10-29). "Griffin Newman Tries Really Hard Not to Throw Up in Nebula's First Trailer for Patrick Willems Short Film 'The Dinner Plan' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2026-01-24.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (2025-01-28). "Dan Jinks to Executive Produce 'Sub/liminal' Anthology Series at Nebula". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-04-16.
- ^ Levy, Giana (2025-09-04). "Indie Streamer Nebula Taps 'The Dinner Plan' Filmmaker Patrick Willems as Director of Scripted Development (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2025-09-05.