Petrie has acted and guest-starred on television programs. His first directorial job was on the set of The Equalizer, a private detective television series, in 1985. Since, he has directed films such as Mystic Pizza (1988), Opportunity Knocks (1990), Grumpy Old Men (1993), The Favor (1994), Richie Rich (1994), The Associate (1996), My Favorite Martian (1999), Miss Congeniality (2000), How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days (2003), Welcome to Mooseport (2004), Just My Luck (2006) and My Life in Ruins (2009).
