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Martha Coolidge

Martha Coolidge

Director and producer · Born August 17, 1946 (80) · New Haven, Connecticut, USA

Martha Coolidge is an American film director and former President of the Directors Guild of America. She has directed such films as Valley Girl, Real Genius and Rambling Rose.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 17, 1946 (80)
From
New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Works as
Director and producer
Titles
30 on MovieCove · 50 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Down 36% in 30 days

What are Martha Coolidge's films like?

Across their 20 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.

Genres

Comedy12 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 42nd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama7 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Bonds
41%
Self
27%
Society
16%
Survival
9%
Morality
4%
Power
3%
Family bonds9 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love7 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship3 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity4 titles, browse their movies with this themePrejudice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief3 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 20 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 12 · Serious 6 · Dark 2

Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 16 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 1

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 10 · Charged 10 · Intense 0

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 11 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 0

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 4

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 12 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 0

Casual: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their casual movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 17 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 0

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 10 · Affecting 7 · Heavy 3

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 18 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
7
Hopeful
9
Bittersweet
7
Melancholic
6
Romantic
5
Other
20

How their films linger

Feel-good12 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful11 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy12
  • Bittersweet7
  • Tragic1

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Martha Coolidge's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 22 of their 30 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (8).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Martha Coolidge's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

50 credits, 30 with a MovieCove page; 14 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • I'll Find You(2019)

    Director · as NY Female Florist

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films

  • Siren(2018)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows

  • Angie Tribeca (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Madam Secretary(2014)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • The Glades(2010)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all shows

  • Drop Dead Diva(2009)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows

  • Tribute(2009)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • An American Girl: Chrissa Stands Strong(2009)

    Director · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Material Girls(2006)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Psych(2006)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows

  • Related (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Weeds(2005)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all shows

  • The Twelve Days of Christmas Eve(2004)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Huff (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Infidelity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Executive Producer

  • The Prince and Me(2004)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • The Ponder Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director

  • Leap Years (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • The Flamingo Rising(2001)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all films

  • CSI: Crime Scene Investigation(2000)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows

  • If These Walls Could Talk 2(2000)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Rip Girls(2000)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Introducing Dorothy Dandridge(1999)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Sex and the City(1998)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows

  • Out to Sea(1997)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Three Wishes(1995)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films

  • Beverly Hills Cop III(1994)

    as Security Woman

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Angie(1994)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Lost in Yonkers(1993)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Crazy in Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director

  • Rambling Rose(1991)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Bare Essentials(1991)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • Trenchcoat in Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Director

  • Plain Clothes(1988)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Sledge Hammer!(1986)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows

  • The Twilight Zone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Show 3 episodes · Director

  • Real Genius(1985)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films

  • Joy of Sex(1984)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 4th percentile of all films

  • The City Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director · Producer · Story

  • Valley Girl(1983)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The London Connection (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Story

  • Not a Pretty Picture (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Writer · as Herself

  • Old-Fashioned Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Writer · as Self

  • More Than a School (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Director

  • Year of the Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Sound

  • David: Off and On (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Writer · as Herself - interviewer

  • Hallmark Hall of Fame (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1951)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Directors on Directing (Part 2) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Actor

  • Employment Discrimination: The Troubleshooters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

  • Passing Quietly Through (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 49 titles, 46 of them dated from 1951 to 2019.

Biggest box office

The Prince and Me (2004)

$38M worldwide

Highest rated

Real Genius (1985)

Midcredits 81st

Most popular right now

The Prince and Me (2004)

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting3 of 49: 2 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting44 of 49: 38 only directing, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score63rdWriting5 of 49: 1 only writing, 4 with another roleProducing6 of 49: 1 only producing, 5 with another roleEditing3 of 49: 0 only editing, 3 with another roleOther crew1 of 49: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

49 titles, 6 with more than one role — directing and producing overlap on 5 of them.

By decade

1950s1 · crew1970s6 · crew1980s8 · crew1990s10 · 1 acting · 9 crew2000s16 · crew2010s5 · 1 acting · 5 crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Martha Coolidge's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 47th percentile, the median of all 21; across their 20 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 46th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

46thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Approval · how many liked their films

50thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Reach · how many have seen their films

73rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 20

Midcredits score across 30 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up9
  • 50th to 74th9
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

15 of their 30 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved3
  • Universally Panned1
  • Crowd Pleaser15
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed9

Most divisive · director

Material Girls (2006)

84th percentile spread · 55% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Psych (2006)

Midcredits 95th · 90% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 65/100 and the pacing 45/100 in their films, across 19 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Martha Coolidge's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 11 · minimalMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles30–60 · median 45 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity3 titlesmedian 32 · mildMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 33

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Martha Coolidge work with?

People who share at least 2 of Martha Coolidge's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Johnny E. Jensen shares the most, 9.

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers