Skip to content
MovieCove
Joyce Chopra

Joyce Chopra

Director · Born October 27, 1936 (90) · New York City, New York, USA

Joyce Chopra is an American director and writer of feature films and television. Chopra graduated from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. Chopra was married to American stage and screenwriter Tom Cole until he died on February 23, 2009. Her first narrative feature-length film, Smooth Talk (1985), won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Director and Grand Jury Prize at the 1985 Sundance Film Festival. The film is an adaptation of Joyce Carol Oates' 1966 short story, Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?, and was adapted by her husband, Tom Cole.

Read more

Biography from TMDB.

Born
October 27, 1936 (90)
From
New York City, New York, USA
Works as
Director
Titles
17 on MovieCove · 41 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 156 days to Oct 27Up 24% in 30 days

What are Joyce Chopra's films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Drama8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 42nd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Crime3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 58th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime 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
Self
30%
Bonds
25%
Morality
22%
Ideas
8%
Survival
7%
Society
5%
Power
3%
Family bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeTruth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 12 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 11 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

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

A split, not a type: Gentle 6 · Charged 5 · Intense 1

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

Steady 9 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 9 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 6 · Even-paced 6 · 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 6 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Warm
7
Tense
7
Hopeful
3
Melancholic
4
Contemplative
2
Other
8

How their films linger

Feel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 1 with a twist

  • Happy7
  • Bittersweet3
  • Ambiguous2

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 Joyce Chopra's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 17 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Joyce Chopra'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

41 credits, 17 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • This Is a Film About My Mother (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    as Anne

  • Gramercy Stories (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

    Director

  • Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front(2006)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Hollywood Wives: The New Generation(2003)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • The Last Cowboy(2003)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Everwood(2002)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows

  • Law & Order: Criminal Intent(2001)

    Show 2 episodes · Director

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows

  • Crossing Jordan(2001)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all shows

  • Blonde (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Show 2 episodes · Director · Creator

  • Rip Girls(2000)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • The Lady in Question (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director

  • Law & Order: Special Victims Unit(1999)

    Show 1 episode · Director

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Replacing Dad (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director

  • Murder in a Small Town(1999)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • Convictions (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Director

  • L.A. Johns(1997)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • My Very Best Friend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Director

  • Deadline for Murder: From the Files of Edna Buchanan(1995)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all films

  • The Corpse Had a Familiar Face(1994)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Angel Falls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Show 5 episodes · Director

  • The Disappearance of Nora (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Director

  • The Danger of Love: The Carolyn Warmus Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Director

  • Baby Snatcher(1992)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • Murder in New Hampshire: The Pamela Smart Story(1991)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • The Lemon Sisters(1989)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Smooth Talk(1985)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • American Playhouse (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Show 1 episode · Director

  • Music Lessons: The Kodaly Method in the American Classroom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Director · Editor · Producer

  • Martha Clarke Light & Dark: A Dancer’s Journal (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director

  • Sally Garcia and Family (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director

  • That Our Children Would Not Die (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director · Editor · Producer · Writer

  • Clorae and Albie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Director · Editor · Producer

  • Girls at 12 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1975)

    Director · Editor · Producer

  • Matina Horner: Portrait of a Person (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Director

  • Joyce at 34 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Director · Writer · as Self

  • Marathon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Director

  • A Happy Mother's Day (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Director

  • Dead Birds(1963)

    Sound Editor

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Chair (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Editor

  • Blackie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Editor

  • Nehru (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Editor

Career shape

A full career of 41 titles from 1962 to 2022.

Biggest box office

The Lemon Sisters (1989)

$3.5M worldwide

Highest rated

Molly: An American Girl on the Home Front (2006)

Midcredits 69th

Most popular right now

Rip Girls (2000)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 41: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleDirecting36 of 41: 30 only directing, 6 with another role · typical Midcredits score56thWriting2 of 41: 0 only writing, 2 with another roleProducing4 of 41: 0 only producing, 4 with another roleEditing7 of 41: 3 only editing, 4 with another roleOther crew2 of 41: 1 only other crew, 1 with another role

41 titles, 6 with more than one role — directing and editing overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

1960s6 · crew1970s6 · crew1980s5 · crew1990s14 · crew2000s9 · crew2020s1 · acting

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 Joyce Chopra's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 47th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 44th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

44thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Approval · how many liked their films

45thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Reach · how many have seen their films

44thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Midcredits score across 17 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th5
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 17 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic2
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · director

The Lemon Sisters (1989)

89th percentile spread · 33% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · director

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999)

Midcredits 88th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 66/100 and the pacing 49/100 in their films, across 10 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.

Who does Joyce Chopra work with?

People who share at least 2 of Joyce Chopra's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; James Glennon shares the most, 5.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers