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Joel Cohen

Joel Cohen

Writer and producer, also director · Born August 23, 1963 (63)

Oscar nominee · 1 other major award body

Joel Cohen (born August 23, 1963) is an American writer and actor, known for Toy Story (1995), Evan Almighty (2007), and Cheaper by the Dozen (2003).

Biography from TMDB.

Born
August 23, 1963 (63)
Works as
Writer and producer, also director
Titles
18 on MovieCove · 21 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 27Down 16% in 30 days

What are Joel Cohen's films like?

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

Genres

Animation4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 36th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies
Comedy4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 22nd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Adventure2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 18th percentile
: browse their Adventure 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
50%
Self
19%
Morality
17%
Society
7%
Power
5%
Survival
2%
Family bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship4 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 12 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 9 · Serious 2 · Dark 1

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

Grounded 2 · Stylized 9 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 5 · Charged 6 · Intense 1

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

Steady 7 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 2

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

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 3 · Funny 8

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 8 · Relentless 1

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

Casual 10 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 10 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Joyful
8
Warm
7
Absurd
7
Thrilling
4
Tense
3
Other
5

How their films linger

Feel-good10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy10
  • Bittersweet1
  • Ambiguous1

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 Joel Cohen's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 12 of their 18 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Joel Cohen'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

21 credits, 18 with a MovieCove page.

  • The Inseparables(2023)

    Producer · Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films

  • Troll Hunters(2015)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • The Angry Birds Movie(2016)

    Creative Consultant

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • The Last Godfather(2010)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Gnomes & Trolls: The Secret Chamber(2009)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Daddy Day Camp(2007)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 2nd percentile of all films

  • Evan Almighty(2007)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films

  • Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties(2006)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Cheaper by the Dozen 2(2005)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Garfield: The Movie(2004)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Cheaper by the Dozen(2003)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Goodbye Lover(1998)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Money Talks(1997)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Eight Days a Week(1997)

    as Yard Sale Customer

    Midcredits score: 42nd percentile of all films

  • Toy Story(1995)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Monster Mash: The Movie(1995)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films

  • Pass the Ammo (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Writer

  • Sister, Sister(1987)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Strange Invaders(1983)

    Associate Producer · as Tim

    Midcredits score: 21st percentile of all films

  • Hot Money (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Writer

  • Q. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Producer · Screenplay

Career shape

A full career of 21 titles, 20 of them dated from 1983 to 2023.

Biggest box office

Toy Story (1995)

$401M worldwide

Highest rated

Toy Story (1995)

Midcredits 99th

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting2 of 21: 1 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting1 of 21: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleWriting16 of 21: 14 only writing, 2 with another role · typical Midcredits score24thProducing4 of 21: 2 only producing, 2 with another roleOther crew1 of 21: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

21 titles, 3 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 1 of them.

By decade

1980s4 · 1 acting · 4 crew1990s5 · 1 acting · 4 crew2000s7 · crew2010s2 · crew2020s2 · 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.

Awards

2 major nominations and no wins, 1996–2026.

  1. 2026
    • Writers Guild Award, nominated · Animation
  2. 1996
    • Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do Joel Cohen's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 31st percentile, the median of all 18; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 31st percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

31stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Approval · how many liked their films

25thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Reach · how many have seen their films

86thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Midcredits score across 18 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th8

Shape of the crowd

10 of their 18 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Divisive2
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed10

Most divisive · producer

Troll Hunters (2015)

95th percentile spread · 49% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Toy Story (1995)

Midcredits 99th · 92% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 44/100 and the plot and story 38/100 in their films, across 10 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

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 Joel Cohen's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, every category sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles27–67 · median 50 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles19–46 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles9–72 · median 37 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles17–48 · median 30 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense6 titles27–50 · median 47 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

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 Joel Cohen work with?

People who share at least 2 of Joel Cohen's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alec Sokolow shares the most, 10.

Writers

Actors

Composers

Producers