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James Dearden

James Dearden

Writer, director and producer · Born September 14, 1949 (77) · London, England

Born
September 14, 1949 (77)
From
London, England
Works as
Writer, director and producer
Titles
8 on MovieCove · 14 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 28Up 35% in 30 days

What are James Dearden's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Drama3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 73rd percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 41st percentile
: 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
29%
Bonds
26%
Morality
25%
Survival
8%
Society
7%
Power
5%
Obsession2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeBetrayal2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 6 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 0 · Serious 1 · Dark 5

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

Grounded 5 · 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 1 · Charged 1 · Intense 4

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

Steady 0 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 0

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

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

Slow burn 3 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0

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

Casual 2 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

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

Easy watch 0 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 3

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

Resolved 5 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
6
Dread
5
Melancholic
3
Bittersweet
2
Romantic
1
Other
4

How their films linger

Unsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 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

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet4
  • Tragic2

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 James Dearden's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 8 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for James Dearden'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

14 credits, 8 with a MovieCove page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Unprecedented Crimes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Producer

  • Fatal Attraction(2023)

    Show 8 episodes · Original Film Writer · Screenplay · Teleplay · Writer

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows

  • Christmas Survival(2018)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films

  • Belle du Seigneur(2012)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films

  • Rogue Trader(1999)

    Director · Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Baazigar(1993)

    Original Story

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • A Kiss Before Dying(1991)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Pascali's Island(1988)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • Fatal Attraction(1987)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • The Cold Room (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

    Director · Writer

  • Diversion ... (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Director · Writer

  • Diversion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Director · Writer

  • The Contraption (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director

  • Panic (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director

Career shape

A full career of 14 titles from 1978 to 2024.

Biggest box office

Fatal Attraction (1987)

$320M worldwide

Highest rated

Fatal Attraction (1987)

Midcredits 79th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing9 of 14: 2 only directing, 7 with another roleWriting11 of 14: 4 only writing, 7 with another role · typical Midcredits score41stProducing2 of 14: 1 only producing, 1 with another role

14 titles, 7 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 7 of them.

By decade

1970s3 · crew1980s4 · crew1990s3 · 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.

How do James Dearden's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 54th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 6 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 6

Approval · how many liked their films

41stpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Reach · how many have seen their films

75thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 6

Midcredits score across 8 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

3 of their 8 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser3
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · writer

Belle du Seigneur (2012)

71st percentile spread · 30% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Baazigar (1993)

Midcredits 92nd · 85% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 46/100 and the plot and story 41/100 in their films, across 6 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 James Dearden's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 78 · intenseMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity5 titles49–72 · median 62 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32

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 James Dearden work with?

People who share at least 2 of James Dearden's MovieCove titles; Paul Raphael shares the most, 3.