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Nancy Dowd

Nancy Dowd

Writer and director · Born January 1, 1945 (81) · Framingham, Massachusetts, USA

Nancy Dowd (born 1945) is an American screenwriter.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 1, 1945 (81)
From
Framingham, Massachusetts, USA
Works as
Writer and director
Titles
16 on MovieCove · 17 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 155 days to Oct 26Up 28% in 30 days

What are Nancy Dowd's films like?

Across their 13 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Power.

Genres

Comedy6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 71st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile
: 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
Self
38%
Power
15%
Bonds
15%
Society
14%
Survival
11%
Morality
4%
Ideas
3%
Self-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity4 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeCommunity3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 9 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 2 · Charged 8 · Intense 3

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

A split, not a type: Steady 6 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 2

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

Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 3

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

Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 9 · 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 8 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
6
Tense
5
Melancholic
4
Warm
3
Contemplative
4
Other
16

How their films linger

Hopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy2
  • Bittersweet9
  • Tragic1
  • 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 Nancy Dowd's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 16 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Nancy Dowd'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

17 credits, 16 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

  • Slap Shot 3: The Junior League(2008)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all films

  • Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice(2002)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • Let It Ride(1989)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Happy New Year(1987)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films

  • White Nights(1985)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Cloak & Dagger(1984)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films

  • Swing Shift(1984)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains(1982)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Love(1982)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Ordinary People(1980)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • North Dallas Forty(1979)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films

  • Straight Time(1978)

    Additional Writing · Writer

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films

  • Coming Home(1978)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Slap Shot(1977)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • Saturday Night Live(1975)

    Show 2 episodes · Writer

    Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows

  • FTA(1972)

    Additional Writing · Assistant Editor · Writer

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Angela Davis: Portrait of a Revolutionary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Sound

Career shape

A full career of 17 titles from 1972 to 2008.

Biggest box office

Ordinary People (1980)

$55M worldwide

Highest rated

Ordinary People (1980)

Midcredits 96th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Directing1 of 17: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleWriting10 of 17: 9 only writing, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score55thOther crew7 of 17: 7 only other crew, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score74th

By decade

1970s7 · crew1980s8 · crew2000s2 · 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 Nancy Dowd's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 69th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 67th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

67thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

68thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

79thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th6
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 16 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Universally Panned1
  • Divisive2
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · director, writer

Love (1982)

91st percentile spread · 49% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Ordinary People (1980)

Midcredits 96th · 84% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 62/100 and the plot and story 45/100 in their films, across 12 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 Nancy Dowd's work okay for kids?

Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, 1 of the 4 categories sits near the median of all films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 53 · moderateMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity6 titles15–54 · median 35 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 58 · moderateMedian of all films: 36
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 39 · moderateMedian 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 Nancy Dowd work with?

People who share at least 2 of Nancy Dowd's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Alvin Sargent shares the most, 2.

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles