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Denis Johnson

Denis Johnson

Writer · Died May 24, 2017, aged 67 · Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Denis Hale Johnson was an American writer best known for his short story collection Jesus' Son (1992) and his novel Tree of Smoke (2007), which won the National Book Award for Fiction. He also wrote plays, poetry, journalism, and non-fiction.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 1, 1949
Died
May 24, 2017 (aged 67)
From
Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Works as
Writer
Titles
4 on MovieCove · 7 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 8% in 30 days

What are Denis Johnson's films like?

Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
43%
Bonds
23%
Survival
19%
Society
9%
Ideas
6%

What they feel like to watch

their average across 4 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 2 · Dark 2

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

Grounded 0 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 1

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

Gentle 0 · Charged 3 · Intense 1

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

Steady 1 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 1

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

Straight-faced 3 · 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 1 · 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 1 · Engaged 3 · 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 1 · Heavy 3

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 0 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings shown from 5 titles

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
3
Contemplative
3
Tense
2
Absurd
2
Elegiac
1
Other
1

How their films linger

Unsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

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 Denis Johnson's films?

As of October 24, 2026, all 4 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (3).

Subscription and free streaming for Denis Johnson'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

7 credits, 4 with a MovieCove page.

  • Train Dreams(2025)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Stars at Noon(2022)

    Novel

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films

  • Two Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Writer

  • Jesus' Son(1999)

    Book · Music Consultant · as Terrence Weber

    Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films

  • Hit Me(1996)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • The Prom (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

    Writer

  • Armchair Theatre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Show 1 episode · Writer

Career shape

A full career of 7 titles from 1956 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Jesus' Son (1999)

$1.3M worldwide

Highest rated

Train Dreams (2025)

Midcredits 95th

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 7: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleWriting7 of 7: 6 only writing, 1 with another roleOther crew1 of 7: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1950s1 · crew1990s2 · crew2000s2 · 1 acting · 2 crew2020s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.

How do Denis Johnson's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 54th percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 57th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

57thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Approval · how many liked their films

50thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Reach · how many have seen their films

87thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 4

Midcredits score across 4 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up2
  • 25th to 49th2

Shape of the crowd

None of their 4 titles divides audiences: 2 are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Crowd Pleaser1
  • Mixed2

Most loved · writer

Train Dreams (2025)

Midcredits 95th · 82% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 53/100 and the plot and story 36/100 in their films, across 4 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 Denis Johnson's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 62 · intenseMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Denis Johnson work with?

People who share at least 2 of Denis Johnson's MovieCove titles; Will Patton shares the most, 2.