Patricia "Patty" MacLachlan (born March 3, 1938) is an American children's writer, who is best known for the 1986 Newbery Medal-winning novel Sarah, Plain and Tall which was later adapted as a TV movie starring Glenn Close and Christopher Walken. She is a board member of the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance, a national not-for-profit that actively advocates for literacy, literature, and libraries.
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Biography from TMDB.
- March 3, 1938 (88)
- Writer and producer
- 4 on MovieCove · 5 credits in all
What are Patricia MacLachlan's films like?
Across a limited sample of 4 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Survival.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 4
Light 2 · Serious 2 · Dark 0
Grounded 4 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0
Gentle 2 · Charged 2 · Intense 0
Steady 4 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 1
Resolved 4 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
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 Patricia MacLachlan's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 1 of their 4 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Patricia MacLachlan'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
5 credits, 4 with a MovieCove page.
Baby(2000)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Journey(1995)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Skylark (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Sarah, Plain and Tall(1991)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 5 titles from 1991 to 2000.
How do Patricia MacLachlan's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 67th percentile, the median of all 4; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 69th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
2 of their 4 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser1
- Mixed2
Reviewers score the dialogue 55/100 and the plot and story 56/100 in their films, across 3 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.
Who does Patricia MacLachlan work with?
People who share at least 2 of Patricia MacLachlan's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Glenn Close shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Glenn JordanShared titles: Sarah, Plain & Tall: Winter's End (1999), Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)See all 2 shared titles with Glenn Jordan
Actors
- Glenn CloseShared titles: Baby (2000), Sarah, Plain & Tall: Winter's End (1999), Journey (1995), Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)See all 4 shared titles with Glenn Close
- Betty LairdShared titles: Sarah, Plain & Tall: Winter's End (1999), Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)See all 2 shared titles with Betty Laird
- Christopher BellShared titles: Sarah, Plain & Tall: Winter's End (1999), Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)See all 2 shared titles with Christopher Bell
- Christopher WalkenShared titles: Sarah, Plain & Tall: Winter's End (1999), Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)See all 2 shared titles with Christopher Walken
Composers
- David ShireShared titles: Sarah, Plain & Tall: Winter's End (1999), Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)See all 2 shared titles with David Shire
Producers
- Richard WelshShared titles: Sarah, Plain & Tall: Winter's End (1999), Journey (1995)See all 2 shared titles with Richard Welsh
- William SelfShared titles: Sarah, Plain & Tall: Winter's End (1999), Sarah, Plain and Tall (1991)See all 2 shared titles with William Self