Taylor was born in Oakland, California, and lived in Norway for a few years in his childhood. He attended the University of Montana and later San Francisco State University. He studied poetry and play-writing at San Francisco State before moving into screenwriting in 1993. Taylor frequently works and produces films in the San Francisco bay area rather than for major studios in Hollywood and Los Angeles. Taylor told the San Francisco Chronicle, "I feel really strongly that I stay based up here. My roots in San Francisco go way back to when I ran a literary series at Intersection for the Arts. I see no reason to work anywhere else." Taylor has also cited the greater creative control and the ability to make unconventional films as a reason for remaining independent. In 1994, Taylor wrote his first feature film, Pontiac Moon. - IMDb Mini Biography By: yusufpiskin
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Biography from TMDB.
- July 4, 1958 (68)
- Oakland, California, USA
- Writer and director, also producer
- 6 on Motif
What are Finn Taylor's films like?
Across their 6 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.
Genres
Their Motif films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Motif score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 6
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 1 · Dark 2
Grounded 3 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 0
Gentle 2 · Charged 4 · Intense 0
A split, not a type: Steady 3 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 2
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 0
Casual 5 · Engaged 1 · Full focus 0
A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 1 · Heavy 2
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet3
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 Finn Taylor's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 1 of their 6 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Finn Taylor's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif 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
6 credits, 6 with a Motif page.
Motif score: 78th percentile of all films
Unleashed(2016)
Motif score: 55th percentile of all films
The Darwin Awards(2006)
Motif score: 37th percentile of all films
Cherish(2002)
Motif score: 64th percentile of all films
Dream with the Fishes(1997)
Motif score: 77th percentile of all films
Pontiac Moon(1994)
Motif score: 35th percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 6 titles from 1994 to 2026.
Biggest box office
Dream with the Fishes (1997)
Highest rated
Dream with the Fishes (1997)
Most popular right now
The Darwin Awards (2006)
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 Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.
How do Finn Taylor's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 60th percentile, the median of all 6; across their 6 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 52nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th2
Shape of the crowd
3 of their 6 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the dialogue 55/100 and the plot and story 51/100 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 Motif; 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 Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif 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 Finn Taylor work with?
People who share at least 2 of Finn Taylor's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Rick LeCompte shares the most, 4.
Writers
- Jeffrey D. BrownShared titles: Dream with the Fishes (1997), Pontiac Moon (1994)See all 2 shared titles with Jeffrey D. Brown
Actors
- David ArquetteShared titles: The Darwin Awards (2006), Dream with the Fishes (1997)See all 2 shared titles with David Arquette
- Nora DunnShared titles: The Darwin Awards (2006), Cherish (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Nora Dunn
- Brad HuntShared titles: Cherish (2002), Dream with the Fishes (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Brad Hunt
- Cathy MoriartyShared titles: Dream with the Fishes (1997), Pontiac Moon (1994)See all 2 shared titles with Cathy Moriarty
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Rick LeCompteShared titles: The Optimist: The Bravest Act Is Truth (2023), Unleashed (2016), Cherish (2002), Dream with the Fishes (1997)See all 4 shared titles with Rick LeCompte
- Jenny ScheinmanShared titles: The Optimist: The Bravest Act Is Truth (2023), Unleashed (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Jenny Scheinman
- Barry StoneShared titles: Cherish (2002), Dream with the Fishes (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Barry Stone
Producers
- Joseph MiddletonShared titles: The Darwin Awards (2006), Cherish (2002), Dream with the Fishes (1997)See all 3 shared titles with Joseph Middleton
- Jennifer GoshayShared titles: The Optimist: The Bravest Act Is Truth (2023), Unleashed (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Jennifer Goshay
- Todd SlaterShared titles: The Optimist: The Bravest Act Is Truth (2023), Unleashed (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Todd Slater
- Charles HsiaoShared titles: The Darwin Awards (2006), Dream with the Fishes (1997)See all 2 shared titles with Charles Hsiao