John C. "Jay" Cocks Jr. (born January 12, 1944) is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is a graduate of Kenyon College. Before shifting to screenplay writing, he was a critic for Time, Newsweek, and Rolling Stone, among other magazines.
Biography from TMDB.
- January 12, 1944 (82)
- New York City, New York, USA
- Writer, also actor
- 7 on MovieCove · 8 credits in all
What are Jay Cocks' films like?
Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Ideas.
Genres
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
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 11
A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 2 · Dark 5
A split, not a type: Grounded 6 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 3
A split, not a type: Gentle 5 · Charged 3 · Intense 3
Steady 8 · Shifting 2 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 7 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0
Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0
Casual 4 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 3
A split, not a type: Easy watch 5 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 3
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy4
- Bittersweet7
- 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 Jay Cocks' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Jay Cocks' 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
8 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page; 15 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
A Complete Unknown(2024)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Silence(2016)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
De-Lovely(2004)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films
Gangs of New York(2002)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Strange Days(1995)
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
The Age of Innocence(1993)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Made in Milan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Career shape
A full career of 8 titles from 1988 to 2024.
Biggest box office
Gangs of New York (2002)
Highest rated
Mr. Scorsese (2025)
Most popular right now
A Complete Unknown (2024)
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.
Awards
7 major nominations and no wins, 1994–2025.
- Oscar, nominated · Best Adapted Screenplay
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Screenplay (Adapted)
+1 other major body · 1 nomination
- Writers Guild Award, nominated · Adapted Screenplay
- Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Original Screenplay
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Screenplay - Original
+1 other major body · 1 nomination
- Writers Guild Award, nominated · Best Original Screenplay
- Oscar, nominated · Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Jay Cocks' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 89th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 79th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up6
- 50th to 74th1
Shape of the crowd
None of their 7 titles divides audiences: 6 are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser6
Reviewers score the dialogue 58/100 and the plot and story 49/100 in their films, across 7 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 Jay Cocks' work okay for kids?
Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity, alcohol & drugs and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
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 Jay Cocks work with?
People who share at least 2 of Jay Cocks' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Martin Scorsese shares the most, 6.
Directors
- Martin ScorseseShared titles: Mr. Scorsese (2025), Silence (2016), Gangs of New York (2002), The Age of Innocence (1993), Innocence and Experience: The Making of 'The Age of Innocence' (1992), Movies Are My Life (1978)See all 6 shared titles with Martin Scorsese
- Gary LevaShared titles: A Moral Right: The Politics of Dirty Harry (2008), The Craft of Dirty Harry (2008), Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001 (2007)See all 3 shared titles with Gary Leva
Actors
- Daniel Day-LewisShared titles: Gangs of New York (2002), The Age of Innocence (1993), Innocence and Experience: The Making of 'The Age of Innocence' (1992)See all 3 shared titles with Daniel Day-Lewis
- Brian De PalmaShared titles: Mr. Scorsese (2025), Movies Are My Life (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Brian De Palma
- Robert De NiroShared titles: Mr. Scorsese (2025), Movies Are My Life (1978)See all 2 shared titles with Robert De Niro
- Steven SpielbergShared titles: Mr. Scorsese (2025), Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001 (2007)See all 2 shared titles with Steven Spielberg
Cinematographers and editors
- Yoram AstrakhanShared titles: A Moral Right: The Politics of Dirty Harry (2008), The Craft of Dirty Harry (2008), Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001 (2007)See all 3 shared titles with Yoram Astrakhan
- Thelma SchoonmakerShared titles: Mr. Scorsese (2025), Gangs of New York (2002), The Age of Innocence (1993)See all 3 shared titles with Thelma Schoonmaker
- Michael BallhausShared titles: Gangs of New York (2002), The Age of Innocence (1993)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Ballhaus
Producers
- Michael CrawfordShared titles: A Moral Right: The Politics of Dirty Harry (2008), The Craft of Dirty Harry (2008), Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001 (2007)See all 3 shared titles with Michael Crawford
- Barbara De FinaShared titles: Silence (2016), The Age of Innocence (1993)See all 2 shared titles with Barbara De Fina
- Julie FahertyShared titles: A Moral Right: The Politics of Dirty Harry (2008), The Craft of Dirty Harry (2008)See all 2 shared titles with Julie Faherty
Mixed roles
- Irwin WinklerShared titles: Mr. Scorsese (2025), De-Lovely (2004)See all 2 shared titles with Irwin Winkler
