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Alan Balsam

Editor · Died November 13, 1992, aged 42 · Los Angeles, California, USA

Alan Balsam was born to Michael and Anita Balsam on 2nd April, 1950. He grew up in Los Angeles and attended California State University at Long Beach, graduating in 1972. He began his career making short promotional films featuring entertainers such as Bette Midler and George Harrison and took his first credit as an assistant film editor on 'Fatso' in 1979. He always worked in television on the AFI salute to Bette Davis and 'Heroes of Rock and Roll'.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
April 2, 1950
Died
November 13, 1992 (aged 42)
From
Los Angeles, California, USA
Works as
Editor
Titles
14 on MovieCove
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 2% in 30 days

What are Alan Balsam's films like?

Across their 12 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.

Genres

Comedy8 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 49th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Comedy movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 28th percentile
: browse their Action 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
Bonds
23%
Morality
22%
Self
22%
Survival
13%
Society
11%
Ideas
7%
Power
2%
Self-worth4 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFame2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themeRomantic love2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 12 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Wry: How sincerely it treats its story and characters, from ironic to earnest. Browse their wry movies.
Tone · Sincerity
ironicearnest

A split, not a type: Ironic 3 · Wry 2 · Earnest 7

Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 10 · Serious 1 · Dark 1

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

Grounded 3 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 4

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

Gentle 4 · Charged 6 · Intense 2

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

Steady 4 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 4

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

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 10

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

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 10 · Relentless 1

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 4 · Full focus 0

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

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Absurd
9
Tense
6
Joyful
4
Manic
3
Thrilling
3
Other
9

How their films linger

Fun10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFeel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet2
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous2
  • Cyclical1

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 Alan Balsam's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (6).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Alan Balsam'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

14 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page.

Career shape

A full career of 12 titles from 1978 to 1994.

Biggest box office

Harlem Nights (1989)

$61M worldwide

Highest rated

Better Off Dead (1985)

Midcredits 81st

By role

only this rolewith another role
Editing12 of 12: 12 only editing, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score53rd

By decade

1970s1 · crew1980s7 · crew1990s4 · 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 Alan Balsam's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 53rd percentile, the median of all 14; across their 12 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 40th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

40thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Approval · how many liked their films

54thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Reach · how many have seen their films

76thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 12

Midcredits score across 14 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 14 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Mixed5

Most divisive · editor

Car 54, Where Are You? (1994)

83rd percentile spread · 77% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · editor

A League of Their Own (1992)

Midcredits 91st · 79% liked

Reviewers score the pacing 46/100 in their films, across 12 reviewed titles; fans 59, detractors 27. The element that speaks to their work as an editor.

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 Alan Balsam's work okay for kids?

Across up to 5 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore3 titlesmedian 67 · intenseMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity4 titlesmedian 33 · mildMedian of all films: 32
Profanity5 titles32–81 · median 49 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs3 titlesmedian 35 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense3 titlesmedian 20 · mildMedian 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 Alan Balsam work with?

People who share at least 2 of Alan Balsam's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Savage Steve Holland shares the most, 2.

Directors

Actors

Cinematographers

Producers