Edward Decter (born 1959) is a film writer, director, and producer. His credits include, among other work, There's Something About Mary, The Santa Clause 3, The Santa Clause 2, The New Guy, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, and Boy Meets World. He frequently collaborates with fellow producer and writer John J. Strauss. Decter graduated from Wesleyan University in 1979. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ed Decter, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- May 19, 1959 (67)
- West Orange, New Jersey, USA
- Writer and producer, also director
- 14 on MovieCove · 23 credits in all
Known for
What are Ed Decter's films like?
Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
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 8
Light 8 · Serious 0 · Dark 0
Grounded 3 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 1
Gentle 6 · Charged 2 · Intense 0
Steady 6 · Shifting 1 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 0 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 7
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0
Casual 8 · Engaged 0 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 8 · Affecting 0 · Heavy 0
Resolved 8 · Open-ended 0 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy8
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 Ed Decter's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 13 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (7).
Subscription and free streaming for Ed Decter'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
23 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page.
Harlan Coben's Shelter(2023)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all shows
Shadowhunters(2016)
Midcredits score: 43rd percentile of all shows
Helix(2014)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all shows
The Client List(2011)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all shows
Unforgettable(2011)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all showsBackyards & Bullets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
The Wild(2006)
Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films
Rebound(2005)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
The Lizzie McGuire Movie(2003)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
The Santa Clause 2(2002)
Midcredits score: 38th percentile of all films
The New Guy(2002)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Head Over Heels(2001)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Odd Man Out (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all filmsThe Closer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)
Chicago Sons (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Me and the Boys (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Boy Meets World(1993)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows
Options (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)
Backyards & Bullets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Chloe Gamble (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
The Fallen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 23 titles, 20 of them dated from 1989 to 2023.
Biggest box office
There's Something About Mary (1998)
Highest rated
There's Something About Mary (1998)
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 Ed Decter's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 33rd percentile, the median of all 8; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 32nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 25th to 49th9
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
11 of their 14 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser2
- Mixed11
Reviewers score the dialogue 42/100 and the plot and story 30/100 in their films, across 8 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 Ed Decter's work okay for kids?
Across up to 6 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity, alcohol & drugs and frightening / intense run lighter 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 Ed Decter work with?
People who share at least 2 of Ed Decter's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; John J. Strauss shares the most, 7.
Directors
- Michael LembeckShared titles: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), The Santa Clause 2 (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Michael Lembeck
Writers
- John J. StraussShared titles: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), The Wild (2006), Rebound (2005), The Lizzie McGuire Movie (2003), The Santa Clause 2 (2002), Head Over Heels (2001), There's Something About Mary (1998)See all 7 shared titles with John J. Strauss
- Leo BenvenutiShared titles: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), The Santa Clause 2 (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Leo Benvenuti
- Steve RudnickShared titles: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), The Santa Clause 2 (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Steve Rudnick
Actors
- Elizabeth MitchellShared titles: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), The Santa Clause 2 (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Elizabeth Mitchell
- Eric LloydShared titles: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), The Santa Clause 2 (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Eric Lloyd
- Judge ReinholdShared titles: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), The Santa Clause 2 (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Judge Reinhold
- Liliana MumyShared titles: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), The Santa Clause 2 (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Liliana Mumy
Composers and editors
- David FinferShared titles: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), The Santa Clause 2 (2002)See all 2 shared titles with David Finfer
- George S. ClintonShared titles: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), The Santa Clause 2 (2002)See all 2 shared titles with George S. Clinton
Producers
- Brian ReillyShared titles: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), The Santa Clause 2 (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Brian Reilly
- James MillerShared titles: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), The Santa Clause 2 (2002)See all 2 shared titles with James Miller
- Jay WilliamsShared titles: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), The Santa Clause 2 (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Jay Williams
- Jeffrey SilverShared titles: The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause (2006), The Santa Clause 2 (2002)See all 2 shared titles with Jeffrey Silver
