James Merendino is an American movie director and scriptwriter. He was born in New Jersey, and moved with his family to Salt Lake City, Utah when he was six years old. After pursuing post-secondary education in Rome and Los Angeles, California, studying Western philosophy and theology, Merendino settled in Hollywood, California when he was 19 years old, and began a tenure with Hollywood mogul Dan Melnick. In 1991, Merendino was hired for his first motion picture, Witchcraft IV. His second film, A River Made to Drown In (1997), is a movie that was pivotal to the gay community in the United States, with Richard Chamberlain coming out publicly after the film's release. Merendino's most successful film, SLC Punk, was released in 1998. The film is centered on two punk rockers living in Salt Lake City and follows their daily nihilistic lives. SLC Punk is semi-autobiographical. The 2000 film Magicians was a European co-production with Alan Arkin and Claire Forlani. Amerikana was produced as part of the Dogma 95 by Lars Von Trier. In 2016, the sequel long awaited sequel to SLC Punk, Punk's Dead was released. James Merendino has directed 18 movies also served as the writer on the majority of them. He was nominated for best original screenplay at the Independent Spirit Awards.
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Biography from TMDB.
- January 11, 1969 (57)
- Long Branch, New Jersey, USA
- Director, writer, actor and producer, also composer and editor
- 11 on MovieCove · 22 credits in all
What are James Merendino's films like?
Across their 11 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Survival.
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 5 · Serious 2 · Dark 4
Grounded 7 · Stylized 4 · Heightened 0
Gentle 4 · Charged 7 · Intense 0
Steady 5 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 1
Slow burn 5 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0
Casual 5 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 4 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 3
A split, not a type: Resolved 5 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 2
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Bittersweet4
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous3
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 James Merendino's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 7 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (5).
Subscription and free streaming for James Merendino'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
22 credits, 11 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.
Great Kills (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)
Alter Ego(2021)
Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films
Punk's Dead: SLC Punk 2(2016)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
The Invisible Life of Thomas Lynch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Death club (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)
Evil Remains(2004)
Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films
Amerikana (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Waiting for Harvey: A Beginner's Guide to Cannes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)
Ivans xtc.(2000)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Magicians(2000)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
SLC Punk!(1998)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
River Made to Drown In(1997)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
The First Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)
For Life or Death(1996)
Midcredits score: 3rd percentile of all films
The Real Thing(1996)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
Terrified(1994)
Midcredits score: 5th percentile of all films
The Upstairs Neighbour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Hard Drive (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Witchcraft V: Dance with the Devil (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all filmsGasoline (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
The Evergreen Fade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 21 titles, 19 of them dated from 1992 to 2022.
Film career
- 2000Screen debut· ivans xtc.
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 James Merendino's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 12th percentile, the median of all 11; across their 11 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 11th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up1
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th8
Shape of the crowd
8 of their 11 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Loved1
- Universally Panned1
- Divisive1
- Mixed8
Reviewers score the atmosphere 50/100 and the pacing 37/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
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 James Merendino work with?
People who share at least 2 of James Merendino's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Esther P. Russell shares the most, 5.
Actors
- James DuvalShared titles: Punk's Dead: SLC Punk 2 (2016), SLC Punk! (1998), River Made to Drown In (1997)See all 3 shared titles with James Duval
- Adam PascalShared titles: Punk's Dead: SLC Punk 2 (2016), SLC Punk! (1998)See all 2 shared titles with Adam Pascal
- Devon SawaShared titles: Punk's Dead: SLC Punk 2 (2016), SLC Punk! (1998)See all 2 shared titles with Devon Sawa
- Michael A. GoorjianShared titles: Punk's Dead: SLC Punk 2 (2016), SLC Punk! (1998)See all 2 shared titles with Michael A. Goorjian
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Esther P. RussellShared titles: Evil Remains (2004), SLC Punk! (1998), River Made to Drown In (1997), The Real Thing (1996), Terrified (1994)See all 5 shared titles with Esther P. Russell
- Thomas L. CallawayShared titles: Punk's Dead: SLC Punk 2 (2016), Evil Remains (2004), Magicians (2000), River Made to Drown In (1997)See all 4 shared titles with Thomas L. Callaway
- Greg LittlewoodShared titles: SLC Punk! (1998), For Life or Death (1996), The Real Thing (1996), Terrified (1994)See all 4 shared titles with Greg Littlewood
- Elmo WeberShared titles: Evil Remains (2004), Ivans xtc. (2000), Magicians (2000)See all 3 shared titles with Elmo Weber
Producers
- Sam MaydewShared titles: Evil Remains (2004), Magicians (2000), SLC Punk! (1998), River Made to Drown In (1997), Terrified (1994)See all 5 shared titles with Sam Maydew
- Danny KuchuckShared titles: Magicians (2000), For Life or Death (1996), Terrified (1994)See all 3 shared titles with Danny Kuchuck
- Andrea KreuzhageShared titles: Punk's Dead: SLC Punk 2 (2016), SLC Punk! (1998)See all 2 shared titles with Andrea Kreuzhage
- Katrina FernandezShared titles: Magicians (2000), SLC Punk! (1998)See all 2 shared titles with Katrina Fernandez
Mixed roles
- Rustam BranamanShared titles: The Real Thing (1996), Terrified (1994)See all 2 shared titles with Rustam Branaman
