Nancy Meyers (born December 8, 1949) is an American writer, director, and producer known for her romantic comedies, often focusing on middle-aged women. Meyers studied journalism and then moved to Los Angeles to work in the entertainment industry. Her breakthrough came in 1979 with Private Benjamin , which she co-wrote. In 1998, Meyers directed her first film, The Parent Trap . She has served as director, writer, and producer for her films, maintaining almost total control and holding final cut privileges. Meyers's other films include What Women Want (2000), Something's Gotta Give (2003), The Holiday (2006), It's Complicated (2009), and The Intern (2015).

What kinds of movies is Nancy Meyers known for making?

Nancy Meyers is an American writer, director, and producer recognized for her work in romantic comedies , many of which highlight middle-aged women. Meyers gained prominence for directing, writing, and producing movies such as The Parent Trap , What Women Want , Something's Gotta Give , The Holiday , It's Complicated , and The Intern . Her films often feature stylish sets and explore characters and issues not commonly seen in Hollywood movies. Meyers and other directors shifted the genre away from its emphasis on youth by presenting characters finding romance later in life.

What are some famous movies that Nancy Meyers has directed or written?

Nancy Meyers is an American writer, director, and producer known for her romantic comedies, often centered on middle-aged women. Meyers's notable works include Private Benjamin (1979), which she co-wrote and earned an Academy Award nomination for the screenplay. She directed The Parent Trap (1998) and wrote and directed What Women Want (2000), Something's Gotta Give (2003), The Holiday (2006), It's Complicated (2009), and The Intern (2015). She also produced the romantic comedy Home Again (2017), written and directed by her daughter Hallie Meyers-Shyer.

How does Nancy Meyers often portray families and relationships in her films?

Nancy Meyers is an American writer, director, and producer known for her romantic comedies, many of which focus on middle-aged women. Departing from the genre's emphasis on youth, Meyers innovates by portraying characters finding romance later in life. Films like Something's Gotta Give and It's Complicated feature women like Diane Keaton and Meryl Streep navigating love. Meyers often presents characters and issues absent in other Hollywood movies.

What are some common themes or settings in Nancy Meyers' movies?

Nancy Meyers is an American writer, director, and producer known for her romantic comedies, many of which focus on middle-aged women. Her films often feature stylish sets, which have become a trademark of her productions. Meyers often explores characters and issues that are typically absent in Hollywood movies.

How has Nancy Meyers influenced Hollywood and modern romantic comedies?

Nancy Meyers is an American writer, director, and producer known for her romantic comedies, many of which focus on middle-aged women. She often has total control over her films, serving as director, writer, and producer. Meyers's films often feature stylish sets, which have become a trademark of her productions. Some have noted that Meyers presents characters and issues often absent in Hollywood movies.

Nancy Meyers

Introduction References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images

Nancy Meyers smiling, wearing glasses, headphones around her neck, and a light scarf, in a publicity still from the film The Holiday.

Diane Keaton and Jack Nicholson smiling and walking on a beach in a scene from the film Something's Gotta Give, directed by Nancy Meyers.

Alec Baldwin and Meryl Streep stand facing each other in a lush vegetable garden, with Streep holding a basket and wearing a hat, in a scene from the film It's Complicated.

Dennis Quaid with his arm around Lindsay Lohan, both smiling, in a scene from the movie The Parent Trap (1998), standing outside near an open doorway.

Quick Facts

In full:: Nancy Jane Meyers

Born:: December 8, 1949, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. (age 76)

Notable Works:: “It’s Complicated”; “The Holiday”; “The Intern”; “The Parent Trap”; “What Women Want”

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Nancy Meyers

American writer, director, and producer

Also known as: Nancy Jane Meyers

Written by

Amy Tikkanen

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 2, 2026 •History

Top Questions

Who is Nancy Meyers?
Nancy Meyers (born December 8, 1949) is an American writer, director, and producer known for her romantic comedies, often focusing on middle-aged women.

Meyers studied journalism and then moved to Los Angeles to work in the entertainment industry. Her breakthrough came in 1979 with Private Benjamin, which she co-wrote. In 1998, Meyers directed her first film, The Parent Trap. She has served as director, writer, and producer for her films, maintaining almost total control and holding final cut privileges. Meyers's other films include What Women Want (2000), Something's Gotta Give (2003), The Holiday (2006), It's Complicated (2009), and The Intern (2015).
1 Britannica Source
1. Nancy Meyers
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What kinds of movies is Nancy Meyers known for making?
Nancy Meyers is an American writer, director, and producer recognized for her work in romantic comedies, many of which highlight middle-aged women.

Meyers gained prominence for directing, writing, and producing movies such as The Parent Trap, What Women Want, Something's Gotta Give, The Holiday, It's Complicated, and The Intern. Her films often feature stylish sets and explore characters and issues not commonly seen in Hollywood movies. Meyers and other directors shifted the genre away from its emphasis on youth by presenting characters finding romance later in life.
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1. romantic comedy: Resurgence and attempts to broaden the appeal
2. Nancy Meyers
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What are some famous movies that Nancy Meyers has directed or written?
Nancy Meyers is an American writer, director, and producer known for her romantic comedies, often centered on middle-aged women.

Meyers's notable works include Private Benjamin (1979), which she co-wrote and earned an Academy Award nomination for the screenplay. She directed The Parent Trap (1998) and wrote and directed What Women Want (2000), Something's Gotta Give (2003), The Holiday (2006), It's Complicated (2009), and The Intern (2015). She also produced the romantic comedy Home Again (2017), written and directed by her daughter Hallie Meyers-Shyer.
1 Britannica Source
1. Nancy Meyers
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How does Nancy Meyers often portray families and relationships in her films?
Nancy Meyers is an American writer, director, and producer known for her romantic comedies, many of which focus on middle-aged women. Departing from the genre's emphasis on youth, Meyers innovates by portraying characters finding romance later in life. Films like Something's Gotta Give and It's Complicated feature women like Diane Keaton and Meryl Streep navigating love. Meyers often presents characters and issues absent in other Hollywood movies.
2 Britannica Sources
1. romantic comedy: Resurgence and attempts to broaden the appeal
2. Nancy Meyers
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
What are some common themes or settings in Nancy Meyers' movies?
Nancy Meyers is an American writer, director, and producer known for her romantic comedies, many of which focus on middle-aged women. Her films often feature stylish sets, which have become a trademark of her productions. Meyers often explores characters and issues that are typically absent in Hollywood movies.
1 Britannica Source
1. Nancy Meyers
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
How has Nancy Meyers influenced Hollywood and modern romantic comedies?
Nancy Meyers is an American writer, director, and producer known for her romantic comedies, many of which focus on middle-aged women. She often has total control over her films, serving as director, writer, and producer. Meyers's films often feature stylish sets, which have become a trademark of her productions. Some have noted that Meyers presents characters and issues often absent in Hollywood movies.
1 Britannica Source
1. Nancy Meyers
Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Nancy Meyers (born December 8, 1949, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.) is an American writer, director, and producer who was best known for her romantic comedies, several of which centre on middle-aged women.

Meyers grew up in the Philadelphia area. After studying journalism at American University (B.A., 1970), she moved to Los Angeles to begin a career in the entertainment industry. She spent several years as a story editor, and in 1979 she had a breakthrough with Private Benjamin, which she wrote with Charles Shyer, who became her collaborator and domestic partner, and Harvey Miller. One of the early comedies to centre on women—Goldie Hawn played a widowed newlywed who impulsively joins the army—it was a huge hit, and Meyers earned an Academy Award nomination for the screenplay. She and Shyer then wrote and produced a series of popular movies, including Baby Boom (1987); Father of the Bride (1991), a remake of the 1950 classic comedy; and Father of the Bride Part II (1995).

In 1998 Meyers directed her first film, The Parent Trap, which was based on the 1961 Disney movie. Although a critical and commercial success, it was her last collaboration with Shyer as the couple subsequently parted ways. Meyers next wrote and helmed What Women Want (2000), which featured Mel Gibson as a chauvinistic advertising executive who develops the ability to read women’s minds after an accident. While the romantic comedy received mixed reviews, it was popular with moviegoers and cemented Meyers’s position as a major player in Hollywood. She wielded almost total control on her movies, serving as director, writer, and producer—in the early 2000s she formed her own production company, Waverly Films—and she was one of the few directors allowed final cut.

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Meyers’s next effort, Something’s Gotta Give (2003), starred Diane Keaton as a successful middle-aged playwright who finds herself pursued by a much-younger doctor (Keanu Reeves) and a 60ish playboy bachelor (Jack Nicholson). Another hit, the film also received attention for its stylish sets, a trademark of Meyers’s productions. In the crowd-pleaser The Holiday (2006), two women (Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz) switch homes after undergoing painful break-ups and subsequently find new love interests. Meyers then directed It’s Complicated (2009), about a divorced bakery owner (Meryl Streep) who has an affair with her ex-husband (Alec Baldwin) while beginning a relationship with an architect (Steve Martin). While some derided the film as “middle-aged porn,” others noted that Meyers presented characters and issues often absent in Hollywood movies. In The Intern (2015), Anne Hathaway portrayed the founder of a fashion site, and Robert De Niro was a retired widower who becomes her intern. Meyers later directed the short film Father of the Bride Part 3 (ish), which debuted on Netflix in 2020; made during the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus was incorporated into the story line.

Meyers produced the romantic comedy Home Again (2017), which was written and directed by her daughter Hallie Meyers-Shyer.

Amy Tikkanen

Nancy Meyers

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