Storyline
The life of celebrated but reclusive author, J.D. Salinger, who gained worldwide fame with the publication of his novel, "The Catcher in the Rye".
Writers: Danny Strong, Kenneth Slawenski, Sarah Paulson, Zoey Deutch, Nicholas Hoult, Sarah Paulson, Zoey Deutch, Nicholas Hoult, Kevin Spacey, Lucy Boynton, Victor Garber, Hope Davis, Amy Rutberg, James Urbaniak, Brian d'Arcy James, Eric Bogosian, Naian González Norvind, Evan Hall, Adam Busch, Celeste Arias, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Cast: Sarah Paulson -
Dorothy Olding
Zoey Deutch -
Oona O'Neill
Nicholas Hoult -
J.D. Salinger
Kevin Spacey -
Whit Burnett
Lucy Boynton -
Claire Douglas
Victor Garber -
Sol Salinger
Hope Davis -
Amy Rutberg -
Betsy Hopper
James Urbaniak -
Gus Lobrano
Brian d'Arcy James -
Giroux
Eric Bogosian -
Harold Ross
Naian González Norvind -
Queens Girl
Evan Hall -
Rory Johnson
Adam Busch -
Nigel Bench
Celeste Arias -
Doris Salinger
Taglines:
Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.
Country: USA
Language: English
Release Date: 3 Jan 2017
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
Nicholas wore brown contact lenses for this role. See more »
User Review
Author:
Rating: 6/10
Greetings again from the darkness. "Holden Caulfield is dead." So
states Jerry's letter to his mentor. You likely know Jerry better as
J.D. Salinger, and he wrote that while hospitalized with Post Traumatic
Stress Syndrome after WWII. Of course, we know this proclamation is
premature, as Holden Caulfield is the main character from Mr.
Salinger's famous (and only) novel, "The Catcher in the Rye" a high
school literature staple for decades.
Imagine your dream is to become a great writer, but your own father
continually reminds you that "meat and cheese distribution has been
good for this family." Your restlessness often works against you, and
though you are hesitant to admit it, a mentor for writing and life
direction is desperately needed if you are to avoid the family
business. Enter Columbia professor Whit Burnett (Kevin Spacey).
This is Danny Strong's first feature film as a director, though you
would surely recognize his face from his frequent acting appearances
often as a weasly character. He is also the creator of TV's "Empire"
and wrote the screenplays for THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY (Parts I and
II) and LEE DANIELS' THE BUTLER. Strong does an admirable job in
showing the commitment required to hone one's writing skills and
proving "the difference in wanting to be a writer and actually being
one."
Jerome David Salinger is played well by Nicholas Hoult. His scenes with
Spacey's professor are the film's best, and Hoult also shoulders the
responsibility of Salinger's writing frustrations, personal life
challenges, military service, and finally, his decision to become the
most famous and long-lasting recluse (by comparison, Howard Hughes was
an amateur).
We learn that Burnett was instrumental in getting Salinger's first
short story published, which finally gave Jerry the answer needed for a
writer's most dreaded question, "Have you been published?" Quite a bit
of time is devoted to his odd romantic relationship with Oona O'Neill
(Eugene's daughter and the future, long-time wife to Charlie Chaplin).
Zoey Deutch (daughter of Lea Thompson) plays Oona as an enigmatic lover
attracted to Salinger's genius, but incapable of being patient for his
career that might happen (and might not). She opts for the sure bet.
Salinger's military service included Utah Beach on D-Day, and nearly as
remarkably, his toting the tattered manuscript 'Catcher' pages
throughout his tour. He returned home in 1946, and in 1951 "The Catcher
in the Rye" was published. It's been referred to as the Great American
novel and a rite of passage, while also being banned and derided for
its whiny Holden.
Director Strong emphasizes Salinger's turn to Zen Buddhism and his
sessions with Swami Nikhilanda, as well as his evolving distrust of
stalking fans and two-faced media. Support work is provided by Sarah
Paulson as Salinger's salty agent, Lucy Boynton as his wife, Victor
Garber as his father, and Hope Davis as his supportive mother. Just as
in real life, we get nothing of Salinger's later years of solitude and
isolation in New Hampshire, where he died at age 91.
The book has sold more than 65 million copies, and continues to sell
well today. In a shift from the recent documentary SALINGER by Shane
Salerno, and the book "J.D. Salinger: A Life Raised High" by Kenneth
Slawenski, this dramatization doesn't dig too deep, but it does allow a
new generation to personify the legend. Perhaps it even paints a
picture of a better/nicer man than what his real life actions showed.
Regardless, the older Salinger certainly seemed to embrace the cause of
"write and get nothing in return".
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