Jeri Jacquin
This Friday from writer/director Danny Strong and IFC Films
is the life of an author who wrote himself into history as the REBEL IN THE
RYE.
The film begins with J.D. Salinger (Nicholas Hoult) stating
“Holden Caulfield is dead”! That being said, a young Salinger is trying to find
out where he belongs in the world. Convincing his parents that he wants to be a
writer, Jerry enters Columbia
University
Wanting to become published, Jerry’s learns that to be
published means giving up what he believes is the heart of his work. He also
finds love with Oona O’Neill (Zoey Deutch) and the war comes into his life.
Burnett sees this young writer with great potential leave for battle asking
that he continue writing stories with the character of Holden Caulfield.
War is more than he can take as Jerry retreats into himself mentally
telling the story of Caulfield. Trying to find his way back to the world, The Catcher in the Rye is born and the
book explodes. Jerry and wife Claire (Lucy Boynton) find a cottage in the woods
but it is only a matter of time before the world expects another masterpiece
from him. Even Burnett reaches out and Caulfield isn’t keen on going farther
than the fence on his land.
It is what happens when you ‘write and get nothing in return’.
Hoult as Salinger is absolutely stunning. He brings to the
character frustration, heart ache, stubbornness, fear, challenges and all of it
leads to Salinger being reclusive. He takes the character step by step but
doesn’t take his foot off the gas. I loved every moment of Hoult on screen and
probably because I have always loved Salinger’s work. He gives Salinger to us
with the good, bad and the ugly and I wouldn’t have it any other way. So well
done and thank you.
Spacey as Burnett, I mean really, do I need to say it?
Spacey gives this character a sly sense of humor and cutting wit but behind it
is such insecurity and fear equally Salinger’s own. Watching his protégé move
forward without him, Spacey’s Burnett is struggling to reconnect with what he
believes is a young man with immense talent. Spacey is once again outstanding
and beautiful in this role.
Paulson as Olding is an agent who believes in her client.
She continually struggles to get his work published, especially when they want
rewrites, but always does what Jerry wants. Boynton as Claire tries to
understand what Jerry is going through but he makes it difficult when he spends
more time writing than with their marriage and children. Deutch as Oona makes
Jerry happy until she doesn’t and her marriage to someone else is in the
tabloids and still talked about to this day.
Other cast include Brian d’Arcy James as Giroux, Victor
Garber as Sol Salinger, James Urbaniak as Gus, Adam Busch as Nigel, and
Jefferson Mays as William.
The film’s director Strong writes the screenplay with
Kenneth Slawenski who wrote the biography J.D.
Salinger: A Life. Together Strong and Slawenski give the audience some
insight to the life of Salinger.
THE REBEL IN THE RYE is cinematically beautiful with the era
costuming that adds another depth to the story telling. Hoult and Spacey together
are stunning playing off each other with a friendship that becomes a struggle
for Salinger. The scene between the two trying to reconnect really broke my
heart a bit and I loved it at the same time.
That’s really what this film does, takes us on a blink of an
eye journey through the life of a writer that has captured the hearts and minds
of millions – and continues to do so. After seeing the film I came home to find
my copy of The Catcher in the Rye and
within a few days came away with a deeper love of the book and a deeper joy
from the film.
Discover Salinger in a different way with REBEL IN THE RYE.
In the end – it is a battle between writing and the writer!
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