Movie Blog Post: REBEL IN THE RYE | GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN

By Le Anne Lindsay, Editor

A biopic about the celebrated but reclusive author, J.D. Salinger, famous for his novel, “The Catcher in the Rye”. (died 2010 age 91) the movie is written and directed by Danny Strong who is the co-creator of the TV Show Empire (w/ Lee Daniels) and for other Gilmore Girl fans like myself, he plays Paris’s boyfriend Doyle.

Rebel in the Rye stars Nicholas Hoult, who was a child actor in one of my all time favorite movies About a Boy with Hugh Grant. He’s also Beast in a number of the X-men movies, a cute zombie in Warm Bodies (see below) and I’m really looking forward to him playing Nikola Tesla in the upcoming Benedict Cumberbatch movie about Thomas Edison called The Current War.

The biopic starts with Salinger as a cocky youth, college age, having already been kicked out of more than one school. His mother is in his corner, no matter what he decides to do, his father (Victor Garber) is worriedly disappointed in his son’s decision not to join the family’s, meat import/export business. Salinger at this point is only interested in winning the attention of Oona O’Neill (Zoey Deutch) the daughter of playwright Eugene O’Neill, a mere coincidence, as he’s not interested in her for her father’s literary connections.

It all has a charming Gatsby-esque quality until Salinger is shipped off to the front lines of World War II, most men are not cut out for the horrors of war, but Salinger’s poetic soul is devastated by the experience, returning a different man then the boy who left.

Hoult is the strength of this film, he seems to have a good grasp of playing a mix of who Salinger may have been and his fictional alter-ego Holden Caulfied. The heart of the movie are his scenes with Kevin Spacey, who plays Whit Burnett the editor of “Story” magazine. Whit discovers Salinger as a student at Columbia and encourages his literary talents, but they have a falling out a year or so before “Catcher in the Rye” (1951) is published, so sadly, he never gets to truly bask in Salinger’s success or get the credit he deserves. (Sorry if that’s a spoiler). Otherwise, I’d say Rebel in the Rye is an adequately interesting telling of how the phenomena that is this novel came to pass. (65 million copies sold)

Speaking of which, like most people in America, I was forced to read “A Catcher in the Rye” in high school, as I recall, it didn’t do it for me, I didn’t relate. I should revisit it now as an adult and see if I get more out of it. I read an article from 2010, which polled high school kids on their feelings about the book. Not sure of ethnicity or socio-economic background of the kids polled – but more than not, were still able to identify with Holden Caulfield’s “deep distrust of the adult world”, his “‘to hell with the world'” attitude and “lack of connection to his parents.” Which, guess never goes out of teenage style.

T & T’s LAMB (movie bloggers association) Score: 3 outta 5

GOODBYE CHRISTOPHER ROBIN

(Director: Simon Curtis) biopic of another celebrated author – A.A. Milne (Domhnall Gleeson) creator of everyone’s favorite honey lovin’ bear Winnie The Poo. It would seem we have Milne’s wife Daphne (Margo Robbie) to thank for these timeless characters, as it’s when she temporarily abandons her husband & son to go enjoy London’s Flapper Life, leaving her husband to care for their young son, Christopher Robin, that the idea for the book comes to life.

The Nanny (Kelly MacDonald), normally a constant companion to her young charge, must go to see to her ailing mother, the cook is on vacation, further forcing Milne, aka Blue, into single fatherhood, something this often absentee writer was not at all prepared to do.  However, during this time together, Blue discovers he and his playful son share a similar sense of imagination. New comer Will Tilston as Christopher Robin aka Billy Moon does not look like he was born of our time; he seems to really understand and bring to life the period in which the movie is set.

Similarly to Rebel in the Rye – War, albeit different wars, plays a big part in shaping Winnie The Poo and its author, as Milne’s intention was to write something of a statement against war. Not to mention, the success of the book was due in part to society’s need for something warm-hearted to dispel the gloomy effects of a post war world.

Of the two biopics, J.D. Salinger creator of “Catcher in the Rye” and A.A. Milne creator of Winnie the Poo and Tiger too! I would say, the latter is the finer of the two films, but not enough to score it higher.

T & T’s LAMB (movie bloggers association) Score: 3 outta 5

While You’re Here

T&T Warm Bodies Review: Actually, I found out sweetbreads are not sauteed brains; but rather the thymus gland or pancreas of a calve. It’s still a disgusting proposition in terms of delicacies, unless of course, you happen to be a zombi, in which case, everything is good from the toes on up. Now an interesting new zombie fact is revealed in Jonathan Levine’s (The Wackness, 50/50) creature feature Warm Bodies – and that is, by eating your victim’s
brain, you get to experience their memories and for a moment, feel
almost alive again! READ MORE