Many people will enjoy the crap out of this movie because of its angsty hero and the story of his perseverance in the face of a hostile world. The directional arc of this story is almost religious in its message of faith, of feeling chosen, of attempting to interpret the uninterpretable, and forcing yourself to push through the darkness. If that's what the movie had been about, it would have been an absolute masterpiece. Maybe I'm asking too much for a movie to be so aware of its message that its context and narrative go in that direction also.Unfortunately, the movie is about the universal nature of the mythic Holden Caulfield character. The screenwriter has done exactly what Salinger told him not to do, to interpret the mythos and reduce it to a cheap psychoanalysis of what that character means. As a fan of the book myself, it's disheartening to see just how misinterpreted it becomes even in the most capable of hands.Don't get me wrong, this movie is enjoyable in and of itself. The movie itself is great looking and moderately satisfying. Cooper is particularly enjoyable as the man himself, operating as both the wise man on the hill and the man behind the curtain. The filmmaker did a fine job with what he had to work with, which was a flawed script that comes to conclusions that don't quite fit together. The hero on a quest motif works extremely well here, but there were many missed opportunities on the journey to reach for more. The opening half-hour comes from a pretty dark and intense place, but that energy isn't sustained, as it instead veers into syrupy redemption rather than attempting to make any statements about where that darkness and intensity comes from. It's apparently enough just to state it exists, like the dragon that must either be slain or domesticated. I don't dislike this movie, but it's frustrating to see a fairly pat story applied to a very complex subject, and attempt to get away with it by shrugging about what it means. The story could very easily have been about what it means instead of simply the shrug.

I was fortunate to see this excellent film at the Phoenix Film Festival . It went on to be named best picture at this years event. Based on a true story the script follows a young man on his quest to survive a bullying environment at his boarding school and get the validation of his idol J.D. Salinger. The script is crisp and well written. The pacing of the film kept me entranced throughout.Chris Cooper is perfectly cast as a cranky Salinger. Alex Wolff is deep and relatable as the protagonist. This young man has great things ahead of him in his acting career! Stefania LaVie Owen sparkles as his love interest and road trip buddy. The cast of jocks, actors, and teachers give a good depth to the story telling. The lovely campus and the countryside they pass through on the quest to meet Salinger provide a perfect backdrop. The Cinematography is a big plus. I truly hope this film is picked up for wider distribution. Audiences who loved films like "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl,' or "The Spectacular Now" should see this awesome film!

My wife and I just saw "Coming Through the Rye at the Cleveland International Film Festival, and LOVED the movie. It was our favorite of the 20+ movies we saw this past week, and was the first film festival movie that I have ever returned to see for a second time. We felt that it highly deserved the award as the best American-made film in this large festival. We were taken by the realism of the young man's excitement for Salinger's writing, and his passion for meeting the author in person. The settings, the actors, and the music were exceptional, and we can only hope it gains distribution soon. We will go again, and recommend it to others, as soon as it becomes available.

Spoiler alert! This movie was so exciting for me to watch. I am a longtime fan of JD Salinger and the only one in my high school English class who didn't write Holden Caulfield off as crazy. I have read other stories of journalists going on treks to locate the reclusive Salinger only to make it as far as his driveway or front door to be turned away. When the filmmaker said 99% of the dialogue between himself and Salinger was true, I couldn't believe a KID had made it through the fortress! I loved the parallels between the young director's life and Holden's portrayed in the movie. He plays Mercutio in a prep school play and the students cheer his death. "But everyone loves Mercutio" he bemoans. You may remember Mercutio was Holden's favorite character in Romeo and Juliet. The alienation he feels from the other kids also parallels Holden's feelings of isolation. I loved the addition of Dee Dee a freckled curly haired cute and wonderfully insightful and kind girl who has an obvious crush on Jamie, the young director. She has her own strong feelings about the book Catcher In The Rye, pointing out that Holden always wanted to save kids from making mistakes and dangerous fates. Perhaps that is even why in reality the famous writer met the young playwright head on and even though he discouraged his play of Catcher in the Rye did encourage his creative endeavors generally.