Nicholas Hoult as author J.D. Salinger
“REBEL IN THE RYE” My rating: B-
106 minutes | MPAA rating: PG-13
“Rebel in the Rye,” the new biopic about reclusive author J.D. Salinger, isn’t bad.
Nor is it particularly inspired.
As an overview of Salinger’s early life, his years of frustration and his emergence as a major American voice with Catcher in the Rye, it lays out the facts competently. Director Danny Strong, making his feature debut after a stint with TV’s “Empire,” puts on a decent show with a limited budget.
And former Brit child actor (“About a Boy”) Nicholas Hoult demonstrates acting chops that could carry him into more leading man roles.
Strong’s screenplay begins with the PTSD-suffering author in a mental institution in the late 1940s, then flashes back a decade to his college years.
At Columbia Jerry Salinger falls under the influence of writing professor Whit Burnett (Kevin Spacey), who sees terrific potential in his student despite the kid’s self-indulgence and an unwillingness to take suggestions from anyone. At the same time Jerry launches a romance with Oona O’Neill (Zoey Deutch), estranged daughter of acclaimed playwright Eugene O’Neill (and future wife of Charlie Chaplin).
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