Coming Through the Rye (film)

Last updated
Coming Through the Rye
Coming Through the Rye poster.jpg
Film poster
Directed by James Steven Sadwith
Written byJames Steven Sadwith
Produced byStan Erdreich
Teddy Grennan
James Steven Sadwith
Sara Elizabeth Timmins
Starring
CinematographyEric Hurt
Edited byTodd Holmes
Music byJay Nash
Heath McNease
Greg LaFollette
Production
companies
Red Hat Films
River Bend Pictures
Distributed byEammon Films
Samuel Goldwyn Films
Release dates
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$18,137 [1]

Coming Through the Rye is a 2015 American coming-of-age drama film written and directed by James Steven Sadwith. It stars Alex Wolff and Stefania LaVie Owen as two teenagers who set out to find author J. D. Salinger, played by Chris Cooper. [2] [3] The film is based on Sadwith's own quest to find Salinger. [4] [5] It is Sadwith's directorial debut. [6]

Contents

Plot

In 1969, Jamie Schwartz has written a play adaptation of J.D. Salinger's 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye and wants to produce it at his prep school in Pennsylvania. In order to do that, Jamie needs permission from Salinger himself. Therefore, Jamie, with the help of DeeDee, travels to New Hampshire in order to find Salinger and obtain his permission.

Cast

Production

Sadwith says that the film is a mostly-accurate reflection of what he experienced in his real life. He explains, "The movie is about eighty-five percent accurate with what happened up to the moment when I went to search for J.D. Salinger, and from that point it’s about ninety-nine percent accurate." [7] On November 5, 2014, it was announced that Cooper would portray Salinger in this film. [8] [9] On November 6, 2014, Zephyr Benson was cast in the film. [10] The film was shot on location in and around Woodberry Forest School, [11] and the nearby town, Orange, Virginia as well as Madison, VA. [12] It was also filmed in the Shenandoah Valley. [13]

Release

The film made its worldwide premiere at the 2015 Austin Film Festival. [14] The film made its wide release on October 14, 2016 by Eammon Films and Samuel Goldwyn Films. [15]

Reception

The film has a 70% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. [16]

Barbara Van Denburgh of The Arizona Republic gave the film two and a half stars out of five. [17]

Godfrey Cheshire of RogerEbert.com gave the film three stars. [18]

S. Jhoanna Robledo of Common Sense Media gave the film three stars out of five. [19]

Tricia Olszewski of TheWrap referred to the film as "a sweet and inviting road trip, taking place in the colorful fall and accompanied by an indie soundtrack that lulls. It’s also a trip back in time, offering the now-archaic sound of a typewriter’s taps and the quaintness of a period in which a man and woman had to be married to secure a motel room. The fledgling relationship between Jamie and Deedee is touching, too, with both actors giving natural if not outstanding performances." [20]

Stephen Farber of The Hollywood Reporter wrote "Sadwith works expertly with all of the castmembers, and he also brings visual flair to the pastoral scenes in New Hampshire. Eric Hurt’s cinematography is a strong asset. Sadwith’s writing is equally perceptive." [21]

Sheri Linden of the Los Angeles Times wrote a negative review, stating that the film "feels like standard teen angst." [22]

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References

  1. ↑ "Coming Through the Rye".
  2. ↑ Roxborough, Scott (5 November 2014). "AFM: Chris Cooper to Play J. D. Salinger in 'Coming Through the Rye'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  3. ↑ Highfill, Samantha (5 November 2014). "Chris Cooper set to play J.D. Salinger in 'Coming Through the Rye'". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  4. ↑ Alexander, Bryan (5 November 2014). "Chris Cooper to play J.D. Salinger". USA Today . Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  5. ↑ Goldstein, Meredith; Shanahan, Mark (6 November 2014). "Chris Cooper to play J.D. Salinger". The Boston Globe . Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  6. ↑ Reilly, Travis (5 November 2014). "Chris Cooper Starring as J.D. Salinger in 'Coming Through the Rye'". TheWrap . Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  7. ↑ McKittrick, Christopher (17 October 2016). "Inspired by Salinger: Coming Through the Rye". Creative Screenwriting. Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  8. ↑ Zwecker, Bill (5 November 2014). "Gossip Minute for Wednesday: Biel-Timberlake baby news; Wonder denies triplets; Chris Cooper to play J.D. Salinger". Chicago Sun-Times . Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  9. ↑ Barsanti, Sam (5 November 2014). "Chris Cooper to play J.D. Salinger in coming-of-age movie". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  10. ↑ Reilly, Travis (6 November 2014). "Newcomer Zephyr Benson Joins Chris Cooper in J.D. Salinger Film 'Coming Through the Rye' (Exclusive)". TheWrap . Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  11. ↑ "Coming Through the Rye: A Review". 2016-04-22. Retrieved 2016-09-21.
  12. ↑ Galaviz, Amber (28 October 2015). "Film shot locally to show at Virginia Film Festival". Orange County Review . Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  13. ↑ Webster, Andy (13 October 2016). "Review: 'Coming Through the Rye' Tracks Down J.D. Salinger". The New York Times . Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  14. ↑ Murthi, Vikram (14 July 2016). "'Coming Through The Rye' Exclusive Clip: An Alienated Teen Leaves Boarding School To Find J.D. Salinger". IndieWire . Retrieved 20 July 2016.
  15. ↑ McNary, Dave (15 September 2016). "Chris Cooper's 'Coming Through the Rye' Scheduled for October Release". Variety . Retrieved 26 September 2016.
  16. ↑ "Coming Through the Rye". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  17. ↑ Van Denburgh, Barbara (3 November 2016). "Chris Cooper delights, but 'Coming Through the Rye' is no 'Catcher'". The Arizona Republic . Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  18. ↑ Chesire, Godfrey (14 October 2016). "COMING THROUGH THE RYE". RogerEbert.com . Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  19. ↑ Robledo, S. Jhoanna. "Coming Through the Rye". Common Sense Media . Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  20. ↑ Olszewski, Tricia (13 October 2016). "'Coming Through the Rye' Review: Chris Cooper's J.D. Salinger Shares Life Lessons". TheWrap . Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  21. ↑ Farber, Stephen (12 April 2016). "'Coming Through the Rye': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  22. ↑ Linden, Sheri (20 October 2016). "Review Teen goes in search of J.D. Salinger in gentle 'Coming Through the Rye'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 26 June 2017.
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