COMING THROUGH THE RYE

Alex Wolff     Chris Cooper     Stephania LaVie Owen

      Ah, the pain of the teenage years, especially when you’re the scourge of your classmates.  Coming through the Rye captures those times through such insightful, understanding eyes it seems a bit autobiographical; and sure enough, in the Q&A post screening at the Austin Film Festival, writer/director James Steven Sadwith acknowledged that he was the teenager with a passion for finding Salinger, and this film is based on his experience.  Another interesting revelation during the session was that the film’s star, Alex Wolff, related that his grandfather, father, and brother all passed the same copy of J. D. Salinger’s Catcher in the Rye onto sons and brother when they were 12-13 years old.

          The film opens with Jamie (Wolff) having heart-to-heart talks about girls with his older brother Gerry, who has gotten involved in drugs, and is being sent to a treatment center.  He thinks he might not go, though, and instead join the armed services (this is the late ‘60s and the Viet Nam war is ongoing.)  Soon after, Jamie is sent to Crampton boarding school and eventually becomes a pariah who is bullied unmercifully. 

         Jamie decides he’s had it when he is awakened and attacked in the middle of the night and his room is left in shambles.  At that point he decides to run away.  Where to?  To find J. D. Salinger, his idol.  He has so identified with Holden Caulfield in Catcher in the Rye, he has written a screenplay for a theater production.  Upon being told that he must get permission from Salinger before it can be performed, and running up against all kinds of obstacles in the mail, he thinks the only way is to talk to Salinger in person.  He has no car, so must hitchhike his way to Vermont where he’s told Salinger lives. 

        The person who picks him up is actually his “townie” friend, Deedee (Owen), who is a motherly sort and worries about his safety.  She gets permission from her parents to drive Jamie up to Vermont just for the weekend, hoping to convince him to return to Crampton after their search.  I loved her reasoning when she appeals to her reasonable parents; they end up trusting her and giving her room to use her own judgment.

        Well, people have been trying for years to find Salinger, who just wants to be left alone.  During their search, Jamie and Deedee talk about all kinds of things, and she, who is wise beyond her years, offers comments meant to increase his self-awareness.  The film then gets into more coming-of-age dynamics, and ends on valuable moments of truth.

    Among all the films about/for teenagers, Sadwith’s production is one of the most thoughtful and edifying.  Problems are cogently presented, and the model of Deedee’s friendship and support of Jamie is exemplary in tone and execution.  The scenes of young love are touching and funny, beautiful and awkward.  Above all, the script is sound in its cause/consequences connections.  Eric Hurt’s cinematography, especially the sequences outdoors, takes you right into the action and gives you the feeling of being in the film.  Similarly the music by Greg LaFollette, Heath McNease, and Jay Nash enhances the story, with the lyrics elaborating on the action.

       The actors cast for Coming through the Rye seems tailor made for the film.  Alex Wolff epitomizes the cautious, brainy kind of kid who doesn’t quite grasp why anyone would be against him, although he is sincere and thoughtful.  It takes another kind-hearted person to gently bring him to acknowledge his weaknesses and deal openly with a major trauma.  Stephania Owen is peppy as Deedee and portrays so well the girl/woman who can be such a valuable friend, but may not be the object of passion. 

    Finally, Chris Cooper, the accomplished actor who has not always received the recognition he deserves, is ideal in the role of Salinger, in his identification with a famous person who does not strive for the limelight.  He can be gruff and dismissive, but is clearly attentive to what he sees and hears, and can shift his position in response to a logical or appealing plea—much like the character he plays in August:  Osage County as patient and kind, but whose support has limits.

Above the norm for movies about teens.

Grade:  A             By Donna R. Copeland

ME AND EARL AND THE DYING GIRL

Thomas Mann     RJ Cyler     Olivia Cooke     Nick Offerman     Connie Britton     Molly Shannon

Put teenagers in a cancer setting, and their adapting to a changed life will be interesting, instructive, and even entertaining, just as we see in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl.  The author of the book and screenplay, Jesse Andrews, must have had personal experience of that situation, since the characterization of it in this film is uncannily realistic.  (I worked in the pediatric unit of a cancer center for 24 years, and found the adolescents and their friends to be as fascinating and admirable as the young people in this film.)

           We meet Greg (Mann) first as a disengaged high school student who is self-deprecating to a fault, actively shuns every opportunity for attachment, and has a tendency to blurt out wrong and hurtful observations, after which he is mortified.  The only one he lets in at all is Earl (Cyler), and still regards him as a “coworker” instead of a friend.  Their “work” is making short movies that are playful, cynical, artsy, and clever.  But of course, Greg disparages them to others.

           Greg’s parents (Offerman and Britton) confront him after school one day and tell him about his classmate Rachel (Cooke) who has been diagnosed with a kind of leukemia that is difficult to treat.  His mother then insists that he call Rachel and visit her.  He is horrified, even writhing on the floor in horror.  But his mother insists, and although Rachel does not really want him to come see her either, he pleads for her to agree; otherwise his mother will make his life a living hell.

           Thus begins their reluctant attachment, but sure enough before long he is making her smile, then laugh at his kooky sense of humor.  He brings Earl along with him sometimes, and he and Rachel hit it off as well.   After hearing about the amateur movies, one of Rachel’s friends proposes to Greg that they make a film especially for Rachel, and that project becomes a central point for the rest of the story.  Of course, Greg is terrified that the film won’t be perfect, so it’s a long time in the making.

           Greg is devoted to Rachel throughout her treatment, and they become fast friends.  She is mature for her age and a keen observer who is able to give Greg encouragement and helpful feedback about himself.  Chemotherapy makes her tired and causes her hair to fall out but Greg and her other friends stick by her, something so essential in coping with the arduous treatments.  Also to be expected in times of stress, there are disagreements and quarrels that are eventually resolved.

           There is so much to like in the film in addition to the above.  Entertaining artwork, cartoons, and videos are sprinkled throughout, but also demonstrate the value of creative projects in coping with the stresses of severe illness and high school.  Some of the adults make significant contributions to the success of the film, such as Greg’s dad who is home a lot and always eating some kind of strange food.  The history teacher allows Greg and Earl to eat lunch in his office and imparts wise counsel to them from time to time.

           Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, the director has really done a remarkable job in making a film that mixes tragedy, comedy, and artistic creations in a tender and loving way.  I’m sure Jesse Andrews’ writing deserves the praise in some measure as well, along with the three young actors who enliven the story and make it seem like we’re right alongside them in navigating the shoals of cancer.  A planned encounter at the end is left unresolved, but nevertheless, the film well deserves the prizes (Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award) it received during the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year.

You will laugh; you will cry; but you will be entertained throughout.

Grade:  A-                                                          By Donna R. Copeland