TaryBiggBall It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Mathilde the Guild Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

eddie_baggins After the disappointment that was the 2013 documentary Salinger, there was hope debut director Danny Strong could shine a light on and do justice to the real life story of reclusive but influential author J.D Salinger with his biographical drama Rebel in the Rye.Alas it was not meant to be, as while Strong does offer us a basic insight into the mind of Salinger and the circumstances that surrounded his life and helped him create the work of genius that is The Catcher in the Rye, Rebel is a cold experience without much heart or soul and leaves us still wanting to know more about an author that has likely been a part of our lives in one way, shape or form.Having studied The Catcher in the Rye at school like many others before me and been intrigued to understand more about Salinger's thought process behind his creation of Holden Caulfield and the rather depressing narrative as a whole and these are questions Strong and his leading man Nicholas Hoult grapple with in Rebel but none of the situations or scenarios that founded Salinger's life comes across fully formed in Strong's film.Salinger himself (much like what his real life self seemed to be like) isn't that much of a likeable figure and while not terrible by any means, Hoult feels slightly miscast as the increasingly unhinged writer while Strong struggles with what appears to be a rather limited budget and scope to get the most out of key situations of Salinger's life such as his stint in the army during World War 2 or even his writing process of Catcher that seems to come and go all rather quickly in one of the films many montage moments.It's frustrating to feel such a disconnect to Rebel as a narrative whole and particularly the rather bare bone supporting players that appear within it such as Kevin Spacey's dedicated writing teacher Whit Burnett, Sarah Paulson as Salinger's agent Dorothy Olding or even Salinger's parents played by Victor Garber and Hope Davis and at the end of the day you can't help but escape the feeling that Strong doubling up as director and screenwriter, failed to unlock the potential of this story to even a fraction of its powerful potential.Final Say - Offering brief moments of insight and background to the creation of one of history's most important novels, Rebel in the Rye isn't a complete failure but it's still very much a lacklustre look at Salinger, leaving the door ajar for what could one say hopefully be the quintessential examination of a tortured writer and his creative genius.2 hat wearing fans out of 5

ozjosh03 This may be an old-fashioned bio-pic, but there's nothing terribly wrong with that. It's subject is intriguing, the story it tells is emotionally engaging and - unlike so many recent, showier bio-pics (The Imitation Game springs immediately to mind) - it doesn't play so fast and loose with the facts that you're left questioning whether it was really worth the effort. It's slickly directed and boasts a cast of extremely fine actors, among them Victor Garber, Hope Davis, Jefferson Mays and Sarah Paulson. But the two main reasons for watching are Nicholas Hoult and Kevin Spacey. Hoult gives his best performance since A Single Man, while Spacey (as Salinger's teacher and mentor) pretty much steals every scene he's in. If recent revelations result in Spacey being forever black-listed by Hollywood it will be a great shame.

Matthew D Booth Do you remember reading the Novel "The Catcher in the Rye" by J D Salinger in High School days ?? Sure enough I dug out a Paperback copy from my little library today after seeing this Movie. A very well put together production called "Rebel in the Rye" that gives you a behind the scenes look at Mr Salinger's Life. I enjoyed the Film enough to re read the Book and my guess is that is what the Director was hoping people would do ?. The Hollywood Bells and Whistles Fancy Costumes and Music from the 30's and 40's are what you see and hear along with nice looking cast and Great As Usual Kevin Spacey who portrays Whit Burnett Salinger's mentor.

Helio Fifty years ago I was banished from the classroom for laughing out loud while reading "Catcher in the Rye". It seemed I was the only one appreciating the humour. Likewise in the theatre there were times I was the only one laughing. JD was under-appreciated in his early writing efforts. The movie captures how tortuous it is to become a writer. It gives a good sense of where Houlden Coffield came from.It is a wonder that Salinger persisted in wanting to be published given the tragedies he endured from his girlfriend marrying a movie star to being mugged in the park with being in a war in between. The film captured the essence of the circumstances with strong performances from Nick Holt (as JD), Spacey (who I normally don't care for), and Zooey Deutch (as the girlfriend) making it feel one was peering into the past.The world of publishing was revealed and the novel was turned down (as were his early stories) yet became an ongoing success (250,000 sold annually) and JD resisted compromising his story and characters. The editors didn't find Catcher funny so I knew they didn't get the story and character.Salinger was a legend in his own time and the film helped understand why he became a recluse. From time to time I would read stories about the ) author and recall the incident when the high school reporter deceived him to give an interview. So now finally a movie tying it all in. It deserved a more main stream release.