My Salinger Year
My Salinger Year | |
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Directed by | Philippe Falardeau |
Screenplay by | Philippe Falardeau |
Based on | My Salinger Year by Joanna Rakoff |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Sara Mishara |
Edited by | Mary Finlay |
Music by | Martin Léon |
Production companies |
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Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 101 minutes[1] |
Countries |
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Language | English |
Box office | $347,711[2][3] |
My Salinger Year (also known as My New York Year) is a 2020 drama film written and directed by Philippe Falardeau, based upon the memoir of the same name by Joanna Rakoff. It stars Margaret Qualley, Sigourney Weaver, Douglas Booth, Seána Kerslake, Colm Feore and Brían F. O'Byrne.
The film had its world premiere at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival on February 20, 2020. It was released in Canada and the United States on March 5, 2021, by Mongrel Media and IFC Films, respectively, and in Ireland on May 21, 2021, by Vertigo Releasing.
Plot[]
In 1995, Joanna, an aspiring writer and poet, leaves Berkeley, California, as well as her boyfriend, Karl, and moves to New York City, where she takes a job at one of New York's oldest literary agencies, run by Margaret. Unbeknownst to Joanna, the agency looks after the interests of the notoriously reclusive writer J. D. Salinger. She has not read any of Salinger's books, not even The Catcher in the Rye. She moves into an apartment with a new boyfriend, Don. Margaret does not believe that computers are helpful and makes Joanna type letters for her using a typewriter.
In her time at the agency, Joanna's responsibilities include responding to the large volume of fan mail that Salinger is sent. As was agency policy, Joanna responds with a generic response that explained that Salinger did not read fan mail. However, she is tempted to give a proper reply to some of Salinger's fans. Her period at the agency coincides with Salinger's proposed publication of the short story "Hapworth 16, 1924", which had previously been published in The New Yorker. She helps liaise with the small publisher and goes to Georgetown University for a meeting between Salinger and the publisher, which coincides with a concert that Karl, her old boyfriend, is performing in Washington, D.C. Margaret starts to trust Joanna more and lets her read some manuscripts and articles. Don and Joanna are invited to the wedding of Don's best friend, but Don does not initially tell Joanna as he wants to go on his own. While Don is away, Joanna decides to leave him and move out. Joanna sells her first book for the agency and is offered a bigger role at the agency. However, she wants to pursue her dream of becoming a writer and quits.
Cast[]
- Margaret Qualley as Joanna
- Sigourney Weaver as Margaret
- Douglas Booth as Don
- Seána Kerslake as Jenny
- Brían F. O'Byrne as Hugh
- Colm Feore as Daniel
- Théodore Pellerin as Boy from Winston-Salem
- Yanic Truesdale as Max
- Hamza Haq as Karl
- Leni Parker as Pam
- Ellen David as Placement Agent
- Romane Denis as Girl Who Wants an A
- Tim Post as J. D. Salinger
- Gavin Drea as Mark
- Matt Holland as Clifford Bradbury
Production[]
The film is based on Rakoff's 2014 memoir depicting her time working at literary agency Harold Ober Associates, who represented Salinger.[4] Phyllis Westberg (a character called Margaret in the film)[4] was Salinger's agent at the time that Rakoff was at the agency, and Rakoff took over running the agency in 1998.[5]
In February 2019, Margaret Qualley and Sigourney Weaver joined the cast of the film, with Philippe Falardeau directing from a screenplay he wrote. Qualley was to star as Rakoff and Weaver as Margaret, Rakoff's boss. Kim McCraw, Susan Mullen, Luc Déry and Ruth Coady served as producers under their micro_scope and Parallel Films banner, respectively.[6] In May 2019, Colm Feore, Seána Kerslake and Théodore Pellerin joined the cast of the film, with Mongrel Media and Thunderbird Releasing distributing in Canada and Ireland; principal photography began that month[7] in Montreal.[8]
Release[]
The film had its world premiere at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival on February 20, 2020.[9][10] Shortly after, IFC Films acquired distribution rights to the film.[11] It was released in Canada and the United States on March 5, 2021, by Mongrel Media and IFC Films, respectively.[12][13] In Ireland, the film was released on May 17, 2021, by Vertigo Releasing.[14]
Reception[]
Rotten Tomatoes collected 84 reviews and identified 71% of them as positive, giving the film an average rating of 6.3/10.[15] According to Metacritic, which sampled 18 critics and calculated a weighted average score of 50 out of 100, the film received "mixed or average reviews".[16]
Gary Goldstein of the Los Angeles Times gave the film a positive review, writing: "Joanna's journey of creative and emotional enlightenment, is managed with grace, tenderness and touching credibility by a wonderfully winning Qualley in concert with Philippe Falardeau's smart, engaging direction and screenplay."[17] Kevin Maher of The Sunday Times also gave the film a positive review writing: "But really it's a movie, essentially familiar in structure and tone, that owes everything to a pair of knockout performances. It's a casting triumph."[18]
On the other hand, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian panned the film, awarding it one out of five stars and calling it a "bafflingly insipid, zestless, derivative film – a simperingly coy knock-off of The Devil Wears Prada without the sexiness and fun."[19]
Awards and nominations[]
Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref(s) |
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Canadian Screen Awards | May 20, 2021 | Best Costume Design | Patricia McNeil, Ann Roth | Nominated | [20] |
Best Hairstyling | Won | ||||
Prix Iris | June 6, 2021 | Best Film | Luc Déry, Kim McCraw, , | Nominated | [21] |
Best Director | Philippe Falardeau | Nominated | |||
Best Actress | Margaret Qualley | Nominated | |||
Best Supporting Actress | Sigourney Weaver | Nominated | |||
Best Screenplay | Philippe Falardeau | Nominated | |||
Best Art Direction | , | Nominated | |||
Best Cinematography | Sara Mishara | Nominated | |||
Best Costume Design | Patricia McNeil, Ann Roth | Nominated | |||
Best Hair | Michelle Côté | Nominated | |||
Best Original Music | Won | ||||
Public Prize | Philippe Falardeau, Kim McCraw, Luc Déry | Nominated |
References[]
- ^ a b "Berlinale Archive: My Salinger Year". Berlinale. 2020. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
- ^ "My Salinger Year". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- ^ "My Salinger Year". The Numbers. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- ^ a b Kohn, Eric (February 20, 2020). "'My Salinger Year' Review: Margaret Qualley in Half-Hearted Twist on 'The Devil Wears Prada'". IndieWire. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ "History of the agency". Folio Literary Management. Retrieved February 29, 2020.
- ^ Keslassy, Elsa (February 8, 2019). "Sigourney Weaver, Margaret Qualley to Star in 'My Salinger Year' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ Keslassy, Elsa (May 16, 2019). "Sigourney Weaver-Starrer 'My Salinger Year' Pre-Sells to Major Territories for Memento (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
- ^ Victoria Ahearn (2020-01-24). "Falardeau's 'My Salinger Year' will open the Berlin film festival". The Canadian Press. Retrieved 2020-09-28.
He shot it last summer in Montreal and a few days in New York.
- ^ Wiseman, Andreas (January 24, 2020). "Berlin Film Festival To Open With 'My Salinger Year' Starring Sigourney Weaver & Margaret Qualley". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 24, 2020.
- ^ Roxborough, Scott (January 24, 2020). "'My Salinger Year' to Open Berlin Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ McNary, Dave (May 19, 2020). "Sigourney Weaver and Margaret Qualley Drama 'My Salinger Year' Sold to IFC Films (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ^ "My Salinger Year". Mongrel Media. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ "My Salinger Year". The Numbers. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ Rosser, Michael (February 23, 2021). "'My New York Year' acquired for UK-Ireland, first confirmed post-lockdown release (exclusive)". Screen Daily. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
- ^ "My Salinger Year (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
- ^ "My Salinger Year Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved September 12, 2021.
- ^ Goldstein, Gary (March 4, 2021). "Review: Margaret Qualley stars as an aspiring writer in the charming 'My Salinger Year'". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
- ^ Maher, Kevin (February 21, 2020). "My Salinger Year review — a career high for Sigourney Weaver". The Sunday Times. Retrieved March 5, 2021.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (February 20, 2020). "My Salinger Year review – bafflingly insipid Berlin opener clunks hard". The Guardian. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
- ^ Brent Furdyk (March 30, 2021). "Canadian Screen Awards Announces 2021 Film Nominations". ET Canada.
- ^ Charles-Henri Ramond, "La déesse des mouches à feu en tête des nominations". Films du Québec, April 26, 2021.
External links[]
- 2020 films
- English-language films
- 2020 drama films
- Canadian drama films
- Canadian films
- Irish drama films
- Irish films
- Films about literature
- Films based on non-fiction books
- Films directed by Philippe Falardeau
- Films set in the 1990s
- Films set in 1995
- Films set in Manhattan
- Films set in Washington, D.C.
- Films shot in Montreal
- J. D. Salinger
- IFC Films films
- Films about writers