Ever since J.D. Salinger caught
literary lightning in a bottle with the glorious rants of that sarcastic little
shit Holden Caulfield filmmakers have been drooling and dreaming about bringing
The Catcher in Rye to the screen without frightening the horses: all the
pathetic adult authority figures (the phonies) who produce, fiancé and, yes,
censor, movies that sarcastic little shits are supposed to take their dates
too. Not that Holden goes to Hollywood was ever a possibility as Salinger has
his prematurely graying, sixteen going on thirteen avatar pronounce, “If
there’s one thing I hate, it’s the movies. Don’t even mention them to me.”
In Writer/director Gavin Wiesen’s
Holden indebted teen comedy Freddie Highmore is George Zinavoy, a mopey, trench
coat attired, aspiring painter who can barely summon the energy to get out of
bed and whose only apparent pastime is not doing his homework while listening
to Leonard Cohen’s mournful wailing of Bob Dylan’s Lay Lady Lay.
While Holden greets his teachers’
nagging about his failing all his classes except English with the defiant, “I’m
a moron,” George just sheepishly shrugs as his instructors threaten expulsion
from his impossibly expensive and snooty New York City prep school. The only
person who seems to get through is his crusty old art teacher – veteran
character actor Jarlath Conroy brings an old Marine instructor’s spirit to his
harangue.
“George, you’re going to have to
start digging around in there. Figure out what you want to say.”
“I don’t have anything to say.”
“Find something!”
While Holden is a book full of
cynical observations about everything recent army vet Salinger found corrupt
and disgusting about post-WWII getting greedier by the moment America, George
is just a beaten down victim of the post it pathos of “Life is shit and then
you die.”
Aside from his robotic parental
units, George’s only real chance at human engagement comes from a failed
mentoring encounter with a slick, slightly decadent twenty-something artist,
Dustin, essayed in a very lazy monotone by the usually reliable Michael Angarano.
Both lads are sort fighting over the same blonde seductress inhabited with a
certain saucy gusto by Emma Roberts.
The Art of Getting By features
a talented cast and the best movie poster of the year – giving us a dramatic
view of just how much Freddie Highmore has grown since his Johnny Deep
co-staring days -- but is a distinct let down for those young men still
carrying around well thumbed copies of The Catcher in the Rye. For the
wit and satirical bite of Salinger and the closest take anyone’s like to get on
his testy view of American high rollers, rent Burr Steers masterwork film
debut, Igby Goes Down, starring the spitfire furious Kieran Culkin as
the world’s savviest little shit disturbing disillusioned boy hero.