A young woman, Joanna (Margaret Qualley) leaves her musician former boyfriend, Karl (Hamza Haq) and comes to the big city New York after graduating from college.  A poet herself, she is hoping to become a published writer of poetry. 

Joanna is hired by literary agent Margaret (Sigourney Weaver) to work at a publishing house, as a person to read/answer JD Salinger’s fan mail (which Salinger was not allowed to see) and to answer his calls when he phoned, thinking this would lead to a writing career for Joanna.  The only one nice to her at work was Daniel, a higher-up staffer member (Colm Feore).  In the movie, Judy Blume (played by Gillian Doria), who wrote more books than Salinger, wasn’t treated as well.

After moving in with a married couple of friends, Joanna meets a bookstore clerk Don (Douglas Booth) who writes an explicit manuscript about himself and wants Joanna to edit it for him.  They move in together with only her name on the rental contract (his idea).   

She never seems to have time to work on her own poetry because her job involved extracurricular activities like making sure things were delivered at odd hours in addition to editing her new boyfriend’s manuscript.

If Joanna stays with either boyfriend, she will always be second without shining at all—supporting one of them and not being supported herself.   The concert musician will want her full adoration of his skills while the bookstore clerk thinks all her time should be his.  There was even a very good dream dance number with the musician boyfriend which was the end to their relationship.

JD Salinger published his first novel Catcher in the Rye in 1951 at the same publisher and his last work in 1965.   Joanna answers his calls and he questions her and encourages her to continue to write her poetry every day.

I can relate to the relationship between author and first contact.   I once worked at a publisher where I loved talking to authors about their expected payments.   I also loved the small library of published works the publishing house had.   Although I tried to get them to do imprints of smaller works like a book of my short stories, they wouldn’t go for it, so I can relate to her situation.

Catcher in the Rye was the only novel written by Salinger.   I read it when I was a teenager and I don’t remember it at all.   I’ll have to read it again.   His novel has been banned many times over the years.   Maybe because the novel’s 16-year-old Holden Caulfield’s language and life situations were and are considered to be too mature.

Let’s not forget what our young people are watching today as animation:  The Simpsons where never-aging son Bart tells his father to “eat his shorts”; South Park where in one episode, grown men make their testicles grow so huge that the men can ride on them and collect disability; Family Guy where the baby Stewie is a literally super child who commits felonies, etc.  These are things I’ve seen flipping through channels.                       

Although this movie My Salinger Year portrays Salinger as a total recluse, Riley’s article says he went to church socials in New Hampshire.   “He was hanging out with people who think good fences make good neighbors and that people who come asking about folks that prefer their privacy don’t deserve much in the way of cooperation.”

Aldrich says that Catcher is an “incredibly educational novel which promotes moral lessons essential for high schoolers.”

Salinger’s worth at his death in 2010 was $20 million.   He made most of his money selling short stories to New Yorker and other magazines.

Screenplay written and directed by Philippe Falardeau.  Based on author Joanna Rakoff’s memoir.   The MPAA rating for My Salinger Year is R for language and some sexual references.   I must have missed those things or I am used to seeing just as much of that in PG-13 movies.

Sources:

Eleanor Ringel, “’My Salinger Year’—A Lightweight Movie Based on J.D. Salinger’s Literary Agency”, saportareport.com, March 22, 2021.

Peter J. Riley, “JD Salinger Really Was a Park Avenue Rich Kid”, Forbes, October 3, 2013.

Wikipedia

Elena Nicolaou, “11 Best Judy Blume Books That Will Take You Way Back to Your Tween Years”, https://www.oprahdaily.com, April 8, 2020.

Rae Alexandra, “JD Salinger’s Pursuit of Teen Girls Gets Renewed Attention After ‘Allen v. Farrow’”, Arts and Culture, KQED.org, April 2, 2021.

Haley Aldrich, “4 Reasons the Catcher in the Rye was Banned”, Bookstr.com, June 9, 2021.

“Catcher in the Rye Should Not Be Banned”, 123helpme.com.

Written by Rosa L. Griffin