From the initial publication of J.D. Salinger’s masterpiece The Catcher in the Rye in 1951 there have been rumors surrounding a possible film version of the seminal teen angst classic; but, alas only rumors, because the reclusive author never relinquished the rights to his novel.
Holden Caulfield – From Brando to DiCaprio
One has to imagine the late Mr. Salinger got quite a kick out of the myriad offers made over the years, from the sublime: Elia Kazan, Steven Spielberg, to the ridiculous: Jerry Lewis, Harvey Weinstein.
From Brando to DiCaprio, actors have longed to play the beloved teen anti-hero, Holden Caulfield, to no avail. But, J.D. Salinger’s stubborn refusal to allow anyone to transfer The Catcher in the Rye to the big screen has not stopped many writers and directors from making their own Salinger-like films.
Igby Goes Down (2002)
Igby Goes Down, written and directed by Burr Steers (Charlie St. Cloud), stars Kieran Culkin as Jason “Igby” Slocumb, a 17-year old who escapes his oppressive prep school in an attempt to lose himself in the exotic wild life of New York City.
Igby does lose himself, among a colorful circle of artists, druggies, and promiscuous older women. But, Igby’s wild ride soon becomes more perilous when he finds himself pursued by his demented Uncle D.H. (played brilliantly by Jeff Goldblum).
Kieran Culkin is spot-on, as the befuddled, intellectually curious Igby, who wants the alluring intoxicants of adulthood (like sex and drugs), but is clearly not prepared for the grown-up repercussions.
The Squid and the Whale (2005)
Produced by Wes Anderson (The Fantastic Mr. Fox), The Squid and the Whale is a lovely, bittersweet character study about a couple of precocious teenage boys dealing with their parents divorce, each in their own peculiar way.
Like Wes Anderson (and thereby like J.D. Salinger), writer/director Noah Baumbach (Greenberg) cleverly uses awkward, stilted dialogue to capture a certain inept way in which his characters interact; making the scenes between the separated parents (Laura Linney and Jeff Daniels) poignant and authentic, rather than sad and pathetic.
More Franny and Zooey than The Catcher in the Rye, The Squid and the Whale is exquisitely funny in its portrayal of familial discord; as witnessed in the scene of the boys’ being called together for a family meeting, where upon one boys asks, What’s a family meeting?
More Salinger-Inspired Films
Many believe writer, producer, director Wes Anderson to be the most Salingeresque film maker around; with films like Rushmore (1998) and The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) teeming with characters and scenarios right out of the J.D. Salinger oeuvre.
More Salinger-inspired films (*previously books):
- Harold and Maude (1971)
- * Less Than Zero (1987)
- *Bright Lights, Big City (1988)
- Metropolitan (1990)
- *American Psycho (2000); Granted, this may be a stretch for some; but, author Bret Easton Ellis took Holden Caulfield, a character some critics accuse of being a spoiled, selfish sociopath and morphed him into Patrick Bateman, a spoiled, selfish (and murderous) psychopath.
Martin G. Wood - M.G. Wood is a writer of screenplays, film and literary reviews, and poetry. M.G. Wood can often be found ...
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