Kevin Spacey reminded me a little of Michael Caine from "Educating Rita" (1983) by the way he toughly encourages his student in an off the wall, personable, fashion as Whit Burnett. Nicholas Hoult is strong and convincing as the aspiring J.D. Salinger and the pairing delver us an engaging, at times poignant, at times painfully slow interpretation of the establishing years of the "Catcher in the Rye" author. As biopics go, it is well directed, well (enough) written and the attention to the detail from the costume and props departments gives it a certain sheen. Danny Strong manages to create a characterisation of this reclusive individual - his torrid experiences during WWII, his rather dysfunctional relationships both on a personal and social basis, and of his search for some sort of satisfaction in the face of his, ultimately, unwanted fame well. I can't swear as to the authenticity of Kenneth Slawenski's book, but this dramatisation offers a plausible seeming assessment of Salinger's formative years.

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.

A fascinating portrait of J.D. Salinger. My concern is that people may skip it due to the Kevin Spacey scandal. it deserves consideration.