Director: Philippe Falardeau
Writer: Philippe Falardeau (Screenplay) Joanna Smith Rakoff (Book)
Starring: Margaret Qualley, Sigourney Weaver, Douglas Booth, Seana Kerslake, Brian F O’Byrne, Colm Feore, Theodore Pellerin, Yanic Truesdale
Plot: A college grad takes a clerical job working for the literary agent of the renowned, reclusive writer J.D. Salinger.
Tagline – The first job is always a great adventure.
Runtime: 1 Hour 41 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: My New York Year starts as college graduate Joanna (Qualley) falls in love with New York, believing it is the best place to go for anyone who wants to be a writer. Joanna gets a chase to work for a literary agency run by Margaret (Weaver) working for J.D. Salinger.
Joanna finds the job is more of a secretary role, needing to reply to fan mail, before she starts questioning how the letters are received, finding her dreams being held back, in her life.
Thoughts on My New York Year
Thoughts – My New York Year is a semi-autobiographic tale of Joanna Smith Rakoff, as she spends a year working for a literacy agency that has one of the biggest clients in the business, J.D. Salinger. My New York Year will show how the overqualified young woman will find herself near greatness, with where her work is operating, believing she could get the first few steps into the industry. My New York Year will show what it will take to break into an industry, the roles people would need to take, to be given the chance. Margaret Qualley is great in the leading role, show a character that is full on ambition to become more than ordinary. Sigourney Weaver is excellent as the stricter boss that has been in the industry for years, knowing how much damage it can do to the wrong people, while expecting the best from everyone involved. The New York setting shows what is needed to make the most of the small space, in the city with endless stories.
Final Thoughts – My New York Year is drama about learning the dream career.