A decade after the death of an American television star, a young actor reminisces about the written correspondence he shared with him, as well as the impact those letters had on both their lives.... (Full plot summary below)
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A decade after the death of an American television star, a young actor reminisces about the written correspondence he shared with him, as well as the impact those letters had on both their lives.
Leave your thoughts about The Death & Life of John F. Donovan.
| Screen DailyAllan HunterJohn F. Donovan may revisit a lot of familiar territory for Dolan but on this form it is good to welcome him home. |
| Los Angeles TimesMark OlsenThe movie feels disjointed and made up of parts that Dolan couldn’t bring together as it shuffles between three story strands. |
| IndieWireEric KohnA shocking misfire that nevertheless demonstrates the sheer confidence in his storytelling that Dolan has cultivated over a decade of movies. It’s the only possible explanation for this baffling ensemble piece, a campy (if at times inspired) burst of melodrama and ludicrous scenarios caving into each other in a spectacular mash of half-baked ideas. |
| The PlaylistJason BaileyEvery time Dolan generates a head of steam, he’s betrayed by his script, by the self-conscious formality of the dialogue, or the clunkiness of the structure. |
| The A.V. ClubMike D'AngeloIn any case, what remains of John F. Donovan is a barely coherent mess, and so eager for your approval that it’s hard to feel anything but sorry for it. |
| The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Kate TaylorPerhaps explanations for all these improbable scenarios were lost on the cutting-room floor during Dolan’s notoriously prolonged editing process. |
| RogerEbert.comMonica CastilloThe Death & Life of John F. Donovan is rife with melodramatic moments and insufferable characters. |
| The Hollywood ReporterStephen DaltonDolan has labored hard to yoke together these tricksy, time-jumping, intertwined plots, reportedly editing down a mountain of material over two years. In the process, a whole character played by Jessica Chastain was surgically removed. But however long he tinkered, Dolan has not quite salvaged a story whose default setting seems to be mirthless, ponderous navel-gazing. |
| VarietyPeter DebrugeWhat could have been a powerful ode to the impact that movies have in shaping our identities — and by extension, the reason broken people are drawn to the profession, through which they hope to reach others like themselves — becomes an over-the-top celebration of Dolan himself. |
| The New York TimesJeannette CatsoulisStruggling to connect the filaments of past and present, youth and maturity, Dolan seems lost, his signature vivaciousness and sense of fun almost entirely muted. Instead, what lingers is a feeling of being lectured to — which isn’t much fun at all. |
