A decade after the death of an American TV star, a young actor reminisces about the written correspondence he once shared with the former, as well as the impact those letters had on both their lives.
Log it
Sign in to log this.
Character
Grave, prestige, contemplative and character-led.
- gravecomic
- unpretentiousprestige
- contemplativerelentless
- character-ledplot-driven
- sparerichly built
Who loves it, who doesn't
No profiled raters yet.
Where do you stand?
Answer first; then see how everyone, and your circle, split.
“Is the slow pace a feature rather than a flaw?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is The Death & Life of John F. Donovan prestige bait?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
“Is Kit Harington the best thing in The Death & Life of John F. Donovan?”
Sign in to answer.
Be the first to answer.
Ask the title
A yes-or-no question, answered from what people wrote here, on TMDB and on Wikipedia. Never made up.
Reviews
No reviews yet.
Reviews on TMDB
Written by TMDB members; each links to the original. Not part of Tastebuds's numbers.
- SWITCH.on TMDB · May 20207/10
You can see Xavier Dolan reaching for something grand with this film, a bigger story than he has ever attempted before and even more romantic questions of identity and self, but while one of the problems of 'The Death and Life of John F. Donovan' is that there are <i>too</i> many questions being asked, it doesn't mean that any of them aren't worth asking. This is still a Xavier Dolan film, and for all the right reasons, even down to his continuing dissection of the complex relationships between mothers and sons, and when he has sure footing, his flashes of spectacle in this film are really wonderful. He also connects so beautifully with his cast, with almost all of them in perfect step with him. This isn't a hidden masterpiece, but it also is nowhere near a disaster. It's an arresting misstep from a deeply passionate filmmaker who cares about every frame, who is trying for something genuine and honest, and yes, he chooses the framework of the privileged and the white, but these are (for all their problems) our modern mythical figures. To Rupert, John is a god, a superhero, an ideal to reach for, and the ultimate understanding of the film is that it is far more important to be human
Read the whole review on TMDB - cityguideon TMDB · Sep 2018
Perhaps best known as the film that Jessica Chastain’s role was cut from, Xavier Dolan’s upcoming drama is still plenty star-studded, featuring a cast that includes Natalie Portman, Jacob Tremblay, Thandie Newton, Susan Sarandon, and Kit Harington. Though little is truly known about the project — only a single 17-second teaser trailer has been released — it’s described as a reminiscence on the life and death of an American TV star (Kit Harington), as told through his then 11-year-old pen pal (Jacob Tremblay)
Read the whole review on TMDB
Cast
- Kit HaringtonJohn F. Donovan
- Natalie PortmanSam Turner
- Jacob TremblayRupert Turner
- Susan SarandonGrace Donovan
- Kathy BatesBarbara Haggermaker
- Ben SchnetzerRupert Turner (21 y.o.)
- Thandiwe NewtonJournalist
- Jared KeesoJames Donovan
- Chris ZylkaWill Jefford Jr.
- Amara KaranMiss Kureshi
Crew
- Xavier DolanDirector
- Xavier DolanWriter
- Jacob TierneyWriter
- André TurpinDirector of Photography
- Gabriel YaredOriginal Music Composer
- Xavier DolanEditor
- Mathieu DenisEditor
- Xavier DolanProducer
- Nancy GrantProducer
- Lyse LafontaineProducer
Where to watch
Checking availability…
Pairings
Companions we picked from the closest works, and how to take them.
Similar in taste
Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Tastebuds Other media included when they land close.
The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser 197480% alikeBoth prestige, grave, contemplative.
Paris, Texas 198479% alikeBoth prestige, grave, contemplative.
The Souvenir: Part II 202178% alikeBoth prestige, grave, contemplative.
Stories We Tell 201278% alikeBoth prestige, grave, contemplative.
The Five Devils 202277% alikeBoth grave, prestige, contemplative.
The Hours 200276% alikeBoth grave, prestige, contemplative.
The Souvenir 201975% alikeBoth grave, prestige, contemplative.
The Rider 201875% alikeBoth grave, contemplative, prestige.
Midnight Stranger 199475% alikeGame · Both grave, contemplative, prestige.
The Romanoffs 201874% alikeTelevision · Both grave, prestige, contemplative.
Often watched with
Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Tastebuds
