Chasing Holden

It's over-dramatic and over-sentimental and has a TV-movie feel to it but... for some reason I like it a bunch still.

I read a couple reviews on here by people saying they thought it was a sequel to 'Chasing Amy' by Kevin Smith with Ben Affleck, seriously?

Why would you think that?

Just for the record it's not, and neither are 'Chasing Liberty' or 'Chasing Papi' or any other movie with chasing in the title.

Anyway back to the movie, it stars DJ Qualls and Rachel Blanchard who previously starred together in 'Road Trip (2000)' but this movie is as far from 'Road Trip' as you can get... (Even though technically there is a road trip in this movie as well, but that's beyond the point.)

The feel of the movie is dark and gloomy and there is a true sense of loneliness and frustration throughout the movie, so yeah don't expect DJ Qualls to make you laugh in this one.

'Chasing Holden' is a reference to the character Holden Caufield from JD Salinger's book 'Catcher In The Rye' which is one of the few books I've actually read (not much of a book-reader) and I think it helps if you have read that book because DJ Qualls character is absolutely obsessed with that book.

It's not a movie that everyone will enjoy, a lot of people will find it too depressing but those that do like it I believe will like it a lot, no promises though, it helps if you like DJ Qualls.

I just watched Chasing Holden and I kinda figured it would be some cheap show. Yeah it was pretty cheap and a little bit psycho like in a way. We see our main character Neil (DJ Qualls) fresh off a stay at an insane asylum and attending a prep school who is assigned an assigment on Holden Caufield from J.D. Salinger's "Catcher And The Rye". After being assigned the paper, he develops such an obsession with Holden that he wants to hunt down the author. The show completely evolves around Neil's obsession with Holden & J.D. that we really can't seem to figure out anything about T.J except her frustrations with Neil's obsession with Holden. If you're looking for a film to watch, you'd be better off watching Ben Affleck as Holden in Chasing Amy then DJ Qualls' obsession with J.D. 3 out of 10 on my scale!!!

this might actually be one of the worst films i have ever seen in my life....the plot was extremely petty and predictable...the author obviously sat there with a thesaurus to sound more intelligent than he is.....the acting was understandable, given the quality of the script....overall, a B movie that went nowhere for a reason.....

I loved this show, mainly because I relate to the main character, he's a bit nuts, and just the way he goes through this torment and struggle with every day life and how the little tiny things that normally a person wouldn't care about bother him to death. I love how even though it's loosely based on catcher in the rye, that the main character actually does have a ton in common with Holden Caufield and how many things from the book are similar in the movie. I also recommend reading Catcher in the Rye if you even liked the movie at all. I do have to say that the movie was really slow going, but had it's really good moments. I love movies about crazy people like this one, and others like "Falling Down," or "Bringing Out The Dead," They need to make more movies like that.

If I had a dime for every adolescent who thinks of his/her reading of The Catcher in the Rye as the cathartic experience that gave him/her a true sense of introspection, I could buy every existing copy of this movie and burn the batch in a nice bonfire. This movie smacks of the pseudo-intelligent ramblings of a third year English major who is convinced that the angst he feels is unique.

Movies like this have been done to death. From the brilliant, misunderstood youth to the rich and powerful unfeeling parent to the smart and tough, yet sensitive and understanding authority figure, this movie is a mishmash of clichéd characters and tired plot lines. Even the northeastern prep school where the boys all wear blazers with crests and the girls all wear plaid skirts and kneesocks is hackneyed. It's all old news.

The worst part about this film is the overwhelming superciliousness that permeates the production. It's as if the writer and director have discovered this obscure, brilliant manuscript that has so affected them, and they feel the need to enlighten the world. Even the title comes across with a kind of smug exclusivity, as if to say, "only the truly illuminated, those who know the name Holden Caulfield, will understand and appreciate what we are conveying here!"

This film is neither intelligent nor edgy nor insightful. It's got a fanboy quality - a sycophantic tone - so much so that it almost seems the people behind it are trying to do something more than tell a story...like make a "serious" film about youthful angst that indie film geeks will coo over in the local alternative newspaper. Guys, you can have it.