Jump to content

The Interestings

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Interestings
File:The Interestings.jpg
Written byLynnie Greene
Richard Levine
Meg Wolitzer (novel)
Directed byMike Newell
StarringLauren Ambrose
Theme music composerMark Mothersbaugh
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducersPeter Chomsky
Lynnie Greene
Tony Lara
Richard Levine
Lindsay Sloane
Robin Sweet
CinematographyTerry Stacey
EditorKelley Dixon
Running time60 minutes
Production companiesAmazon Studios
TriStar Television
Original release
ReleaseJune 17, 2016 (2016-06-17) (TV)

The Interestings is a 2016 American television pilot directed by Mike Newell based on the novel of the same name by Meg Wolitzer. The narrative of the film jumps back and forth between the time Jules Jacobson spent at an arts camp meeting new friends and her current life in middle age with relationships that have transformed in the meantime.

Synopsis

A group of teenagers meet at an arts camp and become lifelong friends.

Cast

  • Lauren Ambrose as Jules Jacobson
  • Katie Balen as Young Jules Jacobson
  • Matt Barr as Goodman Wolf
  • Jessica Collins as Cathy Kiplinger
  • Corey Cott as Jonah Dey
  • Gabriel Ebert as Dennis
  • Jance Enslin as Young Jonah Dey
  • Sasha Frolova as Young Cathy Kiplinger
  • David Krumholtz as Ethan Figman
  • Justin Matthews as Young Goodman Wolf
  • Sarah Mezzanotte as Young Ash Wolf
  • Jessica Paré as Ash Wolf
  • Ed Squires as Young Ethan Figman
  • Michael Gaston as Gil Wolf
  • Jessica Hecht as Lois Jacobson
  • Jeffrey Omura as Robert Takahashi
  • Sarah T. Cohen as Ellen Jacobson
  • Lizzy DeClement as Janie Zell
  • JoJo Kushner as Rorie
  • Carolyn McCormick as Betsy Wolf
  • Matthew Rauch as Baron Scott
  • Victor Slezak as Eugene Michaels
  • Joseph Aniska as Detective Spivak
  • Buddy Bolton as Liquor Store Owner
  • Jane Dashow as Shauna Samson
  • Nathan James as Customs Officer
  • Ezra Knight as Detective Manfredo
  • Alexis Molnar as Young Sandy Snyder

Reception

Brian Moylan of The Guardian wrote that it is "not an entirely original premise, but what makes the pilot especially moving is that we see these characters making huge decisions and then immediately see the consequences – intentional or otherwise."[1]
Margaret Lyons of the New York Times noted that "adapting a novel for television means losing some of the precision of the characters’ interior life" but found that the pilot "effectively conveys the various textures of the relationships among the old friends, which are sometimes fraught and sometimes the only source of peace in their lives."[2]
Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly wrote that the pilot was "all-over-the-place" and stated that Newell and the writers "fail to find a distinct point of view on Wolitzer's story or translate the author's gracious, insightful understanding of her characters into dramatic or visual language."[3]

References