Finalmente The Death and Life of John F. Donovan (La mia vita con John F. Donovan) di Xavier Dolan (al suo primo film diretto in lingua inglese, con un cast da urlo: Kit Harington, Natalie Portman, Jacob Tremblay, Ben Schnetzer, Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates e Thandie Newton) ha visto la luce grazie alla presentazione in anteprima al Toronto Film Festival. L’attesa era molta e le prime critiche non sono buone come ci si aspettava: l’impressione è che Dolan non abbia pienamente convinto come in altre occasioni.
Si passa da reazioni positive, come quelle di seguito…
Warren Kang: Xavier Dolan brings his usual flare to THE DEATH AND LIFE OF JOHN F. DONOVAN as a portrait of fame, sexuality, and identity. He creates near-perfect cohesion between the different narratives. The final sequence is everything #TIFF18
Matt Rorabeck: The Death and Life of John F. Donovan: I mean, it’s definitely Dolan start-to-finish. Filled with melodrama, pop music, families yelling in close up, rich cinematography, etc. His voice/style is still very much there in English. I kinda dig it. #TIFF18
Crystal Bell: I love love love “The Death and Life of John F. Donovan” and can confirm that Jacob Tremblay anchors the film with a moving performance. He’s a phenomenal actor. Oh, and Michael Gambon made me cry. Also, THE MUSIC IS INCREDIBLE. Adele! Green Day! Lifehouse! The Verve!
…a opinioni assai più tiepide, come quella di Jason Bailey di The Playlist (“Xavier Dolan potrebbe essere un regista interessante se trovasse uno sceneggiatore migliore di Dolan“):
THE DEATH AND LIFE OF JOHN F. DONOVAN: Xavier Dolan could be an interesting director if he could find a better screenwriter than Xavier Dolan #TIFF18
E ancora:
Jesse Taylor: I did not have a positive reaction to THE DEATH AND LIFE OF JOHN F. DONOVAN. I’m going to gather my thoughts so that I don’t say anything too mean, but I really didn’t care for it. I love Dolan, but this one was a bit of a mess. #TIFF18
Infine, dalla recensione di Stephen Dalton dell’Hollywood Reporter: “He seems to be so in love with these autobiographical characters, he fails to make them remotely charming or even accessible to his viewers. His English-language dialogue is also graceless and tin-eared. Not even veteran screen heavyweights like Sarandon or Bates can make this leaden prose come alive. A brief cameo by Michael Gambon as a Yoda-like sage dispensing wise life lessons feels corny and clumsy.” (“Sembra così innamorato dei suoi personaggi autobiografici da dimenticarsi di renderli accessibili ed empatici allo spettatore. I dialoghi in inglese sono privi di grazia all’orecchio. Nemmeno veterani del calibro di Susan Sarandon e Kathy Bates possono rendere viva questa prosa. E il breve cameo di Michael Gambon, sorta di saggio alla Yoda che dispensa lezioni di vita appare maldestro”).