The Only Living Boy in New York

This is a film about a father who is a successful publisher, a son who wants to be a writer and mysterious mentor who turns out to be a famous writer and the film’s biggest weakness is the writing.

The high calibre cast includes Pierce Brosnan, Cynthia Nixon, Kate Beckinsale and Jeff Bridges (also executive producer), each doing their best with characters that are confused clumps of incongruous sentiments.

Callum Turner plays the lead role of Thomas Webb, a privileged, angst-ridden, rudderless young man, so self-interested he has no understanding nor, seemingly, concern for the people around him or the consequences of his actions.

The dialogue is vapid. The plot feels like an arbitrary arrangement of post-it notes with a surprise twist that seriously ‘jumps the shark’. The soundtrack’s subtle nod to The Graduate only adds to the film’s misgiven pretensions.

See something else.

★1/2

Reviewed by Rita Bratovich.