My review from Toronto Film Festival

Thanks so much. Your kind words are always appreciated. Literary references are kept to a minimum since they didn't want the film to be too self-indulgent or cut out a younger audience that might not be aware of them. It's more of a coming-of-age story than anything else (the writer's semi-autobiographical self is the Nat Wolff character, not Kinnear). It's more about growing up in a dysfunctional family where you're following in the footsteps of someone who you've lost faith in. It could be about musicians, or auto mechanics...writing is just the field he used to tell the story.

The father/son relationship is central to the film. I think that's what makes it more universal and they didn't want writing to really be the focus since that could limit its appeal.

Thanks for the comment about the technical aspects, too. In my notes after screenings I usually have more written about the lighting, sound, score, camerawork, editing, etc. than the plot or acting. But I know most people aren't as interested in that so I usually cut that down to a few lines and flesh out the overall feeling I had about the film. But it depends on the movie. Some are much more stylized and require a more in-depth discussion of the production values. Other times there's so much to say about the story and acting that I limit the technical aspects. A lot depends on how much I need to give away since my reviews are spoiler-free. Sometimes my entire review is about the technical aspects if it's a film that I can't discuss without spoilers (like "Kevin"). I'm glad people like you appreciate those discussions.