The Interestings
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.
| The Interestings | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Written by | Lynnie Greene Richard Levine Meg Wolitzer (novel) |
| Directed by | Mike Newell |
| Starring | Lauren Ambrose |
| Theme music composer | Mark Mothersbaugh |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producers | Peter Chomsky Lynnie Greene Tony Lara Richard Levine Lindsay Sloane Robin Sweet |
| Cinematography | Terry Stacey |
| Editor | Kelley Dixon |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production companies | Amazon Studios TriStar Television |
| Distributor | Amazon Studios |
| Release | |
| Original release | June 17, 2016 (TV) |
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]