This is another time period movie I watched recently that is based on a book by Philip Roth. Marcus Messner (Logan Lerman) avoids enlistment during the Korean War by being a college student, as college students were exempt from being drafted. In college, as a self-identified atheist, he becomes increasingly frustrated by pressure from his Jewish parents to mingle and meet other Jewish students, and often clashes with school Dean Caudwell (Tracy Letts) over his (Marcus’) non-religious beliefs and rebellious behavior at school. The only bright spot in his life was falling heads over heels for Olivia (Sarah Gadon), another student with a troubled soul. The movie is peppered with consequences throughout for decisions made (I won’t reveal what these are in case any of you watch this movie).

The acting by everyone involved was great, but I feel like the movie falls a bit short of clearly demonstrating the point of the movie. It has characters that were performed by a great cast. It has a story. But when the movie ended, I was not sure that I understood what they were trying to convey with this story. Don’t get me wrong, not all stories in books or movies are made to make a point. But I feel like this one was supposed to have one, and if it did, I didn’t really get it. It’s a watchable movie, but I can’t promise you that you will understand it. If you have watched it, feel free to comment below, and let me know your opinion of what it was about. But for those who have not seen it and are considering watching, let me give you a friendly warning that there are 2 or three sexual scenes (not overly graphic), so bear that in mind when deciding who you want to watch it with.