Based on the autobiographical book by Joanna Rackoff, this film looks at her early career in 90s NYC. She aspired to be a poet, but got a job working for J. D. Salinger’s literary agent (Sigourney Weaver, who dominates the film as her imperious boss). Frankly, Joanna’s continuous mistakes and borderline incompetence should have gotten her fired, but for some reason she persisted. Rackoff is played by Margaret Qualley, who certainly embodied the flaky, conflicted protagonist. The situations seemed derivitive (Devil Wears Prada, anyone?) and even though there are personal interactions, there’s almost no emotional weight for those scenes. Despite the scattered focus of the storyline, there’s an earnest enthusiasm to this scrappy tale that some may appreciate. 
(3 / 5)
