Author: The JT LeRoy Story

Name: Author: The JT LeRoy Story
Genre: Documentary
Released: September 9, 2016
Duration: 110 min
Rating: 72

2016

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Generally favorable reviews based on 24 Critic Reviews

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Author: The JT Leroy Story

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Movie Details & Credits

| Release Date: September 9, 2016 | R

Summary: On January 9, 2006 The New York Times sent shockwaves through the literary world when it unmasked “it boy” wunderkind JT LeRoy, whose tough prose about a sordid childhood had captivated icons and luminaries internationally. It turned out LeRoy didn’t actually exist. He was the creative expression of 40-year-old San Francisco formerOn January 9, 2006 The New York Times sent shockwaves through the literary world when it unmasked “it boy” wunderkind JT LeRoy, whose tough prose about a sordid childhood had captivated icons and luminaries internationally. It turned out LeRoy didn’t actually exist. He was the creative expression of 40-year-old San Francisco former phone-sex operator turned housewife, Laura Albert. Author: The JT LeRoy Story takes us down the infinitely fascinating rabbit hole of how Laura Albert—like a Cyrano de Bergerac on steroids—breathed not only words, but life, into her avatar for a decade. Albert’s epic and entertaining account plunges us into a glittery world of rock shows, fashion events, and the Cannes red carpet where LeRoy becomes a mysterious sensation. As she recounts this astonishing odyssey, Albert also reveals the intricate web spun by irrepressible creative forces within her. Her extended and layered JT LeRoy performance still infuriates many; but according to Albert, channeling her brilliant fiction through another identity was the only possible path to self-expression.… Expand

Director: Jeff Feuerzeig

Genre(s): Documentary

Rating: R

Runtime: 110 min

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Critic Reviews

100

RogerEbert.com Godfrey Cheshire

Sep 9, 2016

Author is a particular kind of documentary: a first-person account of the creation of a myth by its creator. As such, it poses all sorts of questions about the intersection of art, celebrity and psychological disturbance in our media culture, but it also gives us Laura Albert as a shape-shifting artist of astonishing talent, resourcefulness and originality. Read full review

Moira Macdonald

Sep 15, 2016

Feuerzeig lets us put together the puzzle pieces of Albert’s story. The film’s final five minutes — a punch to the heart — make it all clear. Read full review

The Film Stage John Fink

Jul 22, 2016

Author: The JT LeRoy Story is wildly entertaining and truly stranger than fiction. Read full review

Sara Stewart

Sep 8, 2016

Author is one of the most entertaining documentaries in recent memory — and, possibly, the origin story of catfishing. Read full review

Marjorie Baumgarten

Sep 14, 2016

Feuerzeig has made a fascinating documentary about a fascinating occurrence. Author implicitly stokes so many of the moral questions the incident inherently raises. Read full review

Justin Lowe

Sep 9, 2016

Although it’s clear that her dauntingly complex personality contributes to her abilities as a superior storyteller, Feuerzeig and Albert now ask us to believe a proven unreliable narrator’s account of her own life, which largely lacks corroboration. Read full review

Matt Brennan

Sep 5, 2016

Jeff Feuerzeig isn't skeptical enough of Laura Albert's explanations and rationalizations. Read full review

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