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The documentary 鈥淪alinger鈥� 鈥� which explores the life of reclusive 鈥淐atcher in the Rye鈥� author J.D. Salinger and has been touted for months as revealing many secrets about the writer 鈥� hits theaters today. Does it live up to the hype? And just how juicy are those secrets?

The movie is directed by Shane Salerno and includes thoughts on Salinger by acquaintances, fellow authors, and movie stars who reflect on his legacy and life.

Monitor critic Peter Rainer awarded the film a grade of "B," writing that 鈥淪alinger,鈥� which is directed by Shane Salerno, is 鈥渂y turns fascinating and infuriating.鈥� One of the main secrets, says Rainer, is the announcement of possible new works by the author that will be published (check out our article on the new Salinger novels and stories here).

鈥淢uch of what is revealed in this film has been reported in the past, though not in such detail,鈥� he writes of the movie. Rainer calls Salerno鈥檚 hypothesis that Salinger鈥檚 emotional troubles were in part caused by post traumatic stress disorder dating from his service in World War II 鈥減lausibl[e].鈥� 鈥淏ut there is much overreaching in this film,鈥� he writes.

New York Times reviewer A.O. Scott was even less impressed. 鈥淭here are plenty of archival images and talking-head interviews, but 鈥楽alinger,鈥� directed by Mr. Salerno, is less a work of cinema than the byproduct of its own publicity campaign,鈥� Scott writes. 鈥淚t does not so much explore the life and times of J. D. Salinger as run his memory and legacy through a spin cycle of hype.鈥� He says the story is 鈥渇ull of hyperbole and speculation鈥� and that 鈥渘ot altogether implausible idea[s] ... flicker into view during 鈥淪alinger,鈥� only to be dissolved in the acid of sensationalism.鈥�

Meanwhile, the possibility of new books to come, says Scott, is 鈥渂lasted onto the screen with the kind of music that usually accompanies the destruction of a planet.鈥�

But Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan was mostly won over by the film, calling it 鈥渆nergetic [and] informative鈥� though at times 鈥渙ver-dramatized.鈥� The interviews in the film, says Turan, 鈥渉elp us understand how Salinger, in ways both sensible and strange, dealt with the enormous celebrity that came his way.鈥�

And USA Today reviewer Claudia Puig found the movie to be 鈥渃ompelling and captivating,鈥� though she said the reenacments in the film were 鈥渋rritating鈥� and that the movie is sometimes 鈥渇lawed.鈥澛�

Overall, however, it鈥檚 a 鈥渞iveting story ... Salerno ... has unearthed some treasures,鈥� she writes.