Except Neil being an insufferable little twerp was the entire point. The kid is a mentally disturbed loner who couldn't handle the death of his older brother, and so he loses himself in the character of Holden Caulfield and thinks he's this deep rebel when he's really just a doofus who misses his brother.
When Salinger's lawyer tells him off in that letter, he snaps, and means to be like Mark David Chapman and kill his idol. Upon actually seeing his intended target at the end, though, he realizes what he's doing, drops the gun, and instead goes back to T.J. and sits with her in the hospital and also reunites with his father. In short, he goes back to the stuff that really matters to him instead of continuing to pretend to be a badass. He realizes what an insufferable twit he is and changes.
It's hackneyed of course and the movie is extremely pretentious and dull, but I can see what they were trying to do with the character and I liked the fact the ending wasn't entirely cynical, especially with Neil's father actually returning and being genuinely concerned for him.
It is a terrible movie, but has a few silver linings like that. I just don't think I'd watch it more than once.
"I mean, really, how many times will you look under Jabba's manboobs?"
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