Book 36 of my 2021 Reading Challenge
Shit, Actually by Lindy West
Summary (via Goodreads)
published 2020
New York Times opinion writer and bestselling author Lindy West was once the in-house movie critic for Seattle's alternative newsweekly The Stranger, where she covered film with brutal honesty and giddy irreverence. In Shit, Actually, Lindy returns to those roots, re-examining beloved and iconic movies from the past 40 years with an eye toward the big questions of our time: Is Twilight the horniest movie in history? Why do the zebras in The Lion King trust Mufasa-WHO IS A LION-to look out for their best interests? Why did anyone bother making any more movies after The Fugitive achieved perfection? And, my god, why don't any of the women in Love, Actually ever fucking talk?!?!
From Forrest Gump, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, and Bad Boys II, to Face/Off, Top Gun, and The Notebook, Lindy combines her razor-sharp wit and trademark humor with a genuine adoration for nostalgic trash to shed new critical light on some of our defining cultural touchstones-the stories we've long been telling ourselves about who we are. At once outrageously funny and piercingly incisive, Shit, Actually reminds us to pause and ask, "How does this movie hold up?", all while teaching us how to laugh at the things we love without ever letting them or ourselves off the hook.
Shit, Actually is a love letter and a break-up note all in one: to the films that shaped us and the ones that ruined us. More often than not, Lindy finds, they're one and the same.
From Forrest Gump, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, and Bad Boys II, to Face/Off, Top Gun, and The Notebook, Lindy combines her razor-sharp wit and trademark humor with a genuine adoration for nostalgic trash to shed new critical light on some of our defining cultural touchstones-the stories we've long been telling ourselves about who we are. At once outrageously funny and piercingly incisive, Shit, Actually reminds us to pause and ask, "How does this movie hold up?", all while teaching us how to laugh at the things we love without ever letting them or ourselves off the hook.
Shit, Actually is a love letter and a break-up note all in one: to the films that shaped us and the ones that ruined us. More often than not, Lindy finds, they're one and the same.
First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover
I added this book to my 'to-read' list after reading a friend's review on Goodreads. The description sounds tailor-made for me: essays by a funny writer revisiting movies from my childhood/early adulthood.
I reserved the book through my library's curbside pickup but looking at the book, I think it would've grabbed my attention while browsing even if I hadn't heard of it. It's a catchy title with a bright yellow jacket.
My Opinion
4 stars
This was a quick, breezy read. It's a niche book for a certain time of movies but I fit into that age group so I recognized pretty much everything. I also read aloud many parts to my husband and he enjoyed them as well (he actually asked me to read more to him but since the chapters are so long, I told him to just read the book himself so I could continue to read quickly).
An extra bit of fun comes from trying to guess which movie an essay is about based on the title. For example, "Big Boy Freaky Friday" is about "Face/Off".
Quote from the Book
"Also, who writes their novel on loose pages on a typewriter in an open-air shack next to a pond? Amelia Bedelia?" ~ from the chapter "Shit, Actually" about the movie "Love, Actually"
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