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"If You Ask Me" by Libby Gelman-Waxner
Here's my review:
While the purists -those who refer to cinema as “The Seventh Art”, think of “entertainment” as a dirty word, and for whom refinement, cinematic excellence and style matter more than anything else- will very likely qualify the book as outrageous and ask that its author be put in a cage without a pen or paper, there is a good chance that the rest –that is approximately 99 percent of the population, will find “If You Ask Me” outrageously funny and won’t be able to put it down.
Everything that there is to know about movies and movie stars ‘Made in Hollywood’ is in “If You Ask Me” by Libby Gelman-Waxner. The book is a compilation of her columns published in Premiere magazine during the 90s. It is the “Hollywood for Dummies,” an indispensable guide that tells all about the hidden face of American cinema. While traditional movie reviews are 99 percent analysis, and 0.9 percent humor, with half the language used being so technical that it is necessary to re-read each sentence at least a dozen times in order to make sense of the whole thing, this book is the exact opposite. It is light, fresh, fun, straight to the point, and the author, for a change, doesn’t take herself, or her book, too seriously. She uses words that an everyday person can understand without having to open a dictionary, which constitutes an achievement in itself
An “assistant buyer in juniors’ active wear” reviewing movies in her spare time, she is undoubtedly one of the most off-beat critics of her time. As the self professed “nation’s foremost auteuristic film critic” –and “foremost auteuristic” is the understatement of the year, she has indeed a style of her own: hilariously honest and totally pitiless, especially when it comes to trashing one of America’s most emblematic and prolific businesses by making light on its many flaws and imperfections, and by making fun of and criticizing its beloved stars. Whether you like it or not, even if you didn’t ask, she is going to give her opinion, hence the revelatory title and trademark quicker “If You Ask Me.”
Libby doesn’t wear gloves and isn’t the type to apologize for what she writes: she has absolutely no misgivings, speaking her mind without after-thoughts or taboos. Her reviews are almost gossipy at times, as she often seems more concerned about a star’s haircut or latest love interest than acting style. The result is, 99.9 percent of the time, laugh-out-loud funny, with a good dose of sarcasm, and the author’s caustic sense of humor guaranteeing at least one uncontrollable laughing fit per chapter.
She simply isn’t in the same league as traditional movie critics, whose books have a reputation for being pretty heavy to the average reader. Libby turns the traditionally boring, over-analytical and head-bangingly complicated, into a fun and unforgettable ride into Hollywood’s backyard, and this for one simple reason: she uses examples that the average moviegoer can relate to, making her book all the more accessible. Her approach to movies is very personal to say the least. No interviews with famous movie stars or directors here, but every chapter is a descent into the personal world of Libby, with occasional participation from her husband and “wildly sought after Upper East Side orthodontist” Josh, her daughter Jennifer, her therapist Arlene Cole-Natbaum, her mother Sondra Krell-Gelman, her best friend Stacy Schiff and her cousin Andrew. What is most enjoyable and makes the book such a delicious read is the ton of references to pop culture, food, health, fashion, politics, a proof that movies are deeply embedded in the American culture. She treats movies as they should be treated: products coming right out of the movie factory that is Hollywood. As the one and only designated movie critic for Premiere magazine, she has a license to criticize and doesn’t miss an occasion to show that she isn’t in the least afraid to use it. She can as easily shoot down a movie on account that its star had a bad hair day, as she can put another one on a pedestal simply because it stars Dennis Quaid or exposes Mel Gibson’s “tush.”
Although the book is more than 10 years-old, the subject matter hasn’t aged a bit. Hollywood is still the place where “you can be a good actor but talent isn’t necessary”, a world where superficiality reigns, where hiding behind appearances of beauty, intelligence and talent seems to be the norm, and where quality is when the sequel costs more than the original. She sees the American cinema as “a luscious catalogue of dreams” where “marketing is for 99 percent of filmmaking.” She compares movies to “car commercials on TV” and other American products like Spam or Vidal Sassoon shampoo. Hollywood is where movies don’t require dialogues and plots, only stars, who “are all Lassie.” She also unveils the mystery surrounding directors (“no one really knows what a director does”) who she sees as rather useless individuals who spend their time watching others work, and who went to film school (“a three-year version of a snow day”) only to watch old movies.
“If You Ask Me” is written in the first person, as Libby is an entire part of the story, giving the reader her input on every little and not so insignificant detail of a movie like the main star’s nose job, dressing habits or accents … everything that people are looking at when they go to the movies but won’t admit. Her take on Hollywood is completely convincing in the sense that she is able to put herself in the shoes of the “ignorant American Cineplex addict”, because she is one herself. She knows that the average American filmgoer couldn’t care less about cinematography, or the art of directing a movie, but is avid for car chases, shower scenes, “naked movie stars, exploding squad cars and [a star’s] latest surgical procedure.”
And like any respected movie critic, Libby picks the movies that she thinks deserve to be praised. “The Libby Awards” or “The Libbys,” are a hilariously deranged version of the real Academy Awards, where the Oscar statue is replaced by one of Libby’s duplicate wedding gifts
Bottom line is: I loved it
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"Persistence of Double Vision: Essays on Clint Eastwood" by William Beard
Interesting read, but way too technical at times.
See above when I talked about "over-analytical and head-bangingly complicated" books about movies? Well this one is a very good example
Still worth reading. For the die-hard Eastwood fan only.
Clint Eastwood Forums
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