BOOK 200: WISHFUL DRINKING: CARRIE FISHER
BOOK 200: WISHFUL DRINKING: CARRIE FISHER
Wishful Drinking is an autobiographical humor book by American actress and author Carrie Fisher, based on her one-woman stage show, which she developed with writer/director Joshua Ravetch.
BOOK RECEPTION: Wishful Drinking received generally positive reviews from critics. The January 2009 New York Times review described it as a "funny, sardonic little memoir", but "pretty slight, padded out with big type, extra space between the lines and some family photographs, and it displays at times an almost antic need to entertain. The paragraphs are short, and the jokes – the puns, the wisecracks, the deadpan one-liners – come rattling along at the rate of one every other sentence or so." Salon reviewer Rebecca Traister found the book quite funny in large part, but was disappointed that "instead of pushing aside the twinkling craziness of her outside life to meaningfully reveal the crazy on the inside, as she has always done so well, Fisher is now gathering all the starry stuff around her for comfort and reassurance about who she is and what she means."
The author, who died on December 27, 2016, had written the following comment in the book, and it was widely published by the news media after her death:
“Now I think that this would make for a fantastic obit—so I tell my younger friends that no matter how I go, I want it reported that I drowned in moonlight, strangled by my own bra.”
FILM DOCUMENTARY: HBO cable television released a filmed documentary of the stage show, directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, and first broadcast in December 2010. The 76-minute film was released on DVD on September 13, 2011. The film production and DVD received a mixture of reviews. In the Los Angeles Times, Robert Lloyd described the performance captured: "Fisher can be broad, but that is also the person she plays everywhere now: a little larger than life, worn but not worn out. She's funny as an actress, and as a writer makes memorable phrases". Boston Globe reviewer Matthew Gilbert wrote, "Fisher’s obsession with her parents and stepparents can be a little tiresome, to be honest, even while her tales of Hollywood absurdity remain outrageous ... Fisher even starts to seem boastful about her dysfunction ..." Continuing, "Fortunately Fisher does have some self-awareness about the potential for her show to seem like a narcissistic screed. That helps." DVDTalk reviewer Jason Bailey wrote of the released DVD, "To put across the brilliance of Wishful Drinking, all Bailey and Barbato really needed to do was put Fisher on stage, and turn on the cameras. They do that skillfully and unobtrusively". The DVD's content received 4/5 stars, video quality 3/5, audio quality 3.5/5, extras 2.5/5, replay 4/5, with final advice of "Highly Recommended".
RECOMMENDED WATCHING: Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds
MY REVIEW: I am a big Carrie Fisher fan, without being a fan of Star Wars at all, in fact I didn't see star wars until 2013, which to some people is a big deal. I’m a fan of Carrie Fisher for being herself but also When Harry Met Sally… and Drop Dead Fred. I think despite the many problems in her life she keeps going and stays positive. It’s true that this book is surprisingly short but it really is fantastic. In it’s succinct way it still has you reading in Fisher’s face and you can almost see Debbie Reynolds swishing around as she describes her. She is maybe a little to self effacing but she is funny and if you read this as it was written, as a one woman show, it works and is thoroughly entertaining. I would recommend this book even if just for the old Hollywood gossip at the start.
Find the book here…
