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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
medium-paced
Robert Evans had a unique writing style that in small doses was quirky and entertaining and that in book-length doses becomes overwrought and grating. I listened to the book in hour-ish chunks, which helped.
Like a lot of celebrity memoirs, this one is really a loose collection of stories the author must have told over and over. They've been honed to a point, it's true, but they also gloss over a lot of context and pertinent details. If you don't already know about Robert Evan's life, you'll find a lot of gaps.
And while Evans willingly admits some mistakes, he's blind to his character flaws. Reading closely (and consulting other sources), you can discover that Evans was privileged, sexist, and a bully in his adult life. He also omits any mention of his drug addiction, which was a huge part of who he became. His stories always make himself the hero. There's no introspection or character growth.
Is this book an entertaining beach read? Yes.
Does it offer insight into a man who left his mark on Hollywood? No way.
Like a lot of celebrity memoirs, this one is really a loose collection of stories the author must have told over and over. They've been honed to a point, it's true, but they also gloss over a lot of context and pertinent details. If you don't already know about Robert Evan's life, you'll find a lot of gaps.
And while Evans willingly admits some mistakes, he's blind to his character flaws. Reading closely (and consulting other sources), you can discover that Evans was privileged, sexist, and a bully in his adult life. He also omits any mention of his drug addiction, which was a huge part of who he became. His stories always make himself the hero. There's no introspection or character growth.
Is this book an entertaining beach read? Yes.
Does it offer insight into a man who left his mark on Hollywood? No way.
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
The documentary based off this book is better than the book. I learned Robert Evans is a Republican. In the movie you don't learn that, which is really preferable for enjoying it.
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Four stars for content. Two stars for delivery. Evans really should have gotten someone else to do the narration.
I can't rate this book. Objectively it is probably two or three stars. But I took advice from an old Patton Oswalt cd and listened to the audiobook, which is quite an enjoyable experience. The hubris and the desperation of the book, coupled with Evans' voice, which makes Tom Waits sound like he never smoked, are so over the top, that I would have to rate it higher than I'm willing to. So I will abstain.
Hollywood royalty, Bob Evans has endless stories, gossip, iconic tales of how films were made. He was thrown into the depths of running a studio before ever having a job. Captivating, but rings so vividly of white male privilege it’s hard to separate his story with the suppression of countless creators, especially women from the boys club of the 20th century of filmmaking.
this guys sucks, like his best friends are henry kissinger and roman polanski, but it's so well done!
I listened to this through audible and I loved it. Hearing Evan's voice was like a gift from the ASMR gods themselves. His voice is unmistakable, who else could tell his story with such wonderful animation and emphasis as his own? It's not as detailed as I would have hoped but nonetheless very entertaining and insightful about what it takes to make it in Hollywood-or at least, what it used to take.