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emelless 's review for:
Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography
by David Javerbaum, Neil Patrick Harris
Going into this book, I had no strong feelings one way or the other about NPH. I loved Doogie Howser as a teenager, but I have not seen HIMYM and I have little to no interest in musical theater. I probably should have known that this book wouldn't appeal to me, but I thought it could be witty and fun.
To be fair, there is some wit, and it's clear that NPH does have a certain star quality, but it does not make up for the times he comes across as spoiled, overly impressed with himself, and unsympathetic to those have not been as fortunate as he has.
Anyone who has made it in Hollywood has done so through a mix of hard work and lucky breaks. You can read any celebrity memoir for those stories. What could have made this autobiography stand out is hearing how he revealed his sexuality as a public figure, or the surrogacy process he and his husband went through. He briefly discusses those, but there is no sense that he endured any real struggle. He grew up gay in Hollywood, where he was loved and accepted, and the hardest part of the surrogacy was finding an egg donor beautiful enough to bear their children (ugh).
I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but at some point he loses all touch with reality. Here are some of the more off-putting moments: He gives a detailed account of living in luxury while staying with Elton John in the French Riviera (which only came about because he just happened to run into Elton's husband while taking another fabulous vacation in Mykonos). He talks about his elaborate 9-day birthday celebration, culminating in a stay in the suite at the top of Cinderella's castle. He talks about meeting his HOT husband (his words), and OMG...did he mention he's HOT?, because he's HOT. He talks about his perfect twins, and how at 5 years old, they are smarter and more sophisticated than your kids, because they eat sashimi and use big vocabulary words. I think Gwyneth Paltrow might be more grounded and relatable.
Most reviews mention that they loved or hated the Choose Your Own Adventure format, and yes it is gimmicky, but that is the least of my problems with this book. I just didn't feel like his story was all that interesting. To me, a good life story has ups and downs, struggle and triumph. It seems like this was just a chance to brag about the charmed life he has led. If you are a NPH superfan or want to hear about the fabulous life of the famous and well-connected, then you might enjoy this book.
To be fair, there is some wit, and it's clear that NPH does have a certain star quality, but it does not make up for the times he comes across as spoiled, overly impressed with himself, and unsympathetic to those have not been as fortunate as he has.
Anyone who has made it in Hollywood has done so through a mix of hard work and lucky breaks. You can read any celebrity memoir for those stories. What could have made this autobiography stand out is hearing how he revealed his sexuality as a public figure, or the surrogacy process he and his husband went through. He briefly discusses those, but there is no sense that he endured any real struggle. He grew up gay in Hollywood, where he was loved and accepted, and the hardest part of the surrogacy was finding an egg donor beautiful enough to bear their children (ugh).
I was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but at some point he loses all touch with reality. Here are some of the more off-putting moments: He gives a detailed account of living in luxury while staying with Elton John in the French Riviera (which only came about because he just happened to run into Elton's husband while taking another fabulous vacation in Mykonos). He talks about his elaborate 9-day birthday celebration, culminating in a stay in the suite at the top of Cinderella's castle. He talks about meeting his HOT husband (his words), and OMG...did he mention he's HOT?, because he's HOT. He talks about his perfect twins, and how at 5 years old, they are smarter and more sophisticated than your kids, because they eat sashimi and use big vocabulary words. I think Gwyneth Paltrow might be more grounded and relatable.
Most reviews mention that they loved or hated the Choose Your Own Adventure format, and yes it is gimmicky, but that is the least of my problems with this book. I just didn't feel like his story was all that interesting. To me, a good life story has ups and downs, struggle and triumph. It seems like this was just a chance to brag about the charmed life he has led. If you are a NPH superfan or want to hear about the fabulous life of the famous and well-connected, then you might enjoy this book.