I have a love of a lot of things that Carl Reiner did (the movies he directed the classic show he helped create/write and guest star in) and so I thought I would check out this autobiography. Now, there are some perfect “autobiographies” that make you laugh and still inform you about someone’s life, there are some fun ones that are just there to make you laugh and then there are some that are a chore to read because they take you through the entire life of the person – even the boring stuff. I truly enjoyed this one because Carl (wisely, I think) was more interested in telling a good story than leading us step by step through his life. So what you get are 54 little short stories that manage to entertain while still giving you an idea who this man was. A very quick and enjoyable read. After reading it I love this man even more. He seems like a genuinely wonderful person. Creative, a supportive friend/husband/father, and I applaud his political views (his story about Ronald Reagan was spot on). The biggest down side is he barely even mentions the creative efforts he is known for. We don’t find out about his directing, his writing, and barely anything about the writing on the Sid Ceasar show. In the end, that wasn’t the point of the book BUT I wish he had thrown in a few more stories about that. But the ones we did get were highly entertaining. Like Albert Brooks, my favourite chapter was Chapter 29. Often when I read a biography, I come away with new appreciation and respect for the subject. Every once in awhile, after I read a biography, I come away sppreciating and respecting the subject a little less. That was the case with this one.Carl Reiner is extremely liberal, and he describes himself as "a Jewish atheist." I don't care what his views are, but I don't feel that this was the forum for him to push his liberal agenda. I wanted to learn about his life in show business, which I did. I didn't want to be demeaned because my political and religious views were different than his.
Do You like book I Remember Me (2013)?
Big disappointment. if you love Mel and Carl, as I do, stick to live interviews, TV shows, etc.
—ragegriffin
Great remembrances from a great writer and performer. So many lovely anecdotes.
—diva205
I wasn't too interested in this autobiography by Carl Reiner.
—kcone
