There is no doubt that Lindy West is one if my favorite essayists. I loved both Shrill and The Witches are Coming, and will continue to read any essay collection she puts out. But this one just fell super flat for me. I totally see what West was going for here: something lighter in tone than her previous two books, a tongue-in-cheek look at the absurdity of some of our collective favorite films. But the humor just did not work for me at all and none of the criticism was particularly interesting or unique. We all know The Notebook is inherently problematic, we all know there are major plot holes in Harry Potter. I'm sad I didn't love this, but can't wait for West's return to form in her next essay collection.

I'm not quite sure how exactly I've made it this far without ever having read anything by Lindy West, but this was a great intro, for me! I found myself genuinely laughing out loud on SO many occasions, much to the annoyance of my coworkers as I read during my lunch break! How was I ever going to explain to them that I was laughing my ass off over descriptions of Edward Cullen nyooming away with Bella on his back? Anyway, I really did love this book and it was a wonderful break from the... everythingness of 2020. Even for the movies I hadn't seen, I was still entertained enough by Lindy West's writing style to be hooked. I'm someone who goes to the movies on an extremely regular basis, so this book was right up my alley and I absolutely plan to get a physical copy ASAP.

Reading Shit, Actually: A Complete History of Film is liking cozying up on a comfy couch on a rainy Sunday, channel surfing until you find one of those movies you've already seen but you're like "I could watch this again" and settling in for that rewatch with your funniest friend who picks apart the plot holes and character fails you never noticed before - and makes you laugh your ass off. Lindy West takes a second, sarcastic and just-the-right amount of critical look at everything from Face/Off, Garden State, Titanic, Harry Potter, Reality Bites, Shawshank Redemption, Back To The Future and many more. I'll never again watch some of these the same way again. Fans of Lindy West, the TV show she created (I think, maybe writes for) Shrill, and those fellow movie watchers who screamed out loud to the screen when the old lady tosses the heart of the ocean INTO the ocean when BIll Paxton has dedicated his life to finding it, and she had it the WHOLE TIME and made him listen to like, three hours of her Titanic story before just casually tossing it overboard (and let's not even get started with whether or not that door could have held poor Jack, too), this book is for you.

Is ‘agency-free boner golem’ the new ‘manic pixie dream girl’?*
🎬
If a thing you’d like to be doing more of during quarantine (sidebar: raise your hand if you’re still in quarantine, starting to feel a little lonely out here!) is roasting dumb movies with your snarky friends, then SHIT, ACTUALLY is here👏🏼 for 👏🏼 you 👏🏼.

Is this book basically a bunch of jokes about blockbuster movies made in the 90s(+/-5 yrs)? Yes. Is it an objective or definitive look at modern cinema? No, but it’s not pretending to be. Does West still have the keenest nose for sniffing out that brand of sexism so ingrained in the cultural mainstream that it’s practically background noise, but so egregious that we’re not gonna get anywhere until we start pulling it up by the roots & burning it to ash in a charnel house built specifically for that purpose? YES, and these are the DEEPLY SATISFYING kernels that I’d like to sprinkle in your brains, even if a joke book about movies isn’t your thing.

However, as a kid raised on a strict diet of public radio & TV time limits, it is very, extremely my thing. Give me people dissecting a movie or television show any day over consuming it myself! I love to be just conversant enough in pop culture to get by at parties and not be asked anymore if I was raised by wolves.

My guess is that if you enjoy Lindy West and her comedic writing voice, you’ll like this, and if you don’t, you won’t. I suspect it works best if you occupy the author’s specific temporocultural niche, which I do (though I made my dad listen to the chapter about The Fugitive, & he chuckled a respectable 5-7 times). If you haven’t read her before, I’d direct you to SHRILL as a stronger piece of writing. But in SHIT, ACTUALLY, she’s having a good time. And so did I.

Thanks to @librofm & @hachetteaudio for the free ALC & @netgalley for the dARC. SHIT, ACTUALLY is out now!


(*it is if I have anything to say about it)

Lindy West’s hilarious and sharp-witted critical reviews of popular movies are the perfect thing to read during one of the most stressful and depressing periods in recent years. Highly recommend for those of us in desperate need of a laugh.

NYT writer and bestselling author Lindy West unleashes her expertise on cinema by examining some of the most impactful--or the most meaningless--films of our time and seeing how they hold up today. Filled with her snarky humor and witty writing, Lindy recounts your favorite movies and characters to either compliment or call out. My favorite movies that she tore apart were most definitely Love, Actually and Twilight. A great light read for cinema junkies like myself that’ll bring your head out of the gloomy 2020 clouds. Get some wine, some popcorn, and get ready to laugh out loud!

Lindy West is my absolute queen. First of all, I thought I was the only one who hated Love Actually and The Notebook; not only does West hate them, but she picks them apart with so much wit and silliness that my stomach hurt from laughing for days afterwards. This book is the balm I need in these stressful times - I wish it was 10 times as long!

Lindy West is a comic genius. I cried laughing reading this book, and I am usually of the opinion that humorous books are less effective than humorous performances. SO GOOD.

There’s no one who gets my sense of humour quite like Lindy West. And Shit, Actually is no exception. This essay collection is probably her most broad while simultaneously being her most niche? Let me explain. These essays fit in the realm of recap and criticism such as TV Without Pity or Snark Squad. It goes through popular movies, mostly from the 90s, plot beat by plot beat and eviscerates them along the way. It was pure serotonin for me.

I howled at the Forrest Gump essay, died laughing at The Notebook portion, and absolutely cackled during the Twilight bit. This collection is much more irreverent and silly than her previous collections, though it still does manage to fit in some social commentary along the way. Just don’t expect the same level of meat as Shrill or The Witches are coming, because this book is an entirely different beast.

But if you’re into this kind of pop culture criticism, this book slaps. However, I will say, it seemed to me that the more familiar I was with the movie, the funnier the essay was. I still got a chuckle out of the ones about movies I didn’t know, but I have a feeling I was missing an essential part of the puzzle. Now I want to buy the book, reread it, and watch every movie I haven’t seen before. So, yeah, I liked it. Some jokes don’t land quite as well as others, but it’s still a great time.

I had read Lindy West’s two previous books which feature feminist cultural and political commentary. This is not that! West’s humor is on full display in ‘Shit, Actually.’ This enjoyable, hilarious collection features synopses of 20+ movies treasured in recent cinema. (1990s-2000s) As I am West’s age (37), I felt I was the exact target audience having seen the majority of these movies in my youth and early adulthood. Each chapter focuses on a modern “classic” film. For me the highlights were the chapters on Speed, Face/Off, and Twilight. Some parts had me laughing so hard. She pinpointed how ludicrous the plotlines were in some movies so well! Definitely pick up if you’re looking for mostly light-hearted snark aimed at popular cinema!

Thank you Hachette Books and NetGalley for providing this digital ARC.

This was such a fun read!! It should’ve been named Snark Actually! It’s a hilarious take on popular movies. Very entertaining and at time deeply insightful. It points out facts that many viewers would’ve normally missed while watching the movies. Loved it

Lindy West has a hilarious take on many movies and entertainment from the past. I didn't like all of her takes on these movies, because I love many of them, but she does have a hilarious take on it all.
I think this will probably be great on audio, but only is West reads it.

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Lindy rates and compares all her movie choices to The Fugitive, which I haven't seen, but could still appreciate her break down other popular movies from over the years. She talks everything from The Notebook and The Lion King, to Love, Actually, Titanic, and The Santa Clause. While I didn't always agree with her opinion, it was still entertaining to hear. She helps us laugh at some of the things we love, but also points out some problematic elements including racism and misogyny in the popular films we grew up with.

I only skimmed the chapters for the movies I haven't watched to see how they ranked compared to the other films. Overall I'd recommend for pop culture fans and movie buffs when this comes out October 20.

Lindy West skewers over 20 popular movies of the last few decades in this delightful book. It was a perfect book for these crazy times and I laughed a lot! The title references the movie “Love, Actually”, and gives you a hint re what she thinks of it! Other movies she “reviews” include: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Forrest Gump, Twilight, Titanic, The Shawshank Redemption, and The Lion King. I haven’t seen all the movies she writes about (Bad Boys II, for example), but for the ones I have seen, her commentary cracked me up.

Warning: if “bad” language bothers you, avoid this book!

NetGalley ARC

I original read the titular essay Shit, Actually when Lindy originally wrote it for Jezebel way back in the day. While I enjoyed Love, Actually on some level, it was delightful to read an essay that ripped it to shreds. The rest of the essays in this book are also more hilarious summaries than actual criticism. This is fine, and all the essays were enjoyable, even the ones based on movies I haven't seen (sorry Bad Boys 2).

Lindy delves into highly regarded Oscar winners such as Shawshank Redemption and classic cheesy action movies like Top Gun with equal vigor and detail. Her assessment of the true Top Gun hero is spot on. I enjoyed all the essays, but particularly her assessments of Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Garden State and American Pie.

Lindy West probably hates your favorite movie, but that's OK. I enjoyed takedowns of movies I genuinely like just as much as movies I love to hate.

Shit, Actually is HILARIOUS. Lindy West starts off by discussing her favourite movie (in fact, the movie she swears needed no other movies after it - it's just THAT good) which she'll use to compare and rate every movie discussed for the rest of the book.

West's dry humour and ability to point out the incredibly problematic nature of so many of these movies is entertaining and honest. It feels like a conversation with an old friend, especially as she admits to still really enjoying some of these titles - SOME.

If you're looking for an entertaining read on pop culture, look no further! In fact, this audiobook is a perfect coffee date after a long work day, when you just need to unwind.

Lindy West began her writing career as a movie critic and returns to these roots in this collection of essays in which she rewatches and reexamines some old favorites. Like any essay collection, there were some that landed better than others, but overall I felt like this collection doesn't add much value or greater insight into most of these movies than what has already been said about them. Even the titular essay - a revamped edition of her famous essay on Love, Actually - felt like an "add race and stir" recipe, as the original (and much of her writing) didn't take race into account as deftly as she explores gender.

While I've really enjoyed her other books that examine gender, society, and politics, this collection of essays about movies missed the mark for me. The humor was a bit hit-or-miss at times and I felt like it could have (and should have, in some cases, such as the Harry Potter essay) gone deeper to examine what these movies were saying about our society at the time.

Thank you so much the ARC of Shit, Actually. This was a god damn delight to read. I laughed out loud during every chapter, annoyed my partner by shaking the bed with laughter. I’ve only seen five of the movies Lindy reviewed but I connected to all of the reviews and honestly don’t plan to watch any of the movies, I feel I have enough synopsis to have a half formed opinion to at least coast through a party if I ever go to one again. The perspective was fresh and relevant even in reviewing 20+ year old movies. I was sad when I got to the last chapter.

Hilariously funny take on all the movies of my youth. This is the first book I’ve read that reflects our current (COVID) reality. It’s strangely satisfying to have it made *real* in the pages of a book.
If you like Lindy West, you’ll love this. If not, I can’t imagine why you’d read it?

These are movie reviews that Lindy West did several years ago and she has rewatched and updated them. The good news is that these are all big, popular movies that you've probably seen. The bad news is that these are not new movies. Still it is often funny and it's always good to get her take on popular culture. I have always hated Love, Actually, so I very much admired her denunciation of it. The book is worth reading just for that.