My Anecdotal Life

Rating:
Summary: disappointing
Review: If your have read Reiner's other books and watched some of the movies he has written then you expect more than this book has to offer. It is a real disappointment and it seems that Reiner is just in on it for the money. I've also never seen so many typos and misspelled words in a book. You don't find out very much about Reiner and his life and some of the stories are not even funny and you wonder why he is sharing them with you. I'm a huge Reiner fan and had ordered this book several month in advance and really looked forward to it. While reading some of the chapters I even found out that he was still writing the book at a time where you could already order it online. Perhaps he run out of time and ideas in the end. Hopefully, someone will some day write a real biography about Carl Reiner. The man has much more to tell and share than this books reveals. True fans will be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Mel Brooks was right
Review: OK, so I didn't buy this book, I read it standing up at a bookstore (Barnes & Noble on State Street in Chicago), and one, just one, of the anecdotes was so funny that I was laughing so hard that my sides were actually hurting and I thought they were going to throw me out of the store. I'm not going to spoil it for anyone, but let's just call it the "Richard III" anecdote. And if you don't think it's the funniest thing you're ever read, -- well, then you have no sense of humor.

Rating:
Summary: Mel Brooks was right
Review: OK, so I didn't buy this book, I read it standing up at a bookstore (Barnes & Noble on State Street in Chicago), and one, just one, of the anecdotes was so funny that I was laughing so hard that my sides were actually hurting and I thought they were going to throw me out of the store. I'm not going to spoil it for anyone, but let's just call it the "Richard III" anecdote. And if you don't think it's the funniest thing you're ever read, -- well, then you have no sense of humor.

Rating:
Summary: I love Carl Reiner, but . . .
Review: Saw a lot of Reiner on TV growing up in the 60s, and he was always entertaining and funny. Not so this book. At best, its a behind-the-scenes look at a creative genius' more mundane moments. At worst, its a mish-mash of random thoughts and name-dropping. If you imagine Reiner telling the stories out loud, you might get a kick out of some of them, but on the printed page, its boring and doesn't tell you anything you haven't heard about show business from a hundrred other sources. Carl is only 81 - better luck next time!

Rating:
Summary: As disappointing as it is brief
Review: Seeing that most of the reviews here are disappointing ones, I'm forced to agree. I expected more references to the heyday of classic television. While Carl must have a thousand stories about that era, he has evidently saved them for a different book. As for THESE anecdotes, I don't think I cracked a smile once. But I sure cracked a yawn.

Rating:
Summary: If you are expecting an autobiography, this isn't it
Review: This book isn't an autobiography and doesn't pretend to be one. Instead, this is a collection of stories you might hear if you were one of Carl Reiner's close personal friends. I laughed out loud at the craziness of the stories. While reading this book, I was struck by the humor and decency of Carl Reiner. He actually lives by the old saying "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all". There is no dirt to be dished on friends. There are no descriptions of sexual exploits. What there is instead is a collection of very funny stories you might hear from a grandfather. I recommend this book highly.
And when you finish this book, find a copy of his play: Something Different. That is a truly bizarre, yet totally hilarious, play. You will thank me. You might have sore muscles from laughing, but you will thank me.

Rating:
Summary: If you are expecting an autobiography, this isn't it
Review: This book isn't an autobiography and doesn't pretend to be one. Instead, this is a collection of stories you might hear if you were one of Carl Reiner's close personal friends. I laughed out loud at the craziness of the stories. While reading this book, I was struck by the humor and decency of Carl Reiner. He actually lives by the old saying "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all". There is no dirt to be dished on friends. There are no descriptions of sexual exploits. What there is instead is a collection of very funny stories you might hear from a grandfather. I recommend this book highly.
And when you finish this book, find a copy of his play: Something Different. That is a truly bizarre, yet totally hilarious, play. You will thank me. You might have sore muscles from laughing, but you will thank me.

Rating:
Summary: Made Me Mad
Review: This book made me mad, yes MAD! It made me mad that I did not grow up with Carl or be a part of that great writing team in "Your Show of Shows". It makes me mad that I am not famous or a celebrity so that I can all Carl up and go eat at one of his favorite restaurants and exchange various tales of schmuckery. My only critique of this book (though I am still keeping the 5 stars) is that the proofreader did a poor job of finding several word omissions. Yes, actual missing words! I have counted 4. That aside, the book made me laugh, but truly, it made me mad that I could not be a part of it.