Book Review: "Rewrites: A Memoir"

"Rewrites: A Memoir"

by Neil Simon

"Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, Plaza Suite, The Goodbye Girl, The Out-of-Towners, The Sunshine Boys -- Neil Simon's plays and movies have kept many millions of people laughing for almost four decades. Today he is recognized not only as the most successful American playwright of all time, but also as one of the greatest. More than the humor, however, it is the humanity of Neil Simon's vision that has made him America's most beloved playwright and earned him such enduring success. Now, in 'Rewrites', he has written a funny, deeply touching memoir, filled with details and anecdotes of the writing life and rich with the personal experiences that underlie his work.

"Since Come Blow Your Horn first opened on Broadway in 1960, few seasons have passed without the appearance of another of his laughter-filled plays, and indeed on numerous occasions two or more of his works have been running simultaneously. But his success was something Neil Simon never took for granted, nor was the talent to create laughter something that he ever treated carelessly: it took too long for him to achieve the kind of acceptance -- both popular and critical -- that he craved, and the path he followed frequently was pitted with hard decisions.

"All of Neil Simon's plays are to some extent a reflection of his life, sometimes autobiographical, other times based on the experiences of those close to him. What the reader of this warm, nostalgic memoir discovers, however, is that the plays, although grounded in Neil Simon's own experience, provide only a glimpse into the mind and soul of this very private man.

"In 'Rewrites', he tells of the painful discord he endured at home as a child, of his struggles to develop his talent as a writer, and of his insecurities when dealing with what proved to be his first great success -- falling in love. Supporting players in the anecdote-filled memoir include Sid Caesar, Jerry Lewis, Walter Matthau, Robert Redford, Gwen Verdon, Bob Fosse, Maureen Stapleton, George C. Scott, Peter Sellers, and Mike Nichols. But always at center stage is his first love, his wife Joan, whose death in the early seventies devastated him, and whose love and inspiration illuminate this remarkable and revealing self-portrait. 'Rewrites' is rich in laughter and emotion, and filled with the memories of a sometimes sweet, sometimes bittersweet life."

It's true that this book is quite good. I enjoyed it. I thought it was funny. 

Originally, I had picked it up because I thought I would learn something from it. There wasn't much to learn, except for a few things. Mostly that art imitates life and life imitates art. And I can understand why he had to be a writer to make money for his family. His few business endeavors never made any money.

While he's obviously a talented playwright, I felt there was nothing to be learned from his experiences because everything happened so fast for him. He wrote one play, got an agent that wanted to represent him right away, and then got a producer that wanted to produce his work right away. And then afterwards he was with him for most of the rest of his career. That's it, there was almost no struggle whatsoever. Like he was shot out of a cannon.

Now, I have yet to read his work, but I have heard of most of it and the commentary is almost always positive. There were a number of funny anecdotes about his small misadventures vacationing, working with crazy actors and a movie set full of crazy people. He has worked with legends of the stage and a few on the silver screen, but the only one I can remember is Bob Fosse, mostly because of his brilliant work ethic and because Simon mentions him so often in the book. 

It gave me an odd chuckle every now and then, and the ending was terribly sad, but I don't think it's something that will stick with me.

Now, as far as screenwriting is concerned, there isn't much to learn. Mr. Simon didn't like Hollywood. He liked the money, but he didn't like anything else. He didn't like California, or the way the studios ran, or anything. He didn't hate it, he just preferred New York and playwriting over screenwriting. I can see his point and one day I would like to write a play. 

I know that writing a screenplay and writing a play are two different endeavors and that, under normal circumstances, I wouldn't suggest they are the same. But I still think that there are things to be learned from the stagecraft and it could help people write better scripts. Mostly it has to do with dialogue, because plays have to rely on it more so it has to be better, whereas some movies can get away with a close-up, an awkward pause, or explosions. Sometimes, in that exact order.

Though he has worked on a few movie sets, there isn't much that he can tell you in regards to what helped him write. I suggest reading this book anyway, because it is funny, but don't expect to learn anything from it.

I give this book 3 out of 5 typewriters.