Rebel Wilson

Best for:
Fans of the actress who don’t mind a lot of unnecessary name dropping.

In a nutshell:
Actor Rebel Wilson shares her story, from her upbringing in Australia, through her time as an actress and welcoming her first child.

Worth quoting:
N/A

Why I chose it:
I do love the Pitch Perfect films, and I love a good memoir read by the author. I’ve hesitated reading it because I don’t know much about Wilson, and I kind of wish I’d trusted that instinct.

Review:
First off - the good. Wilson show more shares the story of fighting the Australia tabloid press and winning her defamation suit against them. That is a super bold move, and I remember the stories themselves, saying Wilson was basically a liar, so good on her for proving them wrong and showing that actions have consequences.

What I took away from reading this book is that Wilson is probably a kind human, which we need more of in this world, but that I would be exhausted spending time with her (if her actual persona is similar to what was shared in the book). She shares a lot of stories that involve famous people, but the people she chooses to highlight - Ellen Degeneras, Jonah Hill, Brad Pitt, James Corden, Matt Lucas - none of them are individuals who I’d want to praise in print forever. Yes, this book came out a couple of years ago, but information about the actions of most of these folks has been out there for years.

She also chooses to share all the free and fancy shit she’s gotten over the years, which could serve as an ‘oh my gosh how absurd is it that rich famous people get this stuff’ but instead comes across more as oblivious. And this is a minor complaint, but she uses brand names / restaurant names when its not necessary. She’s always talking about her ‘G Wagon’ instead of just saying she got in her car. It just rubs me the wrong way.

She doesn’t shy away from bringing up some controversial things - because I have the UK version of the book, large parts of the section where she has accused Sacha Baron Cohen of some despicable things things was literally bleeped out, though I read up on it and good for her for raising the issue - but she leaves out one controversy that I recall pretty clearly. When she was cast as the romantic lead in a rom com, she kept saying she was the first heavy actress in that role, even though Queen Latifah, Melissa McCarthy, and others have been in a few rom coms as the lead. It strikes me as odd that she left that whole thing out, as it would have shown that she too can make errors.

That said, she obviously had to work hard in her life to build a career, and was fairly old (by Hollywood standards) before she had her success in Bridesmaids and Pitch Perfect. She talks a lot about her size, and I think she probably did a lot of Gwyneth Paltrow-style b.s. ‘wellness’ stuff, and I found those parts hard to listen to because it felt like she was trying to justify her weight loss when I don’t think she owes that to herself or anyone else. show less

I didn't know much about RW before reading the book and she certainly has been through some stuff to get where she is. The majority of the book is on her life before the fame and working up to it, which was interesting.
The last section seemed really rushed but also was a little hard to read when during the covid years every story starts with and then I flew here and then I flew there and then I hopped a flight last minute and then I flew again. It didn't really focus on her, so much as how show more much money she was spending.
She also really glossed over the parts of how she learned to love herself. It seems like she just realized that was the missing piece and poof problem solved.
It was an ok read. It kept my interest til the last 10% of the book. show less

Lady at bookclub recommended this.

But as someone who doesn’t care about celebrities, I didn’t really care for this. Happy for her though.