Emmett James

Emmett James is funny. He's acerbic. He's irreverent. And he's written a memoir that is good fun indeed.

Starting with his childhood in Croyden, James takes the reader through his life as a boy in London and eventually as an actor in Hollywood. The book seems to split cleanly into two pieces along these lines. His boyhood was a fairly normal if poor one and he invokes images of childhood that anyone who grew up around the same time will recognize and appreciate. He can be faintly snarky show more about Croyden, his family, and his exploits growing up but I found these entertaining and funny. The section focused on his life in Hollywood trying to make it as an actor ramps up the entertainment factor as he honestly portrays some of the shifty things he does to get noticed or just to have fun. He discusses his career in forgery, his porn film debut, his roles as an extra, and meeting the parents of a boy he "reconnstructed" who died horribly. Ultimately James is really one of the lucky ones because he does get some breaks, including a role in Titanic.

The short chapters are headed by plot synopses of films that either influenced James or parallel the narrative within the chapter. It's an intriguing and fairly successful way of structuring the memoir. The films themselves are not under discussion in the chapters, they are merely foils to James' life. This distinction might disappoint film afficianados but for the regular Janes among us who might not have seen all the movies listed (::ahem:: like me), it works well, offering a small glimpse of the theme to come. The writing is honest and open but witty and occasionally biting. James doesn't shy away from presenting himself warts and all. What he doesn't present so much though, is a depth and an emotion to his story. It stays mostly on the surface, skimming from event to event without offering a deeper insight. For instance, his only mention of his marriage comes after his plot summary for the movie Green Card and the extent of the chapter is "Life imitates art. Enough said." While this gets a chuckle, it is indicative of the way in which he shies away from heavy emotional content throughout the memoir. It still works as light fare but there's still a slight sense of lack as a result. Over all, James' story is appealing and anyone interested in an insider's view of Hollywood, uncluttered by unreality as presented in magazines and tabloids, will appreciate this decidedly funny, conversational, and very different memoir. James has captured both the magic of childhood and the magic of movies. I hope he gets the chance to play himself in the film.

Thanks to Lisa at Online Publicist for sending me a copy of the book for review. show less

After reading the introduction (an open letter to Steven Seagal) to Emmett James’ book, Admit One, I thought that James’ caustic wit would be too harsh for my liking. Happily, I was wrong. This delightful memoir made me laugh out loud as I looked at films through the eyes of young Emmett. I, too, had watched The Wizard of Oz a million times and was afraid of the wicked witch. Admittedly, I was not SO afraid that I kept a lookout for weather reports of tornadoes that might be in the area. show more Nor did I see any resemblance in my own mother’s facial structure to that of the witch, so I had no worries about That.

James’ memoir leads us through various phases of his life alongside popular films of the day. His obsession with cinema takes him away from England to Hollywood, where his experiences range from working in a porn movie to crashing an Oscars party. His self depreciating humor makes this collection of antidotes about the film industry and life in general a lot of fun to read. show less

"Admit One: My Life in Film" is the amusing memoir of actor Emmett James. Growing up in the 70’s and 80’s in Croyden, England, Emmett soon discovered that the cinema made for a great escape from his mundane childhood. Using a memorable movie as the theme for each chapter, he writes his story starting with his first ever movie experience and moving through his childhood to adulthood when he tried to break into the movie business.

While I found his childhood interesting and was glad he show more included those details, for me the book really got exciting when Emmett started getting involved in acting. I’ve always had an interest in the behind the scenes world of Hollywood and this book gave me a glimpse at the ups and downs of a struggling actor. The dichotomy between his experience in soft porn and his experience on the set of the blockbuster film "Titanic" is not something many popular actors of today would ever share, so I appreciate the fact that Emmett does not try to hide the realities he dealt with while struggling for his “big break”.

This honest and cleverly written memoir was a really fun read, and I can see why it recently won the award for Best Book from the USA Book News as I would not hesitate recommend it to anyone who has an interest in acting or movies. I wish Emmett James the best in his future career whether it be in acting, writing, or some other aspect of the entertainment industry. show less

Emmett starts with his youth in Croydon, South London. Each chapter is wrapped in the context of a movie that in some way impacted his life. Thinking at once of all the ways in which this could become a too-cute and ultimately annoying trick, I was delighted when the book deviated immediately from the expected. When Emmett saw the first movie he used to frame a chapter, Disney's The Jungle Book, he was so young that he fell asleep within minutes, and saw only the beginning and end credits. show more Yet the experience of going to the movies with his family, and the effects it had on his mother and brother, profoundly affected him.

When I finished Admit One I was surprised to note that it was put out by a publisher I'd never heard of before. It had been such a fun read, so filled with quotable quotes, that I fully expected it to be an offering from a big-name group. Well, their loss. Emmett writes with a tone that can shift from wryly humorous to childlike delight, self-deprecation to sly jabs in an instant. I was hard put to keep from constantly laughing out loud and reading selections to everyone around me.

For a longer review visit Errant Dreams. show less