Peter Farrelly

I'm all for movies (and other media) about seeing past the surface to see someone's inner beauty. But this movie was more or less one giant fat joke. There's a few heartwarming moments like Hal and the little girl with all the burns, or seeing the inner ugliness of a conventionally attractive woman. But other than that, it was just one long-running reel of fat jokes.

Inner beauty/ugliness is a lesson that could have been conveyed way more effectively than what was shown in this movie.

The only thing that saves this from a lower rating is Vanessa Angel, who lights up every scene she is in. The problem is, it just isn't that funny. Murray's character is more annoying than funny, and Harrelson and Quaid aren't given anything truly funny to do. Great on-the-road shots, however, and the soundtrack is great. Wonderful harmonica solo by John Popper at the end...

Well, the jacket said this book was "sidesplittingly hilarious" but I beg to differ. It was funny in places and I definitely enjoyed reading it but it wasn't *that* funny. Maybe it was the repetitious obsession with sex and masturbating, maybe it was the storyline which focuses on a screenwriter trying to get his big break in Hollywood which didn't really grab me, maybe it was all the sad characters...but it just didn't grab me and it didn't make me laugh.

There is a hint at depth in the show more storyline and characterisation as well as a darkness: the protagonist feels very guilty about his involvement in a suicide (we only find out the whole truth towards the end of the book) and he gets embroiled with a damaged woman called Colleen as a result. His hypochondria knits the novel together as well as his nostalgia for past relationships, which I think is dealt with well by the author. But overall, it was an average read for me. show less

Young man breaks up with girl friend in Rhode Island, travels to Hollywood to be a script writer, meets many quirky types of people. Mildly funny, but not terribly interesting take on film biz in the 90s. I stuck it out through 130 pages, but 200 more? Uh-uh. Author Peter Farrelly now IS a writer & director in the movies. I hope he got better. THE COMEDY WRITER is 'just okay,' at least what I read, but I wouldn't recommend it. (I'm glad I only paid a buck for it.)

- Tim Bazzett, author of the show more memoir, BOOKLOVER show less