Nobody's Perfect: Writings from The New Yorker

Excellent and witty anthology by the longtime New Yorker critic. Many of the film reviews had me snorting and snickering helplessly, as Lane is devastatingly funny about the movies he hates, and the profiles and other essays are thoughtful and thought-provoking even though I disagreed with some of his assessments. Being Jewish, female and gay, I have a much harder time making allowances for people who may have been wonderful writers but were also virulently anti-Semitic, misogynistic, etc. Aside from that, though, this collection is well worth the read; maybe nobody's perfect, but Lane comes pretty darn close.

While you might not always agree with Lane's reviews (I admit that his opinions and mine are quite congruent), his writing is pure New York -- trenchant, pungent, and very often bitchy (while it's too recent to be included in this collection, see if you can get your hands on his review of Revenge of the Sith). This book collects not only a Lane's writing on film, but also his writing on more general topics. His evaluation of the New York Times fiction best-seller list is as opinionated as his film reviews, and while I think he wildly over-praises The Alienist, it's fun to see him dip his toe into literature.

For the longest time, this was my go-to book if I just had a little time to read. It is mostly (and most enjoyably) movie reviews, with an addition of some other essays. I found them witty and insightful and they often made me go back and re-watch a movie or discover a new one.

Anthony Lane's criticism encompasses film, literature, and photography; his essays are the perfect combination of erudition and wit, and represent precisely what you might expect from an Englishman at the New Yorker.

brilliantly scorchingly funny