Shit, Actually
Lindy WestNew York Times opinion writer and bestselling author Lindy West was once the in-house movie critic for Seattle's alternative newsweekly The Stranger, where she covered film with brutal honesty and giddy irreverence. In Shit, Actually, Lindy returns to those roots, re-examining beloved and iconic movies from the past 40 years. From Forrest Gump, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, and Bad Boys II, to Face/Off, Top Gun, and The Notebook, Lindy combines her razor-sharp wit and trademark humour with genuine adoration for nostalgic trash to shed new critical light on some of our defining cultural touchstones-the stories we've long been telling ourselves about who we are.
"Queen of keenly observed, hilariously rendered cultural criticism, West (The Witches Are Coming, 2019) offers this delicious distraction from reality ... Infused with West’s commentary, which is coloured by her rewatching during the COVID-19 lockdown, what emerges is a cathartic, joyful exploration of entertainment ... In true West form, she reads like your smartest, funniest, and warmest friend. A perfect blend of substance, escapism, and laughter—a gift from West to the rest of us." - Courtney Eathorne, Booklist
At once outrageously funny and piercingly incisive, Shit, Actually reminds us to pause and ask, "How does this movie hold up?", all while teaching us how to laugh at the things we love without ever letting them or ourselves off the hook. It is a love letter and a break-up note all in one: to the films that shaped us and the ones that ruined us. More often than not, Lindy finds, they're one and the same.