Girl Walks into a Bar…

After months reading this book on and off, I have finally finished Girl Walks into a Bar… by Rachel Dratch and I really enjoyed it. Rachel Dratch is probably best known from her time on Saturday Night Live between 1999 and 2006, but she has also appeared on a lot of other TV shows and movies such as 30 Rock and Fish Hooks. She’s also an improv veteran from The Second City in Chicago. Girl Walks into a Bar… is Drach’s very entertaining and funny memoir. She discusses her comedy career, but mostly focuses on her personal life, reliving experiences that range from her time studying at Dartmouth to dating a sex addict. What I also particularly enjoy about this book is that although Dratch is an extremely successful person, her story seems a little more realistic than some of her counterparts’ (let’s just say she doesn’t have her own TV show called “The Rachel Project). Though Dratch did end up on Saturday Night Live, she had a very difficult time progressing in her career, especially early on. She’s a great example of someone who had to audition many times before landing a role, or stick things out for what probably seemed like forever before moving onto a new chapter in her comedy career. Even after her time on SNL, Dratch has had trouble landing roles that she really wants, or breaking out of the typical “best friend” character in roles she does land. However, the moral of the story seems to be: shit works out. I personally found Dratch’s story realistic and comforting. Her style is very light and funny even as she deals with potentially heavy topics like possibly giving up the opportunity to have a child and facing an unwanted career slowdown. I definitely recommend this book to any fan of Dratch’s work, and to anyone interested in comedy in general (especially women!).

My rating: 7/10

The Bell Jar

Today I finally finished The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, originally published in 1963. I must admit that my personality makes loving Plath and her works very easy. Either way, if you like to read and you are a college student, I would recommend this book. Not only is Plath’s style of writing fantastic, but I felt completely connected to Esther and her experiences (even though I don’t exactly think of myself as a suicidal poet). The story also takes the reader through some pretty awkward and funny scenes, including a first kiss, making friends in an asylum, and a few failed attempts at seducing men. Esther is a very recognizable character despite her descent into insanity.

This is a pretty common photo of Sylvia Plath but I really like it so I’m including it anyway.

There are definitely many ways to interpret this book. I read it with a feminist lens. The main character, Esther, seems to realize that her world and her surroundings aren’t exactly fit for her (or possibly her gender). She sees after a while that she cannot “have it all” in her society the way she thought was possible, then decides she’d rather be somewhere else, namely wherever people go after they die. The book of course is much more complicated than that simple interpretation and lends itself to a lot of dissecting, which I invite everyone to do! I would recommend this book to people who like stories about mental health, suicide, and asylums. I would also recommend this book to people who feel complicated or torn or lost a lot of the time. The Bell Jar won’t make you feel less lost or crazy or weird but it will definitely provide you with a cool lady with whom you can identify. I’m glad I didn’t read this book in high school and I definitely think college students are a good audience for the book, maybe because the main character is a college student herself.

There are sad, funny, confusing, and beautiful moments in The Bell Jar. Plath describes the feeling of isolation perfectly and even though Esther needs help getting back on her feet, her actions and feelings are defended and understood. I also enjoyed the book’s lack of resolution or hope. That’s not to say that there aren’t happy, positive moments in the novel. I just found Esther to be a very recognizable, human character and I found her story to be touching and true.

When reading this, I tried not to compare the events in the book with actual events that happened in Sylvia Plath’s life, but it’s very difficult not to if you’ve read about her. Either way, I think you should read this book and then find me to discuss it because I definitely found it complicated and full of potential dissection. If you liked this book I suggest you read Plath’s poetry. A personal favorite activity of mine is to read “Lady Lazarus” out loud in a very ominous, loud voice until my friends have “had enough.”

My rating: 8/10

 

 

Children of a Lesser God (1986)

Yesterday I watched Children of a Lesser God, starring Marlee Matlin and William Hurt. I had wanted to see this movie since I watched Matlin’s Oscar acceptance speech for the role on YouTube while waiting for my roommate who takes approximately two hours to get dressed. This film, directed by Randa Haines, tells an intense story about Sarah, a deaf woman who works as a janitor at a deaf school, and James, a hearing man who teaches at the school. Matlin does a great job playing Sarah, an angry badass who won’t let James into her world for a long time. The two fall in love but the fact that James can hear and Sarah cannot (even though James can sign very well) creates tension and drama. James wants Sarah to learn how to speak but Sarah doesn’t want to learn or conform to a practice that isn’t natural for her. This difference in opinion leads to many an emotional conversation and in Sarah’s case, many opportunities to leave the scene by storming out and slamming a door.

This is a fun moment when Sarah decided to dance in the middle of a restaurant and James just stands watching awkwardly.

In general I really liked the movie. There were some moments of confusion that I experienced, particularly the pool scene. Some thoughts that entered my mind were: why is Sarah just casually swimming nakedin the school pool at night? How does a person just forget his shoe in a pool? Did he think no on was  going to find it? Didn’t he need the shoe? I also had trouble working out how much time had passed between scenes but that may have just been because I was so distracted and angered by the pool scene.

I found comparing James’ and Sarah’s distinct perspectives the most interesting and exciting part of the movie.  The movie came out in 1986, so definitely look forward to some interesting hair and wardrobe choices. This movie is definitely more on the serious side. I didn’t cry this time around but I feel like it could happen. There are also some very emotionally charged couple fights which I enjoyed. Children of a Lesser God is a good choice if you want to watch something that keeps you thinking after it ends.

My rating: 7/10

Trailer: