Monday 6 November 2023

Book Review: Wild and Crazy Guys by Nick De Semlyen

 Wild and Crazy Guys

by

Nick De Semlyen

How the Comedy Mavericks of the 80's Changed Hollywood Forever

Publisher: Pan Macmillan Australia
Imprint: Picador
Publication date: 11th June 2019
Genre: Non-Fiction
Pages: 336
RRP: $12.99AU (eBook)
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
 

Review: Wild and Crazy Guys

I'm sure Wild and Crazy Guys will be enjoyed by anyone interested in celebrity and film trivia.
 
The book follows the careers of well-known Hollywood stars Dan Aykroyd, John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Steve Martin, Eddie Murphy and John Candy from the early days of Saturday Night Live (SNL), an American live television sketch comedy variety show, to the many movies the actors appeared in.
 
Nick De Semlyen provides a no holds barred behind the scenes look at the friendships, the rivalries, the bust-ups and the tantrums as the book covers their careers during the 70's and 80's.
I didn't know any of the 70's movies mentioned but I did know the actors and the 80's movies they starred in and it was interested to learn how the ideas came up for these movies.

The author describes the inspiration behind many of the movies and comedy acts, detailing not only the successes but also the flops. Many of which were conceived in a drug-fuelled haze.

The book is set out like a documentary, with interviews from the stars themselves, flashbacks and pages of colour-plate photos.

If you are after a bit of nostalgia or are just curious to find out what the comedy of the 80's was all about, Wild and Crazy Guys will not disappoint.

My rating 4 / 5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Challenges: Non-Fiction reading challenge
                    TBR challenge

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