April 30, 2012
Rachel Dratch is another actress in the world of comedy, appearing on Saturday Night Life and 30 Rock. Dratch has also appeared in many movies including Just Go With It, I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry and Click. In addition, she provides the voices of Koi and Esmargot in the show Fish Hooks. I’m fairly sure that most people have seen her at least once on television or in a movie. When I learned that she had written a book, I was really excited and started thinking that this could be a “sister” to Tina Fey’s Bossypants. Boy was I wrong.
Rachel Dratch
Dratch’s book is written in a similar style as Bossypants: autobiographical in chronological order with attempts at humor mixed in. While Dratch has obviously had success in the T.V. and movie industry, she might want to stay out of the book industry if she wants to continue getting laughs. I think it’s very difficult to write humor that people can really laugh at and I don’t think Dratch has what it takes.
I started to have a bad feeling in the first chapter where Dratch writes about her absence from television, specifically 30 Rock. While I can certainly understand wanting to clear the air or set the record straight as to why she isn’t on the show anymore, I really thought that a comedienne would throw in some humor. Not so much. There were lines that made me smile but disappointingly, never did I laugh out loud.
“Girl Walks Into a Bar…” has a number of chapters, all with individual titles but after reading them the book could essentially be broken into two parts: Pre-Eli and Post-Eli. Eli is Dratch’s son. The “Pre-Eli” section is dedicated to Dratch’s feelings on other people’s babies, baby showers and her belief that she’s too old to have children. While I can sympathize with the frustration of baby “stuff” everywhere when you don’t have a child, I certainly don’t think it’s a great idea to write about it in a book that is supposed to be funny.
The “Post-Eli” (and longest) section is the story of Dratch’s pregnancy, the confusion of her relationship with Eli’s father and how she became one of those mothers that she was so irritated with in the beginning of the book. This part of the book has a few laughs and brought some insight infto Dratch’s life since leaving the public eye.
Before I close, I must point out Dratch’s unresolved dissonance that I was so upset with at the end of the book. In the beginning of “Girl Walks Into a Bar…,” Dratch explains that she’s very tired of being type-cast as an old, overweight, unattractive lesbian. She sets out to change this before accepting more roles or auditions. However, near the end of the book, Dratch receives a phone call from her agent asking if she’d like to play yet another old, overweight, unattractive lesbian. And she actually says yes! I know women have to work especially hard in this field but why settle for something you don’t want to do? Seems a little “sell-out-ish” to me.
In closing, I would urge you to spend your money on a different book. Especially one that is funny, uplifting and exciting! Why not try picking up a copy of Bossypants or anything by Chelsea Handler?
Enjoy and keep reading!
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Posted by HeatherReads in Adult Non-Fiction Tags: 30Rock, criticism, Dratch, humor, infertility, review
Whether it’s in a chain bookstore, an independently owned, charming little store or on the Kindle, I want to show off my new purchases like a pair of new shoes. 
