By Drew Barrymore

“And this filmmaker has the most extraordinary epiphany! He realizes that there is as much merit in trying to ease people’s suffering for a moment as there is in “focusing” on it. To ease someone’s pain through a distracting, silly, joyous laugh is his lesson. I know there is suffering, so to escape it for a second is truly powerful. That is one church I am staying loyal to. The Church of Laughing.”

Like everyone who wanted to read this book, I am a big fan of Drew as an actress and a person. She came through her difficult childhood, drug addiction, her terrible parents, and other major life challenges and bad choices to emerge a happy successful actress and producer with a sunny outlook. She seems very sweet and kind, and takes full ownership of how her life has turned out so far. She didn’t use her genetic disposition to alcohol and drugs and her incompetent parents as excuses end up in the gutter, as her father literally did. In addition, she is responsible for some of my favorite movies.

However, most of the stories in this book are rather dull. We hear nothing of her unusual marriage choices, relationship with David Crosby, who by all accounts took her under his wing and helped her beat her recurring drug and alcohol addictions for good. Remaining sober must be a daily struggle. I would have liked to hear more about that. I would have liked to hear more about her mother. There is a nice chapter on Adam Sandler, Steven Spielberg, her father’s last days, and an outward bound type trip with Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz. I would have liked to read behind the scenes stories on the movie set.

I guess the fact that this is not a Hollywood tell-all reflects very positively on her and negatively on me! But I would have liked to read something more along the lines of Rob Lowe’s books, which managed to be juicy, without being distasteful or mean.

I hope she is successful in maintaining the strong family life she has currently, as it clearly means the world to her.

November 23, 2015