Movie Review: Authors Anonymous

It took me a while of knowing I needed to before I actually did. I tend to work that way sometimes. I loved yoga. I knew it was good for me. Yet it took forever for me to make it a habit.

I’m not writing about yoga today. Instead I’m writing about a movie I picked off of Netflix to watch while I practiced yoga in my living room. Perhaps we can talk about the benefits of yoga another day. If you’re interested.

I guess you could call Authors Anonymous a mockumentary. IMDB calls it just a plain ole comedy. I don’t recall seeing any ads for this movie when it came out but with Kaley Cuoco starring and a theme that hits home, I couldn’t resist not only playing it during yoga, but watching the entire film even after my exercise was finished.

Authors Anonymous is a fictional documentary following the members of a writing group as they seek the ultimate reward – publication. When Hannah (Kaley) scores an agent, the group dynamics shift. I won’t share spoilers, just the tagline: Happy endings are hard to write.

I can see why this didn’t do well on the big screen. I imagine anyone not dreaming of, or already succeeding at, writing that Great American Novel isn’t going to appreciate the story. For example, how many non-writers know about those pay-to-publish places that tried to grab a potential author’s money before self-publishing ebooks became so easy. Yet I found that part of the movie amusing.

Authors Anonymous is not a five out of five but if you already have Netflix, it’s free. If you are an author, or hang out with authors, check it out.