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Comedy Writer
Hooray for Hollywood? Maybe not. At least not if Peter Farrelly's searingly funny novel is even remotely accurate. Farrelly is a screenwriter and director himself, so the story of aspiring movie scribe Henry Halloran has a scarily authentic feel. When he gives up his job as a salesman in Boston and heads out west to polish and peddle the script he based on a recent breakup, Henry tumbles into a world of bizarre quasi celebrities, breathtakingly unprincipled producers, surgically enhanced starlets, and plain ordinary lunatics. The result is basically an unrelenting nightmare, guest-starring his uninvited roommate, the sister of a woman whose suicide he failed to prevent.
Farrelly's master stroke in The Comedy Writer is making Henry as unsympathetic as most of the characters he runs into. This is not the story of a wide-eyed innocent thrown to the Hollywood sharks but of a bitter, frequently nasty hypochondriac who bites off more than he can chew and gradually realizes that almost anything is better than Hollywood's version of success. It's the kind of book that makes you want to take a shower, but you'll still be chuckling as you soap up. --Simon Leake
368 pages, Paperback
First published April 13, 1998
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
February 16, 2013
Peter Farrelly's novel is a picaresque wonder of demented hilarity, inspired lunacy, and a ruthless skewering of the superficiality that engendered the cultural infatuation with celebrity that will be our undoing. The back of the book calls it "A Confederacy of Dunces meets The Player". More appropriately, it's The Catcher in The Rye meets Fear and Loathing in Los Angeles. Part Holden Caulfield with a profane streak, part Hunter Thompson with a redemptive streak, Farrelly's Henry Halloran tells truths that tickle as they sting, that leave tears of laughter in our eyes and lumps of sadness in our throats. This may not be literature, but it's certainly art. What were the author's intentions? Who cares?
June 29, 2008
fast, funny book about making it in Hollywood. and not un-dirty, if that's your cup. you perv.
August 8, 2020
Before reinventing himself as a serious director with "Green Book", Peter Farrelly was known for the 90s comedies he made with his brother, namely "Dumb and Dumber" and "There's Something About Mary". (They made plenty of stuff between "Mary" and "Green Book" too, but not much worth talking about.) This novel, probably somewhat autobiographical, tells of a wannabe screenwriter's adventures in early 90s Hollywood.
There's a weird sense of pointlessness running through the story -- he meets kooky Hollywood types, it's not that funny, nothing much happens -- solidified by an anticlimactic shrug of an ending. With an absence of any big plot developments, Farrelly tries to give his protagonist some inner growth, but he adds and discards so many character details at random that he's hard to buy into. For example, we're told almost three-quarters of the way through the book that he is apparently religious enough to recite a long prayer every single night. So he's been doing that this whole time? Seems like it should've been mentioned earlier.
The sympathy Farrelly instinctually gives to his male characters generally doesn't extend to the women in the book, who are either dead (and thus idealized), sexual targets, or, in the case of Colleen, the female lead, angry raging lunatics. I suppose she's meant to be funny (or at least entertaining), but she's just annoying, and her obvious mental health issues make her more of a depressing presence than anything else. We're not sure if she's meant to be the love interest or the antagonist: both, I guess, until she, like the rest of the story, just sort of gets waved off. Even in the best Farrelly brothers movies, I was always put off by an undercurrent of mean-spiritedness, and I felt that with Colleen. She should get professional help, but is ultimately treated like just another crazy story.
In one plot line that reads uglier in a post-Harvey Weinstein era, the main character decides (against the advice of his agent) to work for a nightmare of a producer who has apparently slept with every actress he's worked with. That's just a colorful detail, not followed up on; the inevitable moral dilemma of whether to keep working for the producer ultimately hinges on a minor traffic accident, and not, for example, the hero thinking through his complicity in the producer's sexual predations.
Maybe that's unfair, since the book was written in the late 90s. But how about this: in one queasy passage, the hero admits to masturbating to an underage actress he had just met at a party. The actress is a real-life person, and is mentioned by name. Later, when discussing a famous Hollywood urban legend involving a gerbil, Farrelly *doesn't* mention the real male actor involved in that story by name. Apparently tact extends to some people but not others.
There's a weird sense of pointlessness running through the story -- he meets kooky Hollywood types, it's not that funny, nothing much happens -- solidified by an anticlimactic shrug of an ending. With an absence of any big plot developments, Farrelly tries to give his protagonist some inner growth, but he adds and discards so many character details at random that he's hard to buy into. For example, we're told almost three-quarters of the way through the book that he is apparently religious enough to recite a long prayer every single night. So he's been doing that this whole time? Seems like it should've been mentioned earlier.
The sympathy Farrelly instinctually gives to his male characters generally doesn't extend to the women in the book, who are either dead (and thus idealized), sexual targets, or, in the case of Colleen, the female lead, angry raging lunatics. I suppose she's meant to be funny (or at least entertaining), but she's just annoying, and her obvious mental health issues make her more of a depressing presence than anything else. We're not sure if she's meant to be the love interest or the antagonist: both, I guess, until she, like the rest of the story, just sort of gets waved off. Even in the best Farrelly brothers movies, I was always put off by an undercurrent of mean-spiritedness, and I felt that with Colleen. She should get professional help, but is ultimately treated like just another crazy story.
In one plot line that reads uglier in a post-Harvey Weinstein era, the main character decides (against the advice of his agent) to work for a nightmare of a producer who has apparently slept with every actress he's worked with. That's just a colorful detail, not followed up on; the inevitable moral dilemma of whether to keep working for the producer ultimately hinges on a minor traffic accident, and not, for example, the hero thinking through his complicity in the producer's sexual predations.
Maybe that's unfair, since the book was written in the late 90s. But how about this: in one queasy passage, the hero admits to masturbating to an underage actress he had just met at a party. The actress is a real-life person, and is mentioned by name. Later, when discussing a famous Hollywood urban legend involving a gerbil, Farrelly *doesn't* mention the real male actor involved in that story by name. Apparently tact extends to some people but not others.
November 7, 2012
I wanted to kill Colleen the whole time I was reading this.
July 1, 2007
I would be too embarassed to recommend this hilariously raunchy book to most of my friends - I think they should read it, I just don't want them to think I think they should read it. and I think they would think it was funny but in case they don't think it was funny I don't want them to think I thought it was funny...because that's just gross! Now close this review and go read the Secret Garden.
July 12, 2011
I hated Colleen. She ruined this book for me. UGH.
July 3, 2023
I have, without any hurry or devotion, read many books off a list Vulture posted in 2018 of top comedy books. (https://www.vulture.com/article/funny...). I’ve enjoyed many of the books and have loved being surprised by choices I didn’t know anything about.
Unfortunately, this one was the clunker of a pick. It has not aged well in its treatment of women, though the narrator comes off worse than anyone else. But still, is it a roman a clef of his first years in LA? If so, the scene where he pitches a movie with Denzel Washington and Andy Garcia makes the movie Green Book that he directed seem even more of a crass and pandering vehicle than I already thought. The reappearance of a minor figure in the opening scene is as gimmicky as anything done by the Hollywood industry supposedly being skewered by the writer. So it feels toothless while still vicious.
Unfortunately, this one was the clunker of a pick. It has not aged well in its treatment of women, though the narrator comes off worse than anyone else. But still, is it a roman a clef of his first years in LA? If so, the scene where he pitches a movie with Denzel Washington and Andy Garcia makes the movie Green Book that he directed seem even more of a crass and pandering vehicle than I already thought. The reappearance of a minor figure in the opening scene is as gimmicky as anything done by the Hollywood industry supposedly being skewered by the writer. So it feels toothless while still vicious.
September 6, 2019
To be fair, I can't get past a few chapters. Started reading because I love the writing for the Loudermilk series and my man read this years ago and praised it. He admits now, maybe it was because of youth! I agree. If I read this when I was 20, or wanted to be a great writer, or lived in southern California for a stint in the '90's, I might be the one praising it now too. Alas, I just don't care about the main character or see where he's going with this storyline. Read it for nostalgia or if you actually loved that crew of self-absorbed, every-boring-detail -is-breathtaking writers of the time.
October 6, 2018
I really didn’t enjoy this book. It wasn’t really funny and was instead kind of a downer. Basically, Henry comes to California with the dream of being a writer and along the way he meets some crazy people. This book was written a long time ago so it’s dated and it definitely shows.
September 23, 2019
Written in the voice of the brothers who wrote the movie, "There's Something about Mary." Amusing but I found the main character incredibly annoying. As a portrait of LA, it has touches of insight, presented with enjoyable humor.
June 6, 2020
A book I wanted to hate after the first few pages. Maybe it was a little too in the guy's head of loving big breasts, but I stuck with it. It was a bit ridiculous, but I wouldn't call it funny. I stuck with it to see where it was going, which says something when at times I wanted to chuck the book. It's either so bad it's good or so good it's bad.
January 10, 2021
a book about coming to terms with the fact that fake boobs are in fact just as good as the real thing
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October 9, 2023yawn. good prose but tedious plotting, misogny, poor characterisation and a dogshit ending don't make up for it.
October 15, 2025
Sometimes reading a poorly written book is a breath of fresh air. Funny at times, hard to read at others.
January 22, 2026
3.7 to be exact
January 18, 2008
If they had 3 and a half stars possible, I'd probably give it that. I did like this book, but I don't know that I'd come back to read it again and again. It was funny and very truthful. Spoiler alert - Don't know about the ending. Part of me feels that it's a cop out. Part of me feels it's the fantasy of the person who actually did and does live the hollywood dream, just to go back to normal life.
December 26, 2010
This is my second reading of the novel. I think I liked it more the first time I read it, but I was only in high school then. It's interesting, some of the characters are annoying, but that's what makes the conflict.
Mini-summary:
Henry Halloran, a hypochondriac from the north east, moves to California to try and make it as a writer in Hollywood. He meets more than a few crazy characters as he tries to make it in the biz.
Mini-summary:
Henry Halloran, a hypochondriac from the north east, moves to California to try and make it as a writer in Hollywood. He meets more than a few crazy characters as he tries to make it in the biz.
April 17, 2007
Another book I bought because I saw something of me in the title. I'm such a narcissist.
I'm not a huge fan of the Farrelly brothers movies (Outside Providence gets a C+), but this book was decent, with good character development and the kind of almost-unbelievable mini-crises that make you relieved you aren't the main character.
I'm not a huge fan of the Farrelly brothers movies (Outside Providence gets a C+), but this book was decent, with good character development and the kind of almost-unbelievable mini-crises that make you relieved you aren't the main character.
January 10, 2009
A Fantastic Book! Recommended by one of my close friends (thanks Erin Behnke!) as "my kind of book" and I've rarely enjoyed a first reading of a book this much. Funny, articulate, sad, a fictionalized account by one of the "There's Something about Mary" writers about his struggle to become a writer in Hollywood. I recommend this to everyone who needs to be touched while they have a good laugh.
May 5, 2009
Slow plot, but entertaining. Just a story about a screen writer from Rhode Island moving to Hollywood to try and make it. He meets crazy people and that is the base of the book. From co-writer of dumb and dumber, so I was expecting more. But then I think about that statement, more coming from dumb and dumber, maybe not.
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August 11, 2011Smart and funny,though it fizzles out a bit at the end.Some of the situations seem a bit far out until you remember that Peter Farelly is one of the Farrelly brothers (Something About Mary,Stuck on You) and is probably basing them on his actual experiences as a struggling writer in Hollywood.If you liked this ,read Love Monkey by Kyle Smith or anything by David Sedaris.Similar urban humour.
January 30, 2012
My brother Josh gave me this book to read. It was very well written and really funny. You just felt so bad for Henry and rooted for him so badly. You just watned him to make it. It was interesting to read about the innerworkings of Hollywood & most of it wis pretty disturbing and crazy. It was a very, very good book. A fast & easy read.
September 17, 2013
Truly funny and one of the best books I've read in a while. It's 90s Hollywood. But little is different today. The novel is brilliantly crafted and full of heart, yet still ludicrous and somehow believable. I couldn't put it down. Whether you're a fan of the Farrelly brothers or not, this book is worth the read.
April 27, 2009
An amazingly funny book about a writer trying to make it big in Hollywood. A character you might love or hate but one that you definitely feel like you know, honestly, and one who will make you laugh.
December 8, 2009
Really fun book!!! It was a supper fast read even though it was not a small book (for me). I enjoyed it very much!! The twists and turn this poor guy goes through is really funny and I laughed out loud quite a few times!
December 20, 2011
An enjoyable but fluffy read about an aspiring comedy writer from Boston who arrives in LA in the early 1990's to try and make a go out of being a Hollywood writer. Definitely some great characters and dialogue, and the tale rings true.
May 5, 2012
I was over halfway through the book before I realized that what I'd mistaken as some tangental element to the book's overall narrative was actually the main plot. The book wasn't bad, but there's a reason why the author is better known for his screenplays and directing work.
May 12, 2012
This is one of my favorite all time reads. It's a bit sleazy and the main character is a bit of a self loathing type...still it's so funny and well crafted. I really dig the movies the brothers Farrelly make, one can only hope Peter writes more books!
May 5, 2015
This was Ok. It wasnt the work of genius my boyfriend said it was. I thought the author's outlook was immature. On the other hand, what would one expect from the creator of Dumb and Dumber? It's a good beach read.
July 24, 2019
An honest and hilarious story about an aspiring screenwriter living in this crazy town called Los Angeles. Like most Farrelly Brothers movies, it's very crude at times, but there is definitely a huge heart behind all of it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews