Matthew Perry: I'm So NOT a Fan

Sigh. So much to unpack here.

First of all, I knew I wasn't going to like this book going in after I listened to a podcast review of it. The moderators said that Perry is selfish, rude and basically hates all women and treats them as the beautiful objects they are......even his own mother......with barely-veiled disdain.

They were correct on all counts.

Second of all, I have had my fair share of experience with addicts and I can say without hesitation that they are the most selfish people on earth. Artistic endeavors often paint them as sad, often misunderstood characters but with so much charm they are still somehow beloved.

Not so in this case. I really dislike Matthew Perry after reading this book.

Sure, we've all got personal pain. Divorced parents. Anxiety. Career uncertainty. Cold Canadian weather. But overall, this memoir was simply a "wah wah my life is so hard being a wealthy white kid traveling between California and Ottawa as a young tennis player and private school kid......" Waaaaah! (annoying baby cry, btw)

In case you think I'm being too hard on him, don't worry too much about him. He has LOADS of money and has laid TONS of women. Two facts that he points out with annoying regularity. And he has all the right people and circumstances in his life to blame when necessary: his handsome and absentee father, his beautiful and prolific mother, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, being sent on a plane "unaccompanied" at the age of five and of course, Keanu Reeves!

Perry says he wrote this book "to help people". I'm not sure how much help he is providing, other than creating a road map for other substance recoverers to blame everyone in their lives except themselves.

It's funny how often Perry makes clear that he WAS Chandler Bing. No one else could have played that role because he WAS the character inside and out. I hate to break this to you, dude, but you're almost right. Longtime "Friends" fans know that Chandler had a big heart. All Perry seems to have is a big mouth. And a big ego.

Long live Keanu Reeves!

(Here's another similar book by a similar yucky man fighting his own demons. It's funny how much I kept comparing the two in my head as I was reading. They should really hang out!)

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