10 Sure Signs a Movie Character is Doomed [Paperback]

Richard Roeper (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 5, 2003

Film critic Richard Roeper has seen thousands and thousands of films -- and not all of them were pretty. But as a result he's stored up enough movie knowledge to write this hilarious collection of movie lists. Some of the irreverent, offbeat, and inventive lists in this book are:

* 5 Things That Happen When a Wrongly Accused Fugitive Walks into a Bar, a Restaurant, or a Convenience Store

* Age Difference Between Michael Douglas and His Leading Ladies

* 11 Movies that Employed James Brown's "(I Got You) I Feel Good" to Indicate that a Character Feels Good!

* 5 Reasons Why George Bailey Isn't Such a Wonderful Guy in It's a Wonderful Life

* 7 Films in Which Ben Affleck Cries Like a Big Fat Baby

* The Gross-Out Hall of Fame

* 13 Great Perks of Being a Movie Character

And so many more . . .

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Roeper, the syndicated movie critic who replaced the late Gene Siskel as Roger Ebert's TV partner, certainly has the credentials to craft a handful of insightful movie lists. He also has the wit to make this book fun enough that you don't have to be a movie buff to appreciate it. Treating his subjects with the respect they deserve, he runs the gamut from the funnily frivolous ("Red-Carpet Flubs and Blunders by Joan Rivers" e.g., Rivers gushes about J.Lo's teeth and then asks the diva, "Are they yours?") to the frivolously risqué ("Best Porn Titles Based on Legit Movies" e.g., 6 Lays, 7 Nights) to more conventional fare ("Best Films that Didn't Win the Academy Award for Best Picture" e.g., Citizen Kane). Lest the Motion Picture Academy feel slighted, Roeper also takes the AFI to task, listing movies that should and should not have made its 100 "best" list. Whatever the category, Roeper lets it rip.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"Frank, funny . . . one mischievous little volume." -- Bookpage

"Two thumbs up" -- Miami Herald

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1 edition (February 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078688830X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786888306
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 7.7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,801,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Trivial Fun, February 16, 2003

By 

J. J. Kwashnak "voracious reader" (Monroe, LA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 10 Sure Signs a Movie Character is Doomed (Paperback)

Not intended as a scholarly or unbiased book, this collection of movie lists range from the hilariously perceptive - "13 great perks of being a movie character" to the wholly opinionated - "The 40 worst movies I've ever seen." The title caught my eye and the humorous writing kept me reading. Some of the lists are, well just lists like "Sequels that have equaled or bettered the original." No explanation or justification - just a list. And some of the lists are just self indulgent - "Attack of the quote whores" which collects those random fluff love quotes that we see in advertisement and puts them on a couple of pages for no good reason at all. Still, Roeper has taken some of that love of movies that propelled him to where he is by showing "5 Reasons George Baily Isn't Such a Wonderful Guy in It's a Wonderful Life," and the mentioned below "7 movies in which Ben Affleck cries like a big fat baby." If you are looking for serious cinematic writing, go look for Pauline Kael. Otherwise this is a great little commute, waste time or bathroom book. I only wish Roeper had put in a table of contents so I could easily find the gems again when I look for them instead of flipping through the book. Just silly. Enjoy!

13 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Next time, write a real book!, July 5, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: 10 Sure Signs a Movie Character is Doomed (Paperback)

This book is more like a slightly extended magazine article. In fact, I've read articles in "Movieline" that were longer, and more informative.

About one quarter of the book includes material that is well thought-out and entertainingly written. The rest is stuff that Roeper must have dictated into his voice recorder while doing other tasks.

Roeper is clever and well-informed, but this book couldn't have taken more than two weeks to write. If you're looking for a truly quick read, this is the book for you. Just don't pay full price!

I'm sure Roeper is capable of writing a good book, even a book of lists that has a little more "meat." But Roeper, and the publisher, shouldn't try to pass this off as more than a brochure.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars worth a look, but not essential, July 2, 2004

By 

David Group (Buffalo, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 10 Sure Signs a Movie Character is Doomed (Paperback)

This book's lists run the gamut from the commendable ("Ten movies that didn't make the AFI list but should have") to the throwaway (pick the half-dozen lists of your choice). In between, there are lists of his personal opinions, at least some of which are bound to provoke strong reactions (good and bad) in die-hard film buffs. There are also several lists of movie cliches that could have been lifted right out of Ebert's LITTLE MOVIE GLOSSARY. Some fall in the "Eh" category (movies starring cast members of "Seinfeld" and "Friends") and some that are LOL funny (Red carpet flubs by Joan Rivers). The book is padded out in the extreme, and fleshing it out here and there would have helped-- a lot (his list of in-jokes briefly discusses only 13 films, and his "10 movie character imitations that men can't resist doing" misses things like Pacino in SCARFACE ("Say hello to my li'l frien'")). A mixed bag, but there are worse ways of killing an hour or so.

PS: The back cover states that this book is the result of his years of watching thousands of films, yet in his SOURCES, he states that he consulted dozens of movie websites and hundreds of newspaper and magazine articles. Hmmmmm . . .