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If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B Movie Actor Hardcover – June 23, 2001

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Bruce Campbell (Author)
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Bruce Campbell (Author)
4.8 out of 5 stars 327 customer reviews
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Product Details

  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: L.A. Weekly Books; 1st edition (June 23, 2001)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0312242646
  • ISBN-13: 978-0312242640
  • Product Dimensions: 6.3 x 1.2 x 9.6 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (327 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #104,966 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsChintastic!
By THowerton on June 24, 2016
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I’m not what I would consider a fan of Bruce Campbell. I know him best from his Sam Axe character off of “Burn Notice”. But the title of his autobiography kept catching my attention, sticking in my mind. I wanted something light to read and took a chance. Confession: the chance paid off! This was a light and really fun and easy read. Not only that but Campbell was quite clever in some ways in how he used little pics to illustrate some humorous anecdotes, like the old-school e-mail messages from odd ducks or drawings of contraptions that he and his pal Sam Raimi would rig up to make their movies. Campbell has a great sense of humor, very self-deprecating, and is very down-to-earth. He chronicles his childhood and his early films and gives ample space to his friends, none moreso than childhood friend and film making partner Sam Raimi. In some ways this book doubles as a biography of Sam Raimi! Another thing Campbell’s book does is show the not so glamorous behind-the-scenes of what it’s like to hustle making independent films and the brutal business and busyness of television. It’s enough to scare one off!

There are different additions of this book. I’ve no idea how much bonus material the newest edition includes but the ones with “the chins across America tour” bonus material is worth your effort. It details his bookselling tour and the weird, wild, and sometimes wonderful things that happened to him on the tour. Do you remember that time that he sat down and chilled with a fox (of the canine variety)? Priceless.
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3.0 out of 5 starsa pleasant view into the life of an actor who has sort-of made it
By Neurasthenic VINE VOICE on June 7, 2013
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Bruce Campbell has a cult following, and if you are a member of that cult, you will surely enjoy this book. I was struck in particular by the early history of Campbell and his friends, making amateur films in high school. I hadn't realized that he had been friendly with Sam Raimi since childhood.

However, if you aren't already a fan of Bruce Campbell and his movies, there's not much here. Campbell seems down-to-earth, but he's not introspective, and his writing style is rough. Rather than describing the colors of a sunset and the sound of frost covered grasses cracking under his shoes, Campbell would write "it was cold but pretty." Rather than describing the disorientation of finding himself in the fifth generic airport foodcourt in five days, he would write "flying a lot isn't much fun." Campbell has presumably heard of the rule "show me, don't tell me," but it hasn't made much of an impression.

Cambell's priorities are sometimes hard to decode. He devotes as much time to a fox he saw once as he does to either of his two wives. He devotes more space to a discussion of his old dirty laundry bag than he does to several of his films.

Some actors have written autobiographies that illuminate the nature of celebrity, the emotion of seeing others around you climb to much greater heights, or to fail, for no discernible reason. Richard E. Grant's autobiography is particularly good in bridging from the actor's unusual background growing up to his adulthood making movies intended for massive global audiences, and how his provincial origins informed his later understanding of the world. Campbell's story, on the other hand, is all on the surface -- these are the movies and TV shows he made, these are the people he met along the way.
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4.0 out of 5 starsCampbell Soup
By Todd on June 4, 2016
Format: Kindle Edition Verified Purchase
If you're looking for a tell-all Hollywood expose filled with sleazy stories of ner-do-well acting types and their back alley dealings, could you tell me where to find it because it isn't in this book. Instead we get an intimate non-sugar coated step by step road map to semi stardom. This book trods along but is still somehow always engaging. Like Bruce Campbell himself, this book is just plain likeable. Bruce introduces us to his parents, his childhood and his mediocrit rise to fame. He's a guy who shouldn't be famous but is. He's one of us and brings us along as he gets his start in the Evil Dead movie and carries us all the way through to the ending of Hercules. It reads like a text book of working in the industry, especially in the independent film end of the industry. If you're expecting a book about the character Bruce Campbell, this book might not be for you. If you are generally interested in film and acting AND happen to be a fan of Bruce Campbell this might be your ball of cheese. Shemp on over to your favorite book store and pick up a copy.
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5.0 out of 5 starsGreat for fans and non-fans alike.
By Tad Fitch on January 12, 2015
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
"If Chins Could Kill" is a great first book for Bruce Campbell. His early life and his career up to the point of publication are chronicled in a humorous, yet insightful fashion. You feel like you really get to know Bruce during the course of the book. I found his stories and trials and tribulations very interesting. He really is the Hollywood equivalent of a blue collar worker, and goes to great lengths to praise the hard work done behind the scenes by crew and production members. It rings true, not an attempt at being patronizing. I get the impression that Bruce loves what he does, is happy with the level of fame and notoriety that he has achieved, and just wants to work. He appreciates the work of the average joe, and that shows up again and again in the book.

Some reviewers have cited how helpful this book would be for people attempting a career in acting or the arts. While that's true, you don't need to have any interest in acting, or even in Bruce Campbell's movies in order to enjoy the book. There was a lot I could relate to, and I'm in a completely unrelated career than him. I think the book works on two levels: If you're a fan of Bruce's movies and work, then you will of course enjoy the anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories of his movies and other projects, including the Evil Dead films, but not limited to that. Even if you aren't a fan of his movies or are just unfamiliar with them, then there is much to relate to, as far as trying to succeed and persevere in the career field of your choice, where sometimes things go well, and sometimes they don't.

Bruce Campbell has stuck with acting through the thick and thin of it, and that's something that we can all draw inspiration from.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsSounds like it's worth the read

bought this as a gift for my boyfriend who is a huge Bruce Campbell fan. He keeps reading the funniest passages to me. Sounds like it's worth the read. Read more

Published 8 days ago by Maggie
5.0 out of 5 starsIf you love Bruce Campbell...

If you like Bruce Campbell, you'l enjoy this book.Funny and disarming, just like Bruce. Easy read. I enjoyed it.

Published 1 month ago by KermReads
5.0 out of 5 starsIf you've never read or watched Bruce Campbell, it's ...

If you've never read or watched Bruce Campbell, it's never too late to start. You can skip the horror, too, because he has sooo many more talents. Read more

Published 1 month ago by Capt Ben Cola & Ms Lee Reel
5.0 out of 5 starsYou already know it's good.

It's Bruce Campbell. You already know it's good.

Published 1 month ago by Nate
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Bruce is the man! Well written book and very entertaining.

Published 1 month ago by Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 starsQuick and fun

An entertaining inroad into the life and times of a working-man's actor. I appreciated the opportunity to meet the "Boomstick" man in his own words, and relished the glimpse into... Read more

Published 2 months ago by Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 starsBoomstick

Love Bruce Campbell love reading about his life in film. Such a witty and to borrow a phrase fly on the wall wall through of his life is spectacular

Published 3 months ago by BoneFish0809
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

CAMPBELL!!!

Published 5 months ago by SamHain
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Hail to the King, baby!

Published 5 months ago by RuthN
5.0 out of 5 starsCome get some!

One of the best autobiographies that I have ever read, hands down. Bruce is a first class guy that writes just like he is sitting down with you and talking about everything in... Read more

Published 5 months ago by FJK1138

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