Review by Booklist Review
McCarthy, an actor, director, and writer, lays bare his meteoric rise to fame in the heyday of the 1980s. Early forays onto the stage in high school ignited McCarthy's passion for performing, and when he enrolled in New York University, he did so as a theater major. After some work on the stage, McCarthy got his big break in a film, Class, at the young age of 20, but it was a role in the iconic movie St. Elmo's Fire that put him on the map and got him labeled as a member of the "Brat Pack" along with '80s stars Rob Lowe, Judd Nelson, and Emilio Estevez--a moniker the thespians all hated at the time. The irony was that he never felt part of the group, gradually realizing that while he loved acting, he did not enjoy the trappings of fame. With a candid exploration of his feelings of isolation along with his battles with alcohol and drug addiction, McCarthy's memoir will appeal to aspiring actors, fans of his work, and readers fascinated by the movie world.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The star of seminal 1980s coming-of-age movies St. Elmo's Fire and Pretty in Pink looks back on a decade that was more angsty for him than for his characters in this heartfelt memoir. Actor McCarthy (The Longest Way Home) revisits many raucous showbiz indignities--"my first day on the set of a feature film was spent in bra and panties"--and delves into the gnawing anxieties behind his heart-throb exterior: a sullen aloofness that masked his fear at auditions; spiraling alcoholism; loneliness in an L.A., where he "felt exposed and vulnerable on the deserted streets"; alienation on the coked-up set of Less Than Zero, where "the mood on the shoot turned from dark to nefarious" with a script "full of hate and self-degradation." McCarthy writes evocatively of his insecurities and dysfunctions--"I felt as if I existed behind a layer of opaque plexiglass... which would only clear when I took a drink"--but also of the high points when he felt "the simple joy at being there, at being alive and young" in front of the camera. McCarthy is clear-eyed and unsparing about Hollywood but takes the emotional intensity of the actor's craft and life seriously. The result is a riveting portrait of the artist as a young man. Photos. (May)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Famous for breaking the Watergate story with Bob Woodward, Bernstein backtracks to his early-1960s experiences as a teenage reporter at the Washington Star in Chasing History.
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
In his second memoir, the former Brat Pack member offers a tell-almost-all filled with entertaining tidbits from on and off the set--and a few surprises. Now a travel writer, TV director, and author of the bestselling YA novel Just Fly Away, McCarthy found his true life's calling during a high school production of Oliver! "When I stepped on stage as the Artful Dodger all those years ago," writes the author, "a light went on inside me that has never gone out." In New York City, McCarthy found his comfort zone in Terry Hayden's classes on Method acting and in Manhattan's cinema revival houses. An audition advertised in Backstage led to his auspicious 1983 debut opposite Rob Lowe and Jacqueline Bisset in Class (off-set factoid: Bissett kissed him…."Just the once"). A whirlwind of work followed, including Pretty in Pink, St. Elmo's Fire, Mannequin (the descriptions of which omit any mention of co-star Kim Cattrall), Fresh Horses, Less Than Zero, and Weekend at Bernie's and its sequel. McCarthy highlights the Hollywood perks--dinners at Spago with Liza Minnelli, parties at the Playboy mansion--as well as the uneven chemistry among the Brat Pack. On the set of St. Elmo's Fire, writes the author, Ally Sheedy was superfriendly; Emilio Estévez was not. Robert Redford, James Coburn, and Claude Chabrol make brief but key appearances, and McCarthy fondly describes channeling his buddy Eddie for movie-wardrobe choices. The author also addresses his personal struggles. From the start, public attention made him nervous, and his relationship with his father was fraught with challenges. Regarding booze, the author tracks his alcoholic trajectory fairly meticulously (he got sober in 1992 at age 29). It's not Just Kids, but the book is a pleasant combination of name-dropping, fun insights, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of the actor's relief at jumping off his particular 1980s hamster wheel. An enjoyable celebrity memoir from an actor who also displays writing skills. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
