Review by Booklist Review
Readers of actor and producer Dunne's first book will find themselves often flipping to its stunning black-and-white cover photo. Among its dozen faces are a teenage Dunne; his striking mother, Lenny; his writer father, Dominick; Dominick's writer brother and frequent feuding partner, John; and John's wife, Joan Didion. One little face belongs to Dunne's younger sister, Dominique, whose murder at 22 would devastate and redefine the family. All their stories and more make up Dunne's captivating memoir of celebrity from all sides, which is beyond entertaining, honest in confronting heartbreaks and jealousies, often genuinely funny, and somehow understated. Dunne recalls staggering personal stories about a who's-who of famous people in the Dunnes' orbit alongside his own coming-of-age, early career turns, and the crushing experience of attending the trial for his sister's killer. It's a testament to his talent that his legacy doesn't weigh the book down. Instead, Dunne's storytelling is buoyant, his prose crisp; he's most definitely a writer, too. This clear-eyed, heartfelt memoir ends with the birth of Dunne's daughter in 1990; readers will hope for future books.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
After Hours actor Griffin recounts in his bittersweet debut how movies, madness, and murder have touched his celebrated American family. Dunne presents his recollections as a colorful ensemble piece starring his accomplished relatives, including his father, Dominick, who torpedoed his career as a Hollywood producer by insulting a powerful agent, then became a famous novelist; his mother, Ellen, who carried on several affairs; his brother, Alex, a brilliant writer; his sister, Dominique, an actor who costarred in Poltergeist; and his uncle and aunt by marriage, authors John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion. The narrative is a swirl of parties, crude jokes, and sharply etched celebrity cameos, including a pre-fame, pot-smoking Harrison Ford, still working as a carpenter ("His stuff was so strong that after one toke I couldn't tell the difference between a saw and a tape measure"), and a magnificently bratty Carrie Fisher. But there are darker currents, too: Dominick's closeted homosexuality; Ellen's diagnosis of multiple sclerosis; Alex's intermittent psychosis. Anchoring the book is an account of 22-year-old Dominique's death by strangulation, and her ex-boyfriend John Sweeney's subsequent conviction on a relatively minor manslaughter charge. Dunne's writing is vivid, openhearted, and full of a rich irony that inflects even the most emotional scenes, as when he recalls an extra on the set of the gangster spoof Johnny Dangerously offering to have his mob associates kill Sweeney. The result is a raucously entertaining homage to an unforgettable dynasty. Agents: David Kuhn and Nate Muscato, Aevitas Creative Management. (June)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Successful actor/director/producer Dunne is the oldest son of journalist and victim rights' activist Dominick Dunne (1925--2009) and the nephew of novelist/essayist Joan Didion (1934--2021). In this searing and powerful memoir, readers learn about the author's troubled childhood and adolescence. After dire experiences at two boarding schools, he headed for New York with dreams of becoming a successful actor. While he looked for work, his friend and roommate Carrie Fisher filmed Star Wars. His sister, Dominique, created the titular Friday Afternoon Club when she became an actor; in addition to Griffin, she would invite her friends to the club, including a young George Clooney. Griffin Dunne got a foothold in film by producing several movies and eventually starred in An American Werewolf in London and After Hours, which he also coproduced. Everything changed in 1982, when Dominique, age 22 at the time, was murdered. The court convicted her ex-boyfriend, John Sweeney, on a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter. The tragedy changed the family and the course of Dominick Dunne's career, inspiring him to become a crime reporter. VERDICT Raw and painful to read at times but compelling in its honesty, this memoir about the Dunnes will appeal to movie and true-crime fans.--Penelope J.M. Klein
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A moving memoir from the actor and producer. Conventional wisdom says we cannot choose family or fate. In this tribute to his famous family, Dunne (b. 1955) reminds readers to love family and do the best with what fate sends along. Bookended by the shocking murder of his sister, Dominique, and the birth of his daughter, Hannah, the narrative retraces the author's history, offering colorful snippets of life in an intriguing, privileged milieu. In Dunne's fascinating world, his father, writer and investigative journalist Dominick Dunne, swaps acrimonious barbs with literati brother and sister-in-law, John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion ("Joan was a 'serious writer,' Dad ex-plained to his children, 'not like the hacks' he'd hired to write at Four Star [Television]"). Carrie Fisher is a confidante--"best friends become best friends suddenly, and without knowing that's what's happening until it happens"--and celebrities drop in for parties and dinners. Despite the glamorous backdrops in California and New York, the author portrays a family whose core human experiences make them universally relatable. Dunne is candid about his father's demons and substance abuse, which stoked the embers of a tumultuous marriage. He compassionately chronicles his mother's battle with multiple sclerosis, and he gently examines the sibling dynamics between the three Dunne children (one of whom is mentally ill, and to whom he dedicates the book). Dunne also chronicles his own slow climb toward fame, an ascent he has navigated on his own terms. The tragedy of Dominique's murder looms throughout, and the author capably describes stepping into two of the most challenging roles of his life to date: filming Johnny Dangerously while simultaneously supporting his family in their quest for justice for Dominique. A poignant love letter and evidence that through it all, genuine love is the backbone that keeps a family strong. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
