Funny People: “Bossypants” Review

By Blair Stenvick
(via City On a Hill Press where you can find lots more from Blair!)

In an interview with The Believer in 2003, Tina Fey called herself “more of a writer than an actor,” and if there was any doubt about her comedy writing skills on “30 Rock,” “Saturday Night Live” or “Mean Girls,” she cleared them up with her new memoir, “Bossypants.”

Fey has been in the public eye since she first started appearing in the Weekend Update segment of “SNL” in 2000, and “Bossypants” gives a good amount of insight into what her life was like both before and after becoming a celebrity.

From befriending a bunch of closeted gays at theater camp in high school to trying to commiserate with her frightening coworkers at the YMCA while taking improv classes on the side, to dealing with “Teat Nazis” who insisted she breastfeed her daughter, Fey shows that her life is both remarkable and ordinary and uses her signature self-deprecating and witty humor to make it all entertaining.

One of the best chapters in the book is one called “Sarah, Oprah, and Captain Hook, or How to Succeed by Sort of Looking Like Someone.” Yes, it tells the widely-known story of how she blew up after impersonating Sarah Palin on “SNL,” but it also reveals that during that same week, she had to film Oprah’s guest spot on “30 Rock” and plan her daughter’s birthday party. With this, readers get a much more complete picture of what Fey’s life is like — and it makes her more likeable.

Fey also gives spot-on commentary on what it’s like to be a woman today, in or out of the entertainment industry. Feminism can sometimes be a drag, but Fey uses humor to her advantage, commenting on things like beauty standards by giving advice on “aging naturally without looking like time-lapse photography of a rotting sparrow.” And about the criticism she received for her portrayal of Palin, she smartly observes, “I am not mean and Mrs. Palin is not fragile. To imply otherwise is a disservice to us both.”

And that type of humor and insight is what makes “Bossypants” a knockout. I’d have accepted anything written by Tina Fey, but she exceeded my expectations by making her memoir less about herself and more about the world. Yes, she talks mostly about her own life, but it’s in a way that everyone can relate to and laugh along with.

In the introduction, Fey writes, “I hope you enjoy [this book] so much that you also buy a copy for your sister-in-law.” I don’t have a sister-in-law, but if I did I would strongly recommend it to her and everyone else.