Poehler, Kaling and now Fey. I think I’ve completed the trifecta of autobiographies written by female improvs. I was deeply enamoured by Poehler’s Yes Please that I didn’t expect less from Kaling and Fey, and I think that’s a bit unfair. They’re wonderfully different women with different angles of comedy chops. But in all my heart, I still prefer Amy Poehler.
We need to take in mind that Bossypants proceeded Yes Please by three years. Perhaps we can attribute Poehler’s success from following Fey’s formula. In many, many ways, they really are quite similar books. Here’s some of the scathing similarities:
- The author’s middle-classed, college-educated background
- The fact that they shared the same improv group in Chicago, Second City
- They addressed their insecurities of their physical flaws and imperfections, and how they overcame them
- Family life, including raising children and the problems (and joys) of the husband
- Their career centrepieces take up the biggest chapters of the novel (Fey’s 30 Rock and Poehler’s Parks and Recreation)
- Their presence weave in and out each other’s books, even having a dedicated chapter for their each other
- Both are hilariously self-deprecating
- Most importantly, both discuss what it’s like to be a female in a largely male industry. Both women were trailblazers for women in comedy.
- And so on and so forth
(Yes, I’m aware that I’m excluding Kaling here, but c’mon she was barely even a contributor in SNL)
We can accuse Poehler of yoinking a ready made template that had already worked, and in turn, churning out a shit-sure bestseller. But there are key differences in terms of style and tone. I prefer Poehler’s douse of emotional wisdom mixed in generously with her sardonic writing. Fey’s autobiography is loaded with jokes, but like her performances, it can at times fall flat.
But this is not to say that Bossypants is a bad book at all. If anything, it is an easy read, which might take you a couple of days and it is a good read. And for what Fey had achieved, the book is the culmination of her talents and experiences. Some of the lessons learned from years of improv translates to useful life lessons, much in the same way that Stephen Colbert spoke about improv and how it made him better.
My key takeaway is to always agree and say yes, instead of blocking possibilities. For example, when someone’s pointing a gun at you with his finger, you can refute it by saying that’s not a gun that’s your finger! But best to follow Fey’s advice: “The gun I gave you for Christmas you bastard!” And you know what? She’s right:
“As an improviser, I always find it jarring to meet someone in real life whose first answer is no. “No we can’t do that”. “No that’s not on the budget”. “No I will not hold your hand for a dollar”. What kind of way is that to live?”
And another nugget after that: MAKE A STATEMENT. Instead of asking questions, one should make a statement, or a suggestion. While I have built a career on saying no and asking the right questions, Fey is spot on. Perhaps, in retrospect I have been to skeptical to ideas, and that I have been asking too many bloody questions.
Fey, who has a huge repertoire of movies, shows and SNL appearances behind her also underplayed her importance. In a way, it is a self-deprecatingly humble book, though my funny bones at times don’t quite vibe with Fey’s razor sharp wit. But her performance here, as the obnoxious Sarah Palin sums up her career, accompanied by the unhinged Hilary Clinton (played by the inevitable Amy Poehler) — and it’s a brilliant one.
