The Film Club

Author: David Gilmour

Sub-Genre: Narrative, memoir of the other, father/son relationship.

How Many Pages: 217

What does it say about itself: "When David Gilmour's fifteen-year-old son Jesse started flunking every subject at school, this father offered an unconventional deal: Jesse could drop out - not work, not pay rent - but there was a catch. He had to watch three movies a week of his father's choosing. And so week by week, side by side, father and son watched the world's best (and occasionally worst) films - and talked about movies and life. Then, as the Film Club moved toward its bittersweet but inevitable end, Jesse made a decision that would surprise even his father..."

My thoughts: I bet you can guess the ending. I started this thinking it would be an interesting look into a struggling father/son relationship with some movies put in there for some intelligent conversation. About half way through this book I started noticing that there seems to be something off about their relationship. I don't know anything about mental or learning conditions but it seems rather obvious that Jesse, the son, needs some professional help in his issues with learning and interpersonal interaction. The father, the author who apparently has won numerous awards, comes of as a self-centered jackass. The films are pretentious and rarely (if ever) venture into the realm of contemporary, it's clear that David is choosing these films from a narrow library of films he enjoyed earlier in his life. There is never a discussion of a film made in the last ten years, which is surprising because the majority of the book takes place between 2002 and 2005. The writing started out alright, but I began to tire of the over use of failed imagery, going so far as to mark every one I found after a certain point. It's an interesting book but I hope that not all parents would be so blind to the faults of their children and actually try to help them instead of appease them, the MO of this relationship.

Grades: (All scores out of 5)
Quality of Writing: 3
Entertaining: 3
Compelling: 3
Total: 9/15 - 60% - D

What's up next: Little Chapel on the River - Gwendolyn Bounds