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  • Shit, Actually

  • The Definitive, 100% Objective Guide to Modern Cinema
  • Written by: Lindy West
  • Narrated by: Lindy West
  • Length: 7 hrs and 16 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (55 ratings)

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Shit, Actually cover art

Shit, Actually

Written by: Lindy West
Narrated by: Lindy West
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Publisher's Summary

Your favorite movies, rewatched.

New York Times opinion writer and best-selling author Lindy West was once the in-house movie critic for Seattle's alternative newsweekly The Stranger, where she covered film with brutal honesty and giddy irreverence. In Shit, Actually, Lindy returns to those roots, reexamining beloved and iconic movies from the past 40 years with an eye toward the big questions of our time: Is Twilight the horniest movie in history? Why do the zebras in The Lion King trust Mufasa - who is a lion - to look out for their best interests? Why did anyone bother making any more movies after The Fugitive achieved perfection? And, my god, why don't any of the women in Love, Actually ever f--king talk?

From Forrest Gump, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, and Bad Boys II, to Face/Off, Top Gun, and The Notebook, Lindy combines her razor-sharp wit and trademark humor with a genuine adoration for nostalgic trash to shed new critical light on some of our defining cultural touchstones - the stories we've long been telling ourselves about who we are. At once outrageously funny and piercingly incisive, Shit, Actually reminds us to pause and ask, "How does this movie hold up?", all while teaching us how to laugh at the things we love without ever letting them or ourselves off the hook.

Shit, Actually is a love letter and a breakup note all in one: to the films that shaped us and the ones that ruined us. More often than not, Lindy finds, they're one and the same.

©2020 Lindy West (P)2020 Hachette Books

What the critics say

BookRiot, "Book Recommendations for October 2020

Fortune, "Five New Books to Read in October

SeattleMet, "11 Localish Books to Read This Autumn"

Up News Info, "5 new books to read in October"

"[A] laugh out loud romp... [these essays are] warmhearted, acutely self-aware, and surprisingly timely, providing insight into modern society through movies first sold on VHS... Like catching up with a dear and funny friend, this insightful and irreverent book is a soothing balm for turbulent times."—Kirkus Reviews

"It's a no-holds-barred romp through modern movie-making."—LitHub

"[A] hilarious, sharp collection..."—BookRiot

What listeners say about Shit, Actually

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Hilarious escapism

I laughed out loud so often that I had to stop listening while exercising. It was too hard to breath.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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I'm a new fan!

The author/narrator was hilarious. She captured amazing summaries of great movies, and also pointed out serious flaws in plot and diversity. Highly recommend!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Insanely Funny!

This book is ABSOLOUTE PERFECTION - I loved every single chapter in this one from start to finish. Lindy West is insanely funny, and honestly I couldn't have rated these films better myself. I listened to this one on audio, which I think just elevated the hilarity of the critiques - I spent hours literally laughing out loud, crying with laughter at some points. More often than not I immediately archive my audio books when I finish them, but this one is staying permanently in my library as I cannot WAIT to listen to it again.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Lindy West is my hero in all things.

Lindy West is amazing. I rate her 13 out of 10 DVDs of The Fugitive.

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