Memoirs and Misinformation: A Novel

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I know it's become a popular trope to claim that comedians are often the darkest people, but I have little sympathy/empathy for a guy waddling in his own self pity from a cozy 10 million dollar Malibu Beach house. It was the year 1994. The economy was thriving, the Twin Towers still dominated the New York City skyline, ‘Influencers’ weren’t even sperm yet and I was watching, “The Mask” starring Jim Carrey with my neighbor-friend, Amanda. Carrey was in the height of his fame and I was in love – telling Amanda that one day I will date Jim Carrey. Lofty aspirations for a 10-year old. An engaging, fun tale that plays with the public perceptions of celebrities, questions our compulsive need to view, and contains a gloriously off-the-wall conclusion.” Dave Holstein, creator of the Showtime series “Kidding,” starring Carrey as a children’s television personality coping with tragedy, believes his star has reached a tenuous peace with a life of “peaks and valleys we can only begin to understand.” I didn't expect to spend time today crying while reading a passage in Jim Carrey's new novel MEMOIRS AND MISINFORMATION in which Carrey, a character in his own book, is reunited with his mentor Rodney Dangerfield when the late comedian's "essence" is resurrected as a CGI rhinoceros in a big-budget Hollywood adaptation of HUNGRY HUNGRY HIPPOS.

The famous characters portrayed here seem to be mostly wild, outlandish versions of themselves. True, you could say it’s art imitating life, but this is art on methamphetamines. At the beginning of the novel, I was thinking this might be Hunter S. Thompson-esque, but I was mistaken. Kelsey Grammer is written as Frasier. To me, that just doesn’t work. Meet Jim Carrey. Sure, he’s an insanely successful and beloved movie star drowning in wealth and privilege—but he’s also lonely. Maybe past his prime. Maybe even … getting fat? He’s tried diets, gurus, and cuddling with his military-grade Israeli guard dogs, but nothing seems to lift the cloud of emptiness and ennui. Even the sage advice of his best friend, actor and dinosaur skull collector Nicolas Cage, isn’t enough to pull Carrey out of his slump. If you think of Carrey’s career like Adam Sandler’s — and we’re not saying you should — you can make an argument that during his Biggest Movie Star in the World period, he had his Jim Carrey Comedy Superstar movies (the Farrelly brothers and Shadyac) and then his Working With Serious Directors to Make Art movies (two of which we’ll be getting to next). The one film that comes closest to merging those two is Liar Liar, a high-concept comedy about a slimy lawyer (Carrey) who, because of a birthday wish from his son, cannot tell a single lie. This turns out to be an extremely fruitful idea for a comedy, as the lawyer keeps running into situations in which his particular affliction is incredibly inconvenient. But he also gets a redemption arc that, particularly at this point in Carrey’s career, is surprisingly moving; Carrey has that normal-guy mode he can shift into that really works when he gets it right. Plus: We’ve been using “the Claw” on little kids for 23 years because of this movie. They love it. The Truman Show (1998)

He’s in mourning for the world, and for his lost “self.” Terrified of life, terrified of death. The thought of John Lennon’s final portrait taken in the morgue, sends him into a self-grooming frenzy, just in case he dies and fanboys at the morgue sell his photo to the highest bidder. In an interview with New York Times reviewer, Dave Itzkoff, Jim Carrey explained his latest book, “Memoirs and Misinformation,” co-written by author of Wall Street satire "Mergers & Acquisitions," Dana Vachon. “It’s the end of the world, and we have the perfect book for it.” Browning, Justine (October 2, 2019). "Jim Carrey to Publish First Novel Memoirs and Misinformation". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved September 12, 2020.

At first it plays like an absurd version of Jim Carrey taken to the nth, Charlie Kaufman-esqe and yes, Kaufman makes an "appearance". It then devolves because the story itself isn't that compelling because nothing is taken seriously therefore you can't take it seriously either. It's neither funny nor scary enough to be entertaining on that level. It's weird, it's dark, it's satire, it's biography ... there's aliens and celebrity bashing and even some hippos. And I still have no idea what I just read. You are ready and able to do beautiful things in this world, and as you walk through those doors today, you will only have two choices: love or fear. Choose love, and don’t ever let fear turn you against your playful heart.” A book begging to be read on the beach, with the sun warming the sand and salt in the air: pure escapism.Daugiau fantastikos elementų nei pačiuose Jim Carrey filmuose. Kaip ir skelbia viršelis, romanas tikrai yra apie žmogų vardu Jim Carrey. Tik čia daugiau fikcijos, satyros, ironijos bei misinformacijos nei memuarų. Pradėjau skaityti vedama vienos idėjos, geriau susipažinti su aktoriumi, jo vidiniais demonais, išgyvenimais, tačiau jau po pirmųjų puslapių buvo aišku, kad ši knyga yra visai kas kita nei tikėtasi. Čia gausiai minimos žymių žmonių pavardės, pašiepiami gyvenimo guru ir mokyklos, išgyvenama dėl filmų scenarijų, atrandama meilė ir net prasideda pasaulio apokalipsė. Solitude is dangerous. It’s very addictive. It becomes a habit after you realise how peaceful and calm it is. It’s like you don’t want to deal with people anymore because they drain your energy.”

This is one of the weirdest books I have ever read. There was so much about it that was beautiful and tragic, and then the beauty was broken up by "what in the world am I reading?" Carrey and Vachon pepper “Memoirs and Misinformation” with a plethora of celebrity cameos and name-dropping. These portrayals are almost certainly fictional although either based on fact or are Carrey’s perceptions of the said individuals. This offers readers some ‘food for thought’. Perez, Lexy (April 6, 2020). "Jim Carrey's Book Memoirs and Misinformation Pushed to July Release". Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved September 12, 2020.Three woman who join together to rent a large space along the beach in Los Angeles for their stores—a gift shop, a bakery, and a bookstore—become fast friends as they each experience the highs, and lows, of love. True religion has, at its core: Love, Peace, Mercy, Justice and Freedom. If any of these elements is not fully present in a religion, the religion has been compromised.” Jeff Daniels narrating was the only reason I pushed through and finished it. But even Hungry Hungry Hippos the movie couldn't save this one for me, unfortunately. Over the last three months, 17 writers provided diaries to the Times of their days in isolation, followed by weeks of protest. This is their story.