Nora Ephron became a brandname in writing and then in film by fresh takes. Then, like many successful people, she seemingly started to rest her creativity a bit and milk old material. According to Alex Kuczynski some of it is starting to smell sour.
In today's NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW section, Kuczyski reviews Ephron's new book I REMEMBER NOTHING. Familiar themes, like Ephron's divorce from Carl Bernstein, pop up. Even before the mantra of the era became "move on," Ephron's defaulting to overworked material would have been suspect. The artists of our society are the ones paid attention to because their role is to provoke thought. Somehow a lot of us sense we are being bullied into thinking way too much about a smuck like Bernstein who couldn't handle success - and never got it again.
Incidentally, the supposed fresh material about her alcoholic mother is a little late in the genre. Boozing, our own, our parents's and by our fellow 12-step friends, has been diced, sliced, and twice-fried.
Comments