I really enjoyed this book, an autobiography of the actor Val Kilmer. Everyone knows someone like him, the kid with an irrepressible energy mixed with wry wit and not a small bit of mischief. If he had been ten or twelve years older he would have made a really great Tybalt in the 1968 Baz Luhrmann film, Romeo and Juliet. As it was he’s played numerous roles which showcase both his talent and his wit. And, having graduated from THE Juilliard School, he might have turned down the role of Tybalt for many more complex and exciting roles. As he gets older I'm waiting for him to turn back to theatre and to reprise his earlier Richard III.
Before I read this book I’d thought of him as just another actor, mostly hype, a cocky stuffed shirt. But in this book he expresses much more about himself than just acting, especially about his background, relationships, dreams and weaknesses. Also until I read it I’d not realized just how much theatre and singing that he’d done. And talking. Endless talking.
Concerning the singing and the talking, there is good deal of pathos in the circumstances of their curtailment. One of the things one loses with throat cancer is their singing voice and most of their vocal energy. During the height of the struggle they don’t miss these as much, since there are more important things like eating and breathing. But later when they assess their losses their character shines through. I salute the fact that if this book is at all accurate it shows that he has found his middle way between the anger, self pity, resignation, despair, hopelessness intrinsic to that struggle.
The book brings out much other information such as that as a rancher he has worked doing manual and farm labor. Also he has a very well thought out religious viewpoint so, despite his earlier rambunctiousness is not hopelessly enamored of the Hollywood lifestyle.
I was surprised at the role of religion and spirituality he described, equally surprised that he came across as not ashamed, dogmatic, haughty nor irrational about it. The cynical modern generation needs to see more role models who maintain their contact with the universe. Rather than preaching on and on about it he merely describes how it demonstrates itself throughout his life.
All told, before I started reading this book I vaguely liked his acting. Now I see him as a real 3-D person and not a flickering image on a screen.
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The odyssey that is the life of Val Kilmer ... A must read
This purchase was for my daughter. This is HER review:If anyone asks for a movie recommendation, I always suggest Val Kilmer in "The Saint". He plays like seven different roles and is beyond convincing in each one. Long after "Top Gun", Val became one of my favorites because of "The Saint." When I heard that he had written his memoires, my attention wa piqued. After reading the first few pages here on Amazon, I said this was all I wanted for Christmas. I am, at present about half way through the book, and to say that it doesn't disappoint would be an understatement. It reads as if he sitting across the table from you telling you the tales that is his life, pausing momentarily to feel the moment before he tells you about it. His words are musical, his vocabulary is impressive and his life is remarkable.His ability to value human life and human experience make him one of the most remarkable people of our time. His vagabond spirit makes him hard not to admire and impossible not to love, His raw emotions when he shares the most heartfelt moments of his life and the humor of some of his escapades will make you cry and then cry laughing all on the same page.If you want to be entertained - this is your book. If you want to fall in love with Val Kilmer - this is your book too!Enjoy!
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Top reviews from other countries
Geli Perez
A must read book!
Reviewed in Spain on August 23, 2022
Geli Perez
Reviewed in Spain on August 23, 2022
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Hix
An entertaining read and a must for Val Kilmer fans.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 25, 2020