Mr. Funny Pants
This memoir-of-sorts by the offbeat writer and comedian should, at the very least, get a few readers scratching their heads. Showalter combines Woody Allen–like essays (a parody of an ad for an online university, for example) with episodes from his own life (auditions, his editorship of the college literary magazine), advice for would-be Hollywood screenwriters, brain-teasers, do’s and don’ts of dating, and running commentary on the writing of the book itself. The book is very funny—it begins with the traditional About the Author section, followed by Aboot the Author (for the Canadian edition) and About Bea Arthur, for no particular reason—and in among the jokes and parodies, readers may get the occasional glimpse of Showalter himself, peeking out from behind the wordplay. Fans of Showalter’s offbeat comedy—the movie Wet Hot American Summer, the sketch-comedy series The State—will very much enjoy this book. All others may be entertained if mystified. --David Pitt