Even after finishing Nora Ephron’s supremely cute I Feel Bad About My Neck, I’m not really sure if I’m a fan of hers or not. I’d have to say that I found Hanging Up to be one of the worst movies I’ve ever seen, and even if she’s only partially responsible for that atrocity, I’m still going to hold it against her. Her meditations on aging are cute and funny, more like tiny vignettes strung together with Ephron herself as the only common thread.
Roll-your-eyes kind of mom wisdom mixed up with tidbits about the non-joys of growing older, I Feel Bad About My Neck reads more like a magazine you’d read in the doctor’s office than “literature” of the highest order. Which I think is totally fine—it’s all my brain could withstand this week. In some ways, I guess I’m lucky. I’m about half Ephron’s age, so at least I know now to stock up on the black turtlenecks for when I do feel bad about my own neck. It’s bound to happen someday.
Although, I’d be interested to see what she thinks about something other than cabbage strudel and her apartment couches. There’s a sweet chapter on Michael Chabon’s The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (and I agree, it’s an awesome novel), but for the most part, the oh-wise-sage moments are a little too endearing.
Watch out for cute overload: People who spend too much time in front of the computer, “Mouse Potatoes.” Heh.
The best piece of advice: If you’re under 34 put on a bikini and wear it all the time. Don’t take it off until you turn 35.
The second-best piece of advice: Never marry someone you wouldn’t want to be divorced from…now that’s an interesting way to look at love in the modern world.