Greetings,
As of right now, I have never once, in all my years as a writer, been officially part of a writing group. I don't know why. Maybe I like to work alone too much. Maybe I am not a fan of criticism, which is a tad ironic. Maybe I just never could find one at all. Yeah, that last one might be it. Although, whatever the benefits of being in a writing group are, it can also go the other way. This is quite evident in the film Authors Anonymous.
Authors Anonymous is a movie I find quite interesting. The first thing that caught my attention was the framing device, which is that someone we never actually see or hear is making a documentary about a writing group. Now this doesn't really look like a documentary for the entirety film, but all the characters take part in Real World style confessionals or interviews. Also, someone not a part of the project will sometimes wonder about the cameras following the seemingly mundane actions. Other than that, it feels fairly typical. The good news is that these people, whomever they are, making this documentary caught some good stuff.
The basic plot is that there are six members of the group, varying a lot when it comes to their talent, their ambition, their success and even their grasp on the reality of their writing life. We see how all of these things affect their relationships and the life of the group. If this does not seem like much to you, I can understand why, but this really is about the characters, helped along by those who portray them. So, let's talk about that.
First is Alan Mooney, played by Dylan Walsh. Alongside his attempts of being a writer, he is officially an eye doctor. He is also constantly recording ideas for novels on his tiny recorder. And I do mean constantly, whether they lead anywhere or not. Usually not. He is the self-proclaimed leader of the group and takes much pride in its existence. His wife, Colette, is played by Teri Polo. She writes romance novels in the style of all those paperback books you can get on a monthly basis. And what people have always said about the quality of those books, or lack thereof, is pretty much confirmed by Colette. She is completely oblivious to the fact that she is not good, though she has a massive amount of rejection letters to prove it. Next is William Bruce, played by Jonathan Bennett. He worships Charles Bukowski, calling him the best writer ever, and wanting to be just like him, if he doesn't think he is already. Of course, while William thinks he is very motivated in his work, he rarely brings forth any worthwhile material, as he is more infatuated with the idea of being a writer. Then, there's John K. Butzin, played by the legendary and beloved Dennis Farina in one of his last roles. Now, if you happen to forget his character's name, relax. He repeats it...A LOT! Mostly referring to himself in the third person, he resorts to self-publishing (nothing wrong with that!) on his quest to be just like Tom Clancy, not to mention having his book made into a film by Clint Eastwood. He is the textbook definition of a curmudgeon. Henry Obert is next, played by Chris Klein. He is going through a bout with writer's block, which is ironic, since he is arguably the most legit writer in this entire group. He is in love with literature and has read countless classic novels, and he wants nothing more to be respected alongside those authors that he admires. Also, he is in love with Hannah. Hannah Rinaldi, played by Kaley Cuoco, seems...a bit...airhead-y. Well, a lot, at first, but she grows. She is not a reader, nor does she know much about those book thingies. Pay attention to what she says about Jane Austen to get the full effect. There is a running gag about her being asked who her favorite writer is and she never has an answer. However, she is a writer who is very dedicated, working constantly on her book, and it pays off. It pays off for her, which doesn't exactly set well with the rest of her group.
The movie basically follows the progression of how the people who you consider friends, helpers, colleagues, what have you, can become something a bit more resentful when they realize that they are also your competitors. And they do this in quite a hilarious way. The fake smiles and congratulations are priceless and accurate, and they keep up until no one can handle it anymore and things explode. I assume that anyone who has been in a writer's group where one person stands out has seen this occur.
Now, if you listen to other critics, you may know that this film did not exactly get stellar reviews. I suppose I can understand why. Whilst I enjoyed this thing immensely, and I think anyone can, it seems to enhance the entertainment if you are also a writer. It helps a lot. It may be because we can look at any of these people and say, "Oh, I have known that person" or "I have been that person", or we can look at some of these scenarios and say, "I've been there". I certainly can.
What I liked best about this film were the characters and, in turn, the actors. Everyone really captured what they were supposed to portray, and even when the characters were being unlikable through actions or otherwise, you still can manage to enjoy them and be entertained by them. That is a very good thing, because there are many of those moments where you might want to slap someone, but you're too busy being amused by them.
So, in closing, I say give Authors Anonymous a shot, especially if you're writer, as I said. It will either make you want to find yourself a really great writing group, or avoid them all like the plague. Talk about range.
Love and full moons,
Becky the Writer
