Chuckerman Makes A Movie by Francie Arenson Dickman – 317 pages

Book Blurb:

“The words of thirty-five-year-old David Melman’s Jewish grandmother still haunt him. He’s scared to settle down. Instead, he dates twenty-something pop stars that he meets through his celebrity-branding business. But when his niece and nephew inform him that he’s hit “rock bottom” with his latest inappropriate relationship, David realizes that change might be in order-so when his sister Marcy, with her own ulterior motive, pushes him to take a film-writing class taught by her friend Laurel, he agrees.Will writing a movie about a childhood visit to his grandparents in Florida, an unforgettable driving lesson, and a 1977 Cadillac bring David love? Luck? Or both? Alternating between David’s present-day life and his past through his movie script, Chuckerman Makes a Movie is a romantic comedy blended with a comedic coming-of-age.

My Review: 4 stars – Guest Review

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Chuckerman Makes a Movie was s a charming, witty, smart, observant, and at times laugh-out-loud novel that was thoroughly entertaining. The story was told from the perspective of David Melman, the self-deprecating Jewish protagonist who has numerous hang-ups that keep him from becoming an adult. This clever novel was actually a story within a story. It alternates between the modern day thirty-five year old David, who takes a screenwriting class, and the ten year old David, re-living a part of his childhood, through the writing of a screenplay. The book was narrated by both the adult David and the young boy Davey. As a result, the book was both a modern, romantic comedy, as well as a coming of age story as the young Davey recounts details and memories from his grandparent’s Florida home.

All of the characters in the book, both major and minor, were funny, multi-dimensional, sharply drawn and realistic. The neurotic, commitment phobic David, his hilarious family, his eccentric extended family and friends that lived in the retirement community and his classmates from his screenwriting class were all sharply observed and well-written. I was invested in all of their stories, and was rooting for their personal growth. Even the Cadillac that’s prominently displayed on the cover of this book was an interesting character that symbolized David’s freedom, but also kept him rooted in the past, which ultimately limited his personal growth. At times, I felt like I was in the middle of a Seinfeld comedy; the book read like an episode in my head.

Many readers will be able to strongly identify with the characters and family members depicted in this book. I definitely saw some of my own relatives reflected within the pages. There were many themes included in this novel; complex/strong family relationships, romance, commitment issues, familial influences, coming of age, self-discovery, and the effect of one’s childhood on adulthood.

Overall, this debut book has the potential to make a very entertaining movie, which would be both comical and sentimental. I found myself re-reading and savoring certain lines of this book, that were both comical and complex. In the acknowledgments, the author stated that it took her an extremely long time to write this novel. I hope that it doesn’t take as long for her next book. I highly recommend this heart-warming and humorous book. Reviewed by Guest Fairy Ronna.

Quotes I liked:

If you’re not careful, the road you think you’re not taking can become the road you’re actually on.” 

“The Melman’s don’t do dogs”, I said, which was true.We can barely find compassion for each other, let alone for animals.”

“I don’t see how it’s possible to not know Seinfeld. It’s like someone from Elizabethan England not knowing Shakespeare.” 

“This is the way the Melman’s express affection.We devil’s advocate.Second guess.Rain on each other’s parades.” 

“Love matters a little but luck matters more.” 

“The writing is the important thing. It’s the process of writing that brings people and things to life. That’s the beauty of it. The more you write about an object, the more real it becomes. To write is to revive. To write is to immortalize.” 

“No sense in worrying.You got no control over how things are gonna play out in life…….Kick back and wait for the situation to come to you. After you’re dealt the cards, that’s when you react.”