The Film Club

December 24, 2007
In this poignant and witty memoir, Canadian novelist Gilmour (A Perfect Night to Go to China
) grapples with his decision to allow his teenage son, Jesse, to leave school in the 10th grade provided he promises to watch three movies a week with his father. Determined not to force a formal education on his son, former film critic and television host Gilmour begins the film club with Truffaut's The 400 Blows
—with Basic Instinct
for “dessert.” There are no lectures preceding the films, no quizzes on content or form: just a father and son watching movies together. Expertly tracing the trials and tribulations of teenage crushes and heartbreak, Gilmour explores not only his choice of films but also Jesse's struggles with his girlfriends and burgeoning music career. There are “units” on everything from undiscovered talent (Audrey Hepburn's Oscar-winning debut in Roman Holiday
) to stillness, exemplified by Gary Cooper's ability in High Noon
to steal a scene without moving a muscle. Gilmour expertly tackles the nostalgia not only of film but also that of parents, watching as their children grow and develop separate lives. With his unique blend of film history and personal memoir, Gilmour's latest offering will deservedly win him new American fans.

March 1, 2008
When Canadian novelist and film critic Gilmour ("A Perfect Night To Go to China") runs out of ways to help his son Jesse remain in high school, he offers him the option to drop out, as long as Jesse promises they will watch three movies each week together. Over three years, Gilmour focuses on educating his son but not in the traditional sense (there are no lesson plans). The films the two watch together play a minor role in this memoirGilmour shares his informative opinions on a variety of movies, which are indexed at the back of the bookas Gilmour imparts his own views on women, fine wine, and life issues. Accompanying his wisdom on life and love is a father's seasoned understanding and support for his teenager's crippling romantic distresses. As Gilmour finds himself semiemployed during this endeavor, his attention is solely focused on his troubled childan opportunity few teens receive. In the end, Jesse decides to continue with schooling, going on to college. Gilmour's memoir would fit nicely into public libraries with strong memoir or film theory collections.L.P. Smith, Oakland, CA

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2008
In this sensitive memoir, Canadian film critic and novelist Gilmour tells of the bargain he struck with his son, 15-year-old Jesse, who wasunhappy at school. Gilmour would allow Jesse to drop outif he would agree to watch three movies a week with his dad. Over the next three years, the two would wrangle over movies that the elder Gilmour thought his son would lovebut didnt (A Hard Days Night) andexperience theirrational thrills of guilty pleasures (Showgirls). More important, they edged slantwise, in typical male fashion, into more personal discussions of big topics, such as sexual jealousy (Last Tango in Paris) and alcoholism (Volcano: An Inquiry into the Life and Death of Malcolm Lowry).At the same time, Jessedealt with serious heartbreak, while his father struggled to find steady work and worried incessantly over whether he had made the right decision in allowing his son to drop out of school.Both for its smart, engagingmovie talk and for its touching depiction of a father-son relationship, The Film Club getstwo thumbs way up.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)