Nerd Do Well

March 28, 2011
In this memoir, Pegg, the British comedian-writer-director of the zombie film spoof Shaun of the Dead, admits that he is offering an account of his "journey from ordinary nerd to nerd participating in the world that made him nerdy in the first place," with an emphasis on the irony of how his childhood passions (Star Trek) have reappeared in his adult career (a role in the most recent Star Trek movie). But Pegg doesnât even discuss Shaunâthe film that brought him to the attention of U.S. audiences, and which most readers would want to know more aboutâuntil more than three-quarters of the way through his book. Up to then, his book is, unfortunately, a standard-issue celebrity bio: early childhood experiences (kissing), discovering a love for comedy and film, his college-era comedic efforts, etc. Between chapters, Pegg offers a fake autobiographyâthe one he says he really wanted writeâabout his life as a superhero with a robotic butler. But the fake story isnât really that funny, and the real anecdotes arenât really that interesting.