At a glance
LuvemBooks Verdict
Best for
Readers who love film humor, persona-driven satire, or the comedy of the early-1990s Hollywood moment — especially fans of Paul Rudnick's screenwriting work or anyone who followed Premiere magazine during its peak years.
Worth it if
You enjoy character-driven comic writing and want a collection that uses a brilliantly sustained fictional narrator to skewer real films and celebrities with wit and specificity rather than generic mockery.
Skip if
You prefer straightforward critical analysis over voice-driven satire, or have little familiarity with early-1990s Hollywood and its stars — the topical humor is tightly rooted in that specific cultural moment.
What readers & critics say
Reader accounts on ThriftBooks describe the collection as among the most re-read books in their libraries, calling for further volumes and praising Gelman-Waxner's "razor-sharp analyses." AbeBooks reviewers characterise Rudnick as "a clever, humorous and sharp-witted film critic" whose satirical persona stands as a genuine creative achievement. A BookCrossing reader similarly recalls the Premiere columns as "delightfully snarky" and sought out the collection on its first publication.
Sources: ThriftBooks, AbeBooks, BookCrossingAsk LuvemBooks
Was this helpful?
- Is it worth reading?
- For readers drawn to persona-driven satirical humor and comic film criticism, If You Ask Me is very much worth the time. Reader response documented across independent bookselling platforms has been strongly enthusiastic — one ThriftBooks reviewer called it 'the funniest film review collection ever written,' and multiple readers describe returning to the book repeatedly. The Gelman-Waxner voice functions as a comic creation in its own right, capable of sustaining laughs independent of any single film reference. The main caveat is that readers without familiarity with early-1990s Hollywood may find some satirical targets less immediate.
- Similar books
- Readers who enjoy If You Ask Me often gravitate toward celebrity memoirs and humor writing that pair a strong, distinct comic voice with cultural frankness. Carrie Fisher's Wishful Drinking and Tina Fey's Bossypants share that same quality of a razor-sharp public persona turned inward on Hollywood and pop culture. Matthew Perry's Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing offers a different register — raw rather than satirical — but similarly uses a strong personal voice to cut through celebrity mythology. For readers interested in serious film criticism from the same era, Pauline Kael's Film Comment provides an instructive counterpoint to Rudnick's satirical mode. Paul Rudnick's own novels, including I Think I Love You and Social Disease, carry the same sensibility as the Gelman-Waxner columns for readers who want more of his voice.
- Who should read this?
- If You Ask Me is best suited to readers who enjoy film humor, persona-driven satire, and the comedy of the early-1990s Hollywood moment specifically. Fans of Paul Rudnick's screenwriting work — including Addams Family Values, The First Wives Club, and In & Out — will recognize his sensibility immediately. Readers who followed Premiere magazine during its peak years will find the columns rich with context, and those who appreciate comic writing built around a strong invented narrator will find the Gelman-Waxner voice rewarding even without that background. It is less suited to readers seeking straightforward critical analysis or those with no tolerance for topical, era-specific humor.
- What are the main themes?
- The collection's central satirical themes include the absurdity of star mythology, the gap between Hollywood's cinematic aspirations and actual audience experience, and the social rituals around moviegoing itself. By embedding sharp film criticism inside Libby's domestic, conversational voice, Rudnick exposes what Hollywood is actually selling beneath its surface glamour — with specific targets ranging from Demi Moore and Arnold Schwarzenegger to broader cultural spectacles like The Fisher King and Curly Sue. The persona is itself a thematic argument: the suburban everywoman as the most honest possible film critic, precisely because she has no investment in protecting the industry's self-image.
- How dated is the material?
- The columns are firmly rooted in the early-1990s Hollywood moment — the films reviewed, the stars discussed, and the pop-cultural touchstones Libby invokes all carry the timestamp of their original Premiere publication. Readers who lived through the era will have an immediate frame of reference for figures like Demi Moore, Dennis Quaid, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Diane Keaton, and for films ranging from The Fisher King to Curly Sue. LuvemBooks notes this is not a flaw of execution but an inherent condition of topical humor columns collected into book form — the datedness is inseparable from the design.
- What's the humor style?
- The humor is entirely persona-driven and character-based, built around the gap between Libby Gelman-Waxner's breezy, conversational suburban register and the sharpness of the criticism she delivers. Rather than the dry wit of formal criticism or the broad comedy of parody, Rudnick's approach is that of a sustained fictional narrator — Libby chatting about movies the way she'd chat with a friend — whose cheerful frankness becomes the satirical instrument. Reader accounts describe the collection as 'flat out hysterical' and consistently funny across its full length, with the voice sustaining its energy rather than running out of steam.
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Age & Reading Level
Recommended age
Adult
Reading level
Adult
Skip if you prefer straightforward film criticism over satirical, persona-driven humor writing.
Editorial Review
If You Ask Me collects the wickedly funny Premiere magazine film columns written under the pen name Libby Gelman-Waxner — a creation of playwright and screenwriter Paul Rudnick — delivering scathing, witty takes on Hollywood through the voice of a gleefully opinionated suburban everywoman, published in this reprint edition by Random House in 1995.
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