Here’s the unfortunate truth, which I’m putting right up top: Mindy Kaling’s new book, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), is not laugh-out-loud funny. It’s more…amusing. Maybe you read the excerpt from the book that was published in The New Yorker a few weeks back? Like that. Interesting, humorous, and written in a strong voice, but just not hilarious. Bear in mind, please, that I say this as a big Kaling fan. I generally find her to be the funniest part of The Office, and she’s often the best (bit) part of the crappy movies she appears in.
And there’s nothing wrong with being amusing. It’s not Kaling’s fault that her book was published immediately after Tina Fey’s hilarious Bossypants. (Kaling all but apologizes for not being Fey in the first chapter.) Hanging Out is less like a standup routine and more like a memoir, with off-topic comedic interludes. Kaling addresses (with a fair amount of candor) what it was like being a young female actress/writer in New York City in the beginning of the new millenium. Her account of writing and producing her breakthrough play, Matt & Ben—about the friendship of Affleck and Damon—is great stuff. (Kaling played Affleck, and I would love to see that play one day.) It’s a friendly, chatty, and charming book. But if you’re looking to split your sides with laughter, you’ll want to look elsewhere.
Kaling is signing Hanging Out today at University Book Store at 2 pm. She’ll be a special guest at Rainn Wilson’s big hootenanny at the Paramount tonight, too. She will be funny.
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I didn’t love the book. The two bits I thought were funny I had already read as excerpts before buying. There was a lot of straight-up autobiography with maybe just a dusting of humor, which might be great for Mindy’s biggest fans but was too much for me. But if you are a big fan of Mindy, don’t let me stop you.
I liked her book – it was light, charming, and I got through it in about two hours. Not every book needs to be great literature, sometimes you just want to spend a pleasant afternoon reading something undemanding. “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me” is the perfect book for that.
That’s a lot of Photoshop on that book cover there.
I challenge anyone to find these “best part of the office” moments and re-cap them here and see how well they hold up in text. Britney Spears jokes in a cutesy voice only have so many miles on them.
I challenge you to post all those “Best part of the Office” moments here and see how well they hold up in text form.
She’s fucking adorable.
Not only would her “best part of The Office” parts not hold up in text, they don’t hold up on screen. I would say, actually, that she’s the third-worst part of The Office, trailing only pointless Gabe and pointless Ryan.
Why they have had Ryan and Kelly hang around all these years makes no sense whatsoever. Those two should’ve run off together after season 3 or 4 so that (a) we wouldn’t have to endure their characters anymore, and (b) BJ and Mindy could focus on writing for the show. (Because lord knows that show needs better writing these days.)
I like Mindy Kaling and I think she’s funny. But to call Kelly often the best part of The Office is comical.