Side Effects
<div><p>A humor classic by one of the funniest writers today, SIDE EFFECTS is a treat for all those who know his work and those just discovering how gifted he is. Included here are such classics as REMEMBERING NEEDLEMAN, THE KUGELMASS EPISODE, a new sory called CONFESSIONS OF A BUGLAR, and more.</p><h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p>Before Woody Allen set his sights on becoming the next Ingmar Bergman, he made a fleeting (but largely successful) attempt at becoming the next S.J Perelman. <em>Side Effects</em>, his third and final collection of humor pieces, shows his efforts. These essays appeared in <em>The New Yorker</em> during the late 1970s, as he showed more and more discontent with his funnyman status. Fear not, humor fans--Allen's still funny. He is less manic, however, than in his positively goofy <em>Getting Even</em>/<em>Without Feathers</em> days, and this makes <em>Side Effects</em> a more nuanced read. Woody picks and chooses when to flash the laughs, as in an article discussing UFOs: </p><blockquote><p>[I]n 1822 Goethe himself notes a strange celestial phenomenon. "En route home from the Leipzig Anxiety Festival," he wrote, "I was crossing a meadow, when I chanced to look up and saw several fiery red balls suddenly appear in the southern sky. They descended at a great rate of speed and began chasing me. I screamed that I was a genius and consequently could not run very fast, but my words were wasted. I became enraged and shouted imprecations at them, whereupon they flew away frightened. I related this story to Beethoven, not realizing he had already gone deaf, and he smiled and nodded and said, "Right." </p></blockquote><p>Though not as explosively, mind-alteringly funny as his earlier books, <em>Side Effects</em> is still loaded with chuckles; the much-anthologized "Kugelmass Episode" is worth the price of the book. For fans of his films--or for anyone who wants a final glimpse of Woody in his first, best role as court jester, <em>Side Effects</em> is a must-have. <em>--Michael Gerber</em></p><h3>From the Inside Flap</h3><p>A humor classic by one of the funniest writers today, SIDE EFFECTS is a treat for all those who know his work and those just discovering how gifted he is. Included here are such classics as REMEMBERING NEEDLEMAN, THE KUGELMASS EPISODE, a new sory called CONFESSIONS OF A BUGLAR, and more. </p></div><