With Nails: The Film Diaries of Richard E. Grant

This is quite an entertaining book that traces Richard E. Grant's career from his very early days in WITHNAIL & I all the way through to his role in the Spice Girls movie, SPICEWORLD. A varied career indeed. It's fascinating to read about his rollercoaster ride through filmmaking, bouncing from gigantic bombs to critical successes in a seemingly random fashion.This is a captivating look at the behind the scenes activities from several movie sets, yet Grant manages to keep both his feet firmly planted on the ground even when meeting and socializing with the biggest of stars. The result is an often hilarious tour of the madness and method that goes into making films. We encounter several very famous people within this text: Grant parties with Madonna, receives multiple high-fives from Bruce Willis, accepts strange fan-mail from Steve Martin and gets stuck on a never ending film-shoot in Budapest with Sandra Bernhard. Each of them are seen through his grounded eyes and interacted with in his neurotic, slightly sarcastic manner. Although this is not even a complete account of all (or most) of the films that he has acted in throughout his career, there are a few places where his private life does occasionally intersect on the pages of his diaries. There are some extremely tear-jerking moments, the most moving of which is during the shooting of WITHNAIL & I where he is caught going back and forth between the film work and his wife's pregnancy complications. The book is a whirlwind of emotions and random observations. It's slow and thoughtful during the breaks between shooting, but quickly speeds up to a breakneck pace when the real work begins.This is a great book for anyone who has the slightest interest in a behind the scenes peek at the movie industry from someone who doesn't have their head already in the clouds. Richard E. Grant shares his philosophies, his outlooks and his wit with us in these diaries and they come highly recommended.

Richard E. Grant takes his readers on a hilarious journey through his experiences in the film industry. His writing is sharp and incisive with no hint of egotism creeping through. Throughout the entire memoir, Grant is on the same plane as any working-class person in the world - this allows for him to connect with his reader, and at the same time, it makes his experiences, such as meeting a plethora of celebrities or attending all sorts of bizarre parties, all the more unbelievable and hilarious. With Nails is a book that can be read over and over again: Grant delivers so many bitchy, shrewd observations that, upon rereading, rear their barbed, comic heads. Richard E. Grant is probably someone you've never heard of. He has always been a supporting actor, and has starred in a few dud pictures such as `Hudson Hawk' and `Pret-a-Porter'. The great thing about With Nails is that he's not afraid to admit his own, or his movies' failures and foibles. At the same time as he delves into his film diaries, Grant discusses some extremely personal experiences with the reader, such as the death of his baby girl only 36 hours after delivery: "she was the size of my hand" he laments. It's moments like those in With Nails that remind the reader that Richard E. Grant is just a normal guy who has inadvertently stumbled into the totally bizarre and foreign world of Hollywood. For goodness sake, the man was born and raised in Swaziland, Africa! It's amazing that, despite his successes and run-ins with celebrity, he remains totally grounded. Just like your next-door neighbour. Just a guy that has had a tremendous run of luck and has described his whole way-out trip along the way. This book is so excellent, so funny, so amazing... it's my favourite book of all time. Definitely get it. You won't regret it.

I bought this book because I was a fan Of Richard E. Grant and was not disappointed. It is fabulous. The author takes you through the enjoyments (Withnails and The Player)and the terrors(Hudson Hawk )of filmmaking and the everyday life that surrounds it. An unashamed name-dropper Grant puts you right in the middle of the backstage of the movies and does it with a style and wit that is unmatched and a real delight to read. Personlly enjoyable was reading about Age of Innocence, remembering when it was filmed in my area. Have read it three times already and have picked up something each time. If you enjoy it try Grant's novel, By Design, A Hollywood Novel.

i have always been an avid fan of character actors; they are better than the real thing. Richard E. Grant is a gifted actor who is like everyone, constantly asking the universal questions: "am i doing this right?" and playing through his roles in films and his life by ear. His stories about the stars are strikingly personal and amusing. most of the book is REG vomitting in various embarrassing venues in hollywood in front of various famous people, adding to the amusement of the tale. i especially enjoyed the story about rachel ward's daughters trashing steve martin's house and terrorizing his cats. my only complaint about this book is that REG did not cite som of his other films that he starred in like IN THE COLD LIGHT OF DAY and JACK AND SARAH. but the book is well written and personal, a delight to read on a sunny afternoon.

The book is a fantastic read, both witty and sad in places. Thoroughly enjoyable and I would recommend it to anyone.