Someday, Someday Maybe

A New York Times Best seller book by Lauren Graham, Someday, Someday Maybe is the fictional story of Lauren’s story but under a different name to “protect the innocent,” well, maybe….  Enter Franny Banks a starving actress trying her luck giving it all up to make it big in NYC.  Franny made a decision two and a half years previous to try three years in the acting business and if she doesn’t make it, move back home and start with another dream. The story begins with six months left.  Franny is waiting tables, taking acting lessons, trying to find an agent, and auditioning at showcases while living in Brooklyn with three roommates also struggling to make their dreams come true.    Franny’s travails include reuniting with a college friend while waiting her table at a catering job (and finding out her past-time beau is engaged to her sister), tripping on a chair during an audition for a role, attending a wedding with her roommate after her friend drops out last minute, and the budding new relationship with “James Franklin” a new star actor who later leaves her.  Franny has a great sense of humor, but horrible luck, such as finally getting an agent and then learning he left the firm without telling her, being cast in a zombie movie, but having to appear nude, and lots of casual mistakes and goof-ups living in NYC.  The overall story is cute and shows that persistence does pay as she finally gets a part in a television pilot in LA to keep her in the world of acting.  The character of Franny was upbeat and flawed, which opened her up to being likeable.  The overall story was somewhat trite and didn’t have much depth.  It reminded me at times of the Lucille Ball character: something can go wrong, it will.  This was a quick read and didn’t really show the NY struggle which occurs for most actors in this world, but did capture much of the stereotypical things that happen to actors along the way.  Not sure I would give this one to a Tisch student.  Set in 1995, so it is becoming a “period piece,” should I dare say.  Best descriptor, “cute” – but fluffy….  Go figure!  Actors really live like that, well yeah if they have a big-buck Dad sending her paycecks when things get rough.  Not as many chuckles as the book suggests.