Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, Old School Handler


Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, Chelsea Handler

I’ve been watching Chelsea Handler since her Chelsea Lately talk show days on the E Network, where she showed as much disdain for her famous guests and panelists as she does for them in Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, a book from the same period of her career.

Handler is known for her dry humor and willingness to make fun of anybody and anything. Here her family takes a beating as she tells tale of doing mushrooms with her brother, who ends up swimming naked in a lake. Her then boyfriend, Ted, also gets it in one of the book's essays, as she recounts tricking him into thinking they killed a dog, going so far as to stage a dog funeral for the sake of her own amusement.

While Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang has few laugh-out-loud moments, it does succeed in sending up everyone in the book, Handler included. It also gives room to the Handler who is not going for the big laugh, but the devious smile that comes with reading a friend, a co-worker, a lover to filth.

Handler has come far since this book on how she speaks about race. There is a whole chapter here that recalls her 2010 mindset about race, which was pretty racist. Here her black friends can’t swim, are loud, and end up invited along for the ride to be pawns in the game that is making Handler laugh. Watching her since 2010, I saw that side of her and hoped it would evolve, and from what I have seen, on her Netflix talk show and in recent interviews, it has. In Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, her views on race are still cringe-worthy. She’s kind of terrible to everyone in her life, but she really can’t move past antiquated stereotypes with people of color here.

Obviously not for everybody, Handler has made a career from antagonizing, which has alienated some and also given her a loyal fan base. I was a fan going into Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, and am grateful to see she has evolved since this book.

Thanks to one of my oldest and dearest, Juliette Schwartz, for recommending Chelsea, Chelsea, Bang Bang.



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