A TWIST OF LEMON

A TWIST OF LEMMON: A Tribute to My Father. Chris Lemmon.

This certainly isn't a “Daddy Dearest” book although Jack Lemmon's actor-son Chris doesn't gloss over his father's flaws, his egotism, marital problems, and heavy drinking in later years [although these are not examined in any great depth]. The book has a truly lovely foreword, a beautiful tribute to Jack Lemmon, written by Kevin Spacey, as well as more tributes and comments from other friends and co-workers in the back. In between we have Chris Lemmon's amusing and occasionally poignant reflections on his beloved famous father, interspersed with memories of his final moments wasting away from cancer. This is a very nice book, but there are perhaps way too many pages devoted to golf. True, Jack and Chris both enjoyed the game and Chris undoubtedly saw it as a way of bonding with his father, but for many readers all the golf stuff may create a certain tedium. This book might have worked better as a long article in a film publication, but it is easy to take and pleasant. Still, a figure of Jack Lemmon's talent and importance deserves a major biography and career appraisal -- this will have to do until that comes along.

Verdict: Has its moments. **1/2.