" Despite having fairly high expectations of this book, it is a 100% bona-fide stinker. It's neither an autobiography and it's not Kermode's views on film, it's the worst thing you could imagine, it's that ramnbling crap you normally skip through on the podcast. I really like Kermode and I have a lot of time for his views on film so what you want is some of his insight. Instead you just have his terrible brand of humour, fitting neatly into what you'd consider 'middle aged Dad gags' and his 'anecdotes'. Anecdotes? They basically consist of being approached by Helen Mirren once, going to University, having a few travel issues on holiday and that bloody Werner Herzog getting shot story that he's been dining out on for the past ten years. In short it turns out there's nothing that interesting to say in how someone became a film critic. The most frustrating part is that Kermode has A LOT of interesting things to say, it just seems in the past 2 or 3 years he's stopped saying any of it. "
— Matthew, 1/11/2014