From the onset, I knew I would enjoy reading this memoir. From the eight grade all the way through high school, Rob Lowe was my Hollywood teen crush. After reading "The Outsiders" by S.E. Hinton in 8th Grade English class, I along with most of my "boy-crazy" classmates in Penleigh Ladies College eagerly awaited the release of the movie featuring a group of future Hollywood teenage hearthtrobs. Each of us declared our favorite actor; mine, of course, was Rob Lowe. I continued to watch every Rob Lowe release (including "Youngblood", "Class", "Oxford Blues", "St. Elmo's Fire", "Square Dance" and "About Last Night") and adorned my walls with his posters. Consequently, I knew that reading his autobiography would in a way be like a trip down memory lane.
Rob Lowe had a passion for becoming an actor at an early age. Early in his career,he frequently starred in ABC's Afterschool Specials, which interestingly enough I watched religiously due to the their "controversial" (often the story lines dealt with teen issues that were not regularly discussed in the open such as teen pregnancy, substance abuse, violence/physical abuse etc.) and inspiring storylines. Yet as I was unaware of Rob Lowe as an actor at the time, I do not remember his roles. His breakthrough role which made me and most of the teen population aware of him was his role as Sodapop in "The Outsiders"
Rob describes the audition process and the behind-the-scenes making of the movie. This was fascinating since the movie served as the launching pad for several acclaimed Hollywood actors including: Tom Cruise, Emilio Estevez, Patrick Swayze (although this wasn't his first film), Ralph Macchio and Thomas C. Howell. Furthermore, the movie was directed by the well-respected yet notebly difficult to work with director, Francis Coppola. Despite having his major scene removed from the final version and having his role reduced dramatically, Rob Lowe still went on to embark on a successful career.
While Rob Lowe "name-dropped" his personal experiences with famous celebrites including Hollywood legends (such as Cary Grant, Lucille Ball, Liza Minelli), friends (e.g., Emilio Estevez, Charlie & Martin Sheen) and co-stars (e.g., Tom Cruise, Jodie Foster, Demi Moore), he maintained his class by not directly critisizing or exposing sensational details about these famous individuals. However, his anecdotes did provide interesting insights into several celebrities such as " Tom (Cruise) has a new perspective on his acting style, telling me, "I want to spend time with you but Joel (his character in Risky Business) doesn't.", " Swayze is a relentless spirit. He never sleeps, works out like an animal and writes and records music on a portable studio he has set up in his hotel room (during the making of "Youngblood")
and " My personal life would painfully and very publically implode. Of all the many people I had worked with over the years, there was only one who took the time to write a note of support: Jodie( Foster)."
The ultimate theme of his autobiography is the road to self-healing. As a young actor, Rob was engulfed by his fast-life of alcohol and sex. He came across as being immature, self- absorbed and ultimately, destructive. Rob recognized that "Fake confidence on the outside (which he typically acquired through alcohol and female attention) often trumps truthful turmoil on the inside." Following his notorious sex scandal he checked himself into a rehabilitation facility. While I respect his decision to seek substance abuse help, I perceived that he somewhat portrayed the actual taped sexual encounter as a badge of honor rather than something he was ashamed of and was more upset about the effects of the media attention surrounding the act. Many may counteract my surprise towards his behavior with the cliche "well he's a guy, what do you expect"; however, does he want to send the message to his sons that his sexual impropriety was acceptable. This was the only aspect of the book which disappointed me.
Following rehab, Rob gained control of his life as a result of greater self-awareness and self-preservation.
He learnt that "while I do love people, I hate small talk, am bored by idle banter, and wildly uncomfortable with people I don't know. I want a real connection..." and that he did, by proposing to his best friend and lover, Sheryl. Rob vowed that "after spending the eighties working on a career, I will spend the nineties working on my life." Since then, it appears, he has been able to maintain a healthy balance in his career and family, which includes his wife of almost 20 years, two sons and dogs.
I applaud Rob Lowe's strength to find his way out of a destructive youth and embrace the true meaning of life. I also applaud his early career for giving me hours of daydreaming during my teenage years. Finally, I applaud him for writing this well-written and fascinating autobiography.
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