De Niro: A Biography [Paperback]

Having been a fan of Robert De Niro's work I thought I would enjoy this book on the grounds that I didn't actually know that much about the man just the actor. To be honest although I did persevere and finish the book I don't think that the author John Baxter holds De Niro in very high asteem, there are a lot of underlining comments that made me wonder whether Baxter thinks De Niro is over rated as an actor.
It is full of interesting facts but it doesn't portray De Niro in a flattering light either as a actor or an individual and as a fan I'm beginning to wish I hadn't read it and just let De Niro remain the 'myth' he was before.

This biography started out quite interesting. Detailing the early life of De Niro's parents and his upbringing as a child, the reader gains an impression of how his early experiences defined the roles he picked and his performance in them. It also lightly touches on the differing acting styles of Stella Adler and Lee Strasberg and how De Niro interpreted their differing approaches to method acting.
However none of these aspects are ever explored in any real depth and it doesn't take long for this biography to totally run out of steam. Towards the end you are subjected to nothing but pages and pages of film synopsis, ignorant and amateurish film criticism and trivial, irrelevant, tabloid-like gossip about the actor's private life. The book's total void of substance is reflected in the completely abrupt ending, with no sense of thematic conclusion. It's as if the author just lazily stopped writing when he reached the present day in De Niro's career.

If there is any overall point to be made by Baxter, it seems to be how De Niro began his career 'earning' the right to play roles but increasingly abandoned this philosophy as he got older. Unfortunately the author believes it sufficient enough to convey this theme by just fiercly criticising any role De Niro played which didn't contain a performance on par with Raging Bull or Taxi Driver. Baxter doesn't once consider that not every film requires such emotionally involved performances and that there are other aspects of filmaking which can take central stage.
It also barely addresses the numerous issues, some of which being script, pre-production, direction and editing, that can influence the final performance that the viewer sees, instead seeming to place blame soley on the actor for any film not worthy of an Oscar. Nor does it address the fact that as the audience and industry was changing in the 80s, there was simply no market for the kind of films in which De Niro gave his career best performances and movies such as Raging Bull were becoming almost impossible to make.

My problem isn't that I believe De Niro to be beyond criticism, far from it, but that this biography is so one sided that it appears to be written with an agenda and is so deeply flawed that by the end, reading it became a relentless chore.
The book is so poorly researched that towards the end Baxter doesn't even bother littering his writing with quotes from the small handful of questionable sources he seems to have interviewed, instead believing that his mere word is gospel enough. Baxter also displays a concerning lack of knowledge regarding the films in question, making you wonder if he even bothered to view them before writing the book. He also repeats facts and phrases repeatedly throughout, as if he hasn't even read through his own work.

The whole biography comes across as a thinly veiled excuse for Baxter to have a stab at film criticism, of which he fails miserably. Having briefly researched the author and discovering he has chruned out three biographies of different Hollywood filmakers in as many years, it seems rich that he criticises De Niro for placing more emphasis on money than his art. Having read this lazy piece of work, the phrase 'Pot calling the Kettle black' springs to mind.
Reading this completely forgettable biography will not give you any lasting impression of either De Niro as an actor or a performer, nor will it inform your reading of his work. If you're thinking of reading this book you're most likely interested in De Niro's roles during the 70s and early 80s, in which case I recommend the book Easy Riders, Raging Bulls by Peter Biskind. An infinitely better researched and more fascinating book that, while not specifically about De Niro, will still put the actor and the films of the era into a more informed, historical context.

This unauthorised biography of one of Hollywood's Greatest Legends is one great yawn from start to finish. The author goes into great detail regarding the plot for every film that De Niro has ever starred in. Aside from this, the whole book is completely negative in it's narrative about this great actor, to the point where you honestly believe the author bears a personal grudge towards Mr. De Niro. The author plays down all of Mr.De Niro's achievements to the degree where you almost find yourself checking the front cover to make sure that the book is, in fact, about Robert De Niro's acting abilities. Anyone who is a fan of Robert De Niro, who is renowned for his roles in Godfather 2, The Deerhunter,Taxi Driver and Goodfellas,to name but a few,will be disgusted and disappointed with this vindictive portrayal of a brilliant actor.