When the Balls Drop is a humorous memoir by Brad Garrett, a comedian best known for his role as Robbie in Everybody Loves Raymond. When the Balls Drop was released May 5 and published by Gallery Books.
Though it is aimed toward older men, When the Balls Drop can be enjoyed by any gender and age, provided the reader is alright with Garrett's "old school" mentality. He often refers to women as "broads" and jokes about religious, gender, and racial stereotypes, though not as often as he tells self-depreciating jokes. Garrett also curses throughout this collection of essays and includes a variety of photographs.
Despite not fitting the demographic Garrett was shooting for, I was able to appreciate When the Balls Drop due to the constant joking and in-your-face commentary. There are fun stories that really drew me in, such as Garrett's Bill Cosby embarrassment and his issue with Peter Boyle during the filming of Everybody Loves Raymond.
As entertaining as Garrett's memoir was, it was not focused on the issues men who reach middle-age must face, When the Balls Drop is more of a biography written solely for the purpose of entertainment. One might think, "duh" since he is a comedian, however there were more stories of his struggle to make it in the comedy business than what life is like when you turn middle-aged. This mashup of his favorite stories and humorous complaints about aging, sex, addiction, and distaste for monogamy were non-sequential, leaving the essays to feel as if something was missing, and the forgettable introduction left the collection feeling aimless. Perhaps Garrett also felt that way as he reminds the reader near the middle of the memoir that When the Balls Drop is supposed to be about how much of a dick he is and that middle-age is supposed to teach us "not to buy the hype."
I give When the Balls Drop 4/5 stars for being an entertaining page-turner, for the (at times) meaningful prose, and for the genuine feel. It falls short of five stars for its jumbled presentation, overall negitive commentary, and lack of direction.