The Friday Afternoon Club (by Griffin Dunne)
My only knowledge of Griffin Dunne, prior to reading this family memoir, was his role in the 1987 movie Who’s That Girl, starring Madonna. Growing up and well into adulthood, I have been a huge fan of Madonna’s. I loved that movie and have seen it countless times. So, when I saw advertisements for The Friday Afternoon Club: A Family Memoir by Griffin Dunne, I was intrigued. Yes, I’ll admit it, my first thought was, “Maybe he will mention something fascinating about working with Madonna!” Then, I read the book description and was even more curious about the tales he had to tell. (That was a purely accidental nod to Madonna’s song, Live to Tell. haha)
I was truly surprised by what I learned about Griffin’s involvement in celebrity circles and his sister’s murder. His father, Dominick Dunne, started a career in producing television and movies and progressed to journalism. Naturally, Griffin interacted with various celebrities and included interesting stories about Sean Connery, Janis Joplin, and Carrie Fisher. Lots of big names are mentioned throughout the book. Speaking of big names, I had no idea that Joan Didion was his aunt! He openly shared about his relationships with his brother, Alex, and his sister, Dominique. I was just a kid when Poltergeist came out, so it’s new information to me that Dominique played the role of the oldest sister in that movie. I also didn’t know that Dominique was murdered by her ex-boyfriend. Griffin painfully revisited that tragedy and the trial that followed.
I enjoyed reading The Friday Afternoon Club. Other people’s lives have always fascinated me, so I appreciate it when people are willing to share some of the most private moments of their lives. I don’t have any experience in the movie business, so I enjoyed learning about some of the movies Griffin acted and produced. Another shocker for me was that he starred in An American Werewolf in London. I’ve seen that movie many times during the Halloween season and never knew he was the starring actor. Oh! Yes, Griffin mentioned acting in the movie Who’s That Girl?, but he didn’t reveal anything astonishing. Mostly, what a flop that movie was. Haha
It seemed like a large portion of the book was focused on Griffin’s teenage years into early adulthood. He was quite transparent as he shared about drug use and his sex life. Personally, I think he spent too much time on this period of his life. Once he talked about the birth of his daughter, Hannah, and marrying his second wife, Carey Lowell, Griffin appeared to gloss over the rest of his life to the present day.
I borrowed the audiobook of The Friday Afternoon Club from my local library with the Libby app. Griffin narrating this book made the audiobook experience special.
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