There are not many actors as renowned for acting as an art form than Al Pacino. The only other two that come to mind are Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman, and Pacino has been often compared to both. Sonny Boy is Pacino's long-awaited memoir, and oh, the stories he has to tell!
From his boyhood in the Bronx to his golden years in his 80s, Pacino shares the good, the bad, and the ugly. He's known, of course, for some of the best known films in history: The Godfather trilogy, Dog Day Afternoon, and Scarface to name a few. He's very honest about how he decides to take a role (sometimes it's just for the money as he admittedly does not handle money well), and the behind-the-scenes stories of each film are delicious. But despite being nominated multiple times, he never won an Oscar for his work until 1992's Scent of a Woman. But he has won two Tony Awards and two Emmys.
In his memoir, Pacino comes across as humble and honest. One would think that he would feel constant competition with people like De Niro, but he says that couldn't be further from the truth.
I do wish Sonny Boy had better editing. The book rambles at times, especially at the end when he returns to telling more stories about his youth. It's also written in a very conversational tone, which doesn't always work well in book form. I'm sure it does in the audio version though, which is read by Pacino himself.
MY RATING: 3.5
