Brandon's Reviews > An Embarrassment of Critch's: Immature Stories From My Grown-Up Life

Comedian Mark Critch returns with a follow-up to his first memoir, Son of a Critch: A Childish Newfoundland Memoir with AN EMBARASSMENT OF CRITCH’S (both great names, by the way).

I received an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Hailing from St. John’s, Newfoundland, Mark knew from an early age what it was he wanted to do with his life – convincing his father, however, was the hard part. In AN EMBARASSMENT OF CRITCH’S, Mark goes through his early days struggling to find stable work in the entertainment industry all the way to the present where he now holds the honor of the longest-serving cast member on CBC’s THIS HOUR HAS 22 MINUTES.

There were some interesting stories in here including Mark’s experiences with ambushing Canadian politicians for off-the-cuff interviews as well as being a veteran of filming remotes (on-location sketches) for the Canadian comedy institution. Even the stories that weren’t exactly memorable still maintained a level of enjoyment given Mark’s natural talent for storytelling.

The more memorable chapters in the book deal with Mark heading overseas to perform for the Canadian troops in Afghanistan in 2006, a journey fraught with rocket attacks, imported contraband and the horrors of “Emerald Lake”. Then there was Mark’s trip to Russia in 2007 where in response to Russian claiming The North Pole by planting a flag on the ocean floor, Mark tried to do the same by claiming Red Square for Canada by planting a flag in the center of the landmark. It goes without saying – that did not go according to plan. Another standout looked at Mark’s confrontation with Pamela Anderson and Sam Simon as they arrived on the shores of Newfoundland in 2013 to half-heartedly stop the annual seal hunt.

AN EMBARASSMENT OF CRITCH’S is both a look at the ins-and-outs of Canadian showbiz as well as the absurdity of dancing on the line of Canadian political humor.