MixedNew York Journal of Books...a flawed but fascinating oral history that covers the eight decades of Nichols’s extraordinary life and career ... Life Isn\'t Everything is at its best when Nichols’s theater and film colleagues share production memories ...The luminaries Carter and Kashner have brought together are an eclectic bunch, with the result being a sort of grand dinner party where conversation is all about the life and times of the man they all admired ... The one notable omission is Elaine May, who not only was Nichols’s greatest stage collaborator, but also scripted a few of his later films. For whatever reason May is not here (and that goes unexplained), her absence is a glaring hole ... There is only scant mention of Nichols’s three previous marriages and barely any acknowledgement of his three children with wives numbers two and three ... A great talent deserves a great biography. That’s not this book. But for anyone looking to understand Mike Nichols, his working methods, and impact on American culture, Life Isn’t Everything is a good place to start.
