Simultaneously intimate and at a remove—the tone that used to coldly dismiss readers in the form of fake trivia footnotes is still occasionally present, just more personable in its mostly mock disdain—Hodgman has moved from early autobiography and home ownership to tales of his own wildly improbable career ... Hodgman has dozens of funny stories to tell ... far less gabby or tell-all than its subtitle, True Stories From Secret Rooms, might suggest ... can occasionally lose itself in the weeds of naval gazing, even as Hodgman’s attitude toward name-dropping sometimes threatens to breach the walls of coy and spill over into outright twee. Every once in a while, one feels urged to yell at one of his euphemistic references, 'Just call it the Chateau Marmont!' And yet even as Hodgman waxes eloquently on the trials and travails of being a supporting player on the canceled FX series Married, Medallion Status stays grounded by never blinking when examining the self-loathing inherent to its titular pursuit ... is by no means a depressive or dour slog—Hodgman relates these stories, about Paul Rudd, about Disneyland, and, yes, also, about airlines, to his readers in a style that is conversational, funny, and still filled with clever little switchbacks and verbal tricks. But the underlying sense never stops being of a man who has accepted that part of him will always be an outsider, no matter how many secret rooms he’s invited into.
... humorous ... This funny, sometimes delightfully absurd book offers sharp meditations on status, relevance, and age, and fame—or at least being fame-adjacent.
Early on, the author’s humor fails to make an impact, often feeling forced, but the narrative improves as it moves along ... Much of Hodgman’s best writing involves his non-Hollywood experiences ... A dry-witted and meandering writing style seems to have become Hodgman’s trademark, and his latest will appeal most to his devoted readers ... Up-and-down humor and intermittently engaging storytelling that falls short of the author’s capabilities.
