Why did it take me so long to learn who Fran Lebowitz is? After watching Pretend It’s a City (2021), Martin Scorsese’s mini-series with Fran Lebowitz on Netflix, I have to say that I’m ready to embrace my inner “Fran Lebowitz.”
In case you need context, Pretend It’s a City is a mini-series of seven episodes in which filmmaker Martin Scorsese follows famous author and comedian Fran Lebowitz through the streets of New York, while discussing what it’s like to live in “the city that never sleeps” with a darkly humorous, unique, and entertaining twist. Fran Lebowitz first came to New York City in 1969 looking for a place to write poetry and safely exist as a gay woman. She was hired by Andy Warhol as a columnist for Interview magazine. However, she and Warhol famously didn’t get along. She became a local celebrity with the publication of her first book, 1978’s Metropolitan Life, a humorous collection that chronicled the day-to-day irritations of being a New Yorker. At 72, Lebowitz is still finding things to complain about, but now, thanks to Netflix, we can watch it on repeat and feel like we are Fran’s accomplices. Not everything is a joke; despite the funny and controversial opinions of Fran Lebowitz, she likes to share deep analyses and different perspectives on politics, the #MeToo movement, art, capitalism, sports, and more. I admire her for being honest, expressing her opinions, and defending them in a thoughtful way. Each episode lasts around 26 to 30 minutes, so it is a fast-paced show, but you will have a blast while watching it. Perfect for those days when you can’t commit to watching a three-hour-long movie.
For this article, I wanted to try something new. Instead of doing a typical review of the mini-series, here you will find my top favourite lines or quotes from Fran Lebowitz from different episodes of Pretend It’s a City. Don’t worry, there will be spoilers but they’re out of context so it will only make sense if you give the mini-series a chance.
Best Fran Lebowitz Quotes from Pretend It’s a City
If there is one thing that Fran Lebowitz dislikes, it’s people in general:
Episode 1: “Pretend It’s a City.”
Quote: “It’s an amazing thing because there are millions of people [in New York], and the only person looking where they are going is me.”
Quote: “I cannot stop for one second, or stand in front of a place smoking a cigarette, without 10 people instantly asking me directions. And I’m really surprised by this, because I always think, ‘Really? Do I look welcoming to you?’.”
And let’s not forget about the expensive living costs in New York:
Quote: “No one can afford to live in New York. Yet, eight million people do. How do we do this? We don’t know!”
She also shared a few thoughts about traveling:
Episode 3: “Metropolitan Transit.”
Quote: “As far as wanting to go places, I can’t believe people do it for fun. When I’m in airports, and I see people going on vacations, I think, ‘How horrible could your life be? How bad is your regular life, that you think, you know what would be fun? Let’s get the kids, go to the airport, with thousands of pieces of luggage, stand in these lines, be yelled at by a bunch of morons, leave late, be squished all together—and this is better than our actual life“.
Oh, and what a real challenge looks like:
Episode 5: “Department of Sport and Health”
Quote: “People want to challenge themselves. This is a big thing that people say all the time: ‘I want to challenge myself.’ These challenges are fake! Climbing a mountain is a fake challenge. You don’t have to climb a mountain. There are many things that people have to do and should do, that they don’t do, because they’re scared to do or because they’re bad at it—those are challenges. A challenge is something you have to do. Not something you make up… I find real life challenging enough. If I get to the dry cleaners without having a huge fight, that’s challenging enough.”
She is also not afraid to express her opinion about recent fashion trends:
Episode 5: “Department of Sport and Health”
Quote: “About one-third of the people in the street in New York City have a yoga mat. That alone would keep me from yoga. Carrying around a little rolled-up rug… You know, New York used to be much more fashionable than that. I don’t like to see these people walking around with these rugs. It’s terrible. The last time I had a rug, I was in kindergarten. We had to bring one because we had to nap on the floor.”
Actually, Lebowitz prefers kids more than adults:
Episode 6: “Hall of Records”
Quote: “Little children are the least annoying [group of people], because they are the least likely to tell you something you’ve heard a million times. They’re not yet filled with cliches. They’re more original than adults.”
But in the end, she loves New York and all the good and bad things that come with it:
Quote: “When people say, ‘Why do you live in New York?’ you really can’t answer them, except you know that you have contempt for people who don’t have the guts to do it.”