Hollywood Animal by
Joe Eszterhas
hbk out March 04
Published by Hutchinson
at £17.99
Joe Eszterhas is the screenwriter behind Jagged Edge and Basic Instinct.
He's one of Hollywood's hundred most powerful people and his films
have grossed more than a billion dollars at the box office. Audiences can
even remember his movie failures, Showgirls and Jade. So I was really
looking forward to reading this enormous memoir, which I'd heard was a
genuine rags to riches tale.
The first small chunk of print (approximately three inches long) was
evocatively scene setting, explaining that Joe's great grandfather fled to
America from his native Hungary. The second chunk dealt with Joe
meeting his second wife. The third chunk described what Joe's media
contemporaries think of him, namely that he's 'the devil.' The fourth
dealt with a producer he likes. The fifth describes Eszterhas' home, the
sixth notes that he and his wife were listed by Buzz magazine as Los
Angeles scariest couple. The seventh to eleventh chunks describe his wife
but chunk twelve focused on another screenwriter: all this by page seven.
You get the picture. By page eighteen I couldn't stand the constant
jumping from subject to subject any longer so simply flick read for a
while then passed the book on to a more patient friend.
It's a shame that Eszterhas editor didn't insist on a more chronological
telling, for there's doubtless a fascinating story here - the cover blurb
explains that he spent his formative years in refugee camps then came to
America and turned briefly to car theft. Hollywood Animal goes on to
document everything from his battle with throat cancer to his pivotal
relationships.
From the pages I read, it's clear that Joe Eszterhas enjoys illuminating
Hollywood's many failings. He asserted himself from the start and fought
hard to avoid being undervalued and underpaid.
Readers who can rise above the episodic style will doubtless find lots of
interesting snippets and the text will be required reading for screenwriters
desperate to learn what Hollywood requires.
Hollywood Animal by
Joe Eszterhas
