Review: Hollywood Animal

I’m nearly finished one of the most entertaining books I’ve ever read, Hollywood Animal, the autobiography of screenwriter Joe Eszterhas. I’ve never been much of a fan of his movies but he is a fascinating man. He wrote Basic Instinct, Sliver, F.I.S.T, Showgirls, Flashdance (that was a re-write of someone else’s original screenplay) and many others. He became the first “star” screenwriter in Hollywood and its’ highest paid. A tale from one of his earlier books became a highlight in my ’03 book, Celebrity Tantrums. It’s the one about Farrah Fawcett fertilizing the lawn at a party. I was asked about that incident in nearly every interview I did and so Eszterhas’ name crossed my lips quite a bit during my media blitz.

Much of the public sees Eszterhas as an empty soul who pecks out largely scuzzy screenplays for the shock value but he has also written Telling Lies in America, Jagged Edge and Music Box – movies with depth and purpose and even an Oscar nomination. He’s a Hungarian immigrant who grew up amid horrible racism and prejudice. His book doesn’t contain one shred of self pity. It’s poignant, honest and hilarious and full of insider tidbits about Hollywood – a few of them are blind items but must use real names. Real, big names like Sly Stallone, Sharon Stone and the heads of most major studios who do not come off very well. I have hardly been able to put it down – all 730 delicious pages of it.