Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother - Barry Sonnenfeld

Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother

By Barry Sonnenfeld

  • Release Date: 2020-03-10
  • Genre: Biographies & Memoirs
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 64 Ratings

Description

**A New York Times Editor's Choice selection!**

This outrageous and hilarious memoir follows a film and television director’s life, from his idiosyncratic upbringing to his unexpected career as the director behind such huge film franchises as The Addams Family and Men in Black.

Barry Sonnenfeld's philosophy is, "Regret the Past. Fear the Present. Dread the Future." Told in his unmistakable voice, Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother is a laugh-out-loud memoir about coming of age. Constantly threatened with suicide by his over-protective mother, disillusioned by the father he worshiped, and abused by a demonic relative, Sonnenfeld somehow went on to become one of Hollywood's most successful producers and directors.

Written with poignant insight and real-life irony, the book follows Sonnenfeld from childhood as a French horn player through graduate film school at NYU, where he developed his talent for cinematography. His first job after graduating was shooting nine feature length pornos in nine days. From that humble entrée, he went on to form a friendship with the Coen Brothers, launching his career shooting their first three films.

Though Sonnenfeld had no ambition to direct, Scott Rudin convinced him to be the director of The Addams Family. It was a successful career move. He went on to direct many more films and television shows. Will Smith once joked that he wanted to take Sonnenfeld to Philadelphia public schools and say, "If this guy could end up as a successful film director on big budget films, anyone can." This book is a fascinating and hilarious roadmap for anyone who thinks they can't succeed in life because of a rough beginning.

Reviews

  • I hope for a Volume 2

    5
    By WarBck
    I don’t often finish a book. This is the first in years. I read a lot of online material and articles, but my poor attention span makes focusing on a book difficult. I read this before bed most days and finished in two to three weeks. I’m so sad I’ve finished. Mr. Sonnenfeld has a very funny take on things. Part self-deprecating, part bratty prankster. I loved to hear his honest stories and know he must have hundreds more. I’ve always been a huge fan of his work, as cinematographer and director, but now also a fan of his writing. I hope he writes more. And soon.