Rating: 
Summary: Life is Strange and Amazing!
Review: If you're interested in reading this book for its caustic, hilarious Hollywood dirt, then go ahead and crack it because it's filled with funny, revealing scenes of major Hollywood actors and players.But it's also a very searing and personal story about a Hungarian kid who grows up in Cleveland, Ohio and then storms the beach at Malibu to find out that Life can be even more bizarre and fascinating than the Movies (especially the part about his father). Be sure to persevere through the Hollywood cesspool to the "happy ending" the author finds far away from the sunshine and mansions of the west coast.
"Good job, Joee!"
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: frank, brutal, touching, funny. outstanding autobio that would stand alone even without the all the Hollywood stuff. No plot spoilers, but suffice to say, the whole mystery of his father is pretty damn heavy. buy it read it--a must for anyone who wants to be a screenwriter! Plus, it was the catalyst for me to finally give up smoking!
Rating: 
Summary: The Most Difficult Story
Review: The most difficult story is the own you tell about yourself. Although Joe is a craftsman of the English language--despite the overuse of profanity--in telling his own story, the linguistic charm cannot overcome what in large measure is an overwrought, get-even, "them against me" tale. The interactions and dialogue seemed contrived always to serve Joe and his (holly)worldview as he meets only those who are out to take full advantage of him. As a result, he sacrifices crediblity and the story dissolves. His father, his mother, his teachers, his agent(s), even his first wife get full measure of blame for Joe's self-destructive behaviour. It apparently does not occur to him to try to understand how he is responsible. Personally I thought the last chapter (after 700 pages) was written with much more candor and objectivity than what went before. Also, stylistically, the journal entries from Naomi seemed out of sync and, worse, to bear Joe's editing: has anyone ever seen a diary entry written the way these supposedly were? I was attracted to this book because of an article Joe wrote in 1971-72 about Evil Knevil that appeared in Rolling Stone magazine. It was the best piece of writing that I had confronted to that point in my life--and I never forgot it. I wish Joe's own story bore more of the objectivity and self/character examination that he is capable of delivering.
Rating: 
Summary: lays on the self-absorbed sentimentality thick
Review: got through about 400 pages (halfway point) and, *sigh*, I just can't force myself to read anymore. when i saw the book's description, i was drawn to the promise of raw insight into superficial hollywood. I suppose 'Hollywood Animal' comes through a little on that promise, but, this thing is FULL of self-absorbed sentimentality... and dumb self-aggrandizing... ugh. i'm serious. if i had to read, one more time, how much this guy loves his wife(s) and kids and what a great writer, lover, family man, and 'real' person he... i would retch. one of the book's laugh out loud, blatantly self-serving points: eszterhas establishing himself as the greatest screenwriter, and claiming his company is Salinger, Hemingway, and Faulkner (this is no joke, he is dead serious). it's beyond stupidity. (sidenote: faulkner is over-rated, but eszterhas still isn't fit to clip his toenails). I live in L.A. and writers like eszterhas are a dime a dozen, they claim to be the 'honest' and 'genuine' voices in pretentious and stormy hollywood, but it's a self-serving lie. where is the eszterhas body of work to back up the claims of greatness? easy... it doesn't exist. a lot of mediocre work, and one decent piece (Basic Instinct), which he milked for much more than its worth. exzterhas waffles between judging his own work on artistic merit or how much a studio paid for it (usually using the latter as his measuring stick). i'm wary of eszterhas's constantly broadcasting love for the wife and kids. it reeks of PR purposes... self-promotion. the book is chock full of hypocritical anecdotes -- eszterhas the great family man who loves and sacrifices for everyone but they don't appreciate him. the great chick magnet who slept with young girls that fell in 'love' with him - - but he didn't have the heart to lead them on (give me a break twit - the girls were sleeping with you because you were the hollywood flavor of the month). the one redeeming factor here -- the book gives detailed notes on some dirt. in it's best moments it provides a kinda funny exposé of the dysfunctional inbred studios and people warped from their environment. i find that stuff fascinating, but, like i said - the really dumb sentimental self-promotion that eszterhas engages in wears you out and kills credibility. so be it.
Rating: 
Summary: Not the best book, but worth the read
Review: I have mixed emotions about this book. The man has an ego....no doubt about it. But, he also talks smack about himself and everyone in the industry. He is brutally honest toward his family and his Hungarian roots -- it is heartbreaking. I didn't like his "high holy and better than thou" attitude. --This is the man who wrote Showgirls and cheated on his wife in the next room for God's sake! He has no right to think he is better than his father, other Hungarians or anyone in the industry. ---But, his brutal honesty is what sells the book. He is still a semi-Hollywood Animal of "Sell your soul to make a buck, but have a cause (political or social). " Interestingly, he does manipulate the reader that he is an underdog -- and we should root for him. I am one of those suckers that got zapped in hoping that he does make a difference in letting people know the dangers of smoking. If you like seeing your blood pressure go up and down, read the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Could have used an editor . . .
Review: If you can survive the first 30 pages or so, you may come to enjoy this somewhat overstuffed look back by Eszterhas. His warts-and-all honesty grows on the reader, and as the book picks up steam his puffed-chest braggadocio gives way to rueful reminiscences of his coming of age as a child of immigrants.
The bulk of the book is war stories about wacky stars, backstabbing executives, greedy studios, wild parties, cocaine, etc.
Still, against my better judgement, I came to like Eszterhas and to admire his raw ambition. What surprised me was that he's not really much of a writer. He likens himself to Faulkner and Fitzgerald, but writes like someone who dreams up concepts for blockbusters. I guess that's what screenwriters do. Still, it's hard to read about his difficult life without empathy, and there are stories, like the story of the first time his father tasted pizza, that are beautiful and moving.
Rating:
Summary: Judge the book, not the man
Review: It seems some people are giving this book a low rating based on the movies this guy released...which, let's face it, aren't exactly the pillars of morality. However, Joe writes about his life and holds no punches. He reveals some good dirt on some Hollywood folks, including Sly Stallone, Sharon Stone, and more. The Hollywood stories account for a little more than half of the novel...there's a lot of interesting stories about Joe growing up. This memoir is written really well and gives a good, insider's look at the weird world that is Hollywood. If you can look past Showgirls and Basic Instinct, this is a must read.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!!!
Review: I could not put this book down. Extremely well written and very interesting. I can't imagine anyone not liking this book - oh wait -- let's see, anyone who is a friend or relative of anyone Joe speaks badly of lol. You're an outstanding writer Joe and this is a GREAT BOOK!! I'm afraid to start another book -- I know it will be a let down compared to this!!
Rating:
Summary: A Very Good Account of the Real Hollywood
Review: I liked HOLLYWOOD ANIMAL. I think if you like Hollywood behind the scenes type of stories then you'll at least like it. How much you like it ( or love it) kind of depends on your taste in writing style or "voice". Joe Eszterhas writes kind of like he's throwing a tantrum. The "voice" ranges a lot from crying and pouting to shouting and complaining. That's probably a reflection of how he is and so it's fitting that he writes that way. After all, it is his story. For me the whining and tantrums were a little irritating after a while, but that's just my taste. I like details about Hollywood no matter what the voice, some I just like better than others. HOLLYWOOD INTERRUPTED takes a more gossip column approach. It's more sensationalist and broad scoped (Joe focuses on Joe, HOLLYWOOD INTERRUPTED focuses on the overall industry). In the singular career story, MY FRACTURED LIFE is also excellent. Instead of the tantrum voice, MY FRACTURED LIFE seems almost apologetic for his fame. YOU'LL NEVER EAT LUNCH IN THIS TOWN AGAIN is also excellent but has that same tantrum feel.
There are a ton of good to great books dealing with the details of Hollywood. Of them, I think of HOLLYWOOD ANIMAL as "very good." It is not as easy to get lost in as a MY FRACTURED LIFE or POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE, but it is more personal than most of the other books available.
Rating:
Summary: Brutally Honest!!
Review: I had to give this book five stars since it's unlikely readers will ever get a more candid look at Hollywood's film industry than this tome. And it is a literary epic to say the least with 752 pages to testify to that. The style of the writing is a little off the beaten path. The reader is treated to all types of asides in the book including samples of Joe's wife's diary. The book also features a gut wrenching look at the relationship between Joe and his Dad. This is a sad one though and, to Joe's credit, he makes himself look bad in how he handled his Dad's involvment with Facisism. I think this particular aspect of Joe's life is something that Joe still needs to resolve. Joe's Dad needed to be forgiven by a son who couldn't do so. This is indeed very sad. The book also details the empty lives of people like Sharon Stone who look very souless and shallow. It makes you glad you never met them. We also read about the shallow aspects of Joe's life--smoking weed, drinking, womanizing and self absorbtion--all took a lot of his time. Joe appears to have gone through a lot of money including that from his divorce in some type of search for his soul. In the end, the reader is given the impression that Joe has found joy and peace with his wife, Naomi and 4 children. He also seems to have bonded well with his two older children from his first marriage. This book should be read for a brutally honest look at the film industry of Hollywood and one screenwriter's experiences. I wish Joe well. He should write more books about this interesting topic.
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