Rating: 
Summary: She's no David O. Selznick!
Review: Lynda Obst seems to think she deserves laurels merely for navigating the shoals of the Hollywood swamp. Certainly it has made her rich and successful. And, undoubtedly, there is a place for gamesmanship - but watch out when it becomes the be-all and the end-all. All the greats, Selznick, Thalberg, Samuel Goldwyn, Daryl Zanuck - they knew the business inside out, every aspect of filmmaking - and they left a legacy of great pictures. What will Obst bequeath to the world? "Bad Girls"?You'd be far better off reading one of the many excellent (recent) bios of such greats as Billy Wilder, William Wyler, John Ford, David Lean and others. They give you a greater sense of why filmmaking is such an important force at the end of the millenium.
Rating: 
Summary: Brilliant, touching and thoughtful and compassionate!
Review: Rarely do we get the opportunity to share such profound experiences and insights in the brutal world of Hollywood filmmaking as HELLO, HE LIED. As accurate, tough and blunt as Ms. Obst is in her descriptions and advice - she is equally passionate and compassionate. This is so rare in this business. At the heart of this book is a woman who wants to make a difference with the movies she makes. It is clear that profit and greed are indeed NOT her bottom line. She takes responsibility as a producer and is keenly aware of the impact that her films and the films of her colleagues can make. It was such a joy reading this book and feeling that she indeed wants her readers to understand the perils of this business along with the joys. And essentially, she is saying that it is worth it all if indeed she has touched one person, make one viewer aware, opened another viewer's heart. It is rare to read of a producer who is truly an artist. This is a book that I highly recommend to all who aspire to be in the film business on any level. I know it is one that I will read again and again. It is that dense with insight and inspirations.
Rating:
Summary: "Hello,I lied",I said, knowing I would see her. johnnyhughes
Review: Read the book 'cause she is a great looking fox and the book turned out great,too. Used it in teaching about strong women, the subject of my novel and teaching. Being a part-time psychic, part-time charlatan, I KNEW that I would run into Lynda the day after I returned the book to the library. Hicksville and Hollywood are sisters under the skin. Now, YOU write her for me because I am very shy.
Rating:
Summary: Ruthless, cynical, self-serving claptrap
Review: Remember what John Travolta says to Donna Pescow in "Saturday Night Fever"? "There are two kinds of girls". Well, basically, this book is about how to transform yourself into the second kind of girl. So if your goal is to ruthlessly advance your career with no regard for others, then you've come to the right place, my friends. This cynical manual from the producer of such shoddy fare as "One Fine Day" and "Bad Girls" is just the thing for the opportunist. Obst apparently never heard the phrase "check your egos at the door". Every episode is written to show her in the best possible light. Obst is particularly duplicitous when she whines about the mistreatment of women in Hollywood. Give me a break! I should have it so tough. After all, both she and Nora Ephron glided right into Hollywood because of their connections, as did Lili Fini Zanuck, Wendy Finerman, etc. All these women were married to prominent men in the entertainment industry, or had family in other aspects of the business. Only Dawn Steel had to break in on her own. What Obst really resents is that Hollywood didn't roll out the red carpet for her, and hold a coronation ceremony. Grow up! Obst excuses her ruthless conduct by advancing the old saw that when a woman acts in an aggressive fashion, she's called a b**ch, but when a man acts similarly, he's called decisive. She needs to be reminded that there is a distinction between assertive behavior, which is appropriate, and aggressive behavior, which is inappropriate. The fact is, that many women managers are unfamiliar with the turf, and so attempt to overcompensate for their perceived lack of status by bellicosity and political intrigue. In a perverse way, Obst has done all would-be filmmakers a service by putting them on notice of her intentions. Whether they heed the warning or not is their affair. If I wrote a screenplay, Obst would be the last producer in Hollywood I would show it to.
Rating: 
Summary: So so
Review: This book was recommended to me by an Oscar nominee friend of mine, so I looked forward to reading it, and I found it to be a serviceable tome on the industry, but nothing exceptional. Obst was obviously writing with William Goldman's ADVENTURES IN THE SCREEN TRADE in mind, but Goldman has greater depth, gives advice on stuff HE KNOWS ABOUT (no stupid dating advice, as Obst gives) and has a better track record. Obst has worked on a lot of films, but a lot of them were flops or little better, and those that were hits mostly stank, so she's just not the best candidate to be doling out advice! Especially advice that often includes a subtext of condescension. And when you want her to use specific anecdotes to make her points, she uses generic brush strokes. She reminds me of Adrian Brodie kissing Halle Barri when he won an Oscar. Yeah, he won an Oscar, but he still doesn't have the cachet to pull something like that, as only someone with the track record of a Jack Nicholson would. Obst pontificates as though she's a studio head, or a veteran with highly regarded cultural-impact films under her belt. Ambitious people often are nonreflective types, so their memoirs are often two-dimenionsal and boring (Jack Welsh's autobiography comes to mind). Obst is a nonreflective type who THINKS she's reflective because she quotes Buddhist aphorisms, etc...but she ain't. And might I say that her justification of aggression and lack of modesty and the importance of nerve in success is self-serving. David Brown is one of the most successful movie producers in film history...and by all accounts, he is genteel, modest and kind, and still incredibly successful. One thing I've liked about the movie people I know, is film is the only industry I know that holds such an extreme span of characters. You will find the most ruthless "bottom line" people sitting at the same table as the most delicate, vulnerable (and sometimes very successful) fragile artistic creatures. Just to single out one line of work in film: an old acting saying is "Acting is a shy man's revenge." So, yes, you can be shy and huge in Hollywood, despite what Obst says.
Rating:
Summary: Great Guidebook for High Powered Women in Any Business!
Review: This isn't a memoir so much as it is a guidebook for ambitious women (and men) in high powered businesses. There are useful tips on how to deal with other people, how to pitch deals successfully, how to partner with others.... But most of all there are great tips and illustrative stories on how to deal with stress, let go of failure and move on to "Next!" when it's time. Plus a great chapter on Chix in Flix that helped me better understand male/female dynamics in any high powered industry. This really is an older sister's or a mentor's book, passing on the wisdom to the next generation. It's more selfless than self-serving, and anyone who doesn't get that is, well probably jealous of Ms. Obst's quite genuine success in life.
Rating:
Summary: Great Guidebook for High Powered Women in Any Business!
Review: This isn't a memoir so much as it is a guidebook for ambitious women (and men) in high powered businesses. There are useful tips on how to deal with other people, how to pitch deals successfully, how to partner with others.... But most of all there are great tips and illustrative stories on how to deal with stress, let go of failure and move on to "Next!" when it's time. Plus a great chapter on Chix in Flix that helped me better understand male/female dynamics in any high powered industry. This really is an older sister's or a mentor's book, passing on the wisdom to the next generation. It's more selfless than self-serving, and anyone who doesn't get that is, well probably jealous of Ms. Obst's quite genuine success in life.
Rating:
Summary: A great survival manual for women in business!
Review: Though Lynda Obst's book focuses on her victories and defeats in the business of producing movies, I found that her insight, experiences, and tips were useful for women in any business. It doesn't matter whether one is making movies or software, there are certain unwritten rules of etiquette that women need to adhere to in order to ensure their success. A must for any woman in a predominantly male-dominated work environment
Rating: 
Summary: Worth reading
Review: Thoughtfully revealing of the inner workings of Hollywood. It may not detail how things should be done in the film industry but it seems to be an honest account of how things are done (and how to get them done). Any woman who brought us The Fisher King should be given an open-minded hearing.
Rating:
Summary: Worth reading
Review: Thoughtfully revealing of the inner workings of Hollywood. It may not detail how things should be done in the film industry but it seems to be an honest account of how things are done (and how to get them done). Any woman who brought us The Fisher King should be given an open-minded hearing.
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