Scan barcode
Reviews
Off the Cliff: How the Making of Thelma & Louise Drove Hollywood to the Edge by Becky Aikman
sjgrodsky's review against another edition
3.0
A good topic, well researched, and the author certainly knows how to write punchy prose.
One revelation was the routine crudeness of show biz moguls. Every woman is subjected to some level of inappropriate attention. But the pervasiveness and crudity seems extreme in show biz.
Another was that the director, Ridley Scott, was something of a lecher himself. I still can't quite get my head around that. He directed the movie about two women whose experiences with sexism finally drove them, literally, over the edge. And yet he engaged in that sexist behavior himself. Oh Hollywood, you master of fantasy and misdirection. It's true what they say: Nobody knows anything.
Although I praised the book as "well researched" I meant "as deeply researched as you can expect of a journalist". No, I'm not just being snarky. What I'm trying to say is that the author narrated events and interviewed as many of the people involved as she could find. But she didn't address any of the deeper questions that the film elicits. Such as:
We sympathize with Louise, yes we do. But: she's committed murder. Extenuating circumstances, yes. But still. What would a criminal lawyer say about Louise's case? What would a judge?
The movie didn't change much for women in show biz, as the author acknowledges. But why not? What will it take?
And how does she explain the Ridley Scott contradiction described above?
One revelation was the routine crudeness of show biz moguls. Every woman is subjected to some level of inappropriate attention. But the pervasiveness and crudity seems extreme in show biz.
Another was that the director, Ridley Scott, was something of a lecher himself. I still can't quite get my head around that. He directed the movie about two women whose experiences with sexism finally drove them, literally, over the edge. And yet he engaged in that sexist behavior himself. Oh Hollywood, you master of fantasy and misdirection. It's true what they say: Nobody knows anything.
Although I praised the book as "well researched" I meant "as deeply researched as you can expect of a journalist". No, I'm not just being snarky. What I'm trying to say is that the author narrated events and interviewed as many of the people involved as she could find. But she didn't address any of the deeper questions that the film elicits. Such as:
We sympathize with Louise, yes we do. But: she's committed murder. Extenuating circumstances, yes. But still. What would a criminal lawyer say about Louise's case? What would a judge?
The movie didn't change much for women in show biz, as the author acknowledges. But why not? What will it take?
And how does she explain the Ridley Scott contradiction described above?
jbarr5's review against another edition
4.0
Off The Cliff: How The Making of Thelma & Louise Drove Hollywood To The Edge
Warning: swearing
Starts out with Callie and how she grew up in KY, moved to TN and then onto CA over the years she's had many jobs and has met many people.
Also goes into what the movie industry is doing as not many movies staring women are endorsed as much as those with men in them.
Lots of name dropping so you understand who is out there doing their best.
Follows the people at the top of the production as they are selected, along with actors and actresses. Goes into their family life also and what motivated them into their field.
Amazing when it gets to the actual production and the complications they come up against. Lots of references and quotes listed at the end.
Enjoyed the book mostly because of all the descriptions of the locations that I've yet to visit. Storyline was a bit different than what I'm used to reading.
I received this book from a publicist via Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.
Warning: swearing
Starts out with Callie and how she grew up in KY, moved to TN and then onto CA over the years she's had many jobs and has met many people.
Also goes into what the movie industry is doing as not many movies staring women are endorsed as much as those with men in them.
Lots of name dropping so you understand who is out there doing their best.
Follows the people at the top of the production as they are selected, along with actors and actresses. Goes into their family life also and what motivated them into their field.
Amazing when it gets to the actual production and the complications they come up against. Lots of references and quotes listed at the end.
Enjoyed the book mostly because of all the descriptions of the locations that I've yet to visit. Storyline was a bit different than what I'm used to reading.
I received this book from a publicist via Net Galley in exchange for my honest review.
ballroompink's review against another edition
5.0
Captivating and informative. I'd recommend it to anyone who has seen Thelma and Louise or anyone who enjoys film.
barrybj's review
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
5.0
just reading about the ending shot of thelma and louise was enough to make me cry. fuck. what a movie.
jbrendanshaw's review
5.0
Great oral history/behind the scenes look at the making of Thelma and Louise from Callie Khouri's initial writing of the script through casting, finding a director, and filming and release. Aikman interviewed over a 100 people involved in the film and in Hollywood of the 1970s-1990s and the book benefits from their viewpoints. The fun of a gossipy look behind the scenes but with the well researched mark of history. Definitely a fun and engaging read.
omnibozo22's review
3.0
This wasn't as interesting as the Casablanca book, but it was OK. As I've mentioned before, the making of multimillion dollar film is organizationally, similar to making a new model car. Lots of money. Lots of ego. Lots of people. Lots of backstabbing. Lots of sex (well, someone has to try out the back seat). Etc. The film production world works hard to make their gritty production process sexy and "important." The film did break some ground in story structure, while Ridley Scott's visual sense and actor direction did push enhance the film's charisma. While finishing the last couple of chapters, I noted that it was playing on tv, but I only watched for a while, having seen it several times already.
smellthepage's review
5.0
Much like the script for Thelma and Louise I read this in a day and it was perfect