He spent his earliest years in post WWII refugee camps. He came to America and grew up in Cleveland, stealing cars, rolling drunks, battling priests, nearly going to jail. He became the screenwriter of the worldwide hits Basic Instinct, Jagged Edge, and Flashdance. He also wrote the legendary disasters Showgirls and Jade. The rebellion never ended, even as his films went on to gross more than a billion dollars at the box office and he became the most famous, or infamous, screenwriter in Hollywood. Controversial, fearless, extremely talented, and totally unpredictable, Joe Eszterhas has surprised us yet again: he has written a memoir like no other.On one level, Hollywood Animal is a shocking and often devastating look inside the movie business. It intimately explores the concept of fame and gives us a never-before-seen look at the famous. Eszterhas reveals the fights, the deals, the extortions, the backstabbing, and the sex, drugs, and rock'n'roll world that is Hollywood. But there are many more levels to this extraordinary work. It is the story of a street kid who survives a life filled with obstacles and pain...a chronicle of a love affair that is sensual, glorious, and unending...an excruciatingly detailed look at a man facing down the greatest enemy he's ever fought: the cancer inside him...and perhaps most important, Hollywood Animal is the heartbreaking story of a father and son that defines the concepts of love and betrayal.
This is a book that will shock you and make you laugh, anger you and move you to tears. It is pure Joe Eszterhas: a raw, spine-chilling celebration of the human spirit.
Seth Anderson
Reviewer Seth Anderson
February 17, 2006
I had been looking forward to hearing this book for ages, and my only disappointment is that Eszterhas didn’t read it himself. His movies, his collaborators, his wives: this is the story of Hollywood personified. Just look at the man, his beautiful blonde hair betrays the face of a dog. Is that not the true beast he describes in the title? This is the story of the man that became the highest paid screenwriter in history, and this is the tale of his escape from fame’s clutches. Seriously, if you are an aspiring screenwriter, this is the book that will either absolutely deter you, or push you forward, depending on your personality. I can’t recommend this book enough; it is the most entertaining audio book I experienced in 2004.