'BARRY SONNENFELD, CALL YOUR MOTHER'.......IF THIS GUY CAN BE A MOVIE DIRECTOR........

Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother: Memoirs Of A Neurotic Filmmaker by Barry Sonnenfeld (2020)

 

                 Will Smith, whom Barry Sonnenfeld directed in 3 "Men In Black" movies and "Wild Wild West" wanted to use Barry as a 'show and tell' project for schoolkids with big dreams........

                  Smith hoped to point to Sonnenfeld and tell the kids, "Look at this character.....if THIS guy could become a major movie director of big budget films.......you can do anything!"

                   After reading Sonnenfeld's freewheeling memoir of his alternately comical, bizarre and sometimes horrific life........we get it. 

                   This may stand as the only filmmaker autobiography that made us laugh out loud, cringe in disgust and shake our heads in disbelief......at times, simultaneously......

                    If you want a cohesive, detailed comprehensive description of a film director's life experience and his artistic process........this is not the book for you.

                     Sonnenfeld's story swings wildly back and forth in all directions........ his love-hate relationship with his monstrous mother ......his entry into the film world via pornography......the childhood sexual assaults he suffered at the hands of his loathsome cousin and his insane encounters with the legendarily volcanic Scott Rudin, producer of his two "Addams Family" movies......

                    And yes, there's stuff in there about his cinematography career, including his memorable collaborations with the Coen brothers ("Raising Arizona", "Blood Simple", etc, etc.)........but not nearly enough for us.

                      Do we wish Sonnenfeld had organized the story of his life a little better?  Sure do. But then again, the chaotic, messy life he led spills over into the best of his work, combining anarchic comedy with a distinctive, uniquely warped visual style.......(which made us somehow understand his preference for wide angle lenses......)

                     Sorry to disappoint film buffs among you (and that includes us), but you'll find no film-by-film breakdown of Sonnenfeld's work.........there are juicy tidbits aplenty, but you'll have to read patiently and pluck them out of the author's wandering narrative.....

                     Sonnenfeld's all-controlling mom did indeed mightily embarrass young Barry by having a 'call your mother' announcement blasted on the PA speakers of a massive rock concert he was attending........the same mom who turned a blind eye to his child molesting cousin. 

                       So not much filmmaking info to dive into......but a fair measure of laughter and cringes.

                       Personally, we can't help but loving any film director who responded to Scott Rudin's screaming tirades by building a protective fort from the couch cushions in Rudin's office. 

                        Why, that almost sounds like something from a Barry Sonnenfeld film.......

                      2 & 1/2 stars (**1/2)