BOOK REVIEW #52: HITS, FLOPS AND OTHER ILLUSIONS: MY FORTYSOMETHING YEARS IN HOLLYWOOD

While not exactly a household name on the level of Steven Spielberg or Martin Scorsese, Ed Zwick remains one of my favorite directors. He’s the filmmaker behind The Last Samurai and Defiance—two war dramas I recommend almost as highly as Saving Private Ryan.

Hits, Flops and Other Illusions marks Zwick’s first foray into memoir writing, chronicling his decades in Hollywood. And we’re lucky he did after all, he’s an Oscar winner with a career full of stories worth telling.

Over the years, Zwick has worked with nearly every Hollywood heavyweight: Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Meg Ryan, to name just a few. If he hasn’t collaborated with a star directly, chances are he’s at least crossed paths with them while discussing projects that were in development.

One of the joys of the book is hearing a filmmaker openly reflect on the highs and lows of his career. Zwick’s first major studio feature, Glory (1989), provides one such anecdote: he reveals that Matthew Broderick was so nervous about the script that he insisted his mother accompany him to help tweak it alongside Zwick.

The memoir is full of name-dropping, but it never feels gratuitous—it’s simply the nature of Zwick’s work. His tone is conversational, witty and often self-deprecating. At one point, he even admits feeling guilty for leaving his wife to juggle family life while he jetted across the Atlantic with Julia Roberts to work on the ill-fated Shakespeare in Love. (Zwick ultimately retained a producer credit after clashes with Harvey Weinstein.)

Much of the memoir dwells on his most acclaimed projects—Glory, Legends of the Fall, Courage Under Fire, The Siege, and Blood Diamond. Still, it’s a bit disappointing that he glosses over his less successful outings, particularly Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, his last feature to date.

Beyond the behind-the-scenes stories, Zwick reflects on personal growth and the hard realities of surviving in Hollywood—insights that will prove valuable for aspiring filmmakers. He even reveals that he was quietly battling cancer while directing Love & Other Drugs with Jake Gyllenhaal and Anne Hathaway.

All told, Hits, Flops and Other Illusions is an engaging and highly readable memoir. While some sections are lighter than others, the wealth of rich anecdotes and candid reflections more than make up for it. For fans of Zwick or film in general, it’s a must-read.

Review by Linus Tee

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