The Outsider (2005)

Nicholas Jarecki follows director James Toback on the 12-day shoot of his thriller, When Will I Be Loved -- a movie made without a script or distribution deal.

Director:

Nicholas Jarecki

Writer:

Nicholas Jarecki

Stars:

Woody Allen, Robert Downey Jr., Neve Campbell

Cast

Credited cast:
Woody Allen	...	Himself
Robert Downey Jr.	...	Himself
Neve Campbell	...	Herself
James Toback	...	Himself
Harvey Keitel	...	Himself
Mike Tyson	...	Himself
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jim Brown	...	Himself
John Calley	...	Himself
Damon Dash	...	Himself
Roger Ebert	...	Himself
Oliver 'Power' Grant	...	Himself
Bridget Hall	...	Herself
Woody Harrelson	...	Himself
Barry Levinson	...	Himself
Norman Mailer	...	Himself

Storyline

The Outsider gives a very inside look at what it means to be a filmmaker. Jarecki follows legendary writer/director James Toback (The Gambler, Two Girls and a Guy, Bugsy) through the insane making of his recent thriller When Will I Be Loved starring Neve Campbell. The documentary chronicles all phases of Toback's wild filmmaking journey as he shoots his movie in 12 days without a script and battles to get it distributed. Candid interviews with Woody Allen, Robert Downey, Jr., Mike Tyson, Harvey Keitel, Norman Mailer, Brooke Shields, Barry Levinson and more reveal the complex life and work of this compulsive gambler and exceptional film talent.

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Taglines:

If you haven't been inside... you've only seen half the picture.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 April 2005 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Green Room Films, ICM Partners

Technical Specs

Runtime:

85 min

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

References When Will I Be Loved? (2004)

User Reviews

Awesome insight into an uncompromising filmmaker

From Bugsy to Two Girls and a Guy, you know his movies, but may not know the man behind them. This documentary about James Toback is very entertaining and informative. With only a partial script and 12 days to shoot a feature film, we learn a lot about what it takes to be a director who "makes things happen".

The best scenes show Toback actually directing the actors, demonstrating the difference between directing and micro-managing. There are some great anecdotes from "celebrity guests", and a lot of great insight from Toback's good friend Robert Downey, Jr., who has been in quite a few Toback pictures. (The Pick-up Artist, Two Girls and a Guy, Black & White to name a few). Don't miss the story of how Toback's agent first met him.

Criticism: It's essentially a long commercial for When Will I Be Loved, Toback's latest. It doesn't go too far into how seedy Tobeck's life became when he was younger, and focuses too much on how uncompromising he is as a filmmaker and not enough on what continues to drive him, some 30 years later.