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