lilsujie's review against another edition
3.0
Very interesting to learn about how the Hollywood / mailroom process works and to hear the inner stories of how CAA came to be. It was particularly cool to meet a lot of the people quoted in the book, and the partners who are still leading the biz.
That said, the book’s writing style isn’t my cup of tea (all quotes, oral history style), and a big chunk of the book and self-reported stories are packed full of arrogance. The narcissism and sexism of those times are apparent, which doesn’t make for a super enjoyable read. Like reading about the “good ol days” of Wall Street.
That said, the book’s writing style isn’t my cup of tea (all quotes, oral history style), and a big chunk of the book and self-reported stories are packed full of arrogance. The narcissism and sexism of those times are apparent, which doesn’t make for a super enjoyable read. Like reading about the “good ol days” of Wall Street.
quinndm's review against another edition
4.0
Loved all the different quotes from true industry leaders and some incredible artists… and some of my role models.
william_sg's review against another edition
4.0
Oooof, after almost 2 months (but damn did it feel longer), I finally finished this BEHEMOTH. And to be completely honest? I zoned in and out of it - most of it stuck, but there's a few important bits that did not and - because of that - I will likely revisit it in a few months, here and there. I don't like how Miller organizes everything here. There's a chronological order for his other nonfiction history, LIVE FROM SATURDAY NIGHT whereas this will follow a pretty straightforward path for a while, then zip way back in time to comment on another important event. It's a bit of whiplash. So with that in mind, I give it more of a 3.5 than a 4.
vladco's review against another edition
3.0
I didn’t understand half of it, and could have used better explanation of terms of art used throughout. Not all on me either, as the book's disorganization and non-sequitur jump-cuts from story to story across the 40-year timespan make following along somewhat painful. Also, it sometimes feels like an endless litany of Hollywood name-dropping.
All that said, this is an incredible book that taught me lots about the structure of Hollywood. I didn’t even think of buyside and sellside talent markets, nor of “packaging” talent before this. As a result of this book, I’m much clearer now regarding the depth of my ignorance about the entertainment business.
All that said, this is an incredible book that taught me lots about the structure of Hollywood. I didn’t even think of buyside and sellside talent markets, nor of “packaging” talent before this. As a result of this book, I’m much clearer now regarding the depth of my ignorance about the entertainment business.
njarnstein's review against another edition
5.0
Where the hell did these guys have find the energy to do so much!
pichu0331's review against another edition
5.0
Perfectly walks the line between horrifying Shakespearean power battles and classic Hollywood drama. The last 100 pages drag the most, as they lack much drama and are almost exclusively about billion dollar funds, but it’s still well worth a read
wmhenrymorris's review against another edition
I agree with those critics who think that this story was not well-served by the oral history format. There were some good tidbits, and it's interesting on a discursive level to see what all of these players sound like and what stances they take and which narratives they spin. But that was almost separate from the actual story of CAA.
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