July 09, 2020 7:00PM - 8:00PM
Thursday, July 9 | 7:00 PM
Online Author Talk + Q & A
In Conversation with Holly Firfer, CNN Journalist
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Barry Sonnenfeld Book CoverBarry Sonnenfeld, one of Hollywood’s biggest film and television directors, brings us his outrageous and hilarious memoir tracing his idiosyncratic upbringing in New York City, his breaking into film as a cinematographer with the Coen brothers, and his unexpected career as the director behind such huge film franchises as The Addams Family and Men in Black, and beloved work like Get Shorty, Pushing Daises, and A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Told in his unmistakable voice, Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother: Memoirs of a Neurotic Filmmaker is a laugh-out-loud memoir about coming of age. Constantly threatened with suicide by his over-protective mother, disillusioned by the father he worshiped, and abused by a demonic relative, Sonnenfeld somehow went on to become one of Hollywood’s most successful producers and directors.
Sonnenfeld was one of Letterman’s favorite guests, and has appeared on Fresh Air, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, and many other shows. The stories he can regale you with include surviving a plane crash, his Bar Mitzvah in a Catholic Church, the unique challenges of meeting with Warren Beatty, and what it was like to work for Penny Marshall and trade jokes with Robin Williams. Sonnenfeld was a longtime tech columnist for Esquire, carries a photo of a perfectly cooked steak in his wallet to show waiters, and has challenged and beaten many notable celebrities in something he calls leg wrestling.
Will Smith once joked that he wanted to take Sonnenfeld to Philadelphia public schools and say, “If this guy could end up as a successful film director on big budget films, anyone can.” This book is a fascinating and hilarious roadmap for anyone who thinks they can’t succeed in life because of a rough beginning.
