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Behind the scenes
Date of Review: Aug 20, 2002
The Bottom Line: Film buffs should enjoy an inside look at movie business.
If you'd like to learn how movies are made these days, "You're Only As Good As Your Next One" is a good place to start.
Just don't think the lesson will be a laugh a minute.
Mike Medavoy, a film executive for more than three decades, has written an autobiography about his time in the business. He's been involved with some of the top motion pictures of the era - "Silence of the Lambs," "Rocky," "Annie Hall," "Platoon," "Bugsy," etc. That makes him a pretty good source on show business.
Medavoy has worked for such companies as United Artists, Orion and Tri-Star, and he formed Phoenix Pictures in 1994. The book skips over almost all of Medavoy's personal life --I don't think his wife is mentioned at all -- concentrating on business instead.
Books on business deals can be pretty darn boring, as you can imagine, and there are parts of Medavoy's life that aren't too much different than that of an executive in another business. These sections are a bit dry, only enlivened by a cutting remark about an old boss or two.
Luckily, this isn't about the shoe store business, so we know some of the cast of characters involved here as well as their work, and it's interesting to read about them. Here's Medavoy leading Steven Spielberg out of his office and telling him he'd be better off with some other studio. There's Madonna, telling Medavoy she'd do anything to get a part in a movie. There's Francis Ford Coppola, trying to find an ending to "Apocalypse Now," and finding one (maybe) 24 years later.
Sometimes popular doesn't equal profitable. I was surprised to read that "Raging Bull," one of the great films of the Eighties, barely broke even. Then there's "Hook," which was perceived as a disappointment by the public, actually made some money despite a big price tag. And the acclaimed "The Insider," which certainly could have won a Best Picture Oscar, lost money in buckets.
I liked the anecdote about how United Artists took "Rocky" only if it could be in tandem with "New York, New York" - figuring the profits from the latter would cover the costs of the former. As it turned out, it was the other way around. As a movie-watcher, these are the types of facts and stories that interest me, and Medavoy provides them in large quantities.
I wouldn't put this in the class of Robert Evans' book when it comes to autobiographies by movie executives; that one was downright spellbinding. Medavoy isn't that type of personality.
Still, Medavoy comes off as a smart, reserved man who knows his business and who has a genuine interest in making good films (and not just profitable ones). I believe he's sincere in saying that he gets a thrill from a good movie and likes to be associated with such products. His track record, presented here, bares him out.
Summing up, if you have enough interest in movies to, say, thoroughly read "Entertainment Weekly" on a regular basis, I think this will more than hold your interest.
