To say producer Jerry Weintraub is well-connected is an understatement: singing his praises in this HBO documentary are such A-listers as George Clooney, Bruce Willis, Matt Damon, Julia Roberts, Brad Pitt, and George and Barbara Bush; even his wife (whom he never divorced) and longtime live-in girlfriend (how Hollywood!) are on hand to offer accolades. From music to movies, from the William Morris mailroom to the rarefied air of Hollywood's summit, Weintraub's is an extraordinary and uniquely American success story. Better than gossip, Weintraub offers a peek behind the curtain of Oz, from a figure whose more celebrated movies include Nashville, Oh, God!, Diner, the original The Karate Kid, and the Ocean's Eleven remake. This is one nonfiction film where the term “talking heads” is a plus: Weintraub tells great stories, ranging from how he saved his job after an all-night, long-distance phone call threatened his early tenure under legendary studio mogul Lew Wasserman, to his work promoting tours for Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley (he promised the King there would be no empty seats at his concerts—even if he had to recruit convicts to fill 5,000 chairs for an undersold show). Writer-director Douglas McGrath delivers most of the ups but few of the downs of Weintraub's career, but no matter. As Clooney remarks, “He's one of the last of his kind.” DVD extras include a featurette with Weintraub discussing “My First Real Job.” Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (D. Liebenson)
His Way
(2011) 86 min. DVD: $19.98. HBO Home Entertainment (avail from most distributors). Closed captioned. ISBN: 0-7806-8166-5. Volume 27, Issue 1
His Way
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