The Outsider

This feature-length documentary from first-time filmmaker Nicholas Jarecki focuses on maverick writer/director James Toback (Fingers, The Gambler, screenwriter for Bugsy), who fancies himself a Hollywood pariah even though he's spent decades trying to cultivate relationships with Tinseltown big shots. Filmed over an eight-month period—while the Oscar-nominated screenwriter completes his latest project, When Will I Be Loved (a movie shot without a formal script), and tries to land a distribution deal—The Outsider features the famously self-absorbed Toback candidly discussing his appetites and excesses (and clearly relishing the forum that Jarecki has given him). More surprising are the generally favorable comments from a host of collaborators and contemporaries, including Woody Allen, Robert Downey Jr., Harvey Keitel, Barry Levinson, Robert Towne, Brett Ratner, Brooke Shields, and Woody Harrelson. All in all, the documentary paints a fairly detailed picture of the controversial filmmaker, who has often been the target of scathing remarks from others in the industry. A fascinating study, especially for those interested in behind-the-scenes Hollywood minutiae, this is recommended. (E. Hulse)