Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions

My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood

By: Ed Zwick

Narrated by: Ed Zwick

Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER * USA TODAY BESTSELLER

“This funny, insightful, and deliciously dishy memoir” (Town & Country) from the director of Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai, Legends of the Fall, and Glory, creator of thirtysomething, and executive producer of My So-Called Life, “takes its place alongside Adventures in the Screen Trade and Easy Riders, Raging Bulls as one of the indispensable behind-the-scenes books for fans of movies and television” (Aaron Sorkin).

“I’ll be dropping a few names,” Ed Zwick confesses in the introduction to his book. “Over the years I have worked with self-proclaimed masters-of-the-universe, unheralded geniuses, hacks, sociopaths, savants, and saints.”

He has encountered these Hollywood types during four decades of directing, producing, and writing projects that have collectively received eighteen Academy Award nominations (seven wins) and sixty-seven Emmy nominations (twenty-two wins). Though there are many factors behind such success, including luck and the contributions of his creative partner Marshall Herskovitz, he’s known to have a special talent for bringing out the best in the people he’s worked with, notably the actors. In those intense collaborations, he seeks to discover the small pieces of connective tissue, vulnerability, and fellowship that can help an actor realize their character in full.

Talents whom he spotted early include Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Denzel Washington, Claire Danes, and Jared Leto. Established stars he worked closely with include Leonardo DiCaprio, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Daniel Craig, Jake Gyllenhaal, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Jennifer Connelly. He also sued Harvey Weinstein over the production of Shakespeare in Love—and won. He shares personal stories about all these people, and more.

Written mostly with love, sometimes with rue, this memoir “is not just a wonderfully intimate memoir. It's also an indispensable guide to the shark-infested waters of artistic integrity” (Cameron Crowe). Destined to become a new Hollywood classic, Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions is “a must-read for any film fan, and a sacred text for any aspiring filmmakers out there” (Forbes).

©2024 Ed Zwick (P)2024 Simon & Schuster Audio

A Masterpiece of its Genre

I’m biased to start. Glory is my favorite movie of all time; it’s the reason I went to USC film school, where I got to meet Ed Zwick once in the hallway and tell him this.

I’ve always appreciated Mr Zwick’s emotional intelligence, visual spectacle, and holding a mirror up to our world with important social issues from role of government in war (Legends of the Fall) and terrorism (The Siege) to child soldiers in Africa (Blood Diamond).

His book is a grand slam. A masterpiece of engaging human stories and insights. There is Hollywood behind-the-scenes lore (the Shakespeare in Love chapter involving Julia Roberts and Harvey Weinstein is a particular standout). There is poignancy about the state of industry and its movement away from movies that matter, the very movies that propelled me to enter film school.

There is a spirit of humility and love, especially for his producing partner Marshall, his collaborators like Steven Rosenblum, and of course his wife Liberty.

Thank you Mr. Zwick for creating this incredibly moving and insightful work, and may your health continue to improve. It’s beautifully written and read. Thank you Simon & Schuster for seeing the extraordinary value of this work.

P.S. I bought the Audible and hardcover book. The latter of which has some terrific photos.

One of the best books on filmmaking ever written.

If you have any desire to make film or TV in any capacity, this is your new Bible.

Amazing Journey!

If you love movies, you’ll love this audiobook. The author is also an excellent narrator.

Credible and captivating

Wildly entertaining!! A Hollywood memoir that reads like a “who’s who” of the past 40 years. Personal, vulnerable, funny, revealing on many levels

Fascinating book

Loved the behind the scenes stories, and facts about some of our most iconic movies.

A familiar world

Pretentious. Brimming with false humility. Intelligent, Heartfelt. Excellently written and narrated. I envy him and his work.

Impressive vocabulary

Engaging and informative. Thirty something remains a favorite from my past as it has for Ed.

An Instant Classic

Takes its place amongst the best and most honest memoirs about Hollywood and directing. Read Lumet's book first, then Zwick's and you'll be more prepared to direct a Hollywood movie than 90% of first timers. A wonderful, fast, funny, insightful read.

Very satisfying and enjoyable

I’ve long admired Mr. Zwicks movies, like Glory, Legends of the Fall, and the Last Samurai.
He doesn’t disappoint with stories about the actors and the people behind the making of these movies, as well as his many excellent television shows.
I also appreciated his honesty about the agony and anxiety that goes into creating TV and movies.

All an all film book. Superb.

An extraordinarily generous book, with rare insights, only equalled by our how good the authors voice is.