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The Deal: A Novel of Hollywood
Washed-up Hollywood producer Charlie Berns has mailed in his updated obit and is about to suck his Mercedes tailpipe and fade to black when a miracle his nephew, a wannabe screenwriter from New Jersey, has scripted the life story of Queen Victoria's prime minister Benjamin Disraeli, which Charlie manages to turn into a hot property that reinstates him as a player. But as the deal heats up, a few conceptual changes morph the project into Lev Freedom Fighter, an action thriller with a black Jewish superstar, a Yugoslavian location, a mad Polish director, and even a real-life kidnapping. Is Charlie Berns being eaten alive by the system? Or is he giving the Hollywood hotshots a run for their money? Peter Lefcourt's hilarious satire proves the old adage that in Hollywood you're never quite as dead as people give you credit for.
307 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
4 people are currently reading
70 people want to read
About the author
Peter Lefcourt
20 books31 followersPeter Lefcourt is a refugee from the trenches of Hollywood, where he has distinguished himself as a writer and producer of film and television. Among his credits are "Cagney and Lacey," for which he won an Emmy Award; "Monte Carlo," in which he managed to keep Joan Collins in the same wardrobe for 35 pages; the relentlessly sentimental "Danielle Steel's Fine Things," and the underrated and hurried "The Women of Windsor," the most sordid, and thankfully last, miniseries about the British Royal Family.
He began writing novels in the late 1980's, after being declared "marginally unemployable" in the entertainment business by his then agent. In 1991 Lefcourt published The Deal -- an act of supreme hubris that effectively bit the hand that fed him and produced, in that inverse and masochistic logic of Hollywood, a fresh demand for his screenwriting services. It remains a cult favorite in Hollywood, was one of the ten books that John Gotti reportedly ordered from jail, and was adapted into a movie -- starring William H. Macy, Meg Ryan and L.L. Cool Jay -- that premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
Subsequently, he has divided his time between screenplays and novels, publishing The Dreyfus Affair in 1992, his darkly comic look at homophobia in baseball as a historical analog to anti-Semitism in fin de siecle France, which The Walt Disney Company has optioned twice and let lapse twice in fits of anxiety about what it says about the national pastime and, by extension, Disneyland. He is hopeful that a major(or even minor) motion picture will be made from it in his lifetime. The book continues to sell well in trade paperback -- it's in its fifteenth printing, and, as such, acts as a small but steady cottage industry for its author, who, at this point, would almost rather keep optioning it than have it actually made. But not really.
In 1994, he published Di And I, a heavily fictionalized version of his love affair with the late Princess of Wales. Princess Diana's own stepgodmother, Barbara Cartland, who was herself no slouch when it came to publishing torrid books, declared Di And I "ghastly and unnecessary," which pushed the British edition briefly onto the best-seller lists. Di And I was optioned by Fine Line Pictures, in 1996, and was quietly abandoned after Diana's untimely death the following year. Someday it may reach the screen -- when poor Diana is no longer seen as an historical icon but merely as the misunderstood and tragic figure that she was, devoured by her own popularity.
Abbreviating Ernie, his next novel, was inspired by his brief brush with notoriety after the appearance of Di And I. At the time he was harassed by the British tabloids and spent seven excruciating minutes on "Entertainment Tonight." He was subsequently and fittingly bumped out of People Magazine by O.J. Simpson's white Bronco media event of June, 1994. In a paroxysm of misplaced guilt, the editors of "People," to make amends, declared it a "Beach Read," which helped put the book ephemerally on the Best Seller lists during the summer of 1994. Anecdotally, however, the author spent a lot of time combing the beaches that summer without seeing a single person reading his book.
Lefcourt's research on a movie for HBO about the 1995 Bob Packwood canard was the germ for his next novel, The Woody. He began to see that the former senator's battle with the Senate Ethics Committee was a dramatization of the total confusion in America regarding appropriate sexual behavior for politicians. Packwood became the sacrificial lamb -- taking the pipe for an entire generation of men. Basically, he got his dick caught in the zeitgeist. After President Clinton got his caught in a younger zeitgeist, nearly costing him his job, The Woody became all the more topical. It asks the question: What is the relationship between a politician's sexual competence and his popularity in the polls? If Packwood had been as smooth as Clinton, he would be the majority lead
He began writing novels in the late 1980's, after being declared "marginally unemployable" in the entertainment business by his then agent. In 1991 Lefcourt published The Deal -- an act of supreme hubris that effectively bit the hand that fed him and produced, in that inverse and masochistic logic of Hollywood, a fresh demand for his screenwriting services. It remains a cult favorite in Hollywood, was one of the ten books that John Gotti reportedly ordered from jail, and was adapted into a movie -- starring William H. Macy, Meg Ryan and L.L. Cool Jay -- that premiered at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival.
Subsequently, he has divided his time between screenplays and novels, publishing The Dreyfus Affair in 1992, his darkly comic look at homophobia in baseball as a historical analog to anti-Semitism in fin de siecle France, which The Walt Disney Company has optioned twice and let lapse twice in fits of anxiety about what it says about the national pastime and, by extension, Disneyland. He is hopeful that a major(or even minor) motion picture will be made from it in his lifetime. The book continues to sell well in trade paperback -- it's in its fifteenth printing, and, as such, acts as a small but steady cottage industry for its author, who, at this point, would almost rather keep optioning it than have it actually made. But not really.
In 1994, he published Di And I, a heavily fictionalized version of his love affair with the late Princess of Wales. Princess Diana's own stepgodmother, Barbara Cartland, who was herself no slouch when it came to publishing torrid books, declared Di And I "ghastly and unnecessary," which pushed the British edition briefly onto the best-seller lists. Di And I was optioned by Fine Line Pictures, in 1996, and was quietly abandoned after Diana's untimely death the following year. Someday it may reach the screen -- when poor Diana is no longer seen as an historical icon but merely as the misunderstood and tragic figure that she was, devoured by her own popularity.
Abbreviating Ernie, his next novel, was inspired by his brief brush with notoriety after the appearance of Di And I. At the time he was harassed by the British tabloids and spent seven excruciating minutes on "Entertainment Tonight." He was subsequently and fittingly bumped out of People Magazine by O.J. Simpson's white Bronco media event of June, 1994. In a paroxysm of misplaced guilt, the editors of "People," to make amends, declared it a "Beach Read," which helped put the book ephemerally on the Best Seller lists during the summer of 1994. Anecdotally, however, the author spent a lot of time combing the beaches that summer without seeing a single person reading his book.
Lefcourt's research on a movie for HBO about the 1995 Bob Packwood canard was the germ for his next novel, The Woody. He began to see that the former senator's battle with the Senate Ethics Committee was a dramatization of the total confusion in America regarding appropriate sexual behavior for politicians. Packwood became the sacrificial lamb -- taking the pipe for an entire generation of men. Basically, he got his dick caught in the zeitgeist. After President Clinton got his caught in a younger zeitgeist, nearly costing him his job, The Woody became all the more topical. It asks the question: What is the relationship between a politician's sexual competence and his popularity in the polls? If Packwood had been as smooth as Clinton, he would be the majority lead
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
January 8, 2024
"Living in oblivion" by Tom DiCilio is in my opinion by far the best comedy and satire about the film industry. The clever flick came out in 1995 and after all this time I still think today it rose well above Peter Lefcourt's novel published in 1991.
Despite this little reservation, I had a good time with the book. It is funny and enjoyable. The spoof is certainly not always subtle in its way of making fun of the Hollywood circus, but then truth is often stranger than fiction, is it not?
Despite this little reservation, I had a good time with the book. It is funny and enjoyable. The spoof is certainly not always subtle in its way of making fun of the Hollywood circus, but then truth is often stranger than fiction, is it not?
January 31, 2022
The third Lefcourt i've read and definitely the weakest. The biggest problem for me was differentiating between the characters in hollywood. Brad Emprin, Sidney Auger, Norman, Howard and Andre Blue were all essentially the same character to me and I didn't really care what any of them were doing. I enjoyed other characters like Berns, Deidre, Bobby Mason, and especially Dinak and Madison (flawed director, and more flawed writer) as well as the production half of the story. The novel did well in spoofing the absurdities of show business but I felt that the author left a lot on the table. For some reason i really enjoyed the minor role of Charlie's oblivious assistant Catherine who spoke in breathless fragments.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2022
Have you ever met someone in the same mess you're in? Everything matches between you both, then you finally evolve and the other doesn't. Love a good book where the woman is the strong protagonist if you do this is your book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 25, 2011
Peter Lefcourt offers an entertaining insider's look at the madness behind Hollywood and the absurd convolutions people follow in an attempt to get a film made. There's a touch of the Roman a clef to the book, though not so much that it suffers from the rapid dating inflicted by the vicissitudes of popularity in the movie-making business.
Down-on-his-luck producer Charlie Berns in just likable and clever enough to hold the reader's sympathy through his prevarications and sleights of hand as he takes advantage of his naive nephew Lionel and anyone else who presents an obstacle to his attempts to re-establish himself in the Hollywood machine. All the flightiness, wastefulness, and egotism that mars the movie business gets skewered with satire both sharp and gentle throughout the novel, effectively personified in characters representing broad types: dim-witted action stars, boozy has-beens, desperate starlets, neurotic executives, and tyrannical directors. Lefcourt makes them all both believable and absurd.
Like other readers here, I listened to the unabridged audio read by William Macy, and his presentations brings the characters to life as only a talented character actor can. There are a few jarring mispronunciations, and the audio loops are occasionally uneven in volume, but this don't undermine Lefcourt's compelling and amusing story. I'd hardly call it "laugh-out-loud funny" as some reviewers have, but it's an entertaining diversion, especially for people who love the movies as I do. And it didn't hurt that there was a Hollywood ending.
Down-on-his-luck producer Charlie Berns in just likable and clever enough to hold the reader's sympathy through his prevarications and sleights of hand as he takes advantage of his naive nephew Lionel and anyone else who presents an obstacle to his attempts to re-establish himself in the Hollywood machine. All the flightiness, wastefulness, and egotism that mars the movie business gets skewered with satire both sharp and gentle throughout the novel, effectively personified in characters representing broad types: dim-witted action stars, boozy has-beens, desperate starlets, neurotic executives, and tyrannical directors. Lefcourt makes them all both believable and absurd.
Like other readers here, I listened to the unabridged audio read by William Macy, and his presentations brings the characters to life as only a talented character actor can. There are a few jarring mispronunciations, and the audio loops are occasionally uneven in volume, but this don't undermine Lefcourt's compelling and amusing story. I'd hardly call it "laugh-out-loud funny" as some reviewers have, but it's an entertaining diversion, especially for people who love the movies as I do. And it didn't hurt that there was a Hollywood ending.
April 11, 2009
This is a very funny book which I heard on CD after seeing a movie of the same name. A movie producer, who has had zero success in many years, is trying to commit suicide when his nephew suddenly and unexpectedly shows up, with a movie script in hand. Uncle puts the suicide on hold and parlays this script into a fine movie which enjoys critical and commercial success. This book is a lot of fun to read, listen to, or view in the movie.
One oddity: the star of the movie, William Macy, is also the reader on the audio book.
One oddity: the star of the movie, William Macy, is also the reader on the audio book.
October 16, 2012
This was a very enjoyable "Hollywood Insider" (though fiction) look at getting a movie made and all the problems that occur during the process. I was fascinated and riveted by the story though I did find that some of the minor characters were a little too one-dimensional and not fleshed out enough for the reader to identify with them or care about them. Other than that, I think it is a fun (sometimes not altogether realistic) ride.
February 14, 2008
Lefcourt's best! Warning: If you work in showbiz you might find this story more painful than funny.
Logline: In desperation, a suicidal producer options a script from his nephew, who is literally just off the bus. Both fail upward!
Spoiler alert: What does reading the script have to do with making a deal?
Logline: In desperation, a suicidal producer options a script from his nephew, who is literally just off the bus. Both fail upward!
Spoiler alert: What does reading the script have to do with making a deal?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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July 29, 2011This was pretty mediocore and sadly I was dissapointed. There were too many characters and a lot was going on for the sake of trying ot make the story interesting. In fact I really didn't care what happened to any of the characters. Aside from showing how a studio can completely change someone's script, there weren't no interest plot twists or new developments. Nothing held my attention.
August 10, 2014
Wow, what a ride this is! Felt like I was being guided through Hollywood's seamy/whacky inner chambers by a true insider. Riveting, incredibly funny, and at the end of it all, pretty thrilling. It is as Lefcourt says "It's amazing movies every get made at all."
July 8, 2008
I generally don't appreciate LA/Hollywood humor but this book was pretty good. Its a little outdated (the world before cell phones) but once the plot gets going, there are a lot of laughs.
July 26, 2008
This is my favorite novel of all time---A must read!!!!
August 17, 2010
You will laugh out loud. Highly recommend the audio book, read by William H. Macy.
April 23, 2011
Puts the weird back in Hollyweird.
July 11, 2017
An amusing novel about the making of a Hollywood movie and the behind the scenes machinations and drama. Set in the early 90s but still feels relevant. Good fun.
September 30, 2023
A fan of this author but------in the words of his character, Enid.................
This. Book. Was. Awful.
This. Book. Was. Awful.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews