The Outsider (2006)

Synopsis: Although he's been working in the film industry since the early 1970s, the multi-talented James Toback--whose credits include work as a writer, director, star, and producer--has only produced a small handful of films. Tales of Toback's excesses are legendary, with his reputation as a... Although he's been working in the film industry since the early 1970s, the multi-talented James Toback--whose credits include work as a writer, director, star, and producer--has only produced a small handful of films. Tales of Toback's excesses are legendary, with his reputation as a womanizer and gambler (the latter vice was brought kicking and screaming onto the screen via his screenplay for 1974's THE GAMBLER) well established. This documentary from filmmaker Nicholas Jarecki takes a close look at Toback's approach to making a movie, and is centered around the shoot for 2004's WHEN WILL I BE LOVED. Something of a pet project for Toback, he wrote, directed, and took a role in the film, but was floored by Hollywood executives who only allowed him a miniscule 12 days to complete filming. Members of the WHEN WILL I BE LOVED cast and celebrity buddies such as Harvey Keitel, Woody Allen, and Robert Downey Jr. all appear to heap praise on Toback, all of them carefully explaining why his work is so good yet so often ignored by the general public. The most entertaining aspects of the film come from the various stories told about Toback's debauched lifestyle, and he's clearly a very interesting figure who appears to leave a trail of awe-struck peers behind him whenever he works. Meanwhile, film scholars are sure to find the footage of Toback's enforced guerilla filmmaking schedule fascinating, with Jarecki's movie providing valuable insight into the creative process of a man whose day in the spotlight still manages to frustratingly elude him. [More]