Anthony Lane on Joe Eszterhas’s “shy and blushing” Hollywood memoir:
He sold his first screenplay, “F.I.S.T.,” in 1974, and since then the Eszterhas style has bestrewn the world with gems: “Flashdance,” “Jagged Edge,” “Basic Instinct,” “Sliver,” “Showgirls,” and “Jade.” If that list makes you want to hide in the attic, you should hear some of his ideas that never came to fruition: a script entitled “Foreplay”; a remake of “The Red Shoes,” based on the story of Mariah Carey and Tommy Mottola; and a film about Jesus Christ, to be developed with Paul Verhoeven. Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.