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Based on the Movie: A Novel
 
 
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Based on the Movie: A Novel [Hardcover]

Billy Taylor (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

Price: $24.00 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
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Book Description

August 5, 2008
It's been nine months since Bobby Conlon's wife dumped him for a hot young film director and he's doing great. Okay, so he occasionally

breaks into Natalie's apartment and sobs along to her old Carole King records, but that's only when he's out of meds. He's better now. One hundred percent. And to prove it, he's throwing out that year-old Christmas tree decorated with five hundred empty Vicodin bottles and flying to Texas to work on a movie starring Ralph the Swimming Pig.

But once in Texas, Bobby realizes he's signed on to the most dysfunctional movie ever. The director can't direct, the pig catches pneumonia, and just when things can't get any worse, Natalie and her boyfriend are hired to take over the movie. Suddenly, Bobby's personal and professional lives collide, and no matter which way he turns, fresh disasters await. Still, in spite of everything, Bobby clings to the hope that a happy ending might still be possible. This is the movie business, right?

Based on the Movie is a laugh-out-loud look at what actually happens on a film location, told from the perspective of the hardworking -- and long-suffering -- men and women behind the scenes. As real life meets reel life, prepare to be captivated by one of the most entertaining reads of the season.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Reel life meets real life in Taylor's fast and funny debut, the tale of Bobby Conlon, a dolly grip working on a disaster of a movie. Bobby, a lifelong movie lover, is growing disillusioned with Hollywood—a feeling that's been growing since he found his wife, producer Natalie Miguel, having an affair with a colleague, Elias Simm. Bobby decides that perhaps directing is for him and sells Gerti, a grip truck worth $150,000, to a colleague, who manages to wreck it and screw Bobby on the deal. So with no funds to produce and direct his opus, Bobby goes back to being a grip. This leads to an affair with Katherine, one of Natalie's archrivals, and a fight to keep his Xanax habit kicked. Things turn particularly bad after a series of incompetent directors come and go, forcing Natalie into the picture. Laugh-out-loud moments are in plentiful supply, and the twist at the end is nicely handled. Taylor, a former grip, creates a convincing backdrop for this biting take on the bleakness beneath the glamour. (Aug.) ""
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved."

From Booklist

Nine months after film grip Bobby Conlon’s wife has left him for a hotshot director, he still hasn’t taken down the Christmas tree. He has, however, decorated it with hundreds of empty Xanax bottles as a testament to his heartbreak. Now he’s determined to kick his meds despite the fact that, without them, he is given to playing Carole King’s Tapestry and sobbing along to the lyrics of “It’s Too Late.” Using revenge as his motive, he takes a job in Austin, once the city he and his wife had fantasized about moving to. But the good life in Austin is looking pretty dicey once he encounters the tyrannical cinematographer, who has him hauling equipment 24/7, and the amorous producer, who has recently undergone gastric-bypass surgery (though he does develop a strange attraction to her compression suit). Will Bobby save the film from ineptness and win back the love of his wife? This satirical take on the egos and political maneuverings of the movie business will have readers rooting for its hapless hero. --Joanne Wilkinson

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Atria; First edition (August 5, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1416548777
  • ISBN-13: 978-1416548775
  • Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,432,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

8 Reviews
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4 star:
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3 star:
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2 star:    (0)
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Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (8 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!, August 9, 2008
By 
J. Jackson (Missouri City, TX United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Based on the Movie: A Novel (Hardcover)
What a terrific read! Finished it two days. This is a very enjoyable book, with characters that are unique but also very relatable. I laughed out loud throughout. I highly recommend it! This is one book I think virtually anyone would enjoy.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Read, August 19, 2008
By 
George S. Dean (Kittrell, North Carolina United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Based on the Movie: A Novel (Hardcover)
This was such a good book. It was funny and I learned a lot about moviemaking. I now know what a best boy and a dolly grip do.I am afraid this is one of those books that won't get much publicity and therefore not many people will read it. It that happens it will be a shame because a lot of people will really enjoy this book.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read!, August 12, 2008
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Based on the Movie: A Novel (Hardcover)
Flew through this in less than a day. Well written and quite witty - a perfect vacation read that will have you laughing (LOL). Plus an informative look behind the camera into those not-well known jobs listed at the end of every movie. Highly recommended. You won't be disappointed.
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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
video village, killer instinct, grip truck, dolly grip, swimming scene, compression garment, grip equipment, key grip, cargo shorts
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Billy Taylor, Sara Lee, Sir Richard, Julia Roberts, New York, Dan Berg, Aquarena Springs, Ryan Donahue, Elias Simm, Ant Eater, Bobby Conlon, Jesus Christ, Robert Marcus, Hank Sullivan, Choi Park, Trail of Broken Hearts, Sebastian Shane, Sex Rodeo, Carni Bettencourt, Don's Depot, Miguel-Simm Productions, Saint Peter, Cybill Shepherd, The Last Picture Show, Sag Harbor
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Front Cover | Front Flap | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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