Product Details

• Actors: Woody Allen, Robert Downey Jr., Harvey Keitel, Neve Campbell, Brook Shields
• Directors: Nicholas Jarecki
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Westlake Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: February 19, 2009
• Run Time: 83 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0010EG8JC
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #223,502 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Absurdly comic highly kinetic and at times quite emotional The Outsider gives a very inside look at what it means to be a filmmaker. The film follows legendary writer/director James Toback (The Gambler Two Girls and a Guy Bugsy) through the insane making of his recent thriller When Will I Be Loved starring Neve Campbell. All phases of Toback's wild filmmaking journey are chronicled as he shoots his movie in 12 days without a script and battles to get it distributed. Candid interviews with Woody Allen Robert Downey Jr. Mike Tyson Brooke Sheilds Harvey Keitel Norman Mailer Barry Levinson and more reveal the complex life and work of this compulsive gambler and exceptional film talent.System Requirements:Running time:s83 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DOCUMENTARIES/INDEPENDENTLY DISTRIBUTED UPC: 798622366825 Manufacturer No: WLV3668

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Outrageous Hollwyood characters and insight into indie film, February 19, 2008

By 

C. Calnek - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Outsider - a Film about James Toback (DVD)

This is a fascinating documentary about what really goes into the making of an indie flick. The filmmaker captures Toback in all his mania- and some of it has to be seen to be believed. When it works the results are captivating and the interview footage with Woody Allen, Downey Jr., Brooke Shields, Tyson, and other luminaries goes beyond standard 'making-of' stuff and tells tales about both the film's strangely endearing subject and the interviewees themselves- all with the backdrop of making movies as a way of life. But it's Toback himself who stands out as a hustler's hustler, always with a trick up his sleeve as he actually pulls off making a real movie in 12 days... The doc's well put-together- funny, fast-moving, and packed with good tunes. Anybody interested in what goes into creating indie cinema who can embrace Toback's charming madness will enjoy this very good movie.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars James Toback: Existentialist phenom, Hollywood maverick or compulsive and deeply flawed?, February 12, 2011

By 

Annie Van Auken (Planet Earth) - See all my reviews
(TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Outsider - a Film about James Toback (DVD)

At first glance, THE OUTSIDER documents the creation of a $2 milion film in less than two weeks, a movie that in fact had only a partial script and was greatly improvised by its cast. We also witness the struggles its creator has in getting his movie distributed. Conversely, this 84 minute study can be interpreted as a "making of" infomercial for writer/director James Toback's WHEN WILL I BE LOVED (2004).

Toback's spotty track record as an independent producer/director doesn't indicate brilliance, yet he's greatly respected by his contemporaries. Best known for writing Warren Beatty's BUGSY (1991), as a director the gambling-addicted Toback can be unorthodox and overbearing, according to some who comment here. Toback's writing class background betrays him, for at times during interviews he seems to be delivering a Filmmaking 101 lecture.

One thing is certain. Nick Jarecki, who took eight months creating "The Outsider," is an unabashed James Toback admirer. He somehow manages to downplay Toback's numerous shortcomings, presenting him instead as a precocious genius. There's enough pro-Toback commentary here from very familiar faces to support Jarecki's premise.


Parenthetical number preceding title is a 1 to 10 imdb viewer poll rating.

(6.9) The Outsider (2005) - James Toback/Robert Downey Jr./Woody Allen/Neve Campbell/Mike Tyson/Harvey Keitel/Jim Brown/Roger Ebert/Brooke Shields/Barry Levinson/Woody Harrelson/Norman Mailer/Robert Towne