Everywhere an Oink Oink: An Embittered, Dyspeptic, and Accurate Report of Forty Years in Hollywood

Pulitzer Prize winner Mamet (Recessional: The Death of Free Speech and the Cost of a Free Lunch) presents an impassioned account of his Hollywood heyday. From Cary Grant to cartoons, nothing escapes his critical eye. As this is a collection of essays, one does not expect seamless storylines, but Mamet bounces so frequently between unrelated ideas and asides that it becomes more of a haphazard stream of consciousness than a coherent narrative. Though the work’s premise intrigues, Mamet’s disdain for everything from high-budget films to high school car washes quickly sours and ultimately borders on tedious. Jim Frangione’s narration of the audiobook does not help matters, as he does not audibly differentiate between the body text and frequent footnotes, making it easy for listeners to get lost in the muddled, meandering prose. The stories are sardonic, though not scandalous, and listeners expecting entertaining Hollywood insight will be disappointed.