Off the Cliff: How the Making of Thelma & Louise Drove Hollywood to the Edge Hardcover – June 27, 2017

I loved this book. As a fan of the film, I found the whole behind the scenes anecdotes entertaining. Can you picture Jodie Foster and Cher as Thelma & Louise?I've always felt that the best films are those that involve collaboration. There are very few writer/director films that hit on all notes. One film that comes to mind is Risky Business. In the case of Thelma & Louise, I would have liked to have seen what Callie Khouri might have come up with had she been the director. I agree with her criticism of the over-the-top trucker. She might also have been right about the biker rescuing the cop in the trunk. But I doubt she would have had the skills needed to add the visual layers that Ridley brought.The success of the film starts with writer Callie Khouri. Author Becky Aikman didn't mention how many drafts Callie had before she started shopping it. I know from experience that first drafts are seldom good enough. Once Callie found someone to champion her script, though, everyone else who came on board contributed to the success of the film.My first impression on seeing the movie was that it was a little over the top in its male bashing. Christopher McDonald as Darryl made all us guys look like buffoons. But I got the joke. The scene where the cop goes from badass to a blubbering wimp when under pressure is a scene that fit the theme perfectly. Little did I know that it was the actor playing the role who came up with that idea.As much credit as I give the writer, I can't envision anyone other than Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon as Thelma & Louise. They made the film work. And then there is Brad Pitt as J.D. Perfect role. Perfect performance. Brad Pitt learning that Thelma held up a convenience store – "What, Thelma?"As for that ending. I still don't agree with it. It feels to me like Callie put her characters into a corner and had no pages left to find a resolution. I do agree, however, with the freeze frame.To round out the book, the author delves into the history of women in Hollywood and the many disadvantages that women face. I hope that that trend ends.Next in my queue – Thelma & Louise.

Easy read - good information - saw the movie and times more clearly. Also good info about making a movie.

This is a fantastic book whether you're a fan of the film, "Thelma and Louise", or a fan of the inner workings of Hollywood. This is a great book if you're an up and coming screenwriter or trying to break into the film business. As someone whose been working in the entertainment industry forever, I can say that it does a good job at displaying the process of writing a script and trying to get it made into a film. It includes all of the politics and challenges that it includes. It's also a great rags to riches kind of story in seeing your script get made into an iconic historical film like, "Thelma and Louise". Massive chunks of the book goes into great detail of the making of that film. I've never read a making-of book on a film that had so much information and detail before. This one did a great job at putting this together. It was also a big book, but a quick fun read. The only negative is it is priced a bit high, but it is worth it if you don't mind blowing $20 on it.

This book, written with so much heart and soul ,by Becky Aikman was the best book that I have ever read on "Thelma & Louise!"You can see that she took so much of her time to research the story and its cast thoroughly. She delved even deeper into the brilliant mind of Callie Khouri showing the birth of "Thelma & Louise" from her heart to the screen and winning the well-deserved Oscar for Best Original Screenplay!It has been 27 years since this movie made it's huge mark on the country and worldwide. Becky Aikman' book is a MUST READ for any one wholoved this movie or did not like it for any unfound reason. For example, Aikman explains the gut wrenching process to find an actor to play the role of Harlan.That is just one example of the many ,many stories she tells in this book. It was so thoroughly researched and is such a timely book to be written in this day in age. Thank you for your gift of "Off The Cliff!" Debbie A.

I have read three recent books From Amazon on Hollywood, all excellent....On Paul Newman, Gary Cooper and "High Noon" and now this: "Thelma and Louise". All show the fascinating production politics and mechanics of making movies. When you see the films for the first or second time after reading these well written "insider" accounts of the dynamic inter-action between the stars, the director, and the script writers , your enjoyment of the movie itself is much increased, as you look for certain scenes written up in the book . I lived in Hollywood, have relatives in the business, worked as an Extra, and thought I knew it all....... but this book "takes the cake". Read and enjoy---the book,......... and the movie, if you if you can still find it.

Very much enjoyed this book which chronicles the journey from writer's idea to full length film. Deals with Hollywood sexism, lessons learned. I'm a fan of the film so it interested me. The performances are amazing, as are the production and direction.

Although the first few chapters were hard to read -- lots of emphasis of how hard it is to be a woman in Hollywood and how hard it is to sell a script, ultimately this is a wonderful book about the joys and "Pitt" falls (we love to watch him go!) of making one of the most beloved movies of the 90s. Callie Khouri IS Louise, and her friend was Thelma.Getting a movie made is a miracle, and here everything came together for a perfect storm -- it was very interesting how Ridley Scott was SO not the right person to make this movie, but then again, that made him the absolute right person to make this movie. I also loved how his being an outsider-- a Brit -- and his interest in the American West helped make the backdrop of the movie into the iconic larger-than-life tale it ended up being.