Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother

Memoirs of a Neurotic Filmmaker

By: Barry Sonnenfeld

Narrated by: Barry Sonnenfeld

This outrageous and hilarious memoir follows a film and television director’s life, from his idiosyncratic upbringing to his unexpected career as the director behind such huge film franchises as The Addams Family and Men in Black.

Barry Sonnenfeld's philosophy is, "Regret the Past. Fear the Present. Dread the Future." Told in his unmistakable voice, Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother is a laugh-out-loud memoir about coming of age. Constantly threatened with suicide by his over-protective mother, disillusioned by the father he worshiped, and abused by a demonic relative, Sonnenfeld somehow went on to become one of Hollywood's most successful producers and directors.

Written with poignant insight and real-life irony, the book follows Sonnenfeld from childhood as a French horn player through graduate film school at NYU, where he developed his talent for cinematography. His first job after graduating was shooting nine feature length pornos in nine days. From that humble entrée, he went on to form a friendship with the Coen Brothers, launching his career shooting their first three films.

Though Sonnenfeld had no ambition to direct, Scott Rudin convinced him to be the director of The Addams Family. It was a successful career move. He went on to direct many more films and television shows. Will Smith once joked that he wanted to take Sonnenfeld to Philadelphia public schools and say, "If this guy could end up as a successful film director on big budget films, anyone can." This book is a fascinating and hilarious roadmap for anyone who thinks they can't succeed in life because of a rough beginning.

Critic reviews

"[Sonnenfeld's] moments of self-effacement...make him an ideal tour guide through the vagaries and hypocrisies of the entertainment industry.... He catalogs his own anxieties at length, sometimes to exorcise them and sometimes to fetishize them.... It is thrilling to ride shotgun."—David Itzkoff, The New York Times

"If I went to prison, and I saw that Barry Sonnenfeld was going to be my cellmate, I would think, 'Oh, this will be a breeze.'"—Jerry Seinfeld

"The extraordinary thing about Barry is how many truly strange and amazing chapters he's had in his life."—Neil Patrick Harris

"Writing a book this sharp, [Sonnenfeld is] puncturing the myth of the Director as God....A wild account of his life and times....Here we have not only a new entrant in the movie-director memoir genre but an even rarer beast: a book by someone in the entertainment industry who is neither self-aggrandizing nor self-important but uniquely, and painfully, candid."—The Wall Street Journal

"Hilarious."—Ryan Seacrest, "Live with Kelly and Ryan"

"Barry's memoir is amazingly honest and brazenly hilarious. Now excuse me, I need to take a shower and try to get some of those images out of my head."—Cheryl Hines

"Sonnenfeld's autobiography is laced with funny, sometimes absurd, moments.—WBUR

"Anyone who has encountered Barry for any length of time has wondered how he came to be the way he is. The answer is hilariously, poignantly, and forthrightly told through various stories that resulted in me feeling nauseous, laughing out loud, blushing, and repeatedly saying under my breath, 'Oh my God, Barry.' Sometimes all of those things at once."—Allison Williams

"Barry Sonnenfeld's memoir is not unlike many of his films. It's an incredible story about an unlikely hero. There is action, adventure, comedy, horror-and just a little bit of porn."—Kelly Ripa

"Hilarious, full of heart, and there are no typos."
—Max Greenfield

"I couldn't put it down."
—Marc Maron

"The most purely enjoyable memoir I've ever read. The content of this neurotic genius's life is fascinating, complimented by his rare gift of storytelling."
—Patrick Warburton

"Exactly everything a good memoir should be."—Audible Editorial

"Outrageous and hilarious...written with poignant insight and real-life irony."—KATU AM Northwest

"Very funny...Told in his unmistakable voice."—WAMC

"A neurotic, revelatory treat...[Sonnenfeld] spins eye-opening yarns....It's brutally honest...memorable and hilarious."
—HollywoodInToto.com

Laughed, cried, laughed some more

As a southerner, I’ve never met a neurotic Jew. I wish I had. I loved this man, his story, his love story, his journey, and his friendships. God bless him for the childhood he endured but I am forever grateful for the adult that it produced. Barry is hilarious, kind, introspective, & brilliant. I’m pissed that his mother killed Jimmy Hendrix yet intrigued by her cooking techniques & drama. I will probably listen to this again as it is one of those pieces that you will catch something new each time. Thank you for your life, your struggle, your experience. Blessed to know you sir. Gracias
Thank you Kelly Ripa for suggesting this amazing read!

So surprised he still has a sense of humor

This poor guy has certainly had an interesting life. After all his adventures its good to see that he can still enjoy life and smile. Great book.

loved it!

This book is so funny, interesting, as well as touching. I really loved it!

An Excellent Audiobook.

Being more than a bit neurotic myself, I really did enjoy this book. Frankly, I was sorry when it ended. Sonnenfeld is an engaging bundle of quirks and neuroses. And his narration made the book highly entertaining. Try it. You’ll like it!

Hilarious, honest and inspiring

Plus, gets you out of the vortex of wondering what to watch tonight. Just watch something Sonnenfeld shot or directed and you’ll be happy.

Don’t be afraid to listen at 1.3x