Barry Sonnenfeld

Barry Sonnenfeld's philosophy is, "Regret the Past. Fear the Present. Dread the Future." Told in his unmistakable voice, BARRY SONNENFELD, CALL YOUR MOTHER (Hachette Books; 9/14/21; $18.99; ISBN: 9780316415620) 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. 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."
Sonnenfeld was one of Letterman's favorite guests, and has appeared on Fresh Air, Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me, and many other shows. The stories he can regale you with include surviving a plane crash, his Bar Mitzvah in a Catholic Church, the unique challenges of meeting with Warren Beatty, and what it was like to work for Penny Marshall and trade jokes with Robin Williams. Sonnenfeld was a longtime tech columnist for Esquire, carries a photo of a perfectly cooked steak in his wallet to show waiters, and has challenged and beaten many notable celebrities in something he calls leg wrestling. BARRY SONNENFELD, CALL YOUR MOTHER is a moving and hilarious roadmap for anyone who thinks they can't succeed in life because of a rough beginning.
Barry Sonnenfeld is a filmmaker and writer who broke into the film industry as the cinematographer on the Coen Brothers' first three films: Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, and Miller's Crossing. He also was the director of photography on Throw Mamma from the Train, Big, When Harry Met Sally, and Misery. Sonnenfeld made his directorial debut with The Addams Family in 1991 and has gone on to direct a number of films including Addams Family Values, Get Shorty, and the first three Men in Blacks. His television credits include Pushing Daisies, for which he won an Emmy, Netflix's A Series of Unfortunate Events, and most recently Apple TV+’s Schmigadoon!