‘The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece’ Review: A Close Look Behind the Scenes

Bill Johnson, a legendary film director and a principal character in Tom Hanks’s first novel, gets annoyed when people tell him they hate a movie. Not just his own movies, which would, of course, explain the testiness. He gets equally vexed on behalf of a friend’s movie, a rival’s movie, any movie. “Sure, some movies don’t work,” he says. “Some fail in their intent.” Even so, “hate should be saved for fascism and steamed broccoli that’s gone cold. The worst anyone . . . should ever say about someone else’s movie is ‘Well, it was not for me, but, actually, I found it quite good.’ Damn a film with faint praise, but never, ever say you hate a movie.”

It makes a critic wonder whether this high-minded stance extends to novels—to take one handy example, a novel written by a certain Oscar-winning actor and famously nice guy. If so, here goes: “The Making of Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece” was not for me, but, actually, I found it quite good.