Watch Me

Starred review from January 5, 2015
An insecure girl makes herself into an Oscar-winning actress in this captivating memoir. Following up on her well-received coming-of-age memoir A Story Lately Told, Huston recounts her decades-long passage from callow runway model to breakout roles in Prizzi's Honor, The Grifters and The Addams Family and accomplished directing stints. The narrative centers on her turbulent relationships with two larger-than-life men: her father, John Huston, a legendary director and alternately supportive and hyper-critical dad; and her long-time boyfriend, the movie star Jack Nicholson, who in her description veers between ebullient charisma, cold callousness and heartless womanizing. (Brazenly propositioned by a Frenchwoman at Cannes, Nicholson allegedly zoomed off on her motorbike, leaving Huston in tears on the sidewalk.) The author is candid about the self-doubts that often held her back, which makes her professional blossoming all the more interesting. The book's real triumph is in her bewitching prose, which features vivid profiles of innumerable dropped names, wonderfully impressionistic sketches of showbiz scenes and poetic evocations of happiness and loss, especially in her simple, luminous account of the death of her husband, the sculptor Robert Graham. Huston again proves herself a sensitive writer and a born raconteur. Photos.

November 15, 2014

Huston (award-winning actress; author, A Story Lately Told) tells of her personal and professional ups and downs from her 20s to the present. She includes her long-term relationship with Jack Nicholson as well as her lifelong bond with her family, particularly with her father, director John Huston. There are intriguing stories of working with a who's who of directors and actors--Woody Allen, Robert Duvall, Melanie Griffith, Raul Julia, Francis Ford Coppola, and countless others--as well as of appearing in prominent film and television roles (Prizzi's Honor, The Addams Family, Buffalo Girls). Huston's happy years with husband and sculptor Robert Graham are described with particular joy and wit. The actress also reveals the depth of her personality as she thoughtfully examines her connection to animals, nature, travel, art, domestic life, and the everyday. Huston is, above all, honest and human; yet what is particularly striking is that the account doesn't dwell on negative experiences, but, instead, draws something positive from all aspects of her life. Her fascinating life, superb storytelling skills, and generous heart are a winning blend that makes this book hard to put down. VERDICT This memoir with both substance and flair is a must-read for Huston fans, those who enjoy film, and anyone who wishes to be inspired by a richly textured life well presented. For all entertainment collections. [See Prepub Alert, 6/2/14.]--Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, NJ

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