I just finished watching the documentary “Overnight“, featuring Troy Duffy’s overnight rise and fall in Hollywood. If you don’t recognize the name, he was writer and director of the cult hit “The Boondock Saints“. Boondock really was an entertaining movie and from what I understand has had rather impressive DVD sales for being a low budget independent film. The sequel has “been in production” for quite some time, but likely won’t ever be made.

It was amazing to see how quickly “the next big thing” to hit Hollywood can crash back down to earth. He had, what appeared to be sure-fire success as he landed a movie deal with Miramax and a record deal with Maverick at the same time. He was convinced he was going to be the biggest thing ever in that town and stated multiple times that no one has ever done what he was about to do in the history of Hollywood. But, he let his ego become the largest in Hollywood (which is quite an accomplishment), and pissed it all away.

How does one blow guaranteed success like that? Easy, make enemies with the most powerful man in Hollywood (Harvey Weinstein, Miramax Chairman), call one of his executives the C word who ended up being a very powerful woman in Hollywood, piss off your band-mates, screw over your friends, get yourself blacklisted, and ultimately sign a crappy movie deal. He told his crew (about 7 longtime friends) that if they played their cards right, they were looking towards at least “20 years of success in the industry” and it turns out they didn’t even have one. He thought there would be a bidding war at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival for his movie. “In my opinion, this film will go big at the box office. Real Big. It’s one of the best independent films there ever was, and I am one of the best, and will be the best.” Turns out blacklisting yourself from the industry killed those chances.

My favorite part was when he was speaking to a film theory college course and managed to insult half the classroom by pointing out individuals who he felt weren’t going to succeed and calling others assholes for paying him compliments (which he was too stupid to realize).

Definitely worth checking out. It can really remind you how important staying humble is if given the chance at big time success. It is also a very interesting look at the insides of Hollywood.

The movie ended with the perfect quote…

“No man is really changed by success. What happens is that success works on the man’s personality like a truth drug, bringing him out of the closet and revealing… what was always inside his head.” - Albert Goldman (Author)