This book is an interesting guidebook through the process of making movies from A to Z and I have to admit that it was a pretty enjoyable read. These guys have been in the entertainment business a long time and clearly know a thing or two about a thing or two when it comes to making movies. I found many of the stories and anecdotes amusing and relevant not only to "the industry" (in which I toil away at a menial production job currently) but relevant to many business practices in general.
In a way, I respect them for not pandering to the lowest common denominator and writing a Lynda Obst or Mike Medavoy style tell all (in case you haven't noticed I read way to many of these types of books). Shoot Out is not a great book, but for anyone who wants to learn about the true inner workings of Hollywood from two guys who've held a bunch of high level jobs, it is well worth your time...
Peter Bart, who appears to do 80% of the writing, does an excellent job describing what is involved in doing a deal. It lets a nonindustry person realize why some movies are made that turn out to be bad movies. The bottom line is there is a process, a "Hollywood dance" so to speak, that is how deals progress. Many outsiders have talked about changing Hollywood to a more standard business environment. It will never happen. Too much history to change and frankly, with the creative people involved, they probably couldn't work in that environment. Disney has tried to shift the process with some success but the negative press does keep some creative people from working with them.
Peter Bart provides many war stories from the 1970s with Guber has more current stories given his success as a producer. I expected this book to be similar to Mike Medavoy's biography of his movie career. It wasn't. But it was still very good and would recommend it.