Hoot, Hemingway, Hiaasen

Speaking of Hemingway (see literary friendships post, below), the author received a nod from none other than big-selling Florida singer Jimmy Buffett in a story on the making of Hoot, the children's movie based on the book by Sunshine State crime novelist and Miami Herald columnist Carl Hiaasen.

"Hemingway's advice on selling to Hollywood is that you stand on the Nevada border and wat for them to throw you a suitcase of money," Buffett told Herald reporter Sue Corbett. "When you get the suitcase, you throw them the manuscript. Then you go home."

That sounds about right, based on what's been written about notable authors' dealings with Hollywood. But that quote -- er, paraphrase -- is new to me. When and where did Hem say that, and under what circumstances? Did it have something to do with the adaptations of To Have and Have Not, or his short story "The Killers," or something else? I'll have to track that down.

Hoot, by the way, isn't much of a hoot. Aside from stunning cinematography of Florida sunsets and the state's flora and fauna, it's a pretty bland movie, with lackluster performances by everyone, including the usually riotous Luke Wilson and Tim Blake Nelson, and a cameo appearance by Buffett, a co-producer of the movie.

I had more to say about the movie, via reviews for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and Folio Weekly (Jacksonville).

Hiaasen is a smart and entertaining writer, and Hoot, his first children's-oriented book, won a Newberry Award and has "launched a thousand book reports," according to the Corbett story. Too bad the Hollywood adaptation is so soggy.