“What Just Happened?” directed by Barry Levinson and written by Art Linson and based on his memoir, is a satirical jab at Hollywood. Unfortunately, it’s also one long in-joke and if you’re not on the inside, you don’t really find the events in this movie all that interesting or entertaining. Nor do you really care what happens to Ben (Robert De Niro), an A-list producer. You see, Ben is riding a tide of bad luck. Not only is his film ‘Fiercely’ in trouble – it shows a dog being shot in the head – the director doesn’t want to change it and studio head Lou Tarnow (Katherine Keener) is threatening to pull it from Cannes and cut it herself. His next picture might not get off the ground because star Bruce Willis has shown up overweight and sporting a beard and Willis has made it clear that he is not about to lose weight or shave. In addition, Ben is having trouble letting go of his ex-wife Kelly (Robin Wright Penn).
While much of what happens in this film – egos, backstabbing, box office vs. art – seems to be what happens behind the scenes of making a movie, the narrative is a series of vignettes and not interesting ones either. The cast, though, is top notch with De Niro playing not a tough guy, but a stressed out producer who is intimidated by an aggressive Willis. Sean Penn and Willis play exaggerated versions of their tabloid personas while Stanley Tucci, John Turturro, and Catherine Keener are effective in their small roles. Unfortunately, solid acting is not enough to make “What Just Happened?” an engaging movie. In fact, I’m betting you’ll be bored. 10/30/08
1 comment:
I think you were being kind to give it 2 smiles. One walks out of this film saying "What Happened, what did I just see"? No plot, no story, Hard to figure what the movie-makers were trying to achieve in this meaningless drivel??
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