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As Heidi Klum always says on Project Runway, “In fashion, one day you’re in, and the next…you’re out.” But that’s true of more than just the fashion world. Take, for instance, the movie biz.
In director Barry Levinson’s What Just Happened, Hollywood power producer Ben (Robert De Niro) struggles to stay on top in a dog-eat-dog industry. As word of the brutal test screening for his latest film starts to spread around town, Ben has to act as go-between for the angry studio head (Catherine Keener) who’s demanding edits and the adamant director (Michael Wincott) who thinks his movie is cool and edgy and absolutely perfect.
Meanwhile, with just days to go before filming is scheduled to begin on his next movie, Ben discovers that Bruce Willis, his sexy leading man, has arrived on set with a totally unsexy beard. Bruce refuses to shave, and the studio refuses to move forward until he does. Ben’s only hope is that Bruce’s agent, Dick Bell (John Turturro), can talk some sense into the scruffy action star—but, unfortunately, Dick is clearly terrified of his client.
Based on the Hollywood tell-all by producer Art Linson, What Just Happened is like one of the making-of featurettes that frequently pop up on DVDs—only it’s a whole lot more honest. It’s also a lot more cynical. And, for the most part, it’s a lot funnier, too. While making-of features show the ins and outs of the movie-making process—its challenges as well as its triumphs—they rarely (okay…never) show the really good stuff. You might get to see how an unexpected blizzard shut down the set for a couple of days, but you won’t get to see the film’s star tossing racks of costumes around while refusing to shave. You might get to see the director beaming with pride as he watches the finished product in the editing suite, but you won’t see his reaction when he’s told to change the movie’s ending (nor will you see the amount of alcohol and/or drugs he has to consume in order to make it all seem okay). But you’ll see it all here.
At the same time, you’ll also get a closer look at the life of the players—a powerful movie producer who spends his life shaking hands, making deals, and smoothing things over (both with his colleagues and his own family). Unlike most Hollywood insider films, this one gives you an honest look at Ben’s family life, too—which, like his career, is spinning wildly out of his control.
As for the performances, De Niro is solid as Ben, but the crazier characters make the movie so much fun. Willis obviously had a whole lot of fun throwing stuff around on set (incidentally, the actor who allegedly refused to shave is beard was actually Alec Baldwin). And Turturro is absolutely hilarious as the stressed-out agent.
What Just Happened provides movie buffs with plenty of cynical Hollywood fun. While the story isn’t necessarily unique (and it drags a bit in the middle), it’s interesting nonetheless—thanks, in part, to the intriguingly amusing characters. So if you love Hollywood insider stuff—and you consume a regular diet of making-of features and celebrity mags—you’ll get plenty of laughs out of this cynical behind-the-scenes comedy. Even if you don’t really learn anything about movie-making along the way, it’ll at least make you appreciate your own crazy, stress-filled job a whole lot more.
