Review of What Just Happened (2008) by Sean M — 22 Jul 2009

You may not have heard of movie producer Art Linson, but you'll certainly have heard of the movies he's produced: Fight Club, The Untouchables, Heat, Dick Tracy and Fast Times at Ridgemont High are just a few.

Based on Linson's autobiography of the same name, Linson wrote the script into a semi-fictional version of himself, starring DeNiro as a put upon movie producer juggling a lunatic film director, unhappy studio heads, a temperamental movie star (Bruce Willis as himself) and a fractured personal life. Movie ultimately is a labor of love if anything else about the world of the movie business, but the nice thing is that it doesn't aim to be clever or original, but just show a few unpredictable weeks in the man's life. DeNiro is an obvious surrogate of Linson and the actor takes a break from playing uptight characters but just a regular guy whose just trying to hold onto whatever he can in Hollywood. Solid supporting work from Turturro, Tucci and Willis but character actor Michael Wincott steals the show in his few scenes as an edgy director who refuses to compromise.