Two weeks in the life of a fading Hollywood producer (De Niro) who's having a rough time trying to get his new picture made
- IMDb.com

Every profession has its share of outlandish behavior, and filmmaking is fabled as an industry where behind-the-scenes stories are often more fascinating than the productions. But as the setting for a tale about power, decision making, and life at the top, maybe Hollywood isn’t any more extreme or bizarre than the worlds of Wall Street, publishing, or even the military. Which is not to say that the rocky road for a Hollywood producer is ever mundane or dull.

The vision that Academy Award–winning director Barry Levinson’s sometimes-mordant, often-penetrating, and fiercely comic chronicle brings to the screen is as human and universal as any insider's tale, a story about a man at the top of his game who has to deal with prima donnas, crazy artists, shameless egotists, and difficult marriages. This adaptation of Art Linson’s account of his day-to-day existence as a studio producer resonates with truth, insight, and the absurdity that often fills our lives. Because it’s personal and detailed and virtuously enacted by Robert DeNiro and a spectacular supporting cast, it's even touching. Not only in Hollywood is maintaining your dignity so difficult; life is a humbling experience for all of us.
–Sundance Film Guide

ExP: Art Linson, Jane Rosenthal, Robert DeNiro

Pr: Todd Wagner

Ci: Stephane Fontaine

Ed: Hank Corwin

Sundance BuzzCheck^TM: 'What Just Happened?'

Jan 20, 2008, 10:37 AM | by Missy Schwartz

Categories: Sundance Film Festival 2008

On Saturday, the premiere of Barry Levinson's What Just Happened? was the hot ticket of the night. (Well, other than the ultra-private U2 3D party that was infuriatingly "closed to media.") The movie stars Robert De Niro (pictured, with Moon Bloodgood) as a beleaguered Hollywood producer who can't get his temperamental, bad-boy director (Michael Wincott) to change the ending of his Sean Penn flick to please a demanding studio head (the divine Catherine Keener). De Niro's character also has to convince Bruce Willis to shave off his "Grizzly Adams" beard before starring in a new film. Penn plays himself, as does Willis, but in a bizarre twist, Robin Wright (soon to be no longer) Penn costars as De Niro's ex-wife.

The movie's a self-referential, hyper-insidery tale with echos of Robert Altman's wonderful The Player. All told, it seemed to fare well last night. The audience laughed in all the right places - and they often laughed big. That said, there were those who wondered if What Just Happened? was perhaps too insidery for lay people who don't really care about rich, over-privileged Hollywood types. It might strike some distributors as a tough sell. But of course, studios have the strike to contend with, and might be ready to bust out the checkbook based on the all-star cast alone.