What Just Happened?

my rating: 3 out of 5

I went into this because I love Robert Deniro. There are many great performances, however, including Stanley Tucci, Bruce Willis, and a pre-Twilight Kristen Stewart as the daughter.

I find most movies about showbiz appealing. This movie is about one producer's (Robert DeNiro) battle to get a controversial movie made because there is so much money invested in it. At the same time, he is trying to get another movie off the ground that stars a very precocious Bruce Willis as himself. The editing style is embarrassingly similar to Sideways in that it allows scenes to breath, yet it will abruptly switch to a new scene every now and then. Yet, I was interested throughout and it kept the pace fast.

DeNiro is so convincing, it carried me through. A lesser actor couldn't make this work. Bruce Willis is also fascinating playing (a version of) himself. It made me curious to know how much of that was the real Bruce Willis, and how much is "put on". I rated it 3 stars because it's skillfully made, and it kept me entertained. However, most people will probably not enjoy the Hollywood inside-ness because it is so gritty and offensive. There are also some funny moments,too, though. Bruce Willis' performance as a raging egotistical loose cannon brings some laughs.

It's an unusual but well-made Hollywood show biz story that is worth a watch. Careful for kids, though, because it's got plenty of foul language and questionable subject matter. But, for anyone that is interested in the "Hollywood" system, it is thoroughly entertaining.