What Just Happened? (15) (From Basingstoke Gazette)

What Just Happened? (15)

12:38pm Friday 21st November 2008 in Reviews By Joanne Mace

AS THE producer of 30 or so films including Scrooged, Heat and Fight Club, Art Linson knows his Hollywood.

Not scared to nip the hand which feeds him, he’s now adapted his book What Just Happened? Bitter Hollywood Tales From the Front Line for the big screen, following in the tradition of insider movies like All About Eve and Sunset Boulevard.

And of course, he has secured some of his famous friends to help him out. Barry Levinson directs, but the real star move is the casting of Robert De Niro as a fictional producer called Ben – who’s really a thinly-disguised Art. The film’s running time follows Ben’s day-to-day life in a week when he’s trying to sort out his soon-to-be-released film and his soon-to-start-shooting film. The enfant terrible British director of the former (a brilliant Michael Wincott) is having histrionics, refusing to re-shoot the controversial ending of his Sean Penn thriller, whilst for the latter, star Bruce Willis is demolishing the wardrobe area, refusing to get rid of his bushy beard.

Both stars play themselves and come out smelling of roses, especially Mr Willis. But then celebrities are always queuing up to show everyone how they can laugh at themselves.

Much of the incidents depicted in What Just Happened? are based on Art’s life – although he won’t name names – and make for very entertaining viewing, particularly for those people who are interested in the inner workings of the film industry.

There are some subtle barbs in there – the lingering shots of the fabulous houses in which both of Ben’s ex-wives live, compared to his more modest apartment – as well as out-and-out exposes of how things get done. Ben does yoga and drinks copious amounts of caffeine, dyes his hair and is propositioned by younger women, all in the space of a few hours. And that’s before he has to swear at people on the phone, attend parties, appease his own bosses and make sure that all his kids are at school safely or behaving themselves.

This is a world where not even the graveside is off-limits as a place to do business and it’s brought to life well by these men who have lived it, aided by a sexily sassy Catherine Keener as a studio head and a crazy John Turturro as an agent who’s petrified of the stars he has to manage.

Based on this evidence, the best position from which to experience Hollywood is definitely from the outside looking in.