What Just Happened – Directed by Barry Levinson

What Just Happened opens in the middle of a test screening for a film titled “Fiercely” taking place somewhere in California. Ben(Robert De Niro), the producer of the film, narrates about how films live and die with test screening audiences like these plucked from malls. The screening seems to be going fairly well, it’s a thriller starring Sean Penn, he’s being chased by bad guys along with his trusty dog. The movie comes to it’s climax where the bad guys corner Sean and his cute doggy. BANG! The lead bad guy shoots Sean’s dog in front of him and the audience is visibly disgusted, so much so that they don’t seem to notice all too much that they go on to kill Sean as well moments later. This isn’t going to be a good week for Ben.

For the most part this film took a lot of flack from critics over the past week, and I really don’t understand any of their points. The only problem this film has is that it’s not a “great film,” it’s consistently entertaining and a joy to watch. I’d compare it to “The Player” which isn’t a great film either, but its also quite entertaining and I find myself rewatching it every once and a while as well as owning it on DVD. The film works best when it is being an industry comedy, however a good third of it deals with Linson’s personal life, his three ex-wives and his daughters with each. There’s just something that feels very stale about those sequences of the film, you’ve very much seen it all before.

Now I haven’t read Linson’s book, but I was told that the Fiercely section was about “Fight Club,” if that is indeed the case then David Fincher is one crazy man. I could always see him being slightly mad-artist crazy, but not Michael Wincott drug-mad crazy. Perhaps this was something they invented for the movie since they changed all the names and titles or maybe an amalgamation and Brian De Palma or Cameron Crowe are Michael Wincott Druggo crazy. Either way this segment of the film is so much fun to watch as the studio tries to force cuts onto the film after the poor test screening, Catherine Keener plays the studio boss.

The other major segment of the film is the more well-known Alec Baldwin beard story from “The Edge,” where after being hired Baldwin showed up with a monster beard that he refused to shave. In What Just Happened it’s Bruce Willis as himself as Alec Baldwin, which is a lot of fun. Robert De Niro tries to hold the production together because the film was only being financed on Willis’s star appeal.

What Just happened is a very light enjoyable comedy, it’s not going to change your world or anything, but if you enjoy movies about making movies and comedy then it’s for you.

The Deal – Directed by Stephen Schaecter, Written and Starring William H. Macy

Now here’s a comedy that is a mess and it’s also a movie about making movies. If you enjoy movies that make you laugh, then watch out because there’s nothing funny in this movie. I’d go on further, but it’s like kicking a dead horse, the film hasn’t been picked up and it stars Meg Ryan, LL Cool J, William H. Macy, and Jason Ritter. Just remember the title for when it heads direct-to-blockbuster in a couple years.

I still have a couple more write-ups from sundance, my take on Ari Gold’s Adventures of Power, the Duplass Bros. new film Baghead, Hamlet 2, as well as Paul Giamatti and Billy Crudup in Paul Schneider’s Pretty Bird.

Rav

ravkill@msn.com