Movies about Hollywood can be grating, self-satisfied and full of inside jokes that make many audiences groan. They can also be The Player.
The presence of Bruce Willis in What Just Happened?, a dark comedy about the daily grind of show business, hearkens back to his self-parodying cameo appearance in Robert Altman's benchmark film, although he looks to have a much more substantial presence, both literally and figuratively, in Barry Levinson's new project. Ol' Bruno plays a bloated, bearded version of himself that producer Ben (Robert De Niro) has to haggle with in order to get him in proper leading man shape for his disaster of a picture called Fiercely, starring Sean Penn. Ben's also dealing with his ex-wife Kelly (Robin Wright Penn) and their counseling sessions, his screenwriter friend Scott (Stanley Tucci) messing around her, the creative differences between wastoid director Jeremy (Michael Wincott) and studio chief Lou (Catherine Keener) and his daughter Zoe (Kristen Stewart) apparently coming of age far too soon for him to be comfortable with.
It's a comedy, but since it's co-written by and based upon the life story of veteran producer Art Linson, chances are it's a lot more true than untrue. You can check it out for yourself when it opens October 3, and see if it's more funny or sad.
