Director: Barry Levinson
Starring: Robert De Niro , Sean Penn , Stanley Tucci , Bruce Willis , Catherine Keener , John ,Turturro , Kristen Stewart , Robin Wright Penn
Review
What Just Happened is a story of a middle-aged Hollywood producer Ben (Robert De Niro) and the two-weeks in his life when he is trying to get his film Fiercely released while going through his second divorce. As you can sense, his life is a mess.
Direction
Director Barry Levinson tries to induce funny scenes in his portrayal of the two-weeks in Ben’s life but fails miserably. Through most part of the film, you are holding your head in despair. The only humourous scenes are the funeral one, when one alive person falls into a grave, and the other where Jeremy (Micheal Wincott), the director of the film Fiercely, gives a hilarious speech at one of the film festivals. Overall, the film fails to engage the audience.
Performances
Robert De Niro gives a decent performance but is not enough to hold the poor film. Sean Penn is excellent in his special appearance, so is Bruce Willis. Catherine Keener is good. Stanley Trucci is average while Micheal Wincott tends to overact.
Verdict
What Just Happened is a pathetic film that bores you to no end. The film is aptly titled, as “What Just Happened?” is the first thing you ask yourself when you leave the cinema hall.
