What Just Happened? (Barry Levinson, 2008)

[flyonthewall2983]

No trailer yet, but here's a clip.

[lacritfan]

Any movie like this where a big name recognizable star like Robert DeNiro is supposed to be a character but b.n.r.s. Bruce Willis plays himself hardly ever works for me. It's just too distracting. To top it off DeNiro looks like himself but Bruce has a beard that I have never seen him in before.

[flyonthewall2983]

b.n.r.s.?

At this point in his career, I can't think of a director more qualified than Barry to direct a movie about failing in Hollywood. I think he knows that, and is embracing it with this picture. Whether or not it will work is another thing, and the buzz is rather low on this one from what I'm hearing.

[domino harvey]

Finally, a satire about Hollywood!

[Antoine Doinel]

The buzz on this film is pretty bad. It didn't get picked up for distribution after it premiered at Sundance, it then went to Cannes where it fizzled until Magnolia Pictures took mercy on it (and took advantage, I'm sure, of the much lowered asking price) and is releasing it. I think this is the most A-list stars Magnolia has ever had in one of their theatrical releases.

[otis]

Bruce has played himself in The Player, Ocean's 12 and now this. Is this a record? And was it all predicted as far back as 1989???

[Highway 61]

The bad buzz is disappointing considering the book was actually quite good, although it does make for great irony.

[King Prendergast]

I missed this one in the Cannes round-ups that I read but judging from the trailer. it looks kind of brilliant, for Levinson that is. Bruce Willis seems to handle to Being John Malkovich-style stuff very well, (see Ocean's 12).

[Antoine Doinel]

Word is that Bruce Willis' character is supposed to modeled on Alec Baldwin, and the clip in the first post is pretty much what happened when he showed up overweight and bearded to start shooting The Edge.

[flyonthewall2983]

Charlie Rose interview with Art, Bob, and Barry.