not horrible nor great

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

(52%) Without doubt a film that assumes that the audience is as interested in the behind the scenes of the Hollywood movie making industry as it is, yet for all its assumptions I still kind of enjoyed this one. Whether or not you may take anything from this depends on how much you like the idea of following around Robert DeNiro as a typical movie producer for just shy of two hours. Despite this supposedly on the outset to use a more subtle form of comedy, it in fact is full of much more simplistic methods to draw out the laughs, so expect many actor/director based outbursts, people falling into open graves, animal death based black humour, and test screening score cards covered with insults. None of which comes close to ever being subtle, but I thought overall it worked okay. The film in the long run doesn't have enough puff to go the distance, but as successful failures go, this ain't too bad at all.

DeNiro plays it straight, while all around him a motley crew of stereotypes somehow blunder their way through making movies. If this is what it's really like, then it's a miracle anything gets done in Hollywood.I found it amusing, but not very insightful. It's a competent film that pretty much does everything satisfactorily without ever excelling. If mildly-mocking satire appeals to you, and you can put up with a couple of over-rated actors failing to convince us that they are actually just acting like egomaniacs, then it makes for undemanding viewing.There are even a couple of genuinely funny scenes, but nothing that will have you splitting your sides. All in all, worth a go.

On its poster you can read this opinion : "Outright Hilarious", being written by someone from the "Washington Post" ! Well, that lie is Outright Hilarious, rather the only funny thing about that film ! Honestly, with other hands, the same story could have been good comedy, even if black one. Imagine (Billy Crystal) as the lead; WAW, that would have been more interesting than what we watched ! So it's not a comedy while it has some potential for it. OK what is it then ? I can answer that, it's a movie about "change is good". The crazy director doesn't want to change his end, the self-obsessed movie star doesn't want to change his face or body's features, while the fading producer does change his love, he doesn't want her to change him and love others.. and so on. However, what was the movie's point of view towards its issue ? Forget that. How the movie could be beautiful while doing anything ? Now that's what I can't forget since I had hard time watching it !In fact, it is poor and sullen film, without much to deliver. It sure fails at leaving an effect. I don't recall very good, or just good moment. It's like a boring reality show about boring life. (De Niro) did nothing but walking and driving all the time with bland face. That script has so little to present else couple of problems a Hollywood prouder might face. Then director (Barry Levinson), one of my favorites once, was so cold (the word is spiritless) in dealing with everything too. So what's left to catch or watch ?? Sadly none ! Big part of this film's condition got a lot to do with the horrible fact that (Art Linson) wrote it. By the way (Linson), old Hollywood producer, is the writer of the book which this movie is based on. So obviously he was retelling his story, yet by a way makes him the only person to understand or see what just happens. As you see that script needed another, more talented in cinematic writing, eye to make a complete, or at least anyway effective, script. Sorry that (Levinson), who wrote once (And Justice for All. – 1979) and the screenplay for (Sleepers – 1996), wasn't that eye. I feel even more sorry when he, as a director and producer, makes a movie such as this. Fairly, I loved the last scene; with the embarrassing photo session, and maybe the surprise of the unseen doctor's identity (who the lead and his ex go to). Save that it's a few dull shots of someone's life that ultimately formed unexpressive and unimpressive picture. In brief, if this film says something then it's that (Barry Levinson) made his worst film yet !

Hollywood is a culture of extreme narcissism. A film exploring the Hollywood culture of extreme narcissism is going to produce a movie about characters who are extremely narcissistic. Now, hopefully this was done deliberately, in which case "What Just Happened" is a work of genius and honesty. If the filmmakers are not aware that most of America do not like characters like the ones in this movie, then it is just another demonstration of Hollywood's culture of narcissism.I was trying to figure out why I felt so defensive watching this movie and it was more than just the self-absorbed characters. "What Just Happened" is a movie about Hollywood insiders made for the enjoyment of Hollywood insiders. No effort at all was made to let outsiders in on the joke. At a dinner party this would be rather rude! One could get much of the humor, but only if they scoured the industry media such as "Variety" and "The Hollywood Reporter ". Other than that, the average viewer is completely out of the loop! I could not bring myself to like one single character in this movie. The worst part is that movies like this, at the least, usually show Los Angeles as one of the characters and the director failed at that because the camera was too busy focusing on all these annoying self-absorbed characters. Unless you're a Hollywood insider or are ambitious to make it into Hollywood film industry circles and want to know how Hollywood ticks, avoid this movie. It is just not entertaining.