Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Such a frustrating disappointment

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Take an interesting subject matter, cast a superb, diverse group of actors, introduce original insight into an industry we are all curious about. Sounds promising, no? Sadly, this Hollywood insider comedy-satire is neither interesting nor funny. It seems to have a lot to say, but ultimately says very little. The main character is introduced to us as a man with immense power, who then proceeds to do his best to convince us otherwise during the entirety of the film. A mover-and-shaker who is constantly stopped in his tracks and who's shaking is only in his own boots.If the movie's message is to convince us not to pursue a career in Hollywood, good job. Otherwise, I just don't see the point. The plot leads us no-where, chugging along until it arrives at its extremely unlikely conclusion, which even then does nothing to resolve our storyline. De Niro is impeccable as a producer, Catherine Keener is perfect as a studio head, and Sean Penn (who plays himself) is naturally beyond any reproach. John Turturro does hi thing, and Bruce Willis steals the show. Unfortunately, the film somehow manages to miscast Stanley Tucci, one of the most versatile actors working today. Robin Wright is also there, but is never given a chance to do much. The same goes for Kristen Stewart. A whole lot of talent in one picture, none of which is fully present (with the exception of Willis).Watching this film, I found myself glancing at my wrist, wishing for it to be over but not suffering enough to turn it off. When the ending finally did roll around I found myself sorely disappointed with the lackluster and hollow message we are left with. I think perhaps this movie could have either listened to its own characters more often, or maybe less so. Not sure which...

I am rather frequent movie viewer, but my knowledge of creation and completion process is rather vague and I am seldom interested in related intrigues, picking of the cast etc. What Just Happened caught my attention due to the cast, and they performed their tasks well (in spite of often unfinished characters): Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, Bruce Willis, John Turturro, Stanley Tucci are excellent character actors always pleasant to watch. The plot, however, had only a few funny/witty moments, and the events became confused at times. Moreover, the creation of something with lots of people and money involved are always followed by contrary opinions, putting pressure, testing, constant modifications etc. - and is it really necessary to depict them even in a mild satirical manner? Alternately, one could really "spin" the events and create a crazy British type of a comedy. Alas, the movie in question did not have those elements and the outcome was mediocre for me - apart from the performances, as stated above.

"What Just Happened" tells the story of a fading Hollywood producer... and that's all. Nothing extraordinary happens to him throughout the course of the film. He squabbles with his ex-wife, argues with stubborn actors and nurtures frustrated directors while trying to please the studio head... pretty much what every producer has done since the dawn of the film industry. I kept waiting for the moment that his life would spin into new, unexpected territory to justify the film but it never happened.Robert DeNiro is great in the lead- completely believable as a passionate man whose job is to mute himself in order to serve everyone else's passions. (Is it me or does he look much better with the goatee these days?) The movie is based on real-life producer Art Linson's book which is chock-full of anecdotes and true stories of absurdity from the world of film-making. I'm guessing the book plays much better than the movie.The movie, in fact, plays more like a pilot for a television series since it sets up a sympathetic lead character and all his supporting cast: his estranged daughter, his dullard assistant, his drama queen director, unshakable studio exec... and yet we get no real payoff for any of the plot lines: Where does DeNiro call his daughter a slut? Where does he punch out the director for changing the ending to his film? Where does he sabotage his friend's screenplay for sleeping with his ex-wife?Not here. This is just an average week in the life of a Hollywood power-broker, and a rather unremarkable one at that. What a waste...GRADE: C

Watching that film until the end was by far a worse experience than snorting a line of rock salt while having your privates connected to a car battery. Nope, haven't tried the latter but that's the worst experience I could think of at the moment. As some reviewers put it quite correctly, that is not a film intended for general audiences, not even for a cinephile having sat on a festival jury, endowed with an extremely open mind and an advanced understanding that not everything in life is ever perfect. It falls in the category of utter belly-button scratching and, by this, I don't even mean intimist. Okokok, so the acting is good. Yeah, big deal. Talented actors and directors don't make a film stand out if there is no substance to start with and this one's a perfect example of a known fact. It's only redeeming quality is that you could watch it with a force ten hangover and actually forget about your condition.