This week director Barry Levinson takes a satirical look at the world of Hollywood in his new release 'What Just Happened'.
This film's 'all-star' cast includes Bruce Willis, Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, John Turturro and Robin Wright-Penn to name just a few with most of good form in this humorous enterprise.
The screenplay is by Hollywood stalwart producer Art Linson and is based on his memoir from a few years back entitled 'What Just Happened: Bitter Hollywood Tales from the Front Line'.
De Niro is the lead character of Ben, a middle-aged Hollywood producer who has a lot on his mind, to say the very least, with the narrative following his life over a hectic two-week period.
Ben's ego has been boosted with him being named one of the thirty most powerful players in Hollywood by US magazine 'Vanity Fair' and, to get to the top in this game you need to be a real 'player' capable of balancing a few balls in the air at the one time.
Ben's 'balls in the air' include two ex-wives who are constantly after him for one reason or another, a hard-nosed female studio boss and an extremely vain actor played by Bruce Willis.
In the middle of all this Ben is producing a thriller 'Fiercely' starring Sean Penn despite constantly coming into conflict with the film's English director, played by Michael Wincott.
Somehow, through all the mayhem, Ben has to get the film made, and made in time to show it at the Cannes Film Festival.
Robert De Niro is without doubt one of the busiest actors on the circuit at the moment.
He never seems to rest on his laurels and is never far away from our screens but a downside of this is his name doesn't always guarantee quality.
Here, however, he is on top form and plays Ben with a zip and a zeal that we haven't seen since possibly 'Heat'.
Levinson gets the tempo, and mood, of this film just about right playing it for entertainment and allowing it to skip along without taking anything too seriously.
Also visibly enjoying himself here is Bruce Willis who plays a heavily bearded version of himself, an actor who has many issues that he hopes Ben will be able to resolve for him.
Hollywood poked fun at itself as recently as a few months ago with the big-budget 'Trophic Thunder' and now it's at it again in 'What Just Happened'.
While nowhere near as glossy, or close to the bone, as the excellent 'The Player' starring Tim Robbins, and while the viewer is told the movie is 'completely fictionalised', those very well informed might be able to recognise a few of the big players in the world of Tinseltown.
Like similar films before it 'What Just Happened' gives the viewer a tiny glimpse into what happens behind the lens, and how a man like Ben spends the money, and the grief, necessary to get big films made, and all the way to our local cinema.
After spending a few years in so-so comedies ('Meet the Parents' etc) De Niro has found a good script that he can get his teeth into and delivers a great performance as the busy movie producer who cannot live without his beloved cell phone.
