What Just Happened

What Just Happened follows Ben, a Hollywood film producer trying to get two difficult projects through a single working week. One is a film starring Sean Penn that the studio head wants recut after a disastrous preview, and the other is a production with Bruce Willis that cannot move forward until the actor agrees to shave his beard. Alongside these professional battles, Ben is dealing with the aftermath of a divorce and trying to stay close to his daughter.

The film was directed by Barry Levinson, the twentieth of the twenty-eight features he has directed in chronological order, arriving between Man of the Year and You Don't Know Jack. Art Linson wrote the screenplay, drawing on his own experiences as a producer, and produced the film with Robert De Niro and Jane Rosenthal. De Niro leads the cast as Ben, with Sean Penn and Bruce Willis appearing as versions of themselves, supported by Robin Wright, Stanley Tucci and John Turturro. The large credited cast and crew reflect the crowded, industry-focused setting.

Made for around 25 million dollars, the film took about 7 million dollars worldwide, a modest return. Audiences were mixed: on IMDb it holds 5.6 out of 10 from roughly 29,000 votes, and on TMDB 5.4 out of 10 from just under 500 votes. A critics' rating of 5.8 out of 10 from 140 reviews places it close to the audience scores, suggesting broad agreement rather than sharp division.