'The Studio' Fans Need to See This Robert De Niro Gem With the Same Vibe
Seth Rogen's The Studio left no one indifferent to the behind-the-scenes of Hollywood. But many years ago, there was another satirical take on the industry starring Robert De Niro.
The ability to laugh at yourself is a much needed one, but to do it in a way everybody will see – is a talent that Seth Rogen proved he has plenty of. His recent series, The Studio, premiered this March and had already become a staple of satirical TV.
The series peeled back the many layers of Hollywood studio politics with biting, satirical humor. However, it would be a mistake to think that Rogen was the first to try this creative approach to success.
In 2008, Barry Levinson directed a film titled What Just Happened that offered a similar look at the chaos behind the scenes in Hollywood.
What Is ‘What Just Happened’ About?
Levinson’s movie offers an often painfully honest look at the absurdity of the film industry. In this film, Robert De Niro plays Ben, a middle-aged film producer trying to survive in a cutthroat business where artistic vision is constantly at war with market demands (sounds familiar, right?).
Over the course of two chaotic weeks leading up to the Cannes Film Festival, Ben juggles a disastrous test screening, a rebellious Bruce Willis (playing a hilariously unhinged version of himself), and a failing marriage, all while trying to keep his own sanity intact.
In each episode of crisis, the producer must navigate a number of egotistical Hollywood figures driven by opportunity and commercial reward. Just when it seems that Ben might find success in these situations, he is constantly thwarted.
What makes What Just Happened resonate, especially for fans of studio dynamics and filmmaking politics, is its authenticity. The scenes feel less like exaggerations and more like snapshots of uncomfortable truths, tempered with just enough comedy to make them go down easier.
And De Niro’s performance is a standout: understated, dry, and full of nuance. Unlike his more iconic roles, here he’s not a gangster or a powerhouse, but a man slowly being eaten alive by a business he once loved.
What Do Fans and Critics Think of the Movie?
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- On Rotten Tomatoes, What Just Happened has 50% from critics and 22% from viewers.
- On IMDb, What Just Happened has 5.6/10.
