Overrated and overhyped

Fresh and Exciting

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

(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.

Here's the Test. Could You Find the Least Bit of Funny in a Scene where an A-List Actor is Paid Twenty Million Dollars to Star in a Movie and then is Asked to Shave Off a Lengthy Beard, Refuses, and then Throws a Tantrum Throwing Anything that isn't Nailed Down Around the Room? If the Answer is Yes, You Might Enjoy this Misfire. If the Answer is No, Forget this Mess.It is Only Mildly Amusing in Places and is Embarrassingly Bad Most of the Time. The Fun in Seeing Big Name Actors Play Themselves Wears Thin Quickly as the Cringing Begins Early and Continues for Nearly Two Hours.Robert De Niro, One of the Big Stars who doesn't Play Himself, is a Producer and this is His Life, or at Least Life While Making a Movie or Two. The Setbacks from Bad Press Screenings and Juvenile Behavior from Very Rich and Powerful People is the Story and it is Not that Funny or Even Insightful. You can get this Stuff from People Magazine. It is Maladjusted Mania of Mega Stars in a World that is Ironically Unattractive and Approaching this Thing is a Narcissistic Vent about Hollywood Seen through the Professional and Personal Eyes of a Movie Producer, and Surprise, None of it is Much Fun. When the Egotistical Bruce Willis Exits His Trailer it is One of the Most God-Awful Embarrassments that Movie Makers have Made Movie Lovers Sit Through. It is Suppose to be Charming but it Makes the Cringe Meter Explode.The Special Screening Cards that were Submitted on this Movie, Wait, On Second Thought One Doubts Director Levinson and Company had the Chutzpah to Try Any Advance Screenings on this Bomb. The Cards Would have been Brutal.

This is one of those movies that you try to watch all of the way through because you paid good money to rent it.Sadly, this is the first movie I ever returned without watching all of it because it was worse than awful. The acting is wooden, the plot is beyond stupid and the whole thing makes me want to sue the studio to get my two hours back.I generally like DeNiro and even liked many of Willis's movies but all I can say is they must be desperate to appear in a morbid piece of trash like this.The movie starts off as a screening for some sort of mystery and after the scene with the dog, the screening reviewers generally pan it as a piece of garbage. Unfortunately, the real movie doesn't get any better.The interaction between DeNiro and his ex isn't even a good divorce movie. All this movie accomplishes is makes me see how really inept Hollywood is in producing something that would make a decent drama or even comedy.Save your money, spend it on a hamburger or something, you will get more out of it.

A producer(DeNiro) with two ex-wives and families tries to get a British artsy director(Wincott) to change the ending of their most recent film, and Bruce Willis to shave off a beard(he's also gained weight, but no one seems to worry about him losing *that*) before he stars in a movie. The clock is ticking on both, and it's astounding just how little we care. Oh, and yes, that actually is the entire story. It certainly isn't enough for a feature. Maybe this should have been a TV pilot? There are several subplots, one more unresolved and utterly pointless than the next. I haven't read the memoirs that this is based upon. The acting is good, with the possible exception of Tucci(not sure what happened there). We've got real talent, but they can't reanimate the dead material they're given. There is barely anything funny in this at all. The handful of jokes are drawn out endlessly. Granted, Robert talking with Robin and "trying to be understanding" is amusing, and this can make you smile every now and then. On the whole, the punchline is that Hollywood is full of sex with underage girls, drugs and personal problems. Newsflash: We know. And it isn't delivered in any kind of fresh way. Maybe part of the issue is that these are in-jokes... we don't get them. This has been called indulgent and arrogant, and I completely agree. Why make a big flick that won't appeal to anyone not in the business? This is slow-paced and incredibly boring. It's too bad, because the editing and cinematography(with some hand-held camera) aren't bad. This is meant to be a satire... I'd go for S1m0ne over it any day. It's the worst I've seen by Levinson. There is a bunch of strong language, a bit of moderate, bloody violence and disturbing content and brief nudity in this. The DVD comes with a trailer. I recommend this only to the most forgiving of potential viewers. 5/10