HOLLYWOOD loves doing movies about Hollywood - from Singing In The Rain to The Player, there is a rich history of Tinsel Town taking the mickey out of Tinsel Town.

From tantrum-throwing actors and directors to bad preview screenings and forced re-cuts of films, What Just Happened peeks into the editing suite and the offices of the big shots to show what does indeed happen before a movie reaches the big screen.

De Niro is Ben, a once hot-shot producer struggling with two films - one is the Sean Penn vehicle Fiercely, which disgusts a test audience thanks to an unexpectedly shocking finale, and an un-named Bruce Willis movie that won't get off the ground unless Willis shaves his beard.

While dealing with his Hollywood headaches, Ben is also trying to work out where he stands with his ex-wife (Wright Penn) and prove that he's not a workaholic.

While not as sharp as his political satires Wag The Dog and the lesser Man Of The Year, Levinson has nonetheless crafted a funny dig at the studio system.

Willis' hissy-fits about his beard and Turturro's agent with the stomach problems get good laughs, as does Wincott's mood-swinging director forced to re-edit his gruesome ending.

Levinson has fun juxtaposing what counts as a major problem on a film set with what matters in real-life, as well as capturing the hectic Hollywood lifestyle.

All the major players are excellent, as you would expect from such a good cast, although it has to be said that while De Niro is suitably charismatic and devious, he -like Pacino - hasn't done anything truly worthy of his talents since Heat (although they both still have their moments).

What Just Happened is very funny, in a satirical way, but not perfect. Subplots about Ben's teenage daughter, his ex-wife's new lover, and the suicide of a Hollywood agent add little to the script, but it's worth pointing out much of the film comes from Art Linson's real-life account from the Tinsel Town backlot What Just Happened? Bitter Tales From The Front Line (Willis' beard tantrums are lifted straight from Alec Baldwin's antics on the set of The Edge).

Well-worth a look, What Just Happened is similar in vibe to Levinson's previous film, the Robin Williams starrer Man Of The Year - good fun with a slight satirical bite.