The man who bankrolled Heat, Heist and The Untouchables, producer Art Linson is better qualified than most to talk movies. And since he also has a fine command of English, he’s in a pretty good position to dish the dirt on the industry’s idiocy.
What Just Happened? is jam-packed with incredible incidents, including the aftermath of the original execs screening of Fight Club (a fellow producer suggests Linson see a psychiatrist if he thinks this is the sort of film the studio should be producing) and a title-brainstorming session which almost results in the David Mamet survival film we know as The Edge being released in cinemas as either The Bookworm or The Bear Roared.
As wise as he is uproariously funny, Linson reveals a wry wit and a very real love of film while simultaneously proving that screenwriter William Goldman’s claim that nobody knows anything in Hollywood is a massive understatement.
Oh yes, and there’s a film adaptation (Barry Levinson, 2008) , although for reasons best known to the makers, it’s missing the ‘?’ from the title, as well as a helluva lot of other awesome things. Not a terrible picture per se but Linson’s book deserved a lot better. Me? I’d blame the producer and screenwriter, one A. Linson…