The Player

Name: The Player
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Comedy, Romance
Released: April 3, 1992
Duration: 124 min
Rating: 86
Cast: Greta Scacchi, Tim Robbins

1992

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 20 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 62 Ratings

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8.1	User Score Universal acclaim based on 62 Ratings

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The Player

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Movie Details & Credits

Fine Line Features | Release Date: April 3, 1992 | R

Starring: Greta Scacchi, Tim Robbins

Summary: A Hollywood studio executive (Tim Robbins) with a shaky moral compass finds himself caught up in a criminal situation that would be right at home in one of his movie projects, in this biting industry satire from Robert Altman. Mixing elements of film noir with sly insider comedy, The Player, based on a novel by Michael Tolkin, functions asA Hollywood studio executive (Tim Robbins) with a shaky moral compass finds himself caught up in a criminal situation that would be right at home in one of his movie projects, in this biting industry satire from Robert Altman. Mixing elements of film noir with sly insider comedy, The Player, based on a novel by Michael Tolkin, functions as both a nifty stylish murder story and a commentary on its own making, and it is stocked with a heroic supporting cast (Peter Gallagher, Whoopi Goldberg, Greta Scacchi, Dean Stockwell, Fred Ward) and a lineup of star cameos that make for an astonishing Hollywood who’s who. This complexly woven grand entertainment (which kicks off with one of American cinema’s most audacious and acclaimed opening shots) was the film that marked Altman’s triumphant commercial comeback in the early 1990s.… Expand

Director: Robert Altman

Genre(s): Drama, Mystery, Thriller, Comedy, Romance, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 124 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Richard Corliss

Michael Tolkin's script abounds in such cynical wisdom, but it never loses an appreciation for the grace with which these snakes consume their victims. [13 April 1992]

100

Gene Siskel

What "M.A.S.H." did to service comedies, what "McCabe and Mrs. Miller" did to westerns, what "The Long Goodbye" did to detective pictures, The Player does the to Hollywood success story. [24 April 1992]

100

Terrence Rafferty

With breathtaking assurance, the movie veers from psychological-thriller suspense to goofball comedy to icy satire: it's Patricia Highsmith meets Monty Python meets Nathaniel West. [20 Apr 1992, p.81]

100

Edward Guthmann

Remarkable also for the uniform excellence of its cast, and for the pleasure [Altman's] actors take in the wide berth he allows them. [24 Apr 1992]

Staff (Not Credited)

Mercilessly satiric yet good-natured, this enormously entertaining slam dunk quite possibly is the most resonant Hollywood saga since the days of "Sunset Blvd." and "The Bad and the Beautiful."

Steve Davis

From its brilliant and sublime opening sequence to its self-reflexive ending, The Player distills everything that's wrong with the American film industry with the precision of someone who's been there. Read full review

Stanley Kauffmann

In crudest terms, there's no one to root for, and unlike Mamet or Pinter, for instance, the story isn't remotely strong enough to thrive without such a center… [The film s]trains hard to be smart and is ultimately repellent. [11 May 1992]

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User Reviews

NasirShakur

Jul 21, 2021

An incredibly funny and potent satire on Hollywood which truly stands the test of time and quite possibly gets better with age.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

wrangham

Dec 22, 2011

This film is one of the best satires on Hollywood ever made. Only Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard beats it.
Tim Robbin's is a movie executive who screenwriters come to get there scripts made into films. When he starts receiving death threats from a screenwriter he turned down in the pastThis film is one of the best satires on Hollywood ever made. Only Billy Wilder's Sunset Boulevard beats it.
Tim Robbin's is a movie executive who screenwriters come to get there scripts made into films. When he starts receiving death threats from a screenwriter he turned down in the past his life takes a dramatic turn for the worst.
The thriller plot is great but conversations about films overheard in the background of the movie are partly what make this a very interesting film to watch again and again. The main character murders someone in cold blood. Only a truly great filmmaker could make us care for him and take his side throughout. This film is a marvellously devilish satire.… Expand

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

Spangle

Feb 27, 2015

Directed by the legendary Robert Altman, The Player is a riveting tale of murder, suspense, and Hollywood, featuring stellar acting from a largely low-key cast (other than Tim Robbins, who isn't huge and wasn't at the time for sure). Great direction and acting bolster this one greatly, butDirected by the legendary Robert Altman, The Player is a riveting tale of murder, suspense, and Hollywood, featuring stellar acting from a largely low-key cast (other than Tim Robbins, who isn't huge and wasn't at the time for sure). Great direction and acting bolster this one greatly, but really, it is the fantastic writing that wraps it all up with a bow, as this one is the complete package. I find Hollywood and the behind the scenes stuff endlessly interesting, so this one is of course going to be in the wheelhouse, but I enjoyed the satirical tone of the film and how it blended with the serious elements of murder. The imagery and symbolism is also very cool here and worthy of mention, as it is those small elements that really make this one a cool watch. Very intriguing, slightly funny, and brilliantly put together, The Player is a winner.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Compi24

May 5, 2018

Legendary director Robert Altman delivers a fittingly misanthropic and jet black glimpse into the abyss that can be (is?) Los Angeles and the Hollywood studio system with "The Player," a cleverly plotted and staged satire with a whole lot to say about the effects that the market can have onLegendary director Robert Altman delivers a fittingly misanthropic and jet black glimpse into the abyss that can be (is?) Los Angeles and the Hollywood studio system with "The Player," a cleverly plotted and staged satire with a whole lot to say about the effects that the market can have on forms of creativity and the morality puzzles that can sometimes lie within. Interestingly, this film mirrors a couple of other films from the early 90's involving the same sort of subject matter - "Barton Fink" and "Swimming With Sharks." And while both of these films do different things well enough, I think if I'm to judge which actually functions the best as a soul-crushing jab at the infrastructural behemoth that is Hollywood, I'm going to have to side with "The Player." There's just something about the dire, thrilling, hilarious, romantic, and terrifying tones juggled all throughout this film that left me feeling pretty impressed. And the performances are all in order as well, with a terrific turn from Tim Robbins in particular. And though it's no "Gosford Park," it's definitely one of the more impressive Altman film's I've seen.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Deanomite

Jan 29, 2020

This is a good satire, one of the best of late Altman, the relationship between Tim Robbins and Cynthia Stevenson. Not the best in any category but the time flew by.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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