Cher - The Player Review

The Player - 1992

Movie Review

An ambitious movie studio executive starts receiving death threats from a rejected screenwriter, a symbol for his nagging conscience which a man like him can ill afford. In order to keep his professional composure, the executive is driven to murder. An ascerbic masterpiece featuring cameos by virtually every top star in Hollywood. Academy Award Nominations: 2, including Best Director, Best (Adapted) Screenplay. Studio executive Griffin Mill has been receiving threatening postcards from an unidentified writer. Adding to his pressure is the fact that his position as heir apparent at the Studio is being threatened by a hungry young upstart, Larry Levy. Attempting to track down the postcard-writer, Mill inadvertently kills writer David Kahane (believing him to be the culprit) and now must also fight to stay out of prison and to cope with his own feelings of guilt. Cher stars in a cameo role.

Stars: Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Whoopi Goldberg, Fred Ward, Peter Gallagher, Cynthia Stevenson, Sydney Pollack, Julia Roberts, Mimi Rogers, Gina Gershon, Lyle Lovett, Randall Batinkoff, Vincent D'Onofrio, Elliott Gould, Sally Kellerman, Lily Tomlin, Brion James, Richard E. Grant, Dean Stockwell, Cher, Dina Merrill, Steve James, Maxine John, Sally Kirkland, Marlee Matlin, Andie MacDowell, Malcolm McDowell, Jayne Meadows, Martin Mull, Jennifer Nash, Nick Nolte, Alexandra Powers, Bert Remsen, Guy Remsen, Patricia Resnick, Burt Reynolds, Jack Riley, Annie Ross, Alan Rudolph, Jill St. John, Susan Sarandon, Adam Simon, Rod Steiger, Joan Tewkesbury, Brian Tochi, Robert Wagner, Ray Walston, Bruce Willis, Marvin Young, Althea Gibson, Scott Shaw, Rene Auberjonois, Gary Busey, Jeremy Piven, Michael Tolkin, Angela Hall, Margery Bond, Susan Emshwiller, Jeff Weston, Pamela Bowen

Director: Robert Altman; Editor: Geraldine Peroni

Rating: R (MPAA)
Format: DVD & VHS; Run Time: 124 min
Audio: Dolby Surround AC-3, AC3
Originally Released: 1992

Notes: Michael Tolkin won the 1992 Best Adapted Screenplay Award from the Writers Guild of America and from the London Film Critics Circle. Film was nominated for the 1992 Independent Spirit Best Picture Award by the IFP/West. NATO/Showest honored Whoopi Goldberg as 1992 Female Star of the Year. Robert Altman was named Best Director of 1992 by the London Film Critics Circle and by the Boston Society of Film Critics.

In the novel's ending, Griffin loses his job and goes to work for a production company that works out of an office building. Larry Levy moves into the head office of the Studio.

Screenwriter Michael Tolkin and his brother Stephen, also a screenwriter, appear in the film as the "Schecter brothers," a takeoff on the Coen brothers, the independent filmmakers responsible for such films as "Blood Simple" and "Barton Fink."

Features a clip from Vittorio DeSica's "The Bicycle Thief."

Karaoke videos by Larry "Doc" Karman. June's artwork was created by Sydney Cooper.

Director Altman said "The Player" shows that, "Hollywood is about greed and making as much money as you can and trying to get rid of all the artists. Of course, they can't really get rid of us -- we just keep picking up and going on. In 'The Player' the studio executives would like to get rid of the writers because they cost so much money. When Hollywood runs out of films to copy or make remakes of, they'll have to turn to writers, who are the people coming up with all the real films.
"As long as audiences support formula films that are all the same and have these happy scripts with happy endings, I think there will be people to make them. Only the audience can really stop Hollywood from making them. I complain a lot about the Hollywood system because it's a system of copying art. The majority of films that are made are set up as though to say, 'We'll make this kind of film, we'll copy it.' The director is hired, then fired if he doesn't copy it the way they want him to. The majority of American films are manufactured products. We're talking about the difference between art and product. That's what I think this is really about. It's hard to get money to make a film because most of the money goes to marketing -- selling boxes that are empty rather than being concerned about what is in the box."

The extremely long opening shot in "The Player" was reportedly inspired by the legendary establishing shot at the beginning of Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil."

Not to be confused with the 1979 tennis picture "Players," starring Ali MacGraw and Dean Paul Martin.

Criterion's laserdisc is CAV and features such bells and whistles as a widescreen transfer; commentary by Altman, Tolkin, & Lepine on an alternative soundtrack; 150 production stills with captions; an annotated photo history of films about Hollywood; theatrical trailers and TV spots, including Japanese versions; an Owen Gleiberman essay on the jacket; a discussion with 20 screenwriters; a map to the stars; an illustrated Altman filmography; and additional, unused scenes like "Jeff Daniels swinging a club" and "Patrick Swayze sparring with Stuckel." Image Entertainment's laserdisc is CLV, panned and scanned, and has no extra material.

Estimated budget $8 million.

Filmed in Los Angeles and Two Bunch Palms, California; and Mexico. Filming began June 16, 1991; completed August 9, 1991. Shot in DeLuxe color; Ultra-Stereo. Titles and opticals by Mercer Title & Optical. Title Design by Dan Perri.

Screened at Cleveland International Film Festival (opening film), San Francisco Film Festival (opening film), Cannes Film Festival (in competition), and San Sebastian Film Festival in 1992.
Released in New York City and Los Angeles April 10, 1992. Release expanded in USA April 24, May 1, and May 8. Released on video March 31, 1993.
Reviewed in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times April 10, 1992.
Copyright 1992 Avenue Entertainment, Inc.
Available to buy in the UK.

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				The Player - 1992

	Movie Review An ambitious movie studio executive starts receiving death threats from a rejected screenwriter, a symbol for his nagging conscience which a man like him can ill afford. In order to keep his professional composure, the executive is driven to murder. An ascerbic masterpiece featuring cameos by virtually every top star in Hollywood. Academy Award Nominations: 2, including Best Director, Best (Adapted) Screenplay. Studio executive Griffin Mill has been receiving threatening postcards from an unidentified writer. Adding to his pressure is the fact that his position as heir apparent at the Studio is being threatened by a hungry young upstart, Larry Levy. Attempting to track down the postcard-writer, Mill inadvertently kills writer David Kahane (believing him to be the culprit) and now must also fight to stay out of prison and to cope with his own feelings of guilt. Cher stars in a cameo role.

	Stars: Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Whoopi Goldberg, Fred Ward, Peter Gallagher, Cynthia Stevenson, Sydney Pollack, Julia Roberts, Mimi Rogers, Gina Gershon, Lyle Lovett, Randall Batinkoff, Vincent D'Onofrio, Elliott Gould, Sally Kellerman, Lily Tomlin, Brion James, Richard E. Grant, Dean Stockwell, Cher, Dina Merrill, Steve James, Maxine John, Sally Kirkland, Marlee Matlin, Andie MacDowell, Malcolm McDowell, Jayne Meadows, Martin Mull, Jennifer Nash, Nick Nolte, Alexandra Powers, Bert Remsen, Guy Remsen, Patricia Resnick, Burt Reynolds, Jack Riley, Annie Ross, Alan Rudolph, Jill St. John, Susan Sarandon, Adam Simon, Rod Steiger, Joan Tewkesbury, Brian Tochi, Robert Wagner, Ray Walston, Bruce Willis, Marvin Young, Althea Gibson, Scott Shaw, Rene Auberjonois, Gary Busey, Jeremy Piven, Michael Tolkin, Angela Hall, Margery Bond, Susan Emshwiller, Jeff Weston, Pamela Bowen Director: Robert Altman; Editor: Geraldine Peroni Rating: R (MPAA) Format: DVD & VHS; Run Time: 124 min Audio: Dolby Surround AC-3, AC3 Originally Released: 1992 Notes: Michael Tolkin won the 1992 Best Adapted Screenplay Award from the Writers Guild of America and from the London Film Critics Circle. Film was nominated for the 1992 Independent Spirit Best Picture Award by the IFP/West. NATO/Showest honored Whoopi Goldberg as 1992 Female Star of the Year. Robert Altman was named Best Director of 1992 by the London Film Critics Circle and by the Boston Society of Film Critics. In the novel's ending, Griffin loses his job and goes to work for a production company that works out of an office building. Larry Levy moves into the head office of the Studio. Screenwriter Michael Tolkin and his brother Stephen, also a screenwriter, appear in the film as the "Schecter brothers," a takeoff on the Coen brothers, the independent filmmakers responsible for such films as "Blood Simple" and "Barton Fink." Features a clip from Vittorio DeSica's "The Bicycle Thief." Karaoke videos by Larry "Doc" Karman. June's artwork was created by Sydney Cooper. Director Altman said "The Player" shows that, "Hollywood is about greed and making as much money as you can and trying to get rid of all the artists. Of course, they can't really get rid of us -- we just keep picking up and going on. In 'The Player' the studio executives would like to get rid of the writers because they cost so much money. When Hollywood runs out of films to copy or make remakes of, they'll have to turn to writers, who are the people coming up with all the real films. "As long as audiences support formula films that are all the same and have these happy scripts with happy endings, I think there will be people to make them. Only the audience can really stop Hollywood from making them. I complain a lot about the Hollywood system because it's a system of copying art. The majority of films that are made are set up as though to say, 'We'll make this kind of film, we'll copy it.' The director is hired, then fired if he doesn't copy it the way they want him to. The majority of American films are manufactured products. We're talking about the difference between art and product. That's what I think this is really about. It's hard to get money to make a film because most of the money goes to marketing -- selling boxes that are empty rather than being concerned about what is in the box." The extremely long opening shot in "The Player" was reportedly inspired by the legendary establishing shot at the beginning of Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil." Not to be confused with the 1979 tennis picture "Players," starring Ali MacGraw and Dean Paul Martin. Criterion's laserdisc is CAV and features such bells and whistles as a widescreen transfer; commentary by Altman, Tolkin, & Lepine on an alternative soundtrack; 150 production stills with captions; an annotated photo history of films about Hollywood; theatrical trailers and TV spots, including Japanese versions; an Owen Gleiberman essay on the jacket; a discussion with 20 screenwriters; a map to the stars; an illustrated Altman filmography; and additional, unused scenes like "Jeff Daniels swinging a club" and "Patrick Swayze sparring with Stuckel." Image Entertainment's laserdisc is CLV, panned and scanned, and has no extra material. Estimated budget $8 million. Filmed in Los Angeles and Two Bunch Palms, California; and Mexico. Filming began June 16, 1991; completed August 9, 1991. Shot in DeLuxe color; Ultra-Stereo. Titles and opticals by Mercer Title & Optical. Title Design by Dan Perri. Screened at Cleveland International Film Festival (opening film), San Francisco Film Festival (opening film), Cannes Film Festival (in competition), and San Sebastian Film Festival in 1992. Released in New York City and Los Angeles April 10, 1992. Release expanded in USA April 24, May 1, and May 8. Released on video March 31, 1993. Reviewed in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times April 10, 1992. Copyright 1992 Avenue Entertainment, Inc. Available to buy in the UK.