The Player (1992)
Directed by Robert Altman
Genres - Comedy, Drama, Mystery, Crime |
Sub-Genres - Satire, Showbiz Comedy, Ensemble Film |
Release Date - Apr 10, 1992 (USA) |
Run Time - 123 min. |
Countries - United States |
MPAA Rating - R
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Synopsis by Paul Brenner
Robert Altman takes a scalpel to Hollywood ethics in the 1990s (or the lack thereof) in his acidic satire The Player, adapted from Michael Tolkin's novel. (Tolkin also wrote the screenplay.) The film concerns a sleek and smooth Hollywood studio executive who starts receiving death threats from a disgruntled writer because he has committed the ultimate Hollywood sin -- he promised the writer he would call him back and he never did. This is particularly ironic because the studio executive, Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins), is considered "writer-friendly," spending his days listening to pitches from such noted screenwriters as Buck Henry, who is pushing "The Graduate, Part II" and Alan Rudolph, who is hawking a Bruce Willis action film described as "Ghost meets The Manchurian Candidate." But The Player finds Griffin's comfortable life style in danger of collapse. He is trying to find a way to unload his girlfriend (Cynthia Stevenson) whose independence and intelligence make her a poor candidate for a trophy wife. More importantly, it seems that Larry Levy (Peter Gallagher), a slippery executive from Twentieth Century Fox, is angling for his job. And then there are those nasty postcards and faxes from a screenwriter threatening to kill him. Altman cast over 65 stars in cameo roles as texture for his scabrous tale.
Characteristics
Moods
Themes
Keywords
behind-the-scenes, filmmaker, producer [showbiz], business, greed, screenwriter, career, executive, Hollywood, industry, investigation, power, harassment, writing, killing, mistaken-identity, murder, self-protection, suspect
Attributes
High Artistic Quality