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. Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Genre: Comedy
- Category Ensemble Film, Satire, Showbiz Comedy
- Theme: Ladder to the Top, Filmmaking, Success is the Best Revenge, Work Ethics, Office Politics
- Studio: New Line Home Video
- Run Time: 02 hr 04 min
- Language: French, English
- Subtitle Language: Spanish, French
- Picture Format: widescreen
- Format: Blu-ray
- Release Date: September 7, 2010
- Lead Actor: Peter Gallagher, Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Whoopi Goldberg
- Supporting Actor: Brion James, Vincent D'Onofrio, Michael Tolkin, Scott Shaw, Margery Bond, Jeff Weston, Susan J. Emshwiller, Scott Glenn, Brian Brophy, Pamela Bowen, Stephen Tolkin, Natalie Strong, Pete Koch, Mimi Rogers, Julia Roberts, Jack Riley, Burt Reynolds, Patricia Resnick, Guy Remsen, Bert Remsen, Alexandra Powers, Nick Nolte, Jennifer Nash, Martin Mull, Jayne Meadows, Malcolm McDowell, Andie MacDowell, Marlee Matlin, Jack Lemmon, Sally Kirkland, Maxine John-James, Steve James, Kathy Ireland, Anjelica Huston, Buck Henry, David Alan Grier, Joel Grey, Elliott Gould, Jeff Goldblum, Leeza Gibbons, Teri Garr, Dennis Franz, Louise Fletcher, Kashia Figura, Felicia Farr, Peter Falk, Thereza Ellis, Paul Dooley, Brad Davis, John Cusack, Cathy Lee Crosby, James Coburn, Cher, Charles Champlin, Robert Carradine, Gary Busey, Michael Bowen, Karen Black, Shari Belafonte, Harry Belafonte, Richard Anderson, Steve Allen, Kevin Scannell, Mike E. Kaplan, Frank Barhydt, Gina Gershon, Jeremy Piven, Randall Batinkoff, Paul Hewitt, Leah Ayres, Angela Hall, Dina Merrill, Lyle Lovett, Sydney Pollack, Richard E. Grant, Dean Stockwell, Cynthia Stevenson, Marvin Young, Bruce Willis, Ray Walston, Robert Wagner, Lily Tomlin, Brian Tochi, Joan Tewkesbury, Rod Steiger, Adam Simon, Susan Sarandon, Jill St. John, Alan Rudolph, Annie Ross, René Auberjonois
- Director: Robert Altman
awards
- Awards: Golden Globe Awards (1), Cannes Film Festival Film Festival (2)
- Winner: Cannes Film Festival, Best Director, 1992, Robert Altman
- Winner: Cannes Film Festival, Best Actor, 1992, Tim Robbins
- Winner: Golden Globe Awards, Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, 1992, Tim Robbins
- Nominations: Academy Awards (3), Golden Globe Awards (2)
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Editing, 1992, Geraldine Peroni
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Director, 1992, Robert Altman
- Nominee: Golden Globe Awards, Best Director, 1992, Robert Altman
- Nominee: Academy Awards, Best Adapted Screenplay, 1992, Michael Tolkin
- Nominee: Golden Globe Awards, Best Screenplay, 1992, Michael Tolkin
