Search - The Player on DVD

MPAA Rating: R Content Advisory: Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Humor, Profanity, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 1992 DVD Release: 07/16/1997 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV Edition: Special Collection Audio Tracks: English, French Subtitles: English, French, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 4 mins Studio: New Line Home Video Members Wishing: 6 Genres: Comedy, Satire, Ensemble Film, Showbiz Comedy

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

Tim Robbins - Griffin Mill
Greta Scacchi - June Gudmundsdottir
Fred Ward - Walter Stuckel
Whoopi Goldberg - Det. Susan Avery
Peter Gallagher - Larry Levy

Robert Altman junkies are in for a treat with the New Line Cinema Platinum Edition of The Player. This double-sided DVD features an anamorphic, high-definition widescreen transfer and Dolby Digital Multi-Channel Surround Sound -- enabling the appreciation of the acerbic multi-level dialogue, which is a trademark of this director. Another characteristic of Altman's work is his use of an expansive cast, and The Player's impressive array of star cameos is highlighted by a cameo filmography feature, which allows viewers to jump to the scene the particular actor appears in. There is also a one page filmography/biography on the main cast, which includes Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, and Whoopi Goldberg. The meatiest of the features comes in the form of a detailed and informative audio commentary on side A by Altman and Michael Tolkien (who wrote both the novel and screenplay ), and a featurette on the director on side B. Both are successful in taking the audience into the film's deeper themes as well as into the minds of its creators. The audio commentary is particularly terrific in the detailing of the famous eight-minute opening shot, observing each actor's part in the jigsaw of the whole and how the director linked the improvisational elements together in one continuous flow. Additional features include five deleted scenes and the original theatrical trailer. This special edition caters to both the first-timer and the aficionado, enhancing for all the appreciation of the elements in a work of such ambition. ~ Marsha Mehran, All Movie Guide