April 12, 2022
'The Player'
The Ringer's Bill Simmons, Sean Fennessey, and The New York Times' Wesley Morris were just thinking what an interesting concept it is to eliminate the podcaster from the podcasting process. They revisit Robert Altman's satirical film 'The Player' starring Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, and Fred Ward.
Cast
Tim Robbins as Griffin Mill
Whoopi Goldberg as Detective Avery
Lyle Lovett as Detective DeLongpre
Greta Scacchi as June Gudmundsdottir
Vincent D'Onofrio as David Kahane
Peter Gallagher as Larry Levy
Fred Ward as Walter Stuckel
Sydney Pollack as Dick Mellen
Directed by: Robert Altman
Written by: Michael Tolkin
Notes
- Altman called The Player 'my fourth comeback.'
- Bill remembers seeing this in the theater on the East Coast and being fascinated by Hollywood from 3,000 miles away – between this and Larry Sanders, he assumed that's what Hollywood was really like.
- Sean considers Altman one of his top five favorite filmmakers ever.
- Wesley describes Altman's directing style as having a 'substitute teacher, teacher's away quality' where everybody gets to misbehave.
- Altman was offered full studio financing if he cast a bigger star than Tim Robbins; he said 'fuck you' and financed it himself (hence Spelling Entertainment).
- 65 celebrities made cameos including 13 Oscar winners and 15 other Oscar nominees.
- Three Oscar nominations: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing. Two Golden Globe wins.
- $8 million budget, made $29 million.
- Paul Thomas Anderson was deeply influenced by Altman – the opening of 'Boogie Nights' basically tries to do The Player's opening shot.
- Julia Roberts had only been famous for about two years when this was made, yet was already the default suggestion for every movie.
- Julia Roberts likely met Lyle Lovett on or because of this film.
- Griffin Mill's opening line: 'I was just thinking, what an interesting concept it is to eliminate the writer from the artistic process.'
- The opening shot: 7 minutes 47 seconds, 15 takes required, they used the 10th.
Categories
Roger Ebert's review
Quote from Rog's review:
“The Player is a smart movie and a funny one. It is also absolutely of its time.”
Ebert called it 'the movie The Bonfire of the Vanities wanted to be.'
Most re-watchable scene
- The 7-minute 47-second opening shot – Buck Henry pitching 'The Graduate 2,' meta commentary about tracking shots, movie pitches using metaphors.
- Griffin hunts down D'Onofrio at the theater showing Bicycle Thieves – 'I can write, what can you do?'
- The hotel pool pitch meeting for Habeas Corpus – 'no stars and a depressing ending.'
- Seeing the finished Habeas Corpus with Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis – 'What took you so long? Traffic was a bitch.'
- The ending: Griffin gets the pitch for 'The Player' as he drives home.
- The Whoopi Goldberg interrogation scenes – tampon scene, lineup scene.
What aged the best?
- Early 1990s Hollywood as a mysterious, pre-Internet place.
- The concept of a movie with no stars being a shocking idea.
- Sydney Pollack the actor – this set off a chain of roles after a 10-year drought.
- Julia Roberts and Bruce Willis being suggested for every movie as a running bit.
- The movie's prediction about the death of stars and great screenwriting coming true 30 years later.
- Every time Griffin enters a bar or restaurant, he orders a different brand of bottled water.
What aged the worst?
- Fax machines in the car and giant old-school mobile phones.
- Greta Scacchi's character – not fully developed, unclear motivations.
- The Range Rover as the vehicle of power.
- The clothes – oversized double-breasted suits.
Casting what-ifs
- Chevy Chase wanted to play Griffin Mill; Warner Brothers said no.
- Altman was considering John Travolta for the lead at one point.
- Scenes with Jeff Daniels and Patrick Swayze were filmed but cut.
Best "that guy"
- Brion James as Joel Levinson (the studio head).
- Richard E. Grant as Tom Oakley, the Habeas Corpus pitcher.
Over-acting award
Bonnie's last scene (Cynthia Stevenson) – the wheels come off a little bit.
Best "heat check" performance
Whoopi Goldberg – only in three scenes but dominates every one. Tampon scene, lifting the Oscar and saying 'this is heavy' a year after winning for Ghost.
Re-casting couch
- Robert De Niro for the Fred Ward part.
- Jennifer Jason Leigh for the Bonnie part (Cynthia Stevenson's role).
Half-assed (internet) research
- Greta Scacchi said no nudity – the sex scene was filmed from the neck up.
- Burt Reynolds improvised his scene knowing nothing about Griffin Mill but still managed to improvise that he was an asshole.
- Altman financed it himself after refusing to cast a bigger star than Robbins.
- 65 celebrities made cameos including 13 Oscar winners.
Apex Mountain
- Tim Robbins: No (Shawshank and Dead Man Walking coming).
- Robert Altman: Nashville is his apex.
- Whoopi Goldberg: No, it's Ghost.
- Thanksgiving movies: Discussed – meta Hollywood movies category.
Picking nits
- How does Greta Scacchi not see Griffin through the window when he's five feet away?
- How would David Kahane know so much about the studio with no internet?
- Why did the postcard guy stop messing with Griffin for about a year?
Sequel, prequel, prestige TV or untouchable?
- Could be a 10-episode Netflix show – update with the Internet, give each character their own episode.
- Sean suggests adapting the book rather than remaking the movie.
What memorabilia would you want (or not want!) from the movie?
- Sean: The M poster (Fritz Lang movie) from Griffin's office.
- Wesley: Tim Robbins' Rolls Royce.
Who won the movie?
Robert Altman – huge comeback, his 'fourth comeback,' incredible winner.