The Player

The Player

1992. USA. Directed by Robert Altman. Screenplay by Michael Tolkin. With Tim Robbins, Greta Scacchi, Fred Ward, Cynthia Stevenson, Margery Bond. Tim Robbins stars in this waggish Hollywood exposé as a studio executive whose attempt to track down a screenwriter sending him hate mail results in an accidental murder and a sleazy web of lies. The crime plot doubles as an indictment of a depraved industry, as satire melds with dark comedy. A box-office success packed with star cameos and industry references, The Player announced Altman’s return to Hollywood after independent projects throughout the 1980s, but Altman never got too cozy: “As for Hollywood, they sell shoes and I make gloves. So we really aren’t in the same business.” 124 min.