THE PLAYER

The Player is the most important movie in my life. It made me fall in love with movies. It remains among the big screen’s best satires.

It's been about 23 years since I first saw The Player. Since then, I have seen the film at least another 30 times. And each and every time the movie is an utter delight.

A biting satire of Hollywood dealings, The Player features everything you could wish for in a film: a cracking narrative, sublime dialogue, superb performances (especially by a never better Tim Robbins) and technical prowess, exemplified by that extraordinary 8-minute, one-take opening shot.

But foremost, The Player is a Robert Altman movie. The director, thwarted by Tinseltown more than once in his career, gleefully bites the hand that feeds him and revels in his own idiosyncratic style.

The Player changed my life when I saw it. It made me fall madly in love with movies. I love it still, now more than ever.

release: 1992

director: Robert Altman

starring: Tim Robbins, Greta Schacci, Fred Ward, Whoopi Goldberg