Who Wrote It?
The Player was
written by Michael Tolkin, and based on his novel of the same name.
How Long Is It?
The Player is 124 minutes long, including credits.
What’s It About?
The Player follows Griffin Mill (played by Tim Robbins), an
executive at a film studio with the job of approving or rejecting the numerous
scripts he sees. When he begins to receive threatening letters, he suspects
David Kahane (played by Vincent D’Onofrio), a hot-tempered screenwriter whose
idea he had dismissed in the past, of sending them, and goes to Pasadena to
confront him. During a heated brawl, Griffin accidently kills David, but as the
threats continue, he realises that he was going after the wrong man. This
forces Griffin to try and cover up his crime, whilst avoiding being exposed in
an investigation conducted by Detective Avery (played by Whoopi Goldberg). He
also has to deal with a rival for his job, whilst conducting a romance with
David’s widow June Gudmundsdottir (played by Greta Scacchi)
5 Screenwriting Lessons – The Player
(The Following May Contain Spoilers)
Demonstrate
Movie Knowledge – The Player relies heavily on “in-jokes”, which can
be understood by those with an advanced knowledge of movies. One of these is a
reference to the successful erotic thriller Fatal Attraction. Shortly after Griffin kills David, we hear an executive
mention the fact that the movie’s ending was changed as a result of audience
feedback. The specifics of this change are not mentioned in the scene, but
Fatal Attraction’s initial, darker, ending was replaced by a more mainstream
climax in which the protagonist kills his unhinged stalker in a fight in the bathroom.
This allusion has two purposes. First of all, it reflects the action we have
just seen, implying that Griffin’s actions will have far greater repercussions
then they do in the movies. It also sets up the changes that the studio will
make to their movie Habeas Corpus,
demonstrating that they will always put audience approval before creative
freedom, therefore establishing a major theme of the movie. As a result, a
seemingly innocuous piece of movie trivia that reflects the Hollywood execs’
obsession with movies turns out to be significant for both the characters and
the story.
There are also a number of in-jokes which do not pertain
directly to the plot, but instead focus on the large number of celebrities who
cameoed. Sixty actors, 12 of whom were Oscar winners, made cameos in the movie,
and there are a number of allusions to their fame, for example a scene in which
Griffin is accosted by Malcom MacDowell, an actor famous for playing threatening characters in violent movies such as A Clockwork
Orange. This adds a degree of realism to the movie, as fictional characters
are interacting with these celebrities as if they were real people in their
world as well, and the dialogue between the characters and celebrities would
feel plausible in Hollywood. However, this gimmick also adds to the artifice
inherent in the story. Even when an actor is playing a character within the
film, their celebrity status is made clear throughout. Detective Avery is
introduced holding an Oscar, a reference to Whoopi Goldberg’s win for her role
in the movie Ghost, which occurred
just a year before The Player was released. The large number of stars making
gratuitous appearances reflects the belief that Hollywood movies rely too much
on star power, but at the same time, The Player takes this convention to its
logical extremes.
Meta-humour
Can Be Easy to Understand – Meta-humour is a term used for comedy that is about
the telling of jokes, and the use of jokes about filmmaking in The Player is
key to its irreverent approach. The opening scene depicts everyday life on the
backlot of a typical Hollywood studio. It moves between various execs
discussing movies, studio tours, and pitches being conducted in the rooms
overlooking the space, with all these elements being shown in a single
eight-minute shot. The scene introduces the characters of Griffin and Bonnie, and
establishes the former as the protagonist by setting up the threat to his job,
and ending with him receiving his first poison pen letter. The unusual nature
of this introduction is highlighted by two employees discussing Hollywood’s
obsession with constant cuts, and talking about similar single-take openings,
such as the beginning of the classic movie Touch
of Evil. This sets up the “Postmodern” tone of the movie, in which the
reality of Hollywood is deconstructed to reveal that the movie studios are just
as artificial as the films they make.
The ending is another example of meta-humour, as it proves that
The Player is set in a world guided by movie conventions instead of more
sensible outcomes. In the final scene, Griffin receives one last call from his
blackmailer, who presents the story of Griffin’s crime and escape in the form
of a pitch, and promises to provide a Hollywood ending for him “if the price is
right”. This is followed by Griffin’s return to June, and the closing lines of
the film are the same as the closing lines that follow Habeas Corpus’ tacked-on
happy ending (“What took you so long?” “Traffic was a Bitch”). This
demonstrates that the resolution of the movie is primarily based on the
audience’s desire for a completely happy ending. In providing one for Griffin
despite his actions, the film aims to make viewers question the ease with which
it was attained, and therefore point out how problematic a formulaic Hollywood
ending can be when applied to a situation where it’s undeserved.
Increase
Suspense – The Player climaxes with a scene in which Griffin is put
in a police line-up, and has to avoid being identified as David’s killer by a
witness. As the detectives move through each of the suspects in turn, the
tension is increased by the inexorable progress of the procedure, as it is
already clear that Detective Avery believes that Griffin is guilty of
first-degree murder. This puts him at a disadvantage, and leaves the audience
wondering how he will manage to escape. Therefore, when the witness identifies
the wrong person as the culprit, it is easy for the viewer to feel Griffin’s
relief, in spite of the fact he has just gotten away with murder, as the
outcome he had expected and feared is avoided in dramatic fashion.
Another tense scene occurs at the end of the first act, and
Griffin goes to Dave’s house to try and find him. His call is intercepted by
June, and, as he talks to her, he tries to spy on her through the window whilst
avoiding detection. Although David is out of the house, the risk of being
exposed by June could ruin Griffin’s chances of creating peace with him and
ending the increasingly vicious threats that he has been receiving. Furthermore,
as Griffin talks to June, he begins to develop feelings for her, and the
prospect of this makes reconciliation with David even less likely. Putting a
character in jeopardy is a good way of making the audience interested in them,
and the threat Griffin faces, whilst mostly his own fault, is serious enough
for most viewers to relate to his desire to be free of it.
Focus on
Primal Issues – Griffin is a notable example of an antihero who can
interest the audience in spite of his unlikeable behaviour. Even before he
kills David, he is demanding specific brands of water from a waiter, and
complaining when it is served in a wine glass as opposed to a more traditional
one. However, when he commits the murder that should make audiences hate him
even more, it is a panic-based accident. Because the circumstances in which the
crime was committed are easy to understand, the audiences becomes interested in
seeing whether or not Griffin can avoid the murder conviction which he now
faces.
One example of the emphasis on basic feelings that can be
understood by all viewers is the subplot focusing on the making of a legal
thriller called Habeas Corpus. The script is depicted as being very pretentious,
relying almost entirely on its bleak denouement, and the enthusiasm with which
the writers accept the happy ending imposed on it at the end reveals that their
focus on making a “serious” movie was little more than a marketing gimmick to
attract audience attention. However, for all its melodrama, the basic concept
of Habeas Corpus (a prosecutor tries to get an innocent woman executed in a bid
to subvert Capital Punishment statistics) is highly dramatic and therefore
intriguing. As a result, it feels like a movie that Hollywood could conceivably
make (Michael Tolkin was allegedly approached to turn it into a real film), and
this increases both the realism of the world in which the Hollywood executives
operate, and the accuracy of the satire.
Understand
the Realities of the Industry – With its emphasis on the
realities of Hollywood, The Player places a significant amount of focus on role
of screenwriters in the movie industry. The opening scene features a lot of
screenwriters pitching stories with outlandish premises that can be summed up
by comparing two existing movies; For example, When Griffin receives his first
threat, he is listening to a pitch describing a story as “Ghost meets The Manchurian Candidate”. This
simplistic style of pitching grabs the attention, but makes the movies seem
highly formulaic, establishing that Griffin and the other executives would
rather have a marketable film than an original one.
There are also a number of instances where excerpts from screenplays
are read out loud. Bonnie reads a poorly-written, mechanical, sex scene from a
popular script to Griffin, whilst the writers of Habeas Corpus begin their
pitch with short sharp sentences and vivid descriptions that attract Griffin’s
attention, but highlight the ostentatious nature of the project. The Player is
primarily focused on storytelling, but the way in which a script is written
reflects the approach the writers are taking to their material. Even though the
screenwriting industry is portrayed in a rather unflattering light, the
observation that storytelling is one of the most important aspects of a movie can
be highly valuable to anyone trying to write a strong script.
Summary
The Player is a great example of a satire that can be highly
vicious towards its primary target, the people working for the movie industry
in Hollywood, but is light-hearted enough to be enjoyed by them as well. It
uses creative meta-humour, and manages to be intriguing and suspenseful enough
to catch the audience’s attention, in spite of the unlikeable protagonist.
However, the most important reason for The Player’s success as a satire is its knowledge
of the movie industry and the aggressive manner in which it operates. This provides
the film with a level of insight that is just as relevant today as it was upon
its release in 1992. As a result of this, The Player is an especially good film
to watch if you’re familiar with the movie industry, as any budding screenwriter
should be.
