Lists
- ranked 8 in Roger Ebert's Best Films of 1992
- ranked 722 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (August 2005)
- ranked 744 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (December 2006)
- ranked 800 in They Shoot Pictures, Don't They? 1000 Greatest Films (March 2006)
- one of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
- one of AFI's 100 Years... 100 Laughs Nominees
- one of AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movies Nominees
- one of New York Film Critics Circle Best Film Winners
- one of The New York Times Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made
On the surface The Player is B-grade Hollywood fare, the story of Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins), a film studio executive caught up in lust, murder and politics. It's also clever satire of the film industry, and rich with allusions, cameos and wry commentary on its own structure.
The same metafictional ground has since been better-treat by Adaptation, but Altman's version is still clever and relevant. It's overrated the way that masturbatory exercises in Hollywood narcissism always are, but hey: if you love Hollywood even half as much as it loves itself, there's plenty here to enjoy.