Mimsy Were the Borogoves

Movie and DVD Reviews: The best and not-so-best movies available on DVD, and whatever else catches my eye.

Mimsy Review: The Player

Reviewed by Jerry Stratton, May 24, 1999

Special features

Cameo Guide6
Commentary Track4
Deleted Scenes3

Whether or not you like this movie seems to depend solely on whether or not you take part in the movie industry. Insiders like it. Everyone else can give it a miss.

RecommendationSpecial Interests Only
DirectorRobert Altman
WriterMichael Tolkin
Movie Rating3
Transfer Quality8
Overall Rating3
Formats
  • Enhanced Widescreen

The basic storyline is not very nice and thus has a lot of potential, most of it wasted. Tim Robbins plays a studio executive in a power struggle with a new co-worker. His job is to listen to writers sell their ideas, choose a tiny, tiny number of them, and work them up to and through filming. He’s a jerk to people below him (writers) and an ass-kisser to those above him. There are threats against his life. He decides to take pre-emptive action and kills the person he thinks is responsible. Police Detective Whoopi Goldberg is on his trail. He falls in love with his victim’s girlfriend. Blah blah blah. A nice twisty sort of ending but not really worth getting to.

Recommendation: Special Interests Only

DirectorRobert Altman
WriterMichael Tolkin
Based onThe Player (book)
ActorTim Robbins
Spoken languagesEnglish, French
SubtitlesEnglish, French, Spanish
Special FeaturesCameo Guide, Commentary Track, Deleted Scenes
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