IMDb > Players (1979)

Overview

User Rating:
3.7/10   107 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Up 17% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Anthony Harvey
Writer:
Arnold Schulman (writer)
Contact:
View company contact information for Players on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
5 November 1979 (West Germany) more
Genre:
Drama | Romance | Sport more
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for Golden Globe. more
NewsDesk:
Vagabond Players' Brighton Beach Memoirs Cancelled; Speed-the-plow to Replace, Runs 4/16 Thru 5/16
 (From BroadwayWorld.com. 2 November 2009, 7:51 PM, PST)
User Comments:
Wimbledon rain delay - The Movie! more (3 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Ali MacGraw ... Nicole Boucher
Dean Paul Martin ... Chris (as Dean-Paul Martin)
Maximilian Schell ... Marco
Pancho González ... Himself (as Pancho Gonzales)

Steve Guttenberg ... Rusty (as Steven Guttenberg)
Melissa Prophet ... Ann
Guillermo Vilas ... Himself
Ion Tiriac ... Himself
Dan Maskell ... Himself - Wimbledon BBC Tennis Commentator
John McEnroe ... Himself
Ilie Nastase ... Himself
Tom Gullikson ... Himself
John Lloyd ... Himself
Dennis Ralston ... Himself (as Denis Ralston)
Vijay Amritraj ... Himself
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Additional Details

Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents
Runtime:
120 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Metrocolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Certification:
Finland:K-8 | USA:PG | West Germany:6
Filming Locations:
Wimbledon, London, England, UK
Company:
Paramount Pictures more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
7 out of 9 people found the following comment useful.
Wimbledon rain delay - The Movie!, 20 March 2004
5/10
Author: Peter Hayes from United Kingdom

A young tennis player gets romantically involved with the older mistress of a tycoon and finds that foreplay can be good for forehand.

You feel an extra sense of responsibility when writing a review of a movie that has not been reviewed before. While I wouldn't want to doubt that all the "markers" have seen the film - I would suggest that they are lightly questioned about where, when and if they saw it through to the end.

(Not even the world of zillion channel television can find room for this box office bomb - indeed I think they have stored the negative in the same strong room that the US government use for anthrax!)

This is not actually the worst sports film I have ever seen, but it is made with that lethargy that seemed to haunt the 1970's. However it is the worst film to win any kind of award, Dean Paul Martin (grandson of the other Dean Martin) was voted "Best Newcomer" at the Golden Globes. While clearly an ok tennis player (quite quick feet) all the editing in the world can't make him look world-class. Not even in the days of woodern rackets and players with 34 inch waist bands.

(Let his film history prove how good he was as an actor. He later died in a plane crash.)

This soap opera tries to steal from Love Story, Rocky and The Graduate but has nothing to put back in exchange. Ali McGraw doesn't have a lot to do other than look on with interest for a lot of the time - indeed this is often where the camera lingers in real tennis given that so many of the players have a personality by-pass. Some credit, however, for using the genuine locations for filming - climaxing at Wimbledon Centre Court no less.

There are crumbs of comfort to be had: The voice of the late Dan Maskell is sadly missed by the tennis world - the game lost its authority when he retired (he died soon after) and the world of 1970's tennis is worth seeing again if you - like me - are a tennis fan of a certain age.

While all things are relative this does have an interesting climax, but only in relation to the sleep-athon parts that went before. I would normally say "judge for yourself" but with this product you are probably not allowed to!

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