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Michael Tolkin (screenplay)
Michael Tolkin (novel)
10 April 1992 (USA) more
The Best Movie Ever Made!" - Griffin Mill more
A studio executive is being blackmailed by a writer whose script he rejected but which one? Loaded with Hollywood insider jokes. full summary | add synopsis
Nominated for 3 Oscars. Another 20 wins & 10 nominations more
Warner Bros. Remaking ‘Captain Blood’…In Space
(From Screen Rant. 3 August 2009, 1:37 PM, PDT)
Captain Blood Remake Will Be Set In Space
(From Cinema Blend. 31 July 2009, 10:09 AM, PDT)
Joe Gillis calling... more (115 total)
| Tim Robbins | ... | Griffin Mill | |
| Greta Scacchi | ... | June Gudmundsdottir | |
| Fred Ward | ... | Walter Stuckel | |
| Whoopi Goldberg | ... | Detective Avery | |
| Peter Gallagher | ... | Larry Levy | |
| Brion James | ... | Joel Levison | |
| Cynthia Stevenson | ... | Bonnie Sherow | |
| Vincent D'Onofrio | ... | David Kahane | |
| Dean Stockwell | ... | Andy Civella | |
| Richard E. Grant | ... | Tom Oakley | |
| Sydney Pollack | ... | Dick Mellon | |
| Lyle Lovett | ... | Detective DeLongpre | |
| Dina Merrill | ... | Celia | |
| Angela Hall | ... | Jan | |
| Leah Ayres | ... | Sandy | |
| Paul Hewitt | ... | Jimmy Chase | |
| Randall Batinkoff | ... | Reg Goldman | |
| Jeremy Piven | ... | Steve Reeves | |
| Gina Gershon | ... | Whitney Gersh | |
| Frank Barhydt | ... | Frank Murphy | |
| Mike Kaplan | ... | Marty Grossman (as Mike E. Kaplan) | |
| Kevin Scannell | ... | Gar Girard | |
| Margery Bond | ... | Witness | |
| Susan Emshwiller | ... | Detective Broom | |
| Brian Brophy | ... | Phil (voice) | |
| Michael Tolkin | ... | Eric Schecter | |
| Stephen Tolkin | ... | Carl Schecter | |
| Natalie Strong | ... | Natalie | |
| Peter Koch | ... | Walter (as Pete Koch) | |
| Pamela Bowen | ... | Trixie | |
| Jeff Celentano | ... | Rocco (as Jeff Weston) | |
| Steve Allen | ... | Himself | |
| Richard Anderson | ... | Himself | |
| Rene Auberjonois | ... | Himself | |
| Harry Belafonte | ... | Himself | |
| Shari Belafonte | ... | Herself | |
| Karen Black | ... | Herself | |
| Michael Bowen | ... | Himself | |
| Gary Busey | ... | Himself | |
| Robert Carradine | ... | Himself | |
| Charles Champlin | ... | Himself | |
| Cher | ... | Herself | |
| James Coburn | ... | Himself | |
| Cathy Lee Crosby | ... | Herself | |
| John Cusack | ... | Himself | |
| Brad Davis | ... | Himself | |
| Paul Dooley | ... | Himself | |
| Thereza Ellis | ... | Herself | |
| Peter Falk | ... | Himself | |
| Felicia Farr | ... | Herself | |
| Katarzyna Figura | ... | Herself (as Kasia Figura) | |
| Louise Fletcher | ... | Herself | |
| Dennis Franz | ... | Himself | |
| Teri Garr | ... | Herself | |
| Leeza Gibbons | ... | Herself | |
| Scott Glenn | ... | Himself | |
| Jeff Goldblum | ... | Himself | |
| Elliott Gould | ... | Himself | |
| Joel Grey | ... | Himself | |
| David Alan Grier | ... | Himself | |
| Buck Henry | ... | Himself | |
| Anjelica Huston | ... | Herself (as Angelica Huston) | |
| Kathy Ireland | ... | Herself | |
| Steve James | ... | Himself | |
| Maxine John-James | ... | Herself | |
| Sally Kellerman | ... | Herself | |
| Sally Kirkland | ... | Herself | |
| Jack Lemmon | ... | Himself | |
| Marlee Matlin | ... | Herself | |
| Andie MacDowell | ... | Herself | |
| Malcolm McDowell | ... | Himself | |
| Jayne Meadows | ... | Herself | |
| Martin Mull | ... | Himself | |
| Jennifer Nash | ... | Herself | |
| Nick Nolte | ... | Himself | |
| Alexandra Powers | ... | Herself | |
| Bert Remsen | ... | Himself | |
| Guy Remsen | ... | Himself | |
| Patricia Resnick | ... | Herself | |
| Burt Reynolds | ... | Himself | |
| Jack Riley | ... | Himself | |
| Julia Roberts | ... | Herself | |
| Mimi Rogers | ... | Herself | |
| Annie Ross | ... | Herself | |
| Alan Rudolph | ... | Himself | |
| Jill St. John | ... | Herself | |
| Susan Sarandon | ... | Herself | |
| Adam Simon | ... | Himself | |
| Rod Steiger | ... | Himself | |
| Joan Tewkesbury | ... | Herself | |
| Brian Tochi | ... | Himself | |
| Lily Tomlin | ... | Herself | |
| Robert Wagner | ... | Himself | |
| Ray Walston | ... | Himself | |
| Bruce Willis | ... | Himself | |
| Marvin Young | ... | Himself | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Althea Gibson | ... | Herself (uncredited) | |
| Ted Hartley | ... | Party Guest (uncredited) | |
| Jack Jason | ... | Himself (uncredited) | |
| James McLindon | ... | Jim the Writer (uncredited) | |
| Derek Raser | ... | Studio Mail Driver (uncredited) | |
| Scott Shaw | ... | Himself (uncredited) | |
| Patrick Swayze | ... | Himself (uncredited) | |
| Dan Twyman | ... | Funeral Guest (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Robert Altman | |||
Writing credits(WGA) | ||
| Michael Tolkin | (screenplay) | |
| Michael Tolkin | (novel "The Player") | |
Produced by | |||
| Cary Brokaw | .... | executive producer | |
| David Brown | .... | producer | |
| Scott Bushnell | .... | co-producer | |
| William S. Gilmore | .... | co-executive producer | |
| David Levy | .... | associate producer | |
| Michael Tolkin | .... | producer | |
| Nick Wechsler | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Thomas Newman | (music by) | ||
Cinematography by | |||
| Jean Lépine | (director of photography) (as Jean Lepine) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Maysie Hoy | |||
| Geraldine Peroni | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Stephen Altman | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Jerry Fleming | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Susan Emshwiller | |||
Costume Design by | |||
| Alexander Julian | (wardrobe designer) | ||
Makeup Department | |||
| Deborah K. Larsen | .... | makeup artist (as Deborah Larsen) | |
| Scott Williams | .... | hairdresser | |
Production Management | |||
| Jim Chesney | .... | production supervisor | |
| Tom Udell | .... | unit production manager | |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director | |||
| C.C. Barnes | .... | second assistant director (as CC Barnes) | |
| Allan F. Nicholls | .... | first assistant director (as Allan Nicholls) | |
Art Department | |||
| Matthew R. Altman | .... | set dresser (as Matthew Altman) | |
| John Beauvais | .... | scenic painter | |
| Peter Borck | .... | leadman | |
| Charles Bragg | .... | title painting | |
| John Bucklin | .... | set dresser | |
| Thomas Calloway | .... | carpenter | |
| Sydney Cooper | .... | artwork | |
| Loren Corney | .... | construction coordinator | |
| John Evans | .... | carpenter | |
| Kenny Funk | .... | carpenter (as Kenneth Funk) | |
| Michelle Guastello | .... | art department coordinator (as Michele Guastello) | |
| Julie Heuer | .... | assistant property master | |
| Justin Kritzer | .... | carpenter | |
| Darryl Lee | .... | carpenter | |
| Chris Marneus | .... | carpenter | |
| Patrick Maurer | .... | construction foreman (as Pat Maurer) | |
| James Monroe | .... | property master | |
| Mario Pérez | .... | swing gang (as Mario Perez) | |
| Ricky Riggs | .... | painter | |
| David Ronan | .... | set dresser | |
| Daniel C. Rothenberg | .... | swing gang (as Daniel Rothenberg) | |
| Jim Samson | .... | set dresser | |
Sound Department | |||
| Kenneth R. Burton | .... | sound effects editor (as Ken Burton) | |
| Robert Deschaine | .... | foley mixer (as Bob Deschaine) | |
| Rich Gooch | .... | recordist | |
| Joseph Holsen | .... | dialogue editor | |
| Paul Holzborn | .... | foley artist (as Paul Holtzborn) | |
| Matthew Iadarola | .... | re-recording mixer | |
| David Jobe | .... | foley recordist | |
| Stanley Kastner | .... | re-recording mixer | |
| Edmund J. Lachmann | .... | dialogue editor (as Ed Lachmann) | |
| John Post | .... | foley artist | |
| John Pritchett | .... | production sound mixer | |
| Michael P. Redbourn | .... | supervising sound editor (as Michael Redbourn) | |
| Joel Shryack | .... | boom operator | |
| Emily Smith-Baker | .... | cable puller | |
| Bill Ward | .... | assistant sound editor | |
| John Rotondi | .... | sound engineer: Y4 (uncredited) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| John C. Hartigan | .... | special effects (as John Hartigan) | |
Stunts | |||
| Greg Walker | .... | stunt coordinator | |
Camera and Electrical Department | |||
| Robert Reed Altman | .... | first assistant camera | |
| Robert Bruce | .... | electrician | |
| Andy Day | .... | best boy electric (as Andrew Day) | |
| Val DeSalvo | .... | electrician (as Val De Salvo) | |
| Kevin Fahey | .... | grip | |
| Michael James Fahey | .... | best boy grip (as Michael J. Fahey) | |
| Craig Finetti | .... | third assistant camera | |
| Scott Hollander | .... | grip (as Scott 'El Gato' Hollander) | |
| Anthony T. Marra II | .... | key grip | |
| Daniel Cary McCrystal | .... | second assistant camera (as Cary McKrystal) | |
| Tom McGrath | .... | electrician | |
| Don Muchow | .... | gaffer | |
| Tim Nash | .... | grip | |
| Chris Reddish | .... | electrician | |
| Lorey Sebastian | .... | still photographer | |
| Wayne Stroud | .... | dolly grip | |
| Scott Hamilton | .... | still photographer (uncredited) | |
| Al Luis | .... | electrician (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Angela Billows | .... | wardrobe assistant | |
| Vickie Brinkford | .... | wardrobe assistant (as Vicki Brinkkord) | |
| Lydia Tanji | .... | wardrobe supervisor | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Alisa Hale | .... | second assistant editor | |
| Bob Hart | .... | negative cutter | |
| A. Michelle Page | .... | assistant editor | |
| Mike Stanwick | .... | color timer (as Michael Stanwick) | |
| Dylan Tichenor | .... | apprentice editor | |
Music Department | |||
| Bill Bernstein | .... | music editor | |
| Thomas Pasatieri | .... | orchestrator | |
| John Vigran | .... | music scoring mixer | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Chris Armstrong | .... | driver (as Christopher Armstrong) | |
| Ron Chesney | .... | driver | |
| Steve Earle | .... | driver | |
| Don Feeney | .... | driver | |
| D.J. Gardiner | .... | driver | |
| Derek Raser | .... | transportation coordinator | |
| J.T. Thayer | .... | transportation captain (as 'J.T.' Thayer) | |
| Gregg Willis | .... | driver (as Greg Willis) | |
Other crew | |||
| Alison Balian | .... | assistant: Nick Wechsler | |
| Andrea Berty | .... | craft service | |
| Angie Bonner | .... | production assistant | |
| Paul D. Boydston | .... | assistant location manager (as Paul Boydston) | |
| Jim Brockett | .... | animal trainer | |
| John O. Brown III | .... | production assistant (as John Brown III) | |
| Betsy Chasse | .... | assistant coordinator | |
| Stacy Cohen | .... | production secretary | |
| Celia Converse | .... | representative: Sandcastle 5 | |
| Signe Corriere | .... | production assistant | |
| Steve Day | .... | production assistant | |
| Kimberly Edwards | .... | production accountant (as Kimberly Edwards Shapiro) | |
| Judy Geletko | .... | additional accounting services | |
| Robin Hage | .... | assistant: Cary Brokaw | |
| Sheri Halfon | .... | financial representative: Avenue | |
| Pamela Hedley | .... | production executive | |
| Cynthia Hill | .... | production coordinator | |
| Kelly Householder | .... | production assistant | |
| Lawrence Karman | .... | karaoke videos (as Larry 'Doc' Karman) | |
| Jack Kney | .... | location manager | |
| Danielle Knight | .... | assistant: Cary Brokaw | |
| Cheryl Kurk | .... | assistant accountant | |
| Claudia Lewis | .... | production executive | |
| Stuart McCauley | .... | craft service | |
| James McLindon | .... | assistant: Robert Altman (as Jim McLindon) | |
| Tom Moore | .... | set medic | |
| Dan Perri | .... | title designer | |
| Carole Starkes | .... | script supervisor | |
| Andrew Varela | .... | promotions arranger | |
| Catherine Webb | .... | post-production accountant | |
| Michael Hubert | .... | assistant coordinator (uncredited) | |
| Julie Kuehndorf | .... | unit publicist (uncredited) | |
| Chris Paine | .... | assistant to writer and producer (uncredited) | |
Thanks | |||
| Janis Dinwiddie | .... | special thanks | |
| Mark Eisen | .... | special thanks | |
| Morgan Entrekin | .... | special thanks | |
| Luis Estevez | .... | special thanks | |
| Bob Flick | .... | special thanks: Entertainment Tonight | |
| Suzanne Goldman | .... | special thanks | |
| Gerald Greenbach | .... | special thanks: Two Bunch Palms | |
| Ron Haver | .... | special thanks | |
| Randy Honaker | .... | special thanks | |
| Julie Johnston | .... | special thanks | |
| Patrick Murray | .... | special thanks | |
| Toyoko Nezu | .... | special thanks | |
| Mimi Rabinowitz | .... | special thanks | |
| Steve Trombatore | .... | special thanks: All Payments | |
Rated R for language, and for some sensuality.
124 min
1.85 : 1 more
Singapore:M18 | Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | USA:R (certificate #31599) | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Chile:18 | Finland:K-14 | Germany:12 | Netherlands:AL | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:15
Argyle Hotel - 8358 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA more
Cher's appearance at the awards ceremony in a bright red dress, despite the invitation specifying "black and white only”, may be a direct homage to a real occasion when Norma Shearer appeared in a similar dress at the annual Hollywood Black & White Ball. more
Crew or equipment visible: When Griffin opens his door to get out and kill the snake, you can see the entire crew, camera, and lights reflected in the door. more
Malcolm McDowell: If you've got something to say about me; say it to my face, not behind my back. more
Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (#26.8)" (2009) more
PRECIOUS more
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| Hierarchy | Sunset Blvd. | Adaptation. | Who Framed Roger Rabbit | The Big Lebowski |
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| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Comedy section | IMDb USA section |
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"Players only love you when they're playing." --Stevie Nicks
Griffin Mill, whose name has a kind of ersatz Hollywood feel to it (cf., D. W. Griffith/Cecil B. De Mille), is not a player with hearts so much as a player with dreams. He is a young and powerful film exec who hears thousands of movie pitches a year, but can only buy twelve. So he must do a lot of dissembling, not to mention outright lying, along with saying "We'll get back to you," etc. This is what he especially must say to writers. And sometimes they hold a grudge. In this case one of the rejected writers begins to stalk Griffin Mill and send him threatening postcards. And so the plot begins.
Tim Robbins, in a creative tour de force, plays Griffin Mill with such a delightful, ironic charm that we cannot help but identify with him even as he violates several layers of human trust. The script by Michael Tolkin smoothly combines the best elements of a thriller with a kind of Terry Southern satirical intent that keeps us totally engrossed throughout. The direction by Robert Altman is full of inside Hollywood jokes and remembrances, including cameos by dozens of Hollywood stars, some of whom get to say nasty things about producers. The scenes are well-planned and then infused with witty asides. The tampon scene at police headquarters with Whoopi Goldberg is an hilarious case in point, while the sequence of scenes from Greta Scacchi's character's house to the manslaughter scene outside the Pasadena Rialto, is wonderfully conceived and nicely cut. Also memorable is the all black and white dress dinner scene in which Cher is the only person in red, a kind of mean or silly joke, depending on your perspective. During the same scene Mill gives a little speech in which he avers that "movies are art," a statement that amounts to sardonic irony since, as a greedy producer, he cares nothing at all about art, but only about box office success. His words also form a kind of dramatic irony when one realizes that this movie itself really is a work of art. As Altman observes in a trailing clip, the movie "becomes itself." The Machiavellian ending illustrates this with an almost miraculous dovetailing. This is the kind of script that turns most screen writers Kermit-green with envy.
Incidentally, Joe Gillis, the Hollywood writer played by William Holden in Sunset Boulevard--personifying all unsuccessful screen writers--actually does call during the movie, but Mill doesn't recognize the name and has to be told he is being put on, further revealing the narrow confines of his character.
In short, this is a wonderfully clever, diabolically cynical satire of Hollywood and the movie industry. This is one of those movies that, if you care anything at all about film, you must see. Period. It is especially delicious if you hate Hollywood. It is also one of the best movies ever made about Hollywood, to be ranked up there with A Star is Born (1937) (Janet Gaynor, Fredric March); Sunset Boulevard (1950); A Star is Born (1954) (Judy Garland, James Mason); and Postcards from the Edge (1990).
I must add that in the annals of film, this has to go down as one of the best Hollywood movies not to win a single Academy Award, although it was nominated for three: Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Editing. I suspect the Academy felt that the satire hit a little too close to home for comfort.