The Players Club (1998)

Director:

Ice Cube

Writer:

Ice Cube (written by)

Release Date:

8 April 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Make the money. Don't let it make you.

Plot:

A woman must contend with rival strippers and her boss in an attempt to make a legitimate living.

Plot Keywords:

Stripper | Catfight | Urban | Police Harassment | Wheelchair

Awards:

1 win

Cast

LisaRaye	...	Diamond (as Lisa Raye)
Dick Anthony Williams	...	Mr. Armstrong
Judyann Elder	...	Mrs. Armstrong (as Judy Ann Elder)
Chrystale Wilson	...	Ronnie
Adele Givens	...	Tricks
Bernie Mac	...	Dollar Bill
Anthony Johnson	...	L'il Man (as A.J. Johnson)
Jimmy Woodard	...	Miron
Montae Russell	...	Lance (as Monte Russell)
Oren Williams	...	Jamal @ 4 Years
Monica Calhoun	...	Ebony
Jossie Thacker	...	Stripper #1 (as Jossie Harris)
Lalanya Masters	...	Stripper #2
Ursula Y. Houston	...	Dancer #2
Annie O'Donnell	...	Lady
Satari	...	Girl
Jamie Foxx	...	Blue
Tracey Cherelle Jones	...	Tina (as Tracy C. Jones)
Bettina Rae	...	Vanilla
Charles Q. Murphy	...	Brooklyn (as Charles O. Murphy)
Terrence Howard	...	K.C. (as Terence Howard)
Larry McCoy	...	St. Louis
Alex Thomas	...	Clyde
Ice Cube	...	Reggie
Badja Djola	...	The Doctor
John Amos	...	Freeman
Faizon Love	...	Peters
Ronn Riser	...	Professor Mills
Big Boy	...	Joe
Tommy 'Tiny' Lister	...	XL (as Tiny Lister)
Greg McDonald	...	Cop (as Gregg McDonald)
Brett Wagner	...	Guy / Cop Party
Kenya D. Williamson	...	Student (as Kenya Williams)
Nigel Thatch	...	Morehouse Guy (as Nigél Thatch)
Michael Clarke Duncan	...	Bodyguard (as Big Mike Duncan)
Luther Campbell	...	Luke
Samuel Monroe Jr.	...	Junior
Master P	...	Guy
Keith Burke	...	Guy @ Party
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Leilani Marie	...	Dancer (uncredited)
M.B.A. Shakoor	...	Day Player (uncredited)
Ray Uhler	...	Officer Bailey (uncredited)

Directed by
Ice Cube

Writing credits
Ice Cube		(written by)

Produced by
Patricia Charbonnet	....	producer
Carl Craig	....	producer
Ice Cube	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Frank Fitzpatrick
Hidden Faces

Cinematography by
Malik Hassan Sayeed		(director of photography) (as Malik Sayeed)

Film Editing by
Suzanne Hines

Casting by
Kim Hardin		(as Kimberly Hardin)

Production Design by
Dina Lipton

Art Direction by
Keith Neely

Set Decoration by
Cheryle Grace

Costume Design by
Dahlia Foroutan

Makeup Department
Stacye P. Branche	....	makeup department head
Debra Denson	....	key makeup artist
Felicia Herron	....	hair stylist
Judy Twine	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Val Kuklowsky	....	post-production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hans Berggren	....	assistant director
Don Wilkerson	....	assistant director

Art Department
Alan Burg	....	set dresser
Perry E. Ellis	....	set dresser
Dervon 'Von' Herron	....	props
Jimmie Herron Jr.	....	property master
Eric Hill	....	set dresser
Joseph Kearney	....	construction coordinator
Brook Mansbridge	....	general foreman
John J. Passanante	....	paint supervisor
Brad Shoemaker	....	gangboss
Bob Warner	....	head painter

Sound Department
Mark Choi	....	sound effects editor
Marc Fishman	....	supervising sound editor
Gerry Lentz	....	supervising re-recording mixer
Nick Neutra	....	foley mixer
Drew Webster	....	sound recordist
Russell Williams II	....	sound

Special Effects by
Erich Martin Hicks	....	special effects crew

Stunts
Carmen M. Chavez	....	stunts (as Carmen Chavez)
Monica R. Cooper	....	stunts (as Monica Cooper)
Leonard Creer Jr.	....	stunts (as Leonard Creer)
Lanier Edwards	....	stunts
F. Pierre Gatling	....	stunts (as Pierre Gatlin)
Mark Hicks	....	stunts
Claudette James	....	stunts
Bennie Moore	....	stunts
Marcus Salgado	....	stunts (as Marcus Sagado)
Robair Sims	....	stunts
Leslie Small	....	stunts
William Washington	....	stunt coordinator
Eddie L. Watkins	....	stunts (as Eddie Watkins)
Big Daddy Wayne	....	stunts
April Weeden-Washington	....	stunts (as April Weeden)
Lavern Whitt	....	stunts (as Laverence Whitt)
Gene Williams	....	stunts
Gerard G. Williams	....	stunts (as Gerard Williams)

Camera and Electrical Department
Steven A. Adelson	....	additional Steadicam operator
Anthony Lee Beverly	....	key grip
Davie Carothers	....	first assistant camera
George M. Chappell	....	rigging gaffer
Christian Epps	....	dimmer board operator
Lance Fisher	....	additional camera operator
Nate Ranger	....	assistant camera
Rick Robinson	....	camera operator
D. Stevens	....	still photographer
Gregory White	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Gregory White	....	first assistant camera

Casting Department
Michelle Adams	....	casting assistant
Monica R. Cooper	....	extras casting

Editorial Department
Mike Stanwick	....	color timer

Music Department
John Acosta	....	additional musician
Ted Blaisdell	....	music mixer (as Ted Blaisdel)
Ted Blaisdell	....	music recordist (as Ted Blaisdel)
The Bump Squad	....	additional musician
Jeff Charbonneau	....	music editor (as Jeff Charbenneau)
Ice Cube	....	executive in charge of music
Frank Fitzpatrick	....	producer: original score
Mark Governor	....	conductor: strings
Mark Green	....	music editor
Melissa Hasin	....	additional musician
Miriam Mayer	....	additional musician
Darrin McCann	....	additional musician
Jonathan McHugh	....	soundtrack executive: New Line
Cameron Patrick	....	additional musician
Kathleen Robertson	....	additional musician
Sandy K. Tanaka	....	associate music supervisor (as Sandy Tanaka)
David Tobocman	....	music mixer
David Tobocman	....	music recordist
John Wittenberg	....	additional musician

Transportation Department
Duke Foster	....	transportation coordinator
Richard 'Bongo' Mitchell	....	picture car coordinator
Sean J. Moore	....	driver
Bradley Sackin	....	picture vehicle assistant (uncredited)

Other crew
Max Burnett	....	assistant production coordinator (as J. Max Burnett)
Gary Michael Clark	....	production accountant
Tyrone D. Dixon	....	assistant to producer
Paul Garnes	....	assistant accountant
P.J. Ince	....	production assistant
Kobayashi Karyn	....	assistant: Carl Craig
Felecia McEachin	....	assistant: Ice Cube
Bill McLellan	....	assistant location manager
Nathan Polatin	....	location scout
Fatima Robinson	....	choreographer (as Fatima)
Laura Stuart	....	production coordinator
Victoria Vaus	....	title designer
Cathy Ziehl	....	production secretary
Maxine Brooks	....	studio teacher (uncredited)
Pamella D'Pella	....	assistant location manager (uncredited)
Michael Haro	....	location manager (uncredited)
Rugg Williams	....	adr voice (uncredited)

Production Companies

• New Line Cinema

Distributors

• New Line Cinema (1998) (USA) (theatrical)
• United Paramount Network (UPN) (2000) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Kinowelt Filmverleih (Germany)
• New Line Home Video (video)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language, sexual content and violence.

Runtime:

104 min | Germany:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Australia:MA | Iceland:16 | New Zealand:R16 | Germany:16 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Trivia:

At one point, there was a scene when Lil Man asked Officer Freeman played by John Amos, "Did you know you look just like the father from Good Times?" Amos did, in fact, play the father in the 1970s sitcom "Good Times" (1974).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Brooklyn aims the rocket launcher at The Players Club, you can see that the tube has no rocket in it.

Quotes:

[Diamond and Ronnie have a big fight in the locker rooms. Diamond knees Ronnie in the groin]
Ronnie: No balls here, bitch.
Diamond: Could've fooled me!

Movie Connections:

Spoofs Cool Hand Luke (1967)

Soundtrack:

You Delinquent

"Make the money...Don't let it make you"

"An Ice Cube film"…Wow, that's already big enough. Not that Ice Cube is the biggest celebrity of the planet, but he is an actor I appreciate; too much. He is honest, simple; pure. He is a rapper, a musician who writes songs for films, and is good at it, besides being a low profile artist. Plus, he is a very good actor who does what he pleases and likes to and never disappoints. With the production company he has, he could have the highest ego, but he continues on doing his job.

In 1998, he got his chance to direct his movie; his first and only up to date. He wouldn't do the stupid gangster films the other rappers do because he takes the job seriously; so seriously he wrote his own neighborhood and people story, which is unexpectedly touching in its most impressive moments. He had done that type of film before, with independent man John Singleton, among others in that film I regret not seeing yet, "Boyz N' the Hood". Whether he got inspiration from there or not, I don't care, but the screenplay is his.

In his tale, where he also allows a role for him, we meet Diana (a powerful and gripping performance by Lisa Raye), a young girl and aspiring journalist with a lot of problems that drive her towards working on a strippers club, to get money and become Diamond. In Dollar Bill's (original Bernie Mac) club, "The players club", she is not the typical stripper, dancing with all the others; she has a special number, and some clients. Every day she deals with cousin Ebony (Monica Calhoun), who lives with her and has more than two times her problems; her unfaithful boyfriend and the different people in the club, including DJ Blue (a calm portrayal by Jamie Foxx), who likes her.

Like in any other story, these are not the only ones in Cube's vision…There are lots of them and each of them has their own thing that relates to another thing. However, Cube always keeps the story focused in its center point. His gift as a director (because he could have sucked) comes with the importance he gives to the camera. He has a desperate need to show things as real as possible, even if it is a fiction story, so his camera moves like eyes most of the times, like afraid of watching what's waiting on the other side, so the impact is harder when we seed alongside the camera. It is a very effective technique.

What is also captivating and remarkable, is how much of him we can see in the film. Like directors of the league of Scorsese or Oliver Stone, Ice Cube tries to makes us see what he sees. There are a few scenes with enormous violence; glasses that break, shootings, people hurt…We feel it, and it is hard to watch. I was thinking about Spike Lee, and how personal his movies are. I was shocked with the ending of "Do the right thing", but I understood it was just Spike Lee expressing himself.

I don't know what exactly the message Lee wanted to give was, I don't know what was going through his mind at the time, just as I didn't know what was Ice Cube thinking, so he could end up showing "The players club" in flames during the first frames of his movie.