--- title: "The Player: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-player/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-player" critics_score: 83 critics_reviews: 12 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Player (1992): what the critics said Critics' score 83 from 12 reviews: 11 positive, 1 mixed, 0 negative. Most critics rate The Player highly, and the praise clusters in the same places. Altman’s direction is called sharp, assured and unusually good-natured for a satire of the business that employs him, and Michael Tolkin’s script is credited with giving him a clear target for every barb. The eight-minute opening tracking shot comes up in nearly every review as the film’s calling card, admired both as a technical feat and as a joke at the expense of showy filmmaking. Tim Robbins’s studio executive is singled out again and again, and the parade of stars playing themselves is treated as a pleasure rather than a gimmick. The spread is narrow, with one real dissent. The Los Angeles Times finds the murder plot and Robbins’s performance underpowered next to the satire around them, and the New York Times, though positive, calls it a skin-deep morality tale. The Skinny warns that Altman’s slow pace and long takes will not suit everyone. Nobody disputes that the satire lands. ## Radio Times — David Parkinson Rating 5/5. From its masterly eight-minute opening crane shot to the final blockbuster pastiche, this is the best movie about Tinseltown since Sunset Blvd. Altman scores a bullseye on each target in Tolkin's script, with a towering performance from Tim Robbins as the oily studio executive. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-6345fw/the-player/) ## Empire — Caroline Westbrook Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic praises The Player as one of the finest Hollywood satires, noting how Altman skewers the movie business while crafting a taut thriller filled with cameos. Tim Robbins is singled out for his superb lead performance as the beleaguered studio executive, along with the film's impressive opening tracking shot. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/player-review/) ## The AV Club — Mike D'Angelo Rating A-. 21 May 2016. The critic finds Altman's adaptation an affectionate yet incisive Hollywood satire that remains entertaining decades later, singling out the elaborate opening tracking shot for its clever self-mockery and technical bravura. [Read the review](https://www.avclub.com/robert-altman-affectionately-skewered-hollywood-with-th-1798187852) ## The New Yorker — Terrence Rafferty Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 13 April 1992. The film is a brilliant dark comedy about the death of American filmmaking, with a charming protagonist who embodies corporate forces squeezing out adventurous movies. Altman's volatile tone mixes suspense, comedy and satire with exhilarating nonchalance. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1992/04/20/1992-04-20-081-tny-cards-000147052) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 25 January 2012. Altman turns Michael Tolkin's thriller into the most honest, hilarious Hollywood satire ever, persuading dozens of celebs to play themselves. The film's complex form, with its democratic style, movie references and film-within-a-film structure, stands out as especially special. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-player) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 1992. The Player is a mercilessly satiric yet good-natured and enormously entertaining Hollywood saga, the most resonant since classics like Sunset Blvd. Brilliantly scripted, it features superb work from Robbins and strong supporting turns amid a parade of celebrity cameos, all on a modest budget. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1991/film/reviews/the-player-1200429192/) ## Little White Lies — Joe Flockhart Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 12 May 2022. The critic praises Altman's biting satire on Hollywood's corporate culture and unoriginality, highlighting the film's showy cinematic craft, cynical commentary, and how it remains relevant 30 years later. They single out the long tracking shot and the way it mocks derivative filmmaking. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/in-praise-of/robert-altmans-the-player-at-30) ## Slant Magazine — Chuck Bowen Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 22 May 2016. Altman's casual mastery shines in this self-reflexive thriller about studio executives, with the dense opening tracking shot and layered cameos singled out as highlights of the film's playful critique of Hollywood formula and insider culture. [Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/the-player-criterion/) ## The Guardian — Derek Malcolm Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 25 June 1992. Altman's Hollywood satire is accurate, entertaining and ironic, a true original's revenge on the system that offers a comment on post-Reaganite America. The film lets its parable of corruption and compromise emerge naturally through its tone and structure rather than preaching. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,,532016,00.html) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 10 April 1992. Altman has made an entertaining, flip and genially irreverent Hollywood satire from Michael Tolkin's screenplay. It is a skin-deep morality tale and send-up that is comprehensible to a broad audience. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1992/04/10/movies/review-film-inside-hollywood-an-impious-tale.html) ## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 1 May 1992. The film delivers a sharp, knowing dissection of Hollywood's self-absorbed, amoral culture through its cameos, insider pitches, and details, but the central murder plot and character development feel underdeveloped and fail to engage. Turan praises the satirical energy and Altman’s control but notes the police story and Robbins’ lead performance lack sufficient magnetism. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-05-01-ca-1374-story.html) ## The Skinny — Kieran Westbrook Rating ★★★★. 5 February 2008. The critic praises Altman's sharp portrayal of Hollywood's cutthroat industry and the film's strong story with an intriguing ending, noting the impressive cast. They observe that the director's slow pace and long takes may not appeal to all viewers. [Read the review](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/dvd-reviews/the-player) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-player.md