The Player

i absolutely LOVE movies that critique the entertainment industry, especially films that are disguised as the ones that are actively bringing it down. may december did this brilliantly, and while this film was clearly more in your face with the constant jabs throughout, they follow very similar endings: realizations that what we’re watching isn’t a reflection of our reality or a piece of art, it’s a movie, and what do we want from our movies? entertainment. during the gala, studio executive mill has a speech about art vs entertainment. he praises iconic directors for their art and commemorates the films that paved the way for this industry. it was even his idea to add these prestigious films to the museum of art and motion picture. although that’s not what he practices. he shuts down scripts for not being marketable. it’s gotta be funny, it’s gotta be dramatic, and most importantly it’s gotta have a happy american ending. this isn’t bicycle thieves.  after killing a writer who he believes is blackmailing him, things start to fall apart for mill. and so does the genre of the film were watching. when he’s called into the pasadena police station, it’s an incredibly odd scene, or rather its not cinematic. mill heads straight for the main office in the station, assuming he needs to confront the head lieutenant. although that’s not what this scene is. he’s lead to a desk off to the side and asked to sit in a chair with a bag in it that needs to be moved, it’s not dramatic at all. before asking any questions, detective whoopi goldberg goes off on a tangent about her missing tampons which are later found by her assistant which leads whoopi into a monologue about these must not be hers as she’s a jumbo size — this is not the typical suspect/detective showdown that we’ve been waiting for. it’s uncomfortable and feels a bit out of place. and when another detective starts swatting flies and collecting them in a little pile on his desk, mill starts to go mad. they all pressure him and start laughing in his face. why are they laughing? it’s not supposed to be funny. we want drama, we want suspense… but altman isn’t giving us that and it’s the first major shift we see throughout the film. you see, in this story, studio executive mill represents the grasp that business men have over the entertainment industry. they want to churn out pictures that put people in seats with a little bit of drama and an inevitable happy ending. so when mill starts to lose control of his story, the film’s story also shifts. one year later, we see a cut of the film that was being pitched to mill throughout the movie that had two specific caveats: no hollywood stars and no happy hollywood ending. naturally, we open on susan surandons face as she peers through the gas chamber of a prison. julia roberts, dressed in a jumpsuit, follows the guards to the chamber and awaits her death. we watch as the gas fills the room around her when all of a sudden bruce willis sprints in, shatters the glass and saves his girl. as she’s being carried out by him she asks “what took you so long” to which he says “traffic was a bitch.” when we see mill again he’s been promoted to studio head after having escaped the murder charges. as he’s driving home, he gets a call that the film tested great with audiences. it’s going to be a hit. he returns home to his pregnant wife, the writer’s ex-girlfriend, who asks him what took him so long. he responds: “traffic was a bitch” i literally screamed.