The Players

Reading the reviews here people seem to think they came to see a sociological essay on infidelity and this is anything but What we have here is a comedy a pee-stake a joke and it seems many expect massive depth research this is not what this is about this is making fun of poor behaviour from married men in specifically French society where the values regarding fidelity are really very different from Anglo-Saxon values. So many feel unable to understand what is going on here ... it appears This is a collage of vignettes and long pieces and some of them are more successful than others they are also each one of them filmed by a different director which gives them a completely different flavour. One of them done by Jan Kounen was so rude that it was removed from the theatre copy and is only available on video I have seen that one previously and frankly to cut it out it's no big problem ... worth seeing tho I watched this 10 years ago about maybe six I cannot remember exactly and could never forget forget this film for me the best cut is the one with Sandrine Kiberlain by far the best cut the unrepentant cheaters in a circle in a sort of AA meeting for the unfaithful with her as the leader and the only female in the room. The look of boredom on their faces the lack of desire to be there most are there due to an ultimatum from their wives. It is impossible not to explode with laughter when she faces one of the attendees and asks him in a totally straight face "Tu la veux ma petite chatte ? " You can see the actors found it hard to keep a straight face doing the Scene None of them return the next day obviously; totally failing to see why they were there in the first place. It Must be stressed that some of the segments are comedy some of them are dark psychologically and very sad cause they show the emptiness in the men trying to justify to themselves or their friends why it is that they are doing this so in a way the in-depth psycho-sociological is also present here and leaves a really bad aftertaste Most of the time we are looking at the two main actors Jean Dujardin and Gilles Lellouche showing what incredibly great actors they are I have seen both of them now in comedies and dramas and they can do all of it at a really high level. Sandrine Kiberlain is also an awesome actress and there are a couple of instances where we see Guillaume Canet who at the time was up and coming he then became a huge actor and director. It seems often people do not really understand what they are looking at you can see that from the reviews this is comedy this is a bawdy tale With some in-depth elements but just by the by the main drive here is entertainment and comedy and if that is the only criterium used I would certainly say this was a very successful endeavour; I then find out that Italians made a remake of this in 2020 under the auspices of Netflix and its title is Gli infedeli (2020) Most reviewers seem to agree it is a pale copy of the French original I will nonetheless give it a whirl see what it is like This one here though I highly recommend.

Engaging collage of the highs and lows of adultery. They range from ribald comedy to actually locating a pretty dark place and not the dark place you would expect (I. E "JTM"). Really short ones cleanse the plate between the much longer ones. I can confidently say I've never had a cinematic experience quite like it though I dare say there are some parts I don't remember because they were forgettable.

'The Players' is a breezy French comedy, a series of short films (by different directors) on the subject of male infidelity. The shortness of each segment keeps it fresh and lightweight; but there's an underlying theme to all these movies: that (married) men just have to seek our additional partners. The various films make them look ridiculous; but also seem to suggest that infidelity really is just something to laugh about, that it's a simple fact of life and that the aforementioned ridiculousness is its natural, and only proper, punishment. I laughed in places, but it's a movie without any real heart.

This was a fun movie... This is the 3rd of Lartigau's (director) works I have enjoyed. (others I Do and The Big Picture--) If I like a movie will typically look for other films by the same director...this is usually the most rewarding way to find new things I like. The movie cost $29 million--in the 60s "million dollar movies" were supposed to inspire awe. Typical Bond movies today are half a billion. This is a situational comedy with lots of uninhibited moderated tasteful sexual visuals if the last word is possible? shock value for American audiences... Woody Allen did a movie Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex...it was very funny for the time very "velveeta cheese" (bland and mainline) compared to this film. Lartigau does something similar with Infidelity. The movie is a collection of vignettes involving some aspect of Infidelity...most feature DuJardin and Lellouche (both actors are 40). There are related skits with other actors...and also a funny one with a therapist session for cheating husbands. I enjoyed them all especially DuJardins company trip. The flaw with the movie is the vignettes seem to be one continuous story...and your brain churns about trying to piece things together. Either separate them better (if they were not meant to be related vignettes) or unify them better is my criticism. I am sure it was one continuous story (the ones with DuJardin and Lellouche) however a comment by another reviewer made me wonder if they were not. Again you experience some cognitive dissonance trying to tie them together neatly. Well I did. The ending did not surprise me....hints were given...it was wacky. So that said...the filming is talented the acting great. Afore mentioned problem is tie the vignettes together better-- The uninhibited sexual (tasteful for this type thing?) aspects are good for uptight audiences... although it is not one I would want to watch with my Mother. RECOMMEND