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Def Jam's How to Be a Player

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Def Jam's How to Be a Player

R

1997

1h 33m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

14%

Tomatometer

14 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Dray (Bill Bellamy) has a problem: He has a girlfriend, Lisa (Lark Voorhies), but can't seem to say no to any beautiful woman who walks his way. When he's not with Lisa or hanging out with his buddies, David (Pierre), Kilo (Jermaine "Big Hug" Hopkins) and Spootie (A.J. Johnson), he's out with one of his many lady friends. Dray's sister (Natalie Desselle) is both disgusted and fascinated by his behavior, so she organizes a party for him -- and invites all his ladies -- to teach him a lesson.

Richard Williams

Guardian

The rap-heavy soundtrack is the real point. But at least it has jokes.

Aug 6, 2024

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Sheila Johnston

Daily Telegraph (UK)

The sexual politics of this shrill, dim-witted yarn would have looked passé in the blaxploitation films of the early 1970s.

Aug 6, 2024

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Ryan Gilbey

Independent (UK)

[An] infantile sex comedy.

Aug 6, 2024

Full Review

Matthew Sweet

Independent on Sunday

These reflections are illuminating, but the gags don't venture beyond crassness.

Aug 6, 2024

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Philip French

Observer (UK)

An inept sexist comedy.

Aug 6, 2024

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Brandon Collins

Medium Popcorn

This one hurt...and they did not do women right in these movies...

Rated: 1/5

Aug 11, 2020

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Mr Bovine J

This is the problem with (most) critics, they're only gonna like films that are politically correct according to their own subjective interpretations. It doesn't even matter if the main character has an ending befitting of their choices, like Dray's.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

04/23/23

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Audience Member

Good we fuck all the haters

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/17/23

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Audience Member

For a movie about a ladies-man going from hookup to hookup, it seems surprisingly tame. The movie gets its name because this master womanizer is teaching two of his friends the tricks of his trade. Meanwhile, his sister and her friend are on a mission to sabotage him. The problem is the dialogue between the player and his pupils is not that funny. In addition, the women in this movie are portrayed more as sexy and do not provide much comedic value. Who says these characters cannot do both? Much of the movie feels like a collection of lead-ins for a porn, which is not a good thing. It is not all bad though. At least things pick up later, as the main character finds himself in a sticky mess. Side characters like Bernie Mac and Gilbert Godfried actually provide the best laughs. It is too bad the circus of different characters does not kick in sooner. There are funny moments here and there but in general, there is not enough humor in the mix to make this go.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

02/12/23

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Audience Member

I want ta ply dis movie later

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

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Audience Member

Much better than expected. Great part by Bernie Mac. Actually really funny from beginning to end without getting tiring.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

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Audience Member

This movie seems rushed and attempts to be funnier than it really is which was a shame because I had faith in Bill Bellamy once upon a time.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

02/22/23

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Lionel C. Martin

Director

Bill Bellamy

Drayton Jackson

Natalie Desselle-Reid

Jenny Jackson

Lark Voorhies

Lisa

Mari Morrow

Katrina

Pierre

David

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Synopsis

Dray (Bill Bellamy) has a problem: He has a girlfriend, Lisa (Lark Voorhies), but can't seem to say no to any beautiful woman who walks his way. When he's not with Lisa or hanging out with his buddies, David (Pierre), Kilo (Jermaine "Big Hug" Hopkins) and Spootie (A.J. Johnson), he's out with one of his many lady friends. Dray's sister (Natalie Desselle) is both disgusted and fascinated by his behavior, so she organizes a party for him -- and invites all his ladies -- to teach him a lesson.

Director: Lionel C. Martin
Producer: Mark Burg, Todd Baker, Russell Simmons, Preston L. Holmes
Screenwriter: Mark Brown, Demetria Johnson
Production Co: Island Pictures
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jul 1, 2017
Box Office (Gross USA): $14.0M
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Surround