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Def Jam's How to Be a Player

Play trailer Poster for Def Jam's How to Be a Player R 1997 1h 33m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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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.

Critics Reviews

View All (14) Critics Reviews
Richard Williams Guardian The rap-heavy soundtrack is the real point. But at least it has jokes. Aug 6, 2024 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Philip French Observer (UK) An inept sexist comedy. Aug 6, 2024 Full Review Brandon Collins Medium Popcorn This one hurt...and they did not do women right in these movies... Rated: 1/5 Aug 11, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (201) audience reviews
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 Full Review Audience Member Good we fuck all the haters Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review 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 Full Review Audience Member I want ta ply dis movie later Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/18/23 Full Review 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 Full Review 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 Full Review Read all reviews
Def Jam's How to Be a Player

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Def Jam's How to Be a Player

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Movie Info

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