The Players Club

Rating:
Summary: A Promising Directorial Debut
Review: In his directorial debut, rapper/actor Ice Cube chose to paint a tale of a young, single mother living in the South, who takes a job as a stripper to survive in the real word. Diamond (excellently played by actress LisaRaye), one of the top names at the "Players Club" is a young mother trying to support herself and her young son. Determined to attain her college degree, she is lured to the world of stripteasing by two strippers who encounter her at a dead-end retail job.

Soon, Diamond, is the toast of the Players Club, but trouble lurks in every corner not only for Diamond, but also for the club's owner. Realistic, somewhat sensitive to the trials many young women who are down on their luck face, director Ice Cube does a great job directing his actor in telling this tale of life in the new South. At times the story can run a bit too long, but at the end, the viewer is reassured that Diamond has moved on to bigger and better things in her life.

The film features great performances by Jamie Fox ("Any Given Sunday"), Charlie Murphy ("CB4"), and of course LisaRaye, who is a very talented actress. The "Players Club" is much more entertaining than some of its stripteasing film predecessors (e.g. "Showgirls"; "Striptease")and it does illustrate Ice Cube's talent behind the camera. It is a good film with a message of survival mixed in, and plenty of behind-the-scenes coverage of what goes on at a gentlemen's club.

Rating:
Summary: Storyline sometimes hard to take, Ice Cube performs well.
Review: Player's Club is the retrospective tale of a young woman named Diamond who dances at a strip club to finance her college education. She dances for four years losing her youthful innocence and acquiring a weary, jaded, but steely determination to "make it." Player's Club is sometimes distressing and depressing especially in the scenes that feature Diamond's (Lisa Raye) cousin. The cousin's uncontrolled, headlong descent into decadence via a fellow dancer's efforts to "turn her out" provides the moral balance to the story and prevents the movie from appearing a total glorification of the sex and violence associated with the storyline. Bernie Mac lightens the dark moments with humorous asides as Dollar Bill, the club's owner. Jamie Foxx puts in a nice-guy performance as the club DJ who does not judge Diamond, unlike her family, but instead treats her as a human being.

One problem: the audience is expected to feel sympathy for Diamond who chooses to strip despite the fact her parents are obviously middle class. Diamond rents what appears to be an upscale two-bedroom apartment and drives a nice car. Couldn't she have lived at home and taken the bus to save herself some of the drama and pain associated with stripping? Why pay high rent and car notes unless material possessions meant more than self-pride and personal safety? It was also unfortunate to see Diamond instruct her son to lie to his grandparents about the cousin's descent into nightlife. I ended up feeling not sorry for Diamond, but instead extremely sorry for her son who witnessed several scream fights between Diamond and her boyfriend.

The best part of this movie is Ice Cube's self-directed supporting role as the hired thug hanging around the Player's Club and participating in its degenerate atmosphere. Ice Cube is a wonderful actor who has the ability to play a bad guy really good and a hero even better when the role demands that from him. In this way, he reminds me of Lawrence Fishburne who also has the ability to portray a range of characters from Ike Turner to Furious (Boyz in the Hood, Ice Cube debuted) to Othello. Ice Cube, although newer to acting, has intense ability and I hope he continues to branch out beyond urban thug roles. Three Kings is the movie to watch Ice Cube rip it up. As much as I like Denzel Washington and Harrison Ford, I like to see an actor run the gamut of character flaws and emotions from role to role instead of always saving the day, winning the medal, getting the girl. Cameos by John Amos and Luther Campbell. Profanity, exploitive degradation of women, and violence, is offset to a very small extent by humor. Not recommended for children under twelve but the movie would serve as a cautionary lesson for high-spirited preteens.

Rating:
Summary: Like someone else said... Cult Classic!
Review: This isn't one of the best black films around, but it is a cult classic. Funny, and dramatic at times, the plot isnt' all that great but holds together a little better than some. Tired of seeing these type of movies though.

Rating:
Summary: Da Bomb !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Review: Dis movie was so good to me i can watch dis movie over and over and over again if you aint never seen it you need to get up and go get it you wont be disappointed da movie about a girl named Diamond who wants to go to college to be a broadcaster but shr dont got enuff money 4 it so she turns to stripping it is so so so so so so so so so so so so good!!! go get it 4 real holla

Rating:
Summary: Its Okay
Review: As a black woman, I really hate this movie because it makes black women look really bad. But I understand what Ice Cube was doing. This movie wasn't meant to win any awards, but it does try to give a message. That message was/is "make the money, but don't let it make you" or something like that. But with all the stripping, violence, cussing, and comedy its easy to lose track of the message. Plus, you don't get the message until the very end. Despite my feelings for this movie, Bernie Mac proved to me he is a genius in comedy. He made this film watchable (in my opinion). No doubt, this movie is for men only.

Rating:
Summary: Far from Great, but A cult classic.............
Review: I don't think this movie was meant to be a Oscar winning movie but It will sit right along side of other black cult classics, like Friday or Superfly. It's ok to love it but we all know it's not that great.

Rating:
Summary: PLAYA PLAYAAAAAAA !
Review: THIS MOVIE WAS GOOD.
I ENJOYED IT BUT THEY COULD OF LEFT OUT LISARAYE'S STRIPING PAR(IM A FEMALE DON'T WANT 2 SEE NO NAKED GIRL)
BUT ANYWAYS ITS ABOUT DIAMOND PAYING HER WAY THOUGH COLLEGE AND THE TRAILS THAT GO WITH THAT.
ENDING SCENCES THE BEST PART.
BERNIE MAC....MADD FUNNY

Rating:
Summary: The absolute worse movie ever made:(
Review: What were they thinking when they made this movie? The acting is bad, the dialogue is even worse and their is no discernible plot. If this is inpirational please give me expolitation any day.

Rating:
Summary: Players Club review
Review: Talk about a slice of urban life Players Club has it all. There are indeed many a club in America that could easily fall into the same category as this urban inner city club.

I don' want to sound sexist but one of the most memorable characters in the movie did not have a speaking line. I am talking about Demur. Ms. Demur is a professional stripper. I mean this girl has serious BOOTY! She could give Serena Williams a run for her money. When I first saw her from behind I thought she was wearing a prosthesis. Upon closer examination I realized that she was a natural. This girl gets more publicity from behind than in front. Remember Susan Summers first gained prominence in American Graffiti by merely riding around in a Pink Ford Thunderbird and smiling. So anything can happen. Whenever I think about the movie the Players Club I think about Ms. Demur.

Rating:
Summary: Burning hot
Review: Lisaraye blew me away, thats all I have to say about that.