The Players Club (1998)

Director:

Ice Cube

Writer:

Ice Cube (written by)

Release Date:

8 April 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Make the money. Don't let it make you.

Plot:

A woman must contend with rival strippers and her boss in an attempt to make a legitimate living.

Plot Keywords:

Dominatrix | Catfight | Stripper | Urban | Organized Crime

Awards:

1 win

Cast

LisaRaye	...	Diana Armstrong / Diamond
Monica Calhoun	...	Ebony
Bernie Mac	...	Dollar Bill
Jamie Foxx	...	Blue
Chrystale Wilson	...	Ronnie
Adele Givens	...	Tricks
Anthony Johnson	...	Li'l Man (as A.J. Johnson)
Ice Cube	...	Reggie
Alex Thomas	...	Clyde
Faizon Love	...	Officer Peters
Charles Q. Murphy	...	Brooklyn
Tracey Cherelle Jones	...	Tina (as Tracy C. Jones)
Terrence Howard	...	K.C. (as Terence Howard)
Larry McCoy	...	St. Louis
Ronn Riser	...	Professor Mills

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language, sexual content and violence.

Runtime:

104 min | Germany:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Australia:MA | Iceland:16 | Germany:16 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

New Line Cinema

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Brooklyn aims the rocket launcher at The Players Club, you can see that the tube has no rocket in it.

Quotes:

[to Ronnie, after she lost a fight with Diamond]
Li'l Man: Did you at least pinch the bitch?

Movie Connections:

References "Good Times" (1974)

Soundtrack:

Don't Play Me Wrong

An ambitious piece of filmmaking.

This is basically a black, very superior version of "Striptease" and "Showgirls." It's not as sexy as "Showgirls," but what I really looked for was a better plot. This had one. LisaRaye gave an impressive debut performance as a college student trying to make ends meet. Bernie Mac can make the most dramatic piece of dialogue into stand-up comedy with his extraordinary vocal strength and stamina. I was very impressed with Ice Cube, his writing-directing debut, because, honestly, I didn't know he was capable. I like how he staged the scenes and built suspense. The great thing about it is that there is a considerable amount of violence, but no one is killed. For once, a black film where everyone lives. Another thing, this movie has the best, most vicious catfight I have ever seen.