User reviews

OK, I remember watching this movie and yeah, it is silly, i didn't once think "oh this is going to be ground breaking stuff". You have to look at the audience the movie is targeted for. Fact is, there are people out there that are "players" and "Haters". You get a good picture of both in this movie. I thought the most interesting thing in this movies was how the main character was describing just how he was getting over on the ladies. Now i admit, in another life, some of the SAME stuff he was "doing", I did. So it cracked me up seeing it on a big screen for all to see. This one of those movies where you are with your buddies, having a few beers, and want to waste some time. I have seen BAD movies before, and trust me, this is far from being the worst.

This move was fair because it was a story that featured over dramatic funny events. It also gave a insight how a guy was able to be a player. Some women like, Marie Marrow, aka Katrina, actually enjoyed men who were about game. I will admit there were parts in this movie that they could of cut out but one could easily figure out what was going to happen before the scene occurred. I would not suggest ever seeing this at a movie theater but this is a funny rental that I think one would get either by themselves or with good friends. I do not think this movie set African Americans back in anyway. This movie was a typical funny movie that was just over dramatizing relationships and situations.

I happened to see part of How to be a Player last night when surfing the TV channels last night. I really couldn't believe it was on the air. Terrible acting,stupid dialog, boring script, everything was so bad! And the actors were so stereotyped and so predictable. There was absolutely no character development to say the least.

About an hour later, I flipped past it once again and watched for about 3 minutes to see if it was still as bad as I had thought. It WAS! Whoever thought this would be a good movie was sadly mistaken. Amazingly, our new channel "Bounce" showed it back-to-back on Friday night. Why???

You know, there seems to be a problem with movies like this, and that problem is that they exist. A friend of mine gave me this movie (bootlegged of course) right when it came out some eight years ago. When I first pressed play, I laughed, but for all the wrong reasons. I laughed because this movie sucked! Point blank. I also came to the conclusion that movies at the theater are not worth my money. I would not have paid to see this "movie".

I've heard the statement "they don't like this because it's black actors trying to do something". Well I'm black and I don't like it. The whole "playa" cliché' overstayed it's welcome and this movie emphasizes that logic. Bad idea. A failure to communicate resulted in this debacle.

This film was a travesty for African-American films, it probably killed several deals for quality African-American films to get made. The only thing I can find good in it, was the beautiful actress Mari Morrow, who had nothing good to work with in the material. She is reduced to just a lovely piece of eye candy amongst the madness.

I've watched and enjoyed two other 'black' comedies(not to be confused with "black comedies"), The Wash and Booty Call. However, in the very first scene of this film, I found myself having a bad feeling about it(yes, that was a Star Wars reference)... I started to think this was going to be a dreadfully bad film. Sadly, my instinct turned out to be right. The plot is fair, but it's not very well-developed. The situations are instantly forgettable. The credits have just barely finished as I'm typing this, and I'm straining to remember any of it. The acting is not terribly short of perfectly atrocious. The characters are pretty thin, very nearly stereotypes(I know I say that a lot, but believe me, this time, I *really* mean that). The only way you can really distinguish between them(a task I found nearly impossible to accomplish throughout watching) is to note their extreme personas(which seem to be about all of them) and attach said attributes to their respective character names. Sorry, that was somewhat confusing, wasn't it? Not quite as confusing as trying to tell these caricatures, pardon, characters apart(rather alarming, really, considering how few there are). The film has a moral, or at least thinks it does. I did find some poetic justice in the film, but the majority of it just seemed forced, underdeveloped. Now, the main reason I borrowed this from a friend was that I read the plot... and personally, I cannot stand the thought of 'players' or 'playing'. I can think of few things that bother me more than disrespecting women. The idea of seeing such a 'player' be put in a situation where his 'game' stands to be exposed, in front of the poor girls that have fallen victim to him, no less... why, I found that to be potentially every bit as entertaining as watching Charlie Sheen(or his character on the show, it's quite difficult to tell them apart) get a taste of his own medicine in *that* episode of Two and a Half Men. Yes, schadenfreude. It's not nice, but neither is 'playing'. Whether or not the film contained just that, I shan't say. I wouldn't want to ruin whatever there is left of it for anyone who has yet to see it(and still intends to). Why is it, by the way, that a man being promiscuous is 'playing', whilst a woman doing the same is a slut? Personally, I find that to be a double-standard. Yes, women make an emotional connection to whomever they sleep with... but men have emotions too, despite many of us attempting to deny that fact. A few final thoughts... I very much enjoyed and appreciated the fate of one particular character, whom I found myself feeling sorry for throughout most of the film. Why *did* Bernie Mac attach his fairly big(star-status-wise, not 'number of letters'-wise) name to this film? And finally, the music in this was better than the film. I recommend this to fans of 'black' comedy, and it helps if you're big on gratuitous nudity and stereotypes(and for anyone wondering; yours truly is most definitely not. I belong solely in the first-mentioned category of that sentence). Could have been worse, but there's far most definitely room for improvement. 3/10

Anyone who thinks that this is not one of the best movies ever needs to seriously rethink their life. The acting was on point, the characters were well developed, and I certainly learned a thing or two about life. Life dose NOT get much better than this. I own two copies one on VHS and one on DVD so that way where ever I am I can watch this amazing flick. My favorite scene is the backyard barbecue.... the way the pimp of all pimps gives his advice is an aspiration to us all. I would suggest to anyone at all that you go and buy this amazing theatrical effort as soon as you possibly could. The very state of your life could depend on it.

This is definetely one of the stupidest movies i have seen lately. It's totally stupid and although it was supposed to make me laugh (some other users said you'll roll over the floor laughing), it didn't even make me smile, not even once. Everything about it is stupid and uninteresting. The plot almost doesn't exist, the characters are weakly built, the dialogue is not funny at all, the actors play horrible. What could any human being enjoy at this movie? I have no idea. If you wanna see a bad-acting Bellamy jumping like a bull in heat from one bed to another, then go ahead. But i've had enough of this crap. Vote: 2 out of 10.

very funny, and very exciting.

The movie "How to Be a Player is one of the funnies movies I have ever seen. I really enjoyed watching this movie. It was extremely funny. I laughed throughout the entire movie. If you have not seen this movie, you must!

"How To Be a Player" Had me rolling from beginning till the end.. Bernie Mac was Hilarious.. and the story was cute and thorough. Bill Bellamy and Natalie Desselle "his Nosey sister were good as well.

Yes I saw this movie years ago, I just upgraded from VHS to DVD. It's good to have it just brings back memories.

danceability-1 Amsterdam Holland

This movie is very nasty, but it still so funny. A movie about how a player is trying to teach a player while his sister is trying to catch his cheating tail. Very funny. You will be on the floor laughing. Just don't get a heart attack from doing it. Just kidding. This was just too funny.

This is so bad. I guess this is how scripts were written in the late 90s. Stupid stereotypes for a laugh you'll only get from someone under a lot of influence. Or...watch it and pretend it's like some "ghetto" Mystery Science Theater 3000 and have fun with it.

Bill Bellamy goes on his rounds of women, most of them married or in a long-term relationship, while his gang of acolytes wait in the car outside. Meanwhile, his sister, Natalie Desselle Reid, is gathering his women to confront him with them together.

A;though the visuals remain thoroughly cinematic throughout, there are several occasions when the performances become very stagey. Also, despite the variety of beautiful women and the poses, the humor remains very juvenile throughout. Bernie Mac, as a cuckolded husband, remains more concerned about his houseplants than his wife. Max Julien has a nice bit as an older player, and Gilbert Gottfried, plays his squinty, raspy-voiced character as a voyeur.

The performance of Bill Bellamy was buttressed by that of his character's sister played by Natalie Desselle and the on-screen charm of Mari Morrow. Features lots of notable models and magnetic beautiful women from the 90's we love seeing like Lark Voorhies, Beverly Johnson, or Elise Neal. The target male audience seems to take strong favor to the film, although the original reception of this movie may have been skewed because of the fandom of Bellamy and his notoriety as a VJ and Def Jam Comedian. Females may be very turned off by the lack of depth and character development exhibited by the main character, Dray.

Ultimately a lot of the shock value of seeing these beautiful women fight over the main character faded by the climaxing scene of the party where Jenny sought to get her "pimp" brother caught. Should we categorize Dray as a sympathetic character, no. Nevertheless, Dray's presentation as a central protagonist contrasts Jenny who is positioned as the primary antagonist. A lot of female viewers likely appreciated the Jenny's combative attitude toward Dray. However, it failed to drive the resolution, and the viewers may have been left unsatisfied with the final scenes of the story.

Given the young, yet mature adult age of the starring cast and setting (Malibu) Jenny's motives of setting her brother up seem misguided and juvenile. Jenny's torment of Dray for mocking her about an unrequited love seems hypocritical and a bit overblown, even for the trademark histrionic performances of Natalie Desselle which made her so lovable on screen. *(in loving memory of Natalie Desselle)* Script should be better; this is a Def Jam production! After all.

The quality of acting exceeded the bare bones writing though. The comedic set ups were good. Not exceptional. The catfight with David's girl and mistress entertained me the most.

By the second half of this film, its hard to follow the logic of many of the characters. If Loose ends like Bernie Mac's cameo and Jenny's sweet revenge were better integrated by directors, more of the plot would make sense. In such, my rating leverages the drastically different viewing experience of the female and male audience, my own lingering appetite for stronger punchlines, and more cohesive cinematic setup. This unique film offers a lot of 90's nostalgia but lacks the depth and that other ensemble cast comedies of its time were able to achieve.

David, played by Pierre Edwards was a solid supporting character, just like Katrina played by Mari Morrow.

If Def Jam can get this onto Hulu or backed by a major streaming provider, no doubt the young men aged 18-30 would likely love it just as the men of the 90's did. The acting charm of Bill Bellamy, Mari Morrow, Natalie Ann Desselle Reid, and even Gilbert Gottfried makes the watch worth it.

I think it is sad that people take movies so seriously. This movie is a very good laugh, but only if you look away on the thin storyline and the weakly played characters...I personnely dont think they are...Well in my opinion its a cool movie where you can get a good laugh...

I just watched this movie again after seeing it many years ago, and it was just as funny as I remembered it being initially. This is one the best black comedies in recent years, it's very light hearted and not meant to be taken seriously (it's a comedy after all) Bill Bellamy & his friends are hilarious. This is definitely as must see for anyone wanting to see a good light hearted comedy that will make you laugh all the way through. The only movie in this genre that currently comes to mind that I liked better than "How to be a Player" is the original "Friday". To sum it up, see this movie if you like African American comedies, or light hearted comedies of any genre with no deep message & just a lot of adult oriented laughs.

This movie is really funny. I was laughing my butt off the whole time. See this movie. I would see it again there is no doubt about that.

The only thing funny about this movie was the fact of how bad it was. Bill Bellamy should stick to stand-up comedy. He is not a good actor. The entire cast was as bland as the deepest meaning of the word could get.

It makes his friends look rather pathetic as they ride around with him as he gets laid three or four times. All this movie is about is his friends following him around while he bounces from house-to-house like a rabbit in heat.

There was some nice eye candy in this film, but other than that, very bland. All of the jokes are cliché', stereotypical and about as funny as a natural disaster.

The only good thing about this movie other than all the beautiful women in it (Lark Voorhies, Elise Neal, Jazmin Lewis, Beverly Johnson) was Bernie Mac's performance as he is always good, as well as Gilbert Gottfried..

What I found to be very offensive is this movie's portrayal of black men. All of us are not 'dogs'. I also found the constant reference to our sisters as 'bitches' and 'ho's' to be a little annoying too.

Only watch out of boredom, not for a great film experience.

Lots of hot chicks like in those hiphop-videos on MTV and a plot that doesn´t strain your nerves too much..! Okay, sometimes this shot is pure camp, but who really cares?!? ...No film is perfect!!!

I´d give 6 out of 10...