The Players (2012 film)

The Players
Theatrical release poster
FrenchLes Infidèles
Directed by
Written by
  • Jean Dujardin[1]
  • Gilles Lellouche
  • Stéphane Joly
  • Philippe Caverivière
  • Nicolas Bedos
Produced by
  • Jean Dujardin[1]
  • Marc Dujardin
  • Éric Hannezo
  • Guillaume Lacroix
Starring
CinematographyGuillaume Schiffman
Edited byAnny Danché
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed byMars Distribution
Release date
  • 29 February 2012 (2012-02-29) (France)
Running time
109 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench
Budget$13.8 million[3]
Box office$24.6 million[4]

The Players (French: Les Infidèles, lit.'The Unfaithful Ones') is a 2012 French sex comedy anthology film starring Jean Dujardin and Gilles Lellouche, with each of them also directing and writing a segment.

Plot

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Series of vignettes about the theme of male infidelity and its adulterous variants.[1]

Cast

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Controversy

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The promotional posters for the film, on which Jean Dujardin and Gilles Lellouche are seen in suggestive positions (like gripping a pair of naked female legs), attracted accusations of sexism.[1][5] The French professional authority of regulation for advertising received four official complaints accusing the posters of sexism. Following this controversy, the posters were taken down, and the distributor apologized.[6]

Dujardin refers to I mostri by Dino Risi.

The original cut of the film included a scene where a man talks to a woman while a plane crashes into the World Trade Center. Reportedly, this scene has been censored to have better chances to get an Academy Award for Dujardin (who went on to win the Best Actor award for his leading role in The Artist).[7]

Remake

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An Italian remake of the same name was released in 2020.

Notes

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  1. ^ Jan Kounen's segment "Ultimate Fucking" was cut from the theatrical release of the film; it is available in the extended version on home video.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e McNicoll, Tracy (29 February 2012). "Jean Dujardin, Oscar-Winner for 'The Artist,' Debuts New Sex Comedy". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  2. ^ Grelet, François (23 January 2017). "Retour sur le sketch de Jan Kounen coupé des Infidèles". Première (in French). Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  3. ^ "Les Infidèles (The Players) (2012)". JPBox-Office (in French).
  4. ^ "The Players (2012)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  5. ^ Chrisafis, Angelique (2 February 2012). "Jean Dujardin poster controversy could ruin The Artist star's Oscar hopes". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 February 2012.
  6. ^ Gregg, Kilday; Leffler, Rebecca (3 February 2012). "Jean Dujardin's Racy Movie Poster Controversy 'Is Over,' Says 'Artist' Producer". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2 April 2023.
  7. ^ "Les Infidèles, la scène coupée qui a évité un scandale américain à Jean Dujardin". L'Express (in French). 1 March 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
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