Diana Armstrong gazes at the ruins of the Players Club, a strip club where she used to work. She begins reminiscing about the time she moved out of her parents' home with hopes of attending college. On her own, Diana finds a job at a shoe store, where she meets Ronnie and Tricks, who work for Dollar Bill at the Players Club. They convince Diana she would make better money stripping. Dollar Bill gives Diana a job and the name "Diamond." Four years later, her younger cousin Ebony comes to live with her and also starts working at the club. Ebony is soon out of control, drinking excessively, staying out all night, and stripping at private house parties.
Several scenes depict episodes in the life of the club: A visit from a famous rapper ends in a fistfight as the bodyguard punches Clyde in the back of the head. Reggie attacks the bodyguard and is thrown through the plate glass window of the VIP section. He starts shooting until XL disarms him. Diamond deals with a club patron-turned-stalker, Miron. And she angrily kicks Ebony out of her apartment after catching her in bed with Diamond's boyfriend.
Dollar Bill is confronted by a man who works for St. Louis, a drug lord and loan shark to whom Dollar Bill owes $60,000. He warns Dollar Bill if he doesn't make a payment of $10,000 to St. Louis, he will hunt him down. The next day as Dollar Bill tries to leave the club, St. Louis' men beat Dollar unconscious and throw him into the trunk of his car. They are stopped by two crooked cops. Dollar Bill is found in the trunk and arrested on warrants. He is later bailed out and returns to the club.
Ebony is offered a gig to dance at Ronnie's brother Junior's bachelor party. While Ronnie is outside smoking, one of St. Louis's henchmen, named Reggie, tricks Junior into raping Ebony. Reggie tells him that he and Clyde had run a train on her weeks ago, but it was spoiled by Diamond. Junior goes into Ebony's room while she is changing and against Ebony's pleas, Junior turns off the lights and violently beats and rapes her while his friends listen to it in disgust. The guys decide to leave the party and end their friendship with Junior. Ronnie discovers Junior with Ebony, and both flee the scene leaving Ebony in the motel room. Diamond and Blue arrive and they discover an unconscious and bloodied Ebony and they call 911. A furious Diamond then arrives at the Players Club and beats Ronnie up as punishment, avenging Ebony. Diamond then punches Tricks in the face and quits in front of Dollar Bill before she leaves with Blue.
Ronnie and Tricks are arrested by the police. That same night, St. Louis comes to collect and personally shoots up the club. As Dollar tries to escape, he is captured by St. Louis' henchmen. Later, St. Louis' associate Brooklyn destroys the club with a LAW rocket.
Ebony, still sporting the bruises from her rape, now has a job working at the shoe store. Ebony and Diana are back on good terms again. In voice-over, Diamond narrates the fates of the characters, including herself, who is currently in a relationship with Blue. She now works on the news.
Cast
LisaRaye McCoy as Diana "Diamond" Armstrong: A college student, single mom and aspiring journalist who gets a job at The Players Club to raise money for her college tuition.
Bernie Mac as "Dollar Bill": the dim crooked owner of The Players Club who is threatened by a loan shark named St. Louis.
Monica Calhoun as Ebony Armstrong: Diamond's younger cousin who becomes out-of-control after getting a job at The Players Club.
A. J. Johnson as "Lil' Man": the club's small-sized doorman who is frequently taunted and harmed by St. Louis and his crooks.
Ice Cube as Reggie: A henchman working for St. Louis.
Alex Thomas as Clyde: Reggie's best friend who, like Reggie, has a thirst towards Ebony and works for St. Louis.
Jamie Foxx as "Blue": the club's radio disc jockey and Diamond's love interest.
John Amos as Officer Freeman: a crooked police officer who harasses suspects.
Faizon Love as Officer Peters: another police officer who harasses suspects.
The movie opened on April 10, 1998 and debuted at No. 5 in the box office, behind City of Angels, Lost in Space, Titanic, and Species II.[3] It went on to gross $23,047,939 domestically, and $213,546 in foreign markets for a total lifetime gross of $23,261,485.[2]
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 35%, based on 17 reviews, with an average rating of 5.20/10.[4]
Roger Ebert awarded the film 3 out of 4 stars and said, "Ice Cube makes 'The Players Club' observant and insightful; beneath its melodrama lurks unsentimental information about why young women do lap dances for a living, and what they think about themselves and their customers."[5] He added, "What's interesting about [the film] is how it moves through various tones and kinds of material. There's the documentary stuff, the crime story, Diana's shaky romance with a new boyfriend, Ebony's problems, and comic relief from the stylized dialogue of Dollar Bill and his doorman, L'il Man...And then a strong underpinning of economic reality".[5] He noted, "The movie doesn't preach, but it has values. It sees the Players Club as a job, and the women there are workers, not sex objects."[5]Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly also gave a positive review. Like Ebert, he praised the cast, particularly LisaRaye's performance as Diana.[6]
