A Hollywood actress undergoes a psychic breakdown and recalls the traumatic events which led to her stay at a sanitarium.A Hollywood actress undergoes a psychic breakdown and recalls the traumatic events which led to her stay at a sanitarium.A Hollywood actress undergoes a psychic breakdown and recalls the traumatic events which led to her stay at a sanitarium.
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaJoan Didion wanted Sam Peckinpah to direct but he was never quite sure why she would select him, given his success as a director of Western-themed films, and declined.
- GoofsFull-screen version shows boom mic in the outdoor sequence where Maria is shooting an actual gun on the movie set; boom mic also visible when B.Z. talks with Maria in the motel room while she is looking at crime scene photographs with a magnifying glass.
- Quotes
Maria Wyeth Lang: ...existentially, I'm getting a hamburger.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Joan Didion: The Center Will Not Hold (2017)
Featured review
Puzzling lack of respect for this gem
The movie Play It as It Lays is, admittedly, not everyone's cup of tea. Even the book--as much as I liked it--was a hard sell to friends and family; most, especially those living outside the Southern California forcefield, simply could not grasp the essential Los Angeles flavor of Didion's dry economical language. The language of the Industry is spot-on (for a change) as are the depictions of the unusual alliances and estrangements of the characters in the film. One person I know who hated the film complained that it was too "faggy" and not like the real Hollywood at all (this person lives in Tucson); the B.Z. and Maria relationship at the heart of this movie may seem bizarre and pointless to auslanders, but it certainly reminded me of real life in LA circa 1972. Also of note is Tammy Grimes' performance as B.Z.'s wife--she got so many of the good lines ("Oh God my face--I can really see a difference"; "in what?"; "skipping my Lazslo for one day.") This movie should be available in VHS/DVD; does anyone know why it's been ignored? I'd love to know.
helpful•352
- roobozart
- Dec 4, 2003
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Играй как по писаному
- Filming locations
- Las Vegas, Nevada, USA(Location)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $1,000,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 39 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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