Summary
A playful romantic comedy that is full of heart and special moments making it one of the most unique films for the subgenre on the platform.
Romantic comedies have a special place in film history because the conventions may be repetitive but there is almost always a happy ending. The conventions are a bit different in Players (2024) on Netflix, directed by Trish Sie and written by Whit Anderson. The friend group dynamic is something special and the gimmick is what makes this romantic comedy memorable. Netflix has had an issue with quantity over quality and sometimes there is one film that comes out above the others.
Players is a unique little gem that uses foreshadowing with one pairing that makes the entire run around of the film so worth it in the end. There is always some sort of homage paid to When Harry Met Sally and this film does that.
The gimmick for this romantic comedy is set up in the opening credits. We first meet the core group of friends at their local bar: Mack (Gina Rodriguez), Adam (Damon Wayans Jr.), Brannagan (Augustus Prew), and Little (Joel Courtney). They are trying to find Brannagan a date for the evening and they pull out a famous play; one that they’ve done hundreds of times over the past decade that they’ve known each other. The way they introduced the “game” aspect to the audience was well done because just as much as Mack hooks the girl sitting next to Brannagan, she hooks the audience as well.
They explain the many plays that they’ve done over the years and Adam is the one who wants to take it slow and not participate in them anymore. He is at an age where he wants to settle down and that hits Mack in the chest. It isn’t until Mack sees Nick (Tom Ellis), who is a decorated author, that she thinks that maybe she needs to settle down as well.
The “games” tie into Mack’s career as she is a sports writer for her local paper. Each of the friends has a spot on the paper and that’s why they’ve gotten so close. Mack tells Adam that she thinks Nick is the “big fish” she wants to reel in as a formal boyfriend. They all come together to perform multiple “plays” from their book to land Nick for Mack. The script is good and it comes down to the character dynamics for audiences to connect to each of them. Mack’s character is tough on the outside but emotional because of the loss of her parents. Adam is the one who she is the closest with and their relationship is one of the most beautiful friendships on screen in a long time.
Along the way, Mack faces roadblocks in her career and her dating journey with Nick because of her unrealistic expectations. Her friendships are tested and Mack loses a piece of herself because of Nick. At first, it’s a fun film because of the “plays” but it’s the banter between the group of friends that carries this out. Even when things get serious in the second half, the friends adapt to the situations and keep everything grounded.
Why you should watch Players
The reason why many should tune in to watch Players is because of the gimmick itself. It plays out like something out of Barney Stinson’s playbook from How I Met Your Mother with the heart of How To Lose a Guy in 10 Days.
The structure of Players is a bit stretched out because there wasn’t enough of the group doing more than one play for each other. It went straight into Mack wanting Nick and all the “plays” went to her. Apart from the lengthy stretch of Mack trying to get Nick, the way their journey unfolds is well done as the situation spirals out of her control.
If you are a hardcore rom-com watcher you can already tell how it’s going to end within the first five minutes but you have to remember that it’s all about the journey. Whit Anderson ties it all together beautifully with this pairing that the ending of this film will be memorable for many years to come.
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