Game plays fascinate me. In real life, in the sports world, the idea of coming up with strategies to score a win—strategies that are a combination of teamwork, creativity and just a touch of magic—is a huge thrill. In the movie world, it can also be massively entertaining, especially when out of context. Say, in a movie like the Ocean’s series. The inside-baseball names, the explanations, the inevitable flub by the newbie. It can be charming. Sadly, Players didn’t bring its A-game, at least to my TV screen.
I wasn’t exactly hoping for a home run of a rom-com, but I had put the director Trish Sie’s movie on my Netflix watchlist after seeing the trailer featuring Gina Rodriguez, Damon Wayans Jr, Augustus Prew and Joel Courtney. The easy bickering banter between a group helping their friend get an actual boyfriend versus another hookup seemed like the perfect popcorn fare for a chilly February evening at home, when the rest of the world celebrates Valentine’s Day. (I have no particular affinity for that particular chocolates and roses-filled day, although it does warm my heart to see hapless boyfriends raiding the neighborhood pharmacy for a last-minute gift for their sweethearts.)
And the reason for all the sports references? Leading lady Mackenzie, who goes by Mack (Rodriguez), is a local sports reporter at an unnamed Brooklyn newspaper. Her crew includes Adam (Wayans Jr), in charge of visuals, and Brannagan (Prew), the Obits writer, as well as Brannagan’s younger brother Ryan (Courtney), who is called Little for reasons unknown other than being a running gag. The reason for my more-than-passing-curiosity for Players? That’s also because of our leading lady, whom I adored in Jane the Virgin, where she played a telenovela-loving aspiring writer and hotel staffer who “gets accidentally artificially inseminated” with the sperm of her boss (and teenage crush) Rafael, leading to five seasons of hijinks.
As much as I wanted to love Mack, however, I never got fully invested in her character. Forget the fact that Players’ versions of newspaper offices are always anachronistic. The only thing that seemed vaguely real about Mack’s work life were the references to impending layoffs, which serve as a half-hearted catalyst leading to the movie’s culmination. Mack is also that type of girl who only exists in the fantasies populating Whit Anderson’s screenplay. She’s a guys’ girl, who knows the sports beat inside out, hankers for falafel when she’s feeling down, has that perfectly toned physique and a constantly sunny disposition. She’s usually the brains behind fairly complicated plays the crew runs at bars in order to get laid.
But then Nick Marshall (because of course the male love interest, who is also a war correspondent, must be British and have a last name; played by Tom Ellis) saunters into the newsroom. Mack is mesmerized, and suddenly wants a drawer. So her crew rallies around Mack’s new game plan for adulting. Suddenly Mack has what she wants. Or does she?
For those who know the beats of rom-coms, you can tell which way the chips will fall pretty much from the start. The reference to a college romance gave it away for me right at the beginning. But you still watch, because there’s something warm and comforting about a familiar story, and the plot twists add the fun. In Players, the pivots highlight the murkiness of modern dating. Even when Mack does want something serious, her approach is flippant. When she has her moment of clarity, it feels disingenuous. As a result, Players is a mixed bag. It offers several chuckles between gags and the easy camaraderie between Mack and her friends, but it also made me roll my eyes more than a few times.
But Players is not a total strikeout. That’s primarily because of its cast’s charisma. Rodriguez has her romantic lead down pat: Stunning but approachable, and seems like a genuinely lovely person to hang around with. Your perfect gal pal. Wayans Jr. carries that same solid presence he had as Coach in New Girl. Brannagan’s bisexual lustiness and Little’s earnest chase of newspaper editorial assistant Ashley (Liza Koshy) rounds out their appeal.
Not so desirable? Mack’s purported paramour Nick Marshall. I never got into Lucifer, and I remain immune to Ellis’ mystique. That said, I never liked smug war correspondents in real life; Ellis’ fictional version didn’t win me over either.
Where does that leave us? Players is entirely watchable, offering up some laughs and some elements that may be considered romance in the age of Tinder. But if you’re looking for that cozy feeling of warmth after watching a genuinely good rom-com, however, Players doesn’t quite play ball.
Director: Trish Sie
Writer: Whit Anderson
Starring: Gina Rodriguez, Damon Wayans Jr., Tom Ellis
Release Date: February 14, 2024 (Netflix)
Aparita Bhandari is an arts and life reporter in Toronto. Her areas of interest and expertise lie in the intersections of gender, culture and ethnicity. She is the producer and co-host of the Hindi language podcast, KhabardaarPodcast.com. You can find her on Twitter. Along with Bollywood, Toblerone bars are one of her guilty pleasures.