By Suchita Thepkanjana
3.5/5 Stars
One of Netflix’s February additions is Players, a rom-com following a sports journalist who, tired of hookups with strangers, devises a plan to parlay a one-night-stand with a famous war reporter into a long-term relationship.
Players is reminiscent of the golden age of rom-coms, bringing a good dose of nostalgia, but also comedy, reliant on exaggerated mannerisms and borderline-cringey jokes which should have been left in the 2010s. Much like the typical rom-com, it was also very predictable, to the extent that I correctly guessed the ending within the first 10 minutes. Players also leans heavily into the stereotypical trope of the outgoing, slightly tomboyish female lead who only has guy friends, contrasted against the sophisticated, brooding male lead; the movie regresses once again into the awkwardness of the previous decade.
Weaknesses aside, Players is overall the perfect example of a movie you watch when you want to turn your brain off after a long week of hard thinking. Gina Rodriguez was perfectly cast as the main character, as were her sidekicks. The plot was well-paced and led to a satisfying climax. Additionally, I appreciate that Players, being a movie about a journalist, does not overly romanticize or sugarcoat the struggling newspaper industry but ties it into the plot very well.
While not a revolutionarily artistic or philosophical film, Players does make for an enjoyable, light-hearted watch for a quiet Friday night in.
