This is a critique, not a review; I assume you’ve either seen this movie, or don’t mind major spoilers.
Once again, I am fully topical – here in November publishing a critique of a movie that came out in February!
But despite being a Netflix subscriber and a romance blogger, I somehow didn’t hear of this movie until a few weeks ago.
Maybe the problem was the terrible title – Players?? Wasn’t that a recent tv show? It doesn’t exactly scream romance, now does it.
But I was game (after reading some spoilers), so I watched. And, I liked it, actually. Though it did have some issues, which I will get to.
The play’s the thing
Players is the story of sports reporter, Mack (Gina Rodriguez), and her buddies who work at a dying newspaper in New York. Perhaps to distract themselves from their fragile work situation, they spend their evenings in bars running ‘plays’ – mostly of Mack’s invention – which are essentially little white lies to get the attention of potential hook up (i.e. sex) partners.
And they seem very successful at this! In fact, they’re living the dream (or someone’s dream): close friends, ample booze, and casual sex on demand.
Enter the curve ball
So everything is just peachy until uber-serious Pulitzer-prize nominated war correspondent Nick stumbles into their playing field. Mack is smitten, and after spending a casual night with him, she decides she’s tired of juvenile games and wants to pursue Nick for reals.
So she enlists her friends’ help in setting up the ultimate play, the strategy that can take her from being his one night hookup to being his girlfriend (defined as having her own drawer at his place). This is a feat all the players say is impossible, because you can’t begin a real relationship with manipulation.
What I liked
There’s a lot to like about this movie!
- It’s different
I’ve never seen a romcom like this before. The idea of these ‘plays’ was kind of fascinating for me (maybe because I’m so very far out of the dating game, if I was ever really in it at all). When Mack starts running her plays with Nick, it reminded me of that old movie The Tao of Steve, which has some good tips for drawing people to you.
- It’s smart
Players’ filmmakers paid attention to the details. If there’s a plot hole or gap, they fill it, which I like. For example, all these games the gang plays are a bit juvenile, but the characters openly acknowledge this – so it doesn’t seem like such an issue.
- It avoids sport-girl cliches
Rodriguez – who you might know as Jane the Virgin (going against type here) – is captivating as the “sports-loving girl who’s also one of the guys,” which could have been cliched, but felt authentic here. She’s not some one-dimensional stereotype; her job as a sports reporter is pivotal to the character and the story.
- It offers camaraderie
Her team of buddies is winning, fun, and full of one-liners. It includes Adam (Damon Wayans Jr), switch-hitting Brannagan (Augustus Prew), Little (Joe Courtenay – yes, the annoying best friend from the Kissing Booth movies), and late to the lineup, Ashley (Liza Koshy). With a romance that’s MIA, these supporting players manage to keep the film fun and engaging.
- It has tension
The story is full of tension, but not the kind you might guess. More on that next…
All tension is good tension, but…
In a romance, I’d like there to be some romantic tension! There are two major sources of tension in this film, but unfortunately, neither relates to the romance.
The first point of tension is, I kept worrying that Mack was going to be found out while making her play for Nick.
Now, she probably deserved to be found out. I mean – what she did was absolutely manipulative. She and her friends stalk him. Then she pretends to be someone she’s not to get his attention. It is very cringe overall.
But, she’s the protagonist of the story, and by this point we the viewers are on her side, so we don’t actually want her to get caught! It would be just way too embarrassing!
The second point of tension is Mack’s ardent pursuit of this guy, Nick, who we the audience knows is completely wrong for her. He’s a snob. He’s super serious. He doesn’t appreciate her for who she is. In fact, he doesn’t actually know who she is, because she spends most of her time lying to him.
This couple will never, ever work. So, we sit on the edge of our seats, saying No! No! No! You’re making a mistake! And wait for her to realize the truth. It’s almost the opposite of romantic tension, since we’re rooting for a couple who is all wrong for each other to break up.
Satisfying, but not romantic
The biggest payoff in the movie is when Nick tells Mack he doesn’t like a feature article she’s written that is near and dear to her heart, and she realizes in that moment that he’s a snob and that he doesn’t know or appreciate her. So, she dumps him.
It is cathartic. At last, she sees him for who he really is.
But, this is a romance, so that shouldn’t be the climax of the story.
So where’s the romance?
The romance in Players feels like a side story.
Any astute romcom viewer can tell Mack’s best friend, Adam, is the one she’s meant to be with.
They are shown to be very close, almost to the exclusion of everyone else. They often end up alone at the end of a long night of ‘plays’, though he never seeks out a hookup himself during the movie (though he does date a woman). He’s very kind to Mack, supporting her in all her plays; he even saves half of his fries for her when she’s late arriving at the bar!
But, through all of that, the pair never show any romantic connection. There are no prolonged or stolen glances, and Adam never seems jealous about Mack’s hardy pursuit of another man.
Echos of… Emma?
In one scene, towards the end of the movie, Adam gets a bit stern with Mack, telling her Nick isn’t good for her, that he doesn’t really care about her. It reminded me of that scene in Emma – another ‘friends to lovers’ romance – when Mr Knightly scolds Emma for her bad behaviour.
The Players version is such an important scene, since we finally get to see Adam’s passion (which has been rather dormant) and how strongly he feels about Mack.
But it just isn’t convincing.
In fact, Adam is pretty boring throughout the film. He’s way too chill and withdrawn, with nary a funny line. So instead of seeming strong and attractive, he comes across as a sad sack.
Come on, this guy is a Wayans! And he was great as Coach in the New Girl. Let him loose a bit, let him be silly. Then we’d really be able to see what Mack sees in him romantically, rather than just being reminded of what good friends they are, again and again.
The problem with (some) friends-to-lovers romances
The main problem with this movie is a common problem with the friends-to-lovers trope: The would-be lovers get caught in the Friend Zone.
For most of Players, Mack is chasing another man. She only starts to see Adam romantically right at the end of the movie, after she finds out that he loves her.
It just felt way too sudden, and the story was resolved way too abruptly, so there was no real buildup of romantic tension between them.
The filmmakers do establish that these two were once a couple back in college, suggesting compatibility, but we don’t ever see any romantic spark between them.
It’s just unsatisfying.
What could the filmmakers have done differently?
This movie reminded me a bit of Clueless – which was coincidentally inspired by Emma. In Clueless, we see Josh (Paul Rudd) throwing Cher (Alicia Silverstone) a long pining look, maybe about half way through the film, so we know he likes her.
But the romance only really gets going towards the end, when Cher finally realizes that she’s in love with Josh.
This happens at maybe the 80% point in the movie. Before that, Cher gives no real sign that she was interested in Josh, and spends most of the movie pursuing another boy.
Yet, it feels romantic, where Players does not. What made the difference?
One, Josh’s feelings were more obvious, conveyed mainly by that single pining look. We never get a look like that from Adam.
Two, Clueless didn’t just wrap up as soon as love surfaces – there are several scenes after that, of Cher moping and feeling awkward around Josh, and wondering how she can better herself.
So we see a bit of buildup, and a bit of opportunity for tension. Plus, this interlude makes the love seem more credible.
In Players, there’s no time for that. Mack doesn’t even realize Adam loves her on her own, she’s told by his ex and her friends that he does. Then, she goes home, ponders for a bit, thinks this could be good, and plans a ‘play’ to tell him she’s into it and wrap up the story.
It just feels rushed and unconvincing.
Give us a pining look from Adam. Make him seem a little jealous when she starts chasing Nick. And make her a bit jealous when he starts dating – that could be the catalyst for her realization that she loves him.
Give her some time to really realize her love, and give us some time to see the pair as a potential couple. Give us a little romance, man!
Conclusion
The title of this movie is strange, given that it’s a romance. Once again, I suspect that movie producers are trying to broaden the appeal of the romance, to broaden their potential for profit.
But once again, I think it backfired. I’m not sure romance viewers found this movie. And I’m not sure sports-loving guys would really enjoy it. So, by not committing to doing one thing and doing it well, it’s a lose-lose.
I fear filmmakers omit those pining looks and moping moments because they might seem ‘cringe’ to some viewers. But, you can only edit a romance down so much before losing the romance entirely. Those little moments are what make a romance. And if all you get from them is discomfort, maybe you shouldn’t be watching romance.
That said, I did enjoy the movie. It had a winning cast, fun camaraderie, and a unique setup, and was more entertaining than many recent Netflix movies I’ve seen. It just wasn’t much of a romance.