\n<\/p>\n
\u201cPlayers\u201d is an old-fashioned romantic comedy, which means you know the end from the start. That\u2019s not a bug; it\u2019s a feature, a well-deployed one in this case. Practically since Shakespeare, the point of rom-coms is their predictability, and that\u2019s what I love about them. Enemies become lovers, friends become lovers, or we all learn a valuable lesson. Those are the options.<\/p>\n
The distinctions lie in the specifics, and rom-coms succeed on how memorable those specifics are: enduring a weird Welsh roommate<\/a>, faking a climax<\/a> in Katz\u2019s, skewering terrible Christmas sweaters<\/a>, falling in love over the radio<\/a>, leading your colleagues in \u201cThriller\u201d at a work function<\/a>, enjoying the dulcet strains of AOL\u2019s dial-up tone<\/a>. I\u2019m showing my age with these references, but you get the idea \u2014 the reason we love the great rom-coms are the peculiarities of everyday life that they surface, the minor characters and strange inconveniences that make the characters feel, if not quite relatable, at least like a fantasy version of the lives we are already leading. Which means, of course, that we could find love too.<\/p>\n \u201cPlayers,\u201d directed by Trish Sie and written by Whit Anderson, does not quite rise to the level of memorable specifics; I experienced d\u00e9j\u00e0 vu more than once while watching it. Most of its characters are journalists, a time-tested rom-com career that, in the universe of these movies, seems largely decoupled from what it\u2019s actually like to work for a newspaper, or magazine, or website. (Look, I would know.)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n But if it\u2019s both familiar and a little forgettable, \u201cPlayers\u201d is fun to watch. Our heroine is Mack (Gina Rodriguez), short for Mackenzie, a sports reporter who works for what appears to be a New York alt-weekly that still has the budget to cover bizarre local sports such as \u201cchess boxing.\u201d She is the consummate cool girl: 33 years old, both a total hottie and a total tomboy, unable to do things like make a real meal or read a book. She spends her nights at the bar and knows way more about sports than her friends, all guys: Adam (Damon Wayans Jr.), who writes about local politics; Brannagan (Augustus Pew), an obit writer; and Brannagan\u2019s little brother (Joel Courtney), whom everyone calls Little. The foursome have an elaborate unwritten set of plays that they run to help one another pick up people at the bar. Hence the title.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Mack and Adam dated in college, but they\u2019re just friends now. Mack has set her sights on Nick (Tom Ellis), a Pulitzer finalist war correspondent whom she soon realizes is a real grown-up. Maybe she\u2019s ready to settle down? Ever the helpful companions, the group suits up to help her land her man \u2014 but the course of true love, et cetera, et cetera.<\/p>\n The best thing about \u201cPlayers\u201d is the cadence and camaraderie of the leads, whose jokes come fast and bawdy and feel authentic to a gang of people who\u2019ve known each other far too long. Wayans and Rodriguez in particular have the kind of chemistry that takes over a scene, and as the four waltz around New York doing New York things (hanging out in the park, eating brunch, doing shots, ogling beautiful strangers), they\u2019re fun to watch. But it\u2019s missing the weirdly observed specifics (one character\u2019s defining feature is basically that he\u2019s bisexual) that really make a rom-com sing, and that feels like a shame with this group.<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a tired sameness to Mack\u2019s whole cool girl\/hot mess routine, which I think is supposed to be interesting because it\u2019s a different variety of hot mess from regular girls. There are plenty of women who love sports, beer and sex and who don\u2019t have anything but cheese in their refrigerator, but making that a character\u2019s entire personality has always felt a little reductive.<\/p>\n But \u201cPlayers\u201d won me over in the end, in part because its characters exude sincerity in their care for one another: It\u2019s as much a story of love among friends as it is of any couple, and a handful of good gags and great performances keep the whole thing steaming along. I\u2019m still waiting for the great rom-com resurgence. But for a fun night with Netflix and a pint \u2014 of Ben & Jerry\u2019s or of Guinness, your choice \u2014 \u201cPlayers\u201d will do just fine.<\/p>\n Players<\/strong>
Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 45 minutes. Watch on Netflix.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n