Did Valentine’s Day put you in the mood to watch some romantic comedies this weekend?
You might try Gina Rodriguez’s new romp “Players,” which premiered this week on Netflix.
Set in New York City, journalist Mack (Gina Rodriguez) spends her days writing for the local sports section, then spends her nights plotting a hookup playbook with her pals Adam (Damon Wayans Jr.), Little (Joel Courtney) and Brannagan (Augustus Prew), as well as co-worker Ashley (Liza Koshy). When she falls for a renowned foreign war correspondent, Nick (Tom Ellis), she wonders whether to keep playing the dating game or settle down.
Viewers will enter this film with a ton of goodwill built up for its charismatic star Rodriguez, a fan favorite from The CW’s “Jane the Virgin” (2014-2019) who now sees ghosts on ABC’s “Not Dead Yet” (2023-present). “Players” places her in a similar newsroom environment, but rather than a nerdy obituary writer wearing graphic T-shirts, she’s a suave hustler who knows every trick in the book to land a one-night stand either for herself or her pals.
Their camaraderie is believable, particularly Wayans Jr., who looks like his dad and is best known as Coach in “New Girl” (2011-2018) where he was replaced after the pilot by Lamorne Morris, then returned in later seasons. “New Girl” fans will smile watching Coach play the Nick role this time with Adam’s “will they, won’t they” position in “Players,” ironically facing an intruder named Nick who threatens to extinguish the torch Adam carries for Mack.
Hey, screenwriter Whit Anderson! I see what you did there naming the protagonist “Mack,” as she’s busy macking on half the guys in Manhattan. After writing episodes for Netflix’s “Daredevil” and “Ozark,” her “Players” premise echoes “Hitch” (2005) in that it really slaps (sorry, couldn’t resist), but instead of Will Smith helping Kevin James game the dating system, it’s a group effort by friends working together for a unique spin on a familiar genre.
The plot is pretty predictable if you’ve seen your share of rom coms. Adam clearly has a crush on Mack but is too scared to leave the friend zone, just as Mack chases the shiny object by pretending to have things in common with her new fancy beau, blind to the fact that everything she ever wanted is right under her nose. The only thing that can snap her out of it is writing a feature piece about father-daughter bonds watching the New York Yankees.
Director Trish Sie — a D.C. native who helmed the sequels “Step Up: All In” (2014) and “Pitch Perfect 3” (2017) — smartly juxtaposes the majesty of Yankee Stadium in the background with a rec softball field in the foreground for an admirably understated finish that visualizes the theme of choosing the little things over the grand chase. It’s a nice bookend to the opening establishing shot of the cityscape that has become a fixture of the rom-com formula.
If there’s one criticism it’s that the cinematographer’s interior lighting makes it hard to see Wayans’ face for the first half of the movie. Perhaps this is intentional to symbolize Mack not seeing him as a love interest, but it’s not the kind of contrast lighting with stark pockets of light and shadow like old Hollywood classics; this is a hazier, digital shade stuck in between. If it turns out this was intentional, I’ll simply tip my hat and say, “Well played.”
Either way, we can absolutely see Wayans Jr. by the end, just as Rodriguez’s character truly sees him for the first time. Fans of the genre will be able to see the ending coming from a mile away, but sometimes that’s exactly the cookie-cutter comfort we need on Valentine’s Day weekend. Don’t expect an instant classic, but grab a warm blanket, a soft spot on the couch and a softer spot in your heart to fire up Netflix for a Friday date night.
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