“Players” is one of this week’s top new releases. Released just in time for Valentine’s Day, this Netflix romantic comedy starring Gina Rodriguez and Tom Ellis quickly landed at number 1 on Netflix’s top 10.
But if you’re looking for a belated romantic comedy for Valentine’s Day or just need something for your next date night – hell, maybe you’re like me and just like a romantic comedy that’s more about comedy than romance – Maybe you should skip this one. While the talented and attractive pair of Rodriguez and Ellis feel like a perfect match, critics feel that this film missed out on worse than just an extra point for Jake Moody.
Nevertheless, critics sometimes misunderstand the meaning of popcorn flicks. After all, not everything has to be at the height of art, sometimes you just want an entertaining film. So let’s take a closer look at what Players is about before we see if critics and audiences think this film is a failure (I promise the sports references will make sense).
What is “Player” about?
In “Players,” Rodriguez plays New York sports reporter Mack. Mack usually likes to go to bars with her, she usually goes out with her friends (Damon Wayans Jr., Liza Koshy, Augustus Prew and Joel Courtney) after work and puts on “acts” together to score points with men or women. depending on who is directing the play (see, the sports references made sense!).
But one day Mack meets Nick (Tom Ellis), a correspondent for her newspaper, and decides to put on a play about him. Only this time she might be playing the long game and opting for a long-term relationship rather than a quick fling.
At one point in the trailer, one of their friends, Adam (Wayans Jr.), points out Mack and Nick’s incompatibility, despite helping Mack put together a play to get Nick earlier in the film. Therefore, it’s unclear whether this is a classic case of her having the right man in front of her all along when Adam is just a genuinely concerned friend. In any case, you’ll have to watch the full movie to find out.
“Player reviews” – that’s what the critics say
The question is natural should Watch the whole movie to find out? According to critics, the answer is a resounding no. “Players” currently has a “fresh” rating of 43% on Rotten Tomatoes. When the best films are classified as “fresh,” a 43% rating almost feels bad. However, a closer look shows that reviews are more mixed and lack critical consensus.
The more charitable reviews don’t exactly praise the film – Alissa Wilkinson of the New York Times calls it “dated,” and that might be one of the more positive views. Adrain Horton of The Guardian calls it “a mediocre film” in a 3-star review. However, the film’s most positive review has to go to Lovia Gyarkye of The Hollywood Reporter, who particularly praises Rodriguez’s character. “Mack’s character development is believable due to Rodriguez’s committed performance, which moves between tears and laughter with ease.”
So if the positive reviews all seem to agree on the idea that it’s a dated, unimaginative but palatable romantic comedy, that seems to be the reason why most critics hate it. Brittany Witherspoon of Screen Rant calls the film “about as trashy as it gets,” and Roger Moore of Movie Nation is frankly scathing in his review, calling the film “a pre-# rom-com sitcom MeToo masquerading as a full-length comedy.”
But is critical opinion really that important when it comes to a romantic comedy? As Pramit Chatterjee puts it in her (positive) review: “There is a popular belief that no one watches modern romantic comedies for the plot or filmmaking.” So perhaps it is the audience’s opinion that matters most when watching is about “players”.
Unfortunately, viewers also hate “Players” – skip it
Unfortunately for Players, most audience reviews seem to align with the negative critical reviews. So far there are only five audience reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, but they average 2.1 out of 5 stars. Not exactly a convincing endorsement, especially since the best review said: “Gina Rodriguez was great as always!” And yet the film only received 3.5 out of 5 stars.
But my favorite audience review comes from Google. User “thegood fish” states in his review… “Without exaggeration, it may be the worst movie I have ever seen.”
Look, is this the worst movie you’ll ever see? As someone who recently saw “Argylle,” I doubt that. But I think if you’re not a big fan of cheesy romantic comedies (there’s nothing wrong with that), “Players” probably isn’t for you. Feel free to skip this Netflix movie.
