The Ocean’s Eleven of romantic comedies, Trish Sie’s Players offers a fast-paced narrative powered by a remarkable chemistry amongst the entire cast - with a heist for love at the heart. 

 

Going in blind is the undeniable best way to see this film, because without any preconceived notions, Players is already one of the best films of 2024. With complete honesty, I can’t remember the last time a film was laid out on the table in such a simple, yet clever plot thread, with a cast that truly felt like a family. The cast brings this rom-com to the level of success it achieves and Whit Anderson's solid script to go along with it… also strengthens the cause. 

 

Gina Rodriguez [Mack], Damon Wayans Jr. [Adam], Augustus Prew [Brannagan] and Joel Courtney [Little] are so unbelievable together and later in the film when Liza Koshy [Ashley] is tapped in, she is a flawless addition to the "team". The plot is about manipulation and scoring one night stands with attractive people at local establishments, but after Rodriguez’ Mack gets a taste for the possibility of an adult relationship, the group twists their plays into their most challenging “game” yet. 

 

Rodriguez and Wayans' chemistry is so contagious that when set against partners Tom Ellis [Nick] and Ego Nwodim [Claire], the dynamic becomes purposefully awkward to make the audience sway one particular way. It’s truly a piece of cinema that relies on the sharp talents of its cast because the main friend group feels like they've been genuine friends for a lifetime.

 

Not everything inside is flawless, certain aspects of character development pertaining to the backstory of side characters - loses some of the enthusiasm set forth. Who exactly is this love interest that Mack has such an infatuation with? Nick Russel is said to be an impressive, almost award-winning writer, but these accomplishments never come across as an attractive selling point. That’s possibly the ploy to generate this character to have a big draw, but not one fascinating enough to invest in over the comradery established within the group. 

 

At the center of Players, there is a wickedly upbeat heist film that turns a one night stand into the end goal for a simple drawer at someone’s home. It has the opportunity to obtain the stature of a romantic classic in years to come, with a modern love story revolving around witnessing "pro" players at their craft.