Themed movie seasons are what algorithms love more than humans: it’s when they use our habits and need for escapism against us. In December, Christmas films appear, which are generally romantic. Two months later, as the Northern Hemisphere celebrates Valentine’s Day in February, romantic comedies prevail.

In general, with low production and casting costs, these short films are everything any platform dreams of: they generate traffic and gain likes and we are always ready for more. Among them all, Netflix always seems to be the most dedicated to numbers, with a well-stocked collection of any genre. In 2024, they came up with Players, an unpretentious little film that achieves its objective: to entertain us without compromise.

The formulas for love films don’t vary greatly, generally with a hint of Cinderella and a few hints of Jane Austen. The most ‘current’ are dedicated students from the Nora Ephron or John Hughes schools. Netflix‘s film focuses on these two (while Amazon Prime Video‘s Upgraded focuses on the first two).

It’s funny to remember that it has been 35 years since the release of When Harry Met Sally and here we are inverting part of its formula to once again tell a love story. For those who grew up in the 1980s, you will find references to Pretty in Pink too. If you remember Some Kind of Wonderful, it’s also worth remembering because it was a remake of Pretty In Pink, ‘correcting’ the ending. And if we’re going to be fair, they all borrow from Cyrano de Bergerac, the play by Edmond Rostand, written in 1897. Or even from Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare. Everything is copied, as master Norah Ephron admitted.

The plot of Players is about a group of journalist friends who have several conquest moves for no-strings-attached nights, one helping the other in an infallible strategy full of rules. Obviously, we realize that Mack (Gina Rodriguez) and Adam (Damon Wayans Jr.) could be more than friends, but contrary to Harry Burns, they tried in the past, but sex didn’t get in the way of their friendship. That is until Mack decides to challenge himself and win over the charming war correspondent Nick (Tom Ellis), who destabilizes any of the group’s strategies.

I don’t need to share details or even the conclusion, because we know what it will be and we’re still rooting for it. It’s times like these when we see how unbeatable the algorithm game can be! But if it makes our hearts warm, why resist?

Pesquisar

Pesquisar