It’s no surprise that during the week of Valentine’s Day, one of Netflix’s most popular movies is Players, an original 2024 feature that is yet another in a recent string of successful rom-coms coming out in the last few months. Players stars Gina Rodriguez as Mack, a New Yorker who enlists the help of her friends to land a man, Nick (Tom Ellis).
Players doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it hits all the notes of a satisfying rom-com: charming leads, a far-fetched premise, and a satisfying ending. For those who are craving more love stories just like it, here are three rom-coms on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video that share Players‘ warm-and-fuzzy appeal.
The House Bunny (2008)
It’s a modern crime that Anna Faris isn’t a bigger star than she is right now. The rare actress who brings intelligence and laughs to the archetypical “dumb blonde” role, Faris was one of the standouts of the awful Scary Movie franchise and got a chance to shine on the small screen in Mom. The actress had one of her best roles in The House Bunny as Shelley Darlingson, an aspiring Playboy centerfold who has aged out of the Playboy Mansion. In need of a new place to live, Shelly ends up getting hired as the new house mother of Zeta Alpha Zeta, a sorority of awkward students that includes future stars Emma Stone (Poor Things), Kat Dennings, and Katharine McPhee.
While Shelly teaches the girls how to attract guys by appearing more superficial, she has a hard time landing Oliver Hauser (Colin Hanks), a man she really wants to impress. Like Players’ lead heroine, Mack, Shelly needs the guidance of her all-girl squad to land the object of her dreams.
The House Bunny is streaming on Netflix.
I Want You Back (2022)
One of the most underrated rom-coms in recent memory, I Want You Back casts It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia‘s Charlie Day and SNL vet Jenny Slate as heartbroken strangers whose chance encounter after being dumped leads them to formulate a crazy plan: They’ll each attempt to infiltrate the life of the other’s ex-partner and break up their new relationship.
Silly, funny, and powered by the stars’ wonderfully funny chemistry, I Want You Back also features some great supporting roles for Players star Gina Rodriguez, Scott Eastwood, and Pete Davidson. It’s the rare rom-com that’s actually romantic and pretty funny, too.
I Want You Back is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
My Fake Boyfriend (2022)
My Fake Boyfriend‘s setup is a bit far-fetched: After trying unsuccessfully to move on from his vain soap opera actor boyfriend, Andrew (Kid Flash himself, Keiynan Lonsdale) enlists the aid of his best friend, Jake (Dylan Sprouse), and Jake’s girlfriend, Kelly (Modern Family‘s Sarah Hyland), to break up from his emotionally abusive ex, Nico. After witnessing Andrew’s botched attempts at dating, Jake comes up with an idea: create a fake boyfriend, Cristiano, who fulfills every need Andrew desires.
Complications arise when Andrew meets an attractive chef, Rafi, and begins to fall in love for real, while Jake develops an unhealthy obsession with Cristiano, who symbolizes everything he wishes he could be and isn’t. Good-natured and breezy, My Fake Boyfriend boasts the same supportive-friends-setting-up-the-lead-romance plotline, but with a LGBTQ twist.
My Fake Boyfriend is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.
