‘The Players’ (Gli Infedeli) is a straightforward character-driven sketch comedy that never attempts to be serious. Even in its most somber moments, it never lags its depiction of raunchy extramarital affairs. Although quickly forgotten, there is something appealing about its nooky gags, occasionally hilarious punchlines, and charming cast. Many may find its picture of sex and marriage in Europe to be a little over-the-top or plain unpleasant. Even yet, it’s worth noting that, despite depicting blatantly sexist people, it never comes across as misogynistic.

Plot of The Players

The film’s first short is straightforward. It revolves solely around a couple on a vacation to the Maldives. However, for some reason, the wife suspects her husband of infidelity. She is worried and paranoid, and she keeps a careful check on her man virtually constantly. When given the chance, she checks his phone and discovers something she should never have known. The second short of ‘The Players’ revolves around a husband and wife who admit to cheating on each other. Instead of questioning their marriage, they simply call it a day and go on.

The following short is about a frustrated married man who attends an official party in the hopes of getting “lucky” before the sun goes down. He persistently pursues all of the women at his office, but nothing works out for him. Despite being rejected by practically everyone, he just can’t stop being who he is—a cheating spouse prepared to do anything to get laid. The fourth short of the video focuses on an elderly couple who appear to have been happily married for many years. The husband, on the other hand, is up to no good. He sneaks out of his house practically every weekend, pretending to attend to a basketball game. Instead, he goes to see sex workers and cheats on his wife. When his wife discovers his little secret, she devises the ideal retaliation.

The final short demonstrates the lengths to which a guy will go in order to deceive his wife. When his wife discovers that he is cheating on her, he devises the perfect strategy to convince her that she is insane. It works in his favor, but karma bites back at him. The video concludes with a 10-minute short about the exploits of three pals who get caught up in their “guy chat,” unaware that they’re about to make a great fool of themselves.

Review of The Players

Not every ‘The Players’ standalone short is as amusing as the others. Nonetheless, it has its share of undeniably humorous and clever moments that make it worthwhile in the end. I feel the film’s shorts are purposefully arranged in such a way that they improve over time. In context with the plot, the prelude short is pretty generic, and I would be exaggerating if I said it was entertaining in any way. It’s devoid of laughs. At the same time, it establishes such low expectations that you’re later blown away by its overall boisterous tone.

The film’s effective humour is mostly due to its two major actors, Riccardo Scamarcio and Valerio Mastandrea. The actors keep reappearing in each short, changing personas, hairstyles, and even sexual inclinations. They offer a particular charisma to each role that lets you forget about their prior performances and immerses you in their current persona. For example, in one short, Riccardo Scamarcio plays a stereotypical sexist loser who fails to impress any woman at his workplace. In contrast, he plays the character of ladies’ guy who gets all he wants in almost every other short. The actor’s performance in both of these disparate roles appears credible.

The fifth short is, in my opinion, the most memorable of the film’s shorts. Although overdone, it has the longest runtime, allowing it to develop its characters more than the others. It also has a really twisting storyline that has you on the edge of your seat the entire time. Not to add that its underlying tone and message appear to be evident. Overall, the stories of unfaithfulness in ‘The Players’ are, at most, entertaining. Furthermore, the film merely attempts to provide its audience with a contemporary perspective on relationships. It neither preaches nor passes judgment on what is ethically correct.