Playing for Keeps

Though the script takes pains to paint George as a passive boy-man, there's just not enough lovable here and too much of the thoughtless lout. Butler beware: In acting as in soccer, if you keep taking dives, sooner or later you pay the penalty.

A sloppy, poorly focused comedy.

Watching this all-too-predictable romantic comedy/drama, my overwhelming thought was this: Given all the great filmmakers and film projects that can't find funding, how did this effort secure its reported $35 million for production?

This saga of a former soccer star coaching his son's team in order to worm his way back into the heart of his ex-wife aims to be warm and funny. Alas, it is mechanical and exhausting, like a windup toy of a monkey crashing together cymbals for 106 minutes while incrementally winding down.

Simply put, it's a mess.

Husbands and fathers, do not try this sh-- at home. Such "lovable" misbehavior is best left to the professional cads.

Just stay away. It's awful.

This film has problems, but it also has some strengths. Unfortunately, the main problem is the tension between the family-restoration -- which has some seriously poignant moments -- and the desperate housewives thread -- which is farcical. Oil and water. But Butler wears the farce lightly, and Biel puts real heart into the family/marriage restoration. Their best moments are an amazingly delicate dance. If you can appreciate those moments, it is an effective film, although not as funny as it wants to be.

Predictable and lazy, the script by Robbie Fox (In The Army Now) is shiftless, basically what Fox is cramming this crap in and expecting people will love the cliche's, but the actors make this crappy script work they bring so much charisma into it, overall it's a heartwarming fun little tale about teamwork and family. Director Gabriele Muccino the director of Pursuit of Happyness which won an Oscar, is directing this mess and the directing is terrible; and what's the point of casting these talented people in this movie when they have nothing to do in this movie? I have no idea. The good times as a soccer play are over for George Dryer (played by Gerard Butler) is struggling financially and life, also struggling to reconcile with his ex-wife Stacey (Jessica Biel) and his young son (Noah Lomax). Lewis' soccer team isn't doing to well, so when they need a coach George steps up. Not only do the kids love him, the Milfs love him too. Butler stars in another dreadful film, but he does a good though, despite a cheap script and terrible direction, it's heartwarming. 2.5 out of 4 stars

The fact that Playing For Keeps received such poor reviews doesn't surprise me because movie critics are some of the most closed minded individuals on the planet and this movie doesn't fit into one of their predetermined little genres. It is too raunchy to be a family movie, doesn't focus on relationships or drama enough to be a romantic-comedy, doesn't involved enough soccer to be a sports movie, and doesn't have the proper type of humor to be dude movie. What it is, however, is just an all-around decent film. There's nothing great about it but it does everything pretty good. The cast is great, though they are a bit underwhelming and underutilized in the film, and they provide solid performances, albeit a bit cliche. The plot is decent enough to keep you engaged. Is it predictable? Of course it is but so are 99% of movies made nowadays so that's nothing new. All in all, I think most open-minded viewers will enjoy this as a pretty good all-around movie, nothing more, nothing less.

"Playing for Keeps" 10 Scale Rating: 3.0 (Awful) ... The Good: While Gerard Butler hasn't had a great track record with me as of late, he wasn't the problem here. In fact, he did a pretty good job with what little he had to work with. The film starts off with promise. The Bad: Everyone not named Gerard Butler was dreadful. Biel, Thurman, Zeta-Jones, and Quaid all have solid reps, yet were stiff and terrible in this. The film itself becomes predictable and everyone in the film comes across as a complete idiot, especially the women. Poorly written and a complete waste of time.

A very cheesy romance movie with King Leonidas as the main who's name I have already forgotten. Every cast member acts terribly and not a one point in the movie was I even the slightest bit interesting. Playing For Keeps is a boring soppy romance which women and men will hate.