This fall at the multiplex, we have seen relationships between mental illness patients in Silver Linings Playbook and sexually abused children growing up and limping through high school in The Perks of Being a Wallflower, but Hollywood kicks back to the simplicity of cute romance and predictable plots in Playing for Keeps.
Just because a movie is predictable does not make it bad. I mean, Gerard Butler uses a Scottish accent, and Jessica Biel and Catherine Zeta-Jones are gorgeous — it’s hard to go wrong there.
Butler plays George, a former soccer star, who ends up coaching his 9-year-old son’s soccer team. He is faced with the challenges of divorced soccer moms throwing themselves at him, while he tries to cope with his ex-wife’s (Jessica Biel) upcoming marriage. In the process, George learns responsibility and tries to become an adult, hoping it will be enough to win her back.
Directed by Gabriele Muccino (The Pursuit of Happyness), Playing for Keeps is definitely a movie that hits home with the issue of divorce. George’s son, played by Noah Lomax, portrays the innocence of a little boy dealing with the emotional journey of his dad coming home while he has a future stepfather pushing his way in. The film definitely hits home with serious topics like divorce, so bring your tissue box.
Something that might surprise you watching this movie is Dennis Quaid’s role. He is not the sweet, fun-loving dad of twin daughters that were separated at birth any more. Quaid plays a money-loving manipulator, which, of course, he does so well because of his acting abilities.
Butler is a good-looking man. I get it. But I can’t get over the way this movie portrays these needy soccer moms. I understand the humor that came out of it, and in a way, what was happening in the movie happens in real life, but I thought it was way overdone. I didn’t find myself rooting for George to just ignore the moms; I found myself becoming annoyed with the sexist nature of the scenes. Yeah, a little dramatic because I am a woman, but I have a feeling not all men would like to be seen as only some hot piece of meat.
Overall, the movie is cute and worth the watch. We all need that feel-good movie every once in a while, and Playing for Keeps offers just that.