They say there are no good films and bad films, but there are only honest films and dishonest films. Playing For Keeps, however, is an honest film alright; but unfortunately, is disappointing on a lot of levels. And the reason behind that is the fact that the film comes across as unsure of what it really wants to say.
Gabriele Muccino's film is the story of a former soccer star who finds himself having a hard time at the sunset of his career. He lives in Virginia so that he can be close to his son and ex-wife. In an attempt to get his life together, he takes up the job to coach his nine-year-old son's soccer team. But his attempts to grow up and become a stable adult are hindered regularly by desperate soccer-moms who are attracted to his vivacious personality and sexy Scottish accent.
The fragmented nature of the story, where George Dryer (Gerard Butler) finds himself oscillating between being a responsible father and a Casanova is handled very loosely. The scene construction and the way the story progresses, simply makes it difficult for you to feel for the central characters. Except for a few scenes between George and his son Louis (Noah Lomax), the film is just a few loose pages from the diary of a retired soccer player living in America.
The primary attraction of the film is the casting, which lines up Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Uma Thurman, Dennis Quaid, Catherine Zeta-Jones and plenty others. However, apart from the male and female leads, the other actors merely play cameos that add very little value to the narrative in particular. Jessica Biel, who plays George's wife Stacy, is disappointing when it comes to emoting. Nine-year-old Noah, on the other hand, shows he has some substance and Gerard Butler himself is charming, as usual, on screen.
Whether you look at it as a coming-of-age story, a slice-of-life film or a complex drama, it ends up falling short on all accounts. The primary reason is the loosely knit narrative which is a clear lack of judgement on the part of the director and writers on what to show and what to leave out. The story has a lot of substance that simply doesn't show in the film, which is why you feel disappointed in it.
Playing For Keeps is a movie that has a heart, but it is not in the right place. Watch it for Gerard Butler and forget that you watched it once you have. There are a lot of other options at the cinemas right now; if you skip this, you will have missed nothing significant.
Rating - 1.5 out of 5
Published in DNA After Hrs (Pune) on December 8, 2012
No comments:
Post a Comment