What is playing for keeps about

Despite the interesting cast this film is completely lazy and empty. The story centers on George Gerard Butler a successful soccer player who played in important clubs across Europe and ended his career in the MLS. He hasn't had the same success in his retirement and has failed in a couple of business enterprises. He wants to be a better father and therefore moves close to their home so he can spend some more time with him. While George is trying to find a job as a sports anchor, he begins coaching his son's soccer team.

Since he was a well known player all the parents agree he should coach the team and they are all exited that he has decided to be involved, especially the moms which include Patti Uma Thurman , Denise Catherine Zeta Jones , and Barb Judy Greer. Barb is an emotional recently divorced mother, Denise is a former successful TV anchor who offers to help George in achieving his goal, and Patti is a seductive woman who is married to the rich, but manic, Carl Dennis Quaid.

George's soccer career might be over, but he finds quite a local fan base as a coach. His success with the ladies continues, but he doesn't want that to be a distraction as he becomes more and more involved in the life of his son.

He also discovers that he has feelings for Stacie, and we all know where this film is heading from there. There is not much more I can say about this extremely formulaic film. Don't be fooled by this family friendly film because it is kind of creepy in a way with the main character having all these moms stocking him. The impressive cast isn't enough to save this film since it has a terrible script and the performances were really lazy.

Jessica Biel received a Razzie nomination for her performance in this film along with her work in Total Recall, but who I think was really terrible here was Dennis Quaid. The only believable thing about the film was the soccer choreographies which were done really well.

They didn't seem as fake as in some other soccer movies. This is a very forgettable film, but it was tolerable and some of my family members had a good time. Details Edit. Release date December 7, United States. United States. Official site Official site Japan. Playing the Field. Shreveport, Louisiana, USA. Box office Edit. A movie should have personality; otherwise, why call it entertainment? Some of the worst ones can at least find comfort in having a point of view.

But to be, well, "meh? Playing for Keeps is about as formulaic as a romantic comedy can get, and goes light on both the laughs and spark. Thurman, Zeta-Jones, and Greer give it the old college try, but the story doesn't require them to do much more than look Butler up and down and then wait for a chance to pounce. Biel has a little bit more to work with, and her efforts are deeply felt, but it's almost a shame because it creates dissonance from the rest of this ho-hum film.

There's no momentum, no surprises, no energy. It's not awful , but it's not terribly good, either. It's just there. Since there's little here that's refreshing -- aside from Lomax's work as Lewis -- it's not hard to guess how things will turn out between George and Stacie.

But it's not easy to see why we should sit in the audience, either. Families can talk about how Playing for Keeps portrays George as a dad. What do you think of his parenting? What does he learn during the film? Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners. See how we rate. Streaming options powered by JustWatch. Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization, earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes when you use our links to make a purchase.

Thank you for your support. Our ratings are based on child development best practices. We display the minimum age for which content is developmentally appropriate. The star rating reflects overall quality. Learn how we rate. Parents' Ultimate Guide to Support our work! Corona Column 3 Use these free activities to help kids explore our planet, learn about global challenges, think of solutions, and take action. Playing for Keeps. Movie review by S. Jhoanna Robledo , Common Sense Media.

Ho-hum sports romcom lacks both laughs and chemistry. PG minutes. Rate movie. In case you were wondering, yes, they did find time to feature a shot of Butler without his shirt. Stacie met George when she was a year-old backpacking around Europe.

When I was a year-old backpacking around Europe, I did not meet any hot football players. Home Article 'Playing for Keeps' spoilers.

Save FB Tweet More. Playing for Keeps. George never got in trouble for using the soccer cash to pay his rent. All rights reserved. Close this dialog window View image 'Playing for Keeps' spoilers. Gabriele Muccino. Young Noah Lomax is solid and capable as Stacie and George's son, joining the apparently limitless ranks of gifted child actors. Is there a cutoff age after which young actors lose the gift of seeming spontaneous and natural?

Jessica Biel all but steals the show as Stacie, the former wife, now engaged to an apparently swell guy named Matt James Tupper , who at one point makes a surprisingly generous and kind statement. Stacie is the one character who doesn't seem largely on autopilot and manages to leave room for doubt in a film without much room for that.

Then we come to Carl Dennis Quaid , husband of one of the women in George's fan club, who qualifies as a millionaire bully. He also has a son on the team, gets all puffed up about the fact that that his son has an ex-star for a coach and tips George with a red Ferrari convertible. Quaid uses his sneaky, too-sincere smile, uses his wealth for leverage and is a genuine jerk. So that's good for something, in a film that's pretty much from the assembly line.

Roger Ebert was the film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times from until his death in