It isn't very often that you are offered up a film with a romantic comedy/family drama genre blend. There is a reason.
Playing for Keeps had good intentions with its attempt at stylizing an otherwise old and tired story, but it ultimately failed to produce anything unique as it became bogged down in juvenile dialogue and over-the-top cliches. Sure, there were moments of decency, but the ill-fated story never reached a climax, leaving audiences distraught and unsatisfied as the story wrapped without too many answers.
Gerard Butler stars as George, a down-on-his-luck soccer stud who, after falling on hard times, returns home to be near his son. Soon after his arrival, he is convinced to coach his kid's soccer team, prompting an immediate rise amongst the women who flock to him for, get this, his Scottish accent.
The film, filled to the brim with stereotypical moments, fails to ever get off the ground as a slew of Hollywood heavyweights give underwhelming (though not entirely dismal) performances as they attempt to bring life to a quite stale script. The dialogue leads to one dimensional characters, and the steady presence of unrealistic situations prevent you from ever really connecting with the unappealing characters.
The film's biggest drawback for me personally comes during the last five minutes. I kept thinking that there wasn't enough time for them to wrap up all the story lines...and I was right! Instead of losing a few of the subplots and really focusing on the task at hand, Muccino and company opted to string you along until the very last minute, then rush forward with a conclusion that was neither satisfying nor entertaining.
Combine that with a senseless and unneeded performance from Dennis Quaid as a jealous husband who uses money to get his kids ahead, and Playing for Keeps barely musters its way past the finish line. Sure, the film will get some fans from the young girls who, much like the soccer moms in the movie, will swoon over Butler's "athletic" physique, but rest assured that there is little to no real substance here.
