‘Playing For Keeps’ is a
slice-of-life film about a former soccer star’s troubles with marriage, son,
finances and his own individuality.
The film stays true to
its promise of being a great ‘romantic comedy’. Strikes an emotional chord with
the viewers and keeps it light at the same time!
Former soccer star,
George Dryer (Gerard Butler), finds it extremely difficult to come to terms
with his life, post-retirement. Having been separated from his wife, Stacie
(Jessica Biel), and son, Lewis (Noah Lomax), George finds himself stranded at a
guest-house adjacent to an Asian landlord, Param’s (Iqbal Theba) mansion.
Unable to pay the rent, George, having already experimented with a bar, tries
his hand at sports casting.
He gives a self-shot
tape to an already-established sport caster, his friend and former teammate,
Chip Johnston (Jason George), so that he can make some leeway in his financial
pursuits.
He also gets to spend
the weekends with his son Lewis. He gets to drive him to football practice and
both of them have dinner afterwards. Having been left by George when he was
just a toddler, the kid has no memories of good times spent with his father.
Stacie, living with her current partner Matt (James Tupper), too, looks back at
her marriage with resentment as George was never there for them.
Once, during football
practice, George fills in for the burly, good-for-nothing,
perpetually-stuck-on-the-phone soccer coach, and has a great time with the
kids. His football antics impress the parents, who insist that George take up
full-time coaching of the school kids.
Now, while coaching,
George ends up attracting the attention of several mothers. These gorgeous
ladies, all of them either single or unhappy with their current partner,
shamelessly hit on George, trying to get into bed with him. The ladies in
question, Uma Thurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Judy Greer, would charm the
hell out of any man and George, eventually, does relent to two of them!
The rest of the film
harps upon George’s bonding with his son Lewis, his coming-to-terms with the
broken marriage and his relentless pursuit of the sports casting job.
The film packs in some
wonderful moments, especially those involving Gerard and Noah. The two share
brilliant camaraderie on-screen. Noah pulls off a difficult role. He is not
just supposed to play a happy-go-lucky child, but also one who gets insecure
when he sees his father with other women. There is a scene in which George is
talking to the gorgeous Denise (Zeta-Jones) outside his house. Lewis, who is
sleeping in his own room inside the house, swiftly moves to his father’s room
so that he can prevent his father from calling Denise inside. In the next
sequence, you have Lewis telling his father that he loves him and they hug
tightly.
Director Gabrielle Muccino (‘The Pursuit Of Happyness’, ‘Seven
Pounds’) is terrific at capturing father-son bonding, and he doesn’t disappoint
this time around as well. Catherine Zeta-Jones is adorable as the cougar and so
is Judy as the weeping woman on the prowl! Uma hardly gets any screen time, but
boy, she does looks like a million bucks!
Gerard and Jessica share
amazing chemistry on screen. They quarrel and argue through most of the film,
but they very much looked like an estranged couple.
Dennis Quaid, who plays
the multi-billionaire businessman Carl, was also wasted in an inconsequential
role. His character was supposed to cause the main conflict towards the end of
the film. However, as earnestly as Quaid tries to pull off this character, the
weak writing lets him down.
Andrea Guerra lends
pleasant music to the film, and the lovely visuals are courtesy Peter Menzies
Jr.’s cinematography. Robbie Fox has written a very feel-good, slice-of-life
screenplay. Although soccer is an integral part of the film, jargon has been
kept away it, thankfully. Gerard Butler is definitely the scene stealer here.
The actor, revered for his great looks, packs in more than a punch.
Shivom Oza
Playing for Keeps (2012) 720p BRRiP Full HD Movie Free Download
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