There was a time when Gerard Butler was a solid actor, whose name hadn't yet become synonymous with incoming comedy crapola. Those days are long gone, and now you can barely spit without hitting some terrible romantic comedy he's latched himself on to. It's like everybody who used to take these films grew up and moved on, with Butler stepping in to pick up all of the slack.
Playing for Keeps is not a film that should be out right now, in the thick of Oscar season. It should have been relegated to the cinematic dregs of January or February where its stench is masked by the equally subpar.
Once titled
Playing the Field, somebody smartened up and realized that might be too unseemly for a film about a womanizing ex-soccer pro who sleeps with every available(and some unavailable) woman in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, their concern didn't extend to the script, which is demeaning and misogynistic. Worst of all, it undermines a number of fantastic comedic actresses who are burdened with trite and downright embarrassing portrayals.
Set in a Virginia I'm not at all familiar with, perhaps because it was shot in Louisiana and looks like it, the film follows George Dryer, an ex-soccer star who has now hit on rough times. When we meet him he's being hounded by debt collectors and can't even afford to pay the rent, not that you'd know since it never really becomes an issue. George has moved to a upper class suburban neighborhood to be close to his personality-deprived ex-wife, Staci(Jessica Biel), and their son, Lewis(Noah Lomax). Staci has moved on to another guy(Martin Tupper), a boring sad sack we already know is going to lose out in the end.
After eyeballing his son's soccer practice and getting a little too involved, George is suddenly asked to take over coaching the team, and within minutes he's buried under a mountain of gorgeous soccer moms. They must breed them by the gross in this town because he can barely make a move without someone throwing herself at him. The talented and usually charming Judy Greer makes a hilarious first impression as a bipolar and borderline stalkerish option for George's affections. She cries at the drop of a hat, and it's a gag that wears out pretty fast. One thing the script by Robbie Fox doesn't allow for is character growth, so if you don't like a someone right away, well that's all you're gonna get. Catherine Zeta-Jones is a stylish and sexy ex-sportscaster who dangles the promise of an ESPN commentator job(because they grow on trees, y'know) in exchange for sexual favors. Uma Thurman's in there, too, as the wife of a wealthy philanderer played by Dennis Quaid, proving there's no gender bias when it comes to bad writing and phoned-in performances. Biel doesn't get much to do but look really tired and like her wardrobe was picked in the middle of a black out. Playing the drab and dull parent is not a look that suits her.
The film is directed by Gabriele Muccino, who had difficulty finding the right emotional balance with
The Pursuit of Happyness and
Seven Pounds. Perhaps he wrote this as a Will Smith vehicle, thinking the charismatic actor could mask the larger issues? Instead he's stuck with Butler, whose only crutches at this point are his mop of hair and comical Scottish accent. Muccino can't be blamed for the script, but the unsubtle direction blanketed by an overly sentimental score can certainly be laid at his feet. He simply isn't able to draw anything emotionally true from a single one of his actors.
Is there anything to like about
Playing For Keeps? Sure. It's mercifully short, and since we don't like soccer in this country, nobody will be clamoring for a sequel.
