1. Playing For Keeps (FilmDistrict, 2,837 Theaters, 106 Minutes, Rated PG-13): Okay, here’s a film I know absolutely nothing about. I have seen no ads, read no articles, hear nothing about this film.
So, I am going to try an experiment. I am going to try and figure out what the plot of the film is from the poster alone. This should be fun because it is one of the blandest posters I have ever seen.
Okay, Gerard Butler is in it and he name is above the titles. Soooo, romantic comedy? Okay, we do have a tagline. That helps. “This holiday season, what do you really want?”
Now, on to the pictures of the other actors. Judging by the fact that Butler’s picture is the largest, we can assume that the size of the picture on the poster mirrors the impact of the actor in the picture. Dennis Quaid and Jessica Biel’s are rather large, Uma Thurman is small, Catherine Zeta-Jones is tiny.
Okay, here we go. Here’s my shot at the plot: Butler plays a roguish bachelor who plays the field and dates much younger women. However, he feels like he should settle down like his best friend (or possibly older brother), Dennis Quaid, who has left the bachelor life behind and found matrimonial happiness with Uma Thurman. Armed with a new set of priorities. Butler thinks he has his life plan set. Unfortunately, life throws a curveball at him in the form of Zeta-Jones, an age appropriate woman who he feels he should go for, and Biel, a much younger woman who he has a lot in common with but someone Butler is hesitant to pursue because he feels it would be backtracking into his old life. Before the end of the movie, the obvious choice becomes clear to Butler (and the audience) and they live happily ever after.
Let’s see how close I came. Here is the plot synopsis from IMDB:
A former sports star who’s fallen on hard times starts coaching his son’s soccer team as a way to get his life together. His attempts to become an adult are met with challenges from the attractive soccer moms who pursue him at every turn.
Quaid apparently plays a jealous husband. And Biel his ex-wife. Nice. Well, at least I came close with the whole “getting his life together part.”
