REVIEW: PLAYING BY HEART
Starring: (in Alphabetical order) Gillian Anderson, Ellen Burstyn,
Sean Connery, Anthony Edwards, Angelina Jolie,
Jay Mohr, Ryan Phillippe, Dennis Quaid, Gena Rowlands,
Jon Stewart, Madeleine Stowe
Written and Directed by: Willard Carroll
Review by: Joy Wyse, the SILVER Screen Critic
Playing by Heart has something for everyone. There's a love story for just about every age of viewer. Unfortunately, that's also its main drawback. If you identify with one couple, you'll probably be bored or upset by another one of the stories. It does show how much the problems facing lovers have changed. The oldest couple, played by Sean Connery and Gena Rowlands, fell in love and grew older without the issues facing the younger lovers. Their main concern centers on a possible affair that he may have had numerous years before. Most of the younger couples must face AIDS or homosexuality, all too prevalent in today's society.
Remarks have been made that the dialogue wasn't real; that no one really speaks that way. Strange because Connery and Rowlands spoke just like my husband and I speak. In fact, there is at least one `joke' that we created over 40 years ago and have used often every since. It is when Sean says that "he never knew what true happiness was until he got married….then it was too late!'
As to the younger couples, I couldn't help wonder what some of them saw in each other. Angelina Jolie (Jon Voight's daughter) stands out as a free spirited, fun-loving club-goer. Her initial attraction to Ryan Phillippe seems odd. He seems like such a loser that I questioned whether she would have given him a second glance. As she got to know him, he does become more loveable.
The most desirable of the guys has to be Jon Stewart. Again, I wonder what he saw in Gillian Anderson enough to endure the pangs of the courting process. Randy Quaid's role is bizarre and seems a strange choice for him. Anthony Edwards' scenes are mostly in bed or the bedroom, and he isn't all that likeable. There's not enough nudity or sex scenes to disturb anyone.
A different type of love story is the one between Ellen Burstyn and Jay Mohr as a mother and son. It is filled with memorable moments. The `game' that they play might be beneficial to a lot of people who are hiding deep dark secrets in their lives.
It's not a great movie. It's not a bad movie. I wouldn't mind seeing it again, but I'll probably wait until it's on free TV. I give it a B-.
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