A star-studded heap of garbage, "Playing for Keeps" is the lowest common denominator of romcom. Both painfully unfunny and misogynistic to boot, the film is the antithesis of cheesy American romantic goodness.
Gerard Butler plays ex-soccer stud George Dryer, who has recently relocated closer to his ex-wife (the vapid Jessica Biel) and their son. In an attempt to try and adjust to single-dad life, George takes up a part-time gig coaching his son's Pee Wee soccer team.
Upon commanding the position, Butler soon commands the attention of every single woman in the tri-county area via his dreamy accent and "300" 6-pack. The gaggle of women, featuring Uma Thurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Judy Greer, are quite literally falling over one another to win Dryer's attention despite his womanizing ways.
All in all, it's a poorly written movie with a smug superficiality to it that makes it near-impossible to relate to on a human level. Jessica Biel was nominated for a "Razzie Award" for her abysmal performance, but she is certainly not the only thing holding this film back. There are seemingly no characters with an ounce of self respect in this. It's actually quite remarkable, really. Everyone is either cheating on aspouse, leaving pools of drool at George's feet or planning infidelity. If that wasn't bad enough, the lead character is an unapologetically bad dad who is never forgiven but instead rewarded at the end.
The moral of the story, if there even is one, gets muddled among all the cheating and backstabbing. The plot plays out like an episode of "Desperate Housewives" as told from the perspective of an avid "Two and a Half Men" enthusiast.
Dennis Quaid is simply terrifying in the role of Carl, a palm-greasing seedy alcoholic who is quick to befriend George and take him under his scummy wing. His wife, Patti (Uma Thurman), is just as obtuse as her manic husband, throwing herself at George every chance she gets with little to no comedic effect.
Amid the bizarre and uninteresting supporting cast exists a laundry list of cliches. We have the ex-wife who is still in love with her first husband, the desperately lonely soccer moms throwing themselves at any man with a pulse and a lead character with a propensity for putting a plethora of bad decisions ahead of a promising broadcasting career. There is also an endless amount of puzzling questions that are raised throughout, with a shortage of answers to be had. "Playing for Keeps" is largely forgettable from nearly start to finish, with no redeeming quality of which to speak.
The Blu-ray is equipped with the usual suspects in terms of special features. There's a "making of" featurette, deleted scenes and a behind-the-scenes look at the casting. All in all, a pretty solid effort in way of extras, but unfortunately, this is one Blu-ray not worth owning let alone ever watching.
Film: 1.5 Yaps Extras: 3 Yaps