Playing for Keeps (2012) * *

 

Directed by: Gabriele Muccino 

Starring:  Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Dennis Quaid, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Judy Greer, Uma Thurman, Noah Lomax, James Tupper

What about Playing for Keeps attracted such A-list talent?    It's a standard romantic/sports comedy in every fiber of its being.   The movie is pleasant, disposable, and forgotten about shortly after watching it.  It has its momentary charms, but nothing special.   The cast does its best to make the most of thin characters, but not much happens that one couldn't predict coming a mile down the road.

Playing for Keeps begins with highlights of the stellar career of soccer start George Dryer (Butler), whose career was cut short by an ankle injury.   Cut to the present day: George has fallen on hard times.  He is now divorced from Staci (Biel), who is now engaged.   He has a strained relationship with his six-year-old son Lewis (Lomax), he lives in the guest house of a wealthy man but has trouble paying rent because he has no job, etc.   One day while watching his son's hapless team at soccer practice, he takes over for the disinterested coach and shows the kids a few things.   George is soon the soccer coach, the team starts winning, and the soccer moms are soon hitting on George.

The moms are a newly divorced woman (Greer), a former sportscaster (Zeta-Jones) who thinks she can use her contacts to land George a coveted job with ESPN, and the unhappy wife (Thurman) of a millionaire who throws his weight around and cheats on her.    Watching these women throw themselves at George gives us painful would-be seduction attempts which George mostly rejects because he is Still In Love with Staci and is trying to Grow Up.   Dennis Quaid as the jerk millionaire Carl King injects some life when he's on screen with his patented licentious grin and the back slap that could kill.  

The seduction attempts are PG.  The closest anyone comes to nudity is Uma Thurman stripping to her bra and panties.   George is a nice enough guy and still manages to keep lean and muscular despite not going to a gym or doing any exercise.   The women come at him like they've never seen a man before.  Staci stands by waiting for George to take responsibility for himself and her son so she can dump her fiance (Tupper), a nice guy who only exists to be dumped.   It is amazing the fiance doesn't catch on sooner, but these folks generally are too busy being saints. 

Playing for Keeps is generic right down to its title.  Not only will we have forgotten we saw it, but it's likely the cast has forgotten they appeared in it.