PLAYING FOR KEEPS

US, 2012, 106 minutes, Colour.
Gerard Butler, Jessica Biehl, Noah Lomax, Judy Greer, Catherine Zeta- Jones, Uma Thurman, Dennis Quaid.
Directed by Gabriellee Muccini.

The first moments, and the title, might lead us to believe that this is a film about soccer. There is soccer, but this is more of a story about family, and the relationship between a father and his young son.

Those early moments show the successful career of Scots player, George Dreyer. George is played by Gerard Butler (allowed to use his own accent). But, after his career ends, he faces the problems of what he is to do with his life. The media hype the celebrity of the footballers, their excessively high salaries, their relationships with women and their lavishly spending wives and girlfriends. What do former football stars do?

According to Playing for Keeps, they go back to find their children who are living with their ex-wife and her about-to-be next husband. Well, here, George goes to the US and to his American ex-wife, Stacie (Jessica Biehl in a very sympathetic performance) to get to know his son, Lewis (Noah Lomax, who played the son in Safe Haven). George seems to have lost most of his money and is doing an audition tape for a sportscasters’s job.

When he goes to watch his son play soccer (with the coach usually talking on his mobile phone), we know where the film is going. And it does that: coaching his son, trying to get close to him despite some failures, forming some bonds before it is too late.

But, there are two surprises (well, perhaps not, middle class American suburbia being what it is). First, there is the bumptiously ambitious father who immediately offers cash so that his son can get a better position and his daughter sing the national anthem before matches. He is played by Dennis Quaid as a conniving, grinningly ruthless businessman, who is not above inviting George home to a party to impress his business associates. The other surprise (or not) is the response of the mothers to George. Some are desperate housewives who go after George. There is the ‘poor little me’ divorcee who weeps and comes on strongly (Judy Greer). There is the businessman’s glamorous wife who turns out to be as manipulative as her husband (Uma Thurman). Most strongly of all is Catherine Zeta-Jones? as a vampish neighbour who has the power and influence to help George become the sportscaster.

But, it is time for George to make adult decisions instead of the immature footballer reactions that he is used to.

Of course, he makes the right decisions ultimately, perhaps not quite in the way we were expecting. They depend on his bonding with his son and what that should mean as well as listening to the sensible advice of his ex-wife and, despite her happy memories before he walked out on her and their son, her explanation to him that his timing is always wrong and that he explodes.

The film is by Italian director, Gabriellee Muccino, who made The Last Kiss in both Italian and English versions and who directed Will Smith in both The Pursuit of Happyness and Seven Pounds.


1. The appeal of the film? Family, marriage, parenting?

2. The sports background, the soccer, the opening credits and George’s success over the years? The aftermath? The coach and the children’s teams?

3. Sports players, audience responses, to their success, celebrity, wealth, girlfriends and wives, their mistakes, irresponsibility?

4. The title, the themes, the final song and the lyrics of ‘After the Rain’?

5. The focus and George, Gerard Butler’s personality and screen presence? The initial play, the goals, the years passing, age, retirement, 2009? To the United States, loss of money, making the video audition tape, the phone calls about his debts? His landlord wanting payment? His going to the television station, meeting with Chip? Being patronized? Prospects?

6. His relationship with his family, Stacie, her character, the young girl, infatuated with George, marrying him, patient with his womanising? The joy of the past, holidays in Tuscany, the birth of Lewis? George walking out? Her life in the US, with Matt, the three years, the prospect of the wedding, the effect on Lewis? The effect on George?

7. Going to his son son’s soccer practice, coach on the mobile phone, the reaction of the boys and girls, his intervention, his ability to kick? The invitation to coach the team, the coach being agreeable? The parents, the mothers, children? Karl and his watching George, urging and betting about George’s kicks and aim, his forceful personality, offering the money, the requests for his daughter to sing the national anthem, his talk about himself, his character? His manner, the party, the invitation to George, his confidentiality to George about his wife, his work? Inviting George to make a splash with his friends? George meeting patty capitol Patti?

8. The parents, the desperate housewives? Barb and her approaching George, weeping? Her discussions about dating, visiting George, the return to the house, the sexual encounter? Patti, the party, her permissive attitude towards her husband, coming to the house, in the wrong bed? George putting her off? The later compromising photos? Karl and the detectives, photos? Desperate and bored housewives and the sexual needs?

9. Denise, attractive, her vampish style, with her daughter, approaching George, the prospect of being a sportscaster, the audition, his enthusiasm, Denise pleased about the tape? The sexual response? Late for Lewis? George’s success, Denise coming with the news, George putting her off? His going to the company, meeting people, the audition being even better than the tape? The offer of the job?

10. Lewis, nine years old, his bond with his mother, his experience of his absent father, his relationship with Matt? Not remembering the holidays in Italy? His playing soccer, his bond with his father, his father’s success as coach, his improving his own play? The outings and sharing with his father? The sleepover, watching the horror film, nightmares, wanting to go home? The driving of the Ferrari, not telling his mother? His father missing his goal at the match? Seeing his father kiss Denise? His being upset, wanting to give up soccer? George talking to him in the rain, their practice, the goal, the successful match and the tension at the end? Accepting the reality of George’s moving interstate, his joy at his father’s return?

11. George and his relationship with Stacie, her feelings for him, her loyalty to Matt? Her resisting him? The lunch, the discussions? George coming while she was trying on the wedding dress? The reaction of the salesladies? Her saying that George had the wrong timing, exploding? seeing his fight with Karl? The seeming inevitability of their not being together? His going to Connecticut?

12. Stacie and Matt, his asking her directly about her love for George? His accepting the reality? Stacie calling the wedding off?

13. The housewives, their lives, their problems? Roving eyes? The landlord, his envy, watching George and the women, dating Barb?

14. Karl, his being in prison, George visiting Pattie, getting the bail money, late for the meeting with Lewis? Karl and his attack during the football match, the fight?

15. George, going to Connecticut, thinking things over, the return, meeting Lewis, meeting Stacie? The new job, locally, the amusing final scene with the Chip and George show?