Parents' Guide to

Playing for Keeps

By S. Jhoanna Robledo, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Ho-hum sports romcom lacks both laughs and chemistry.

Movie PG-13 2012 106 minutes
Playing for Keeps Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 15+

Based on 3 parent reviews

age 18+

Not for keeps

This movie is a nonsensical, non-family oriented piece of trash that belongs in the garbage can. It has nothing to do with soccer but more to do with nasty adulterous males and females who are desperate for anything except a good family life

This title has:

Too much sex
age 18+

Don't waste your money!

In all honesty, I went to see this movie because I love Gerard Butler. However, the movie deals with a divorced family who actually ends up (SPOILER) getting back together. I don't believe it was a movie made for kids. There were huge, beautiful homes, fancy cars, money being tossed around like no tomorrow. The father/coach in the movie (Gerard Butler) has soccer moms throwing themselves at him, and perhaps the worst part was that infidelity seemed almost "ok". One of the married mothers shows up on his bed wearing a bra and panties. I was more shocked to find out that my kids saw the movie the day before I did with their dad (although he knows my daughter loves soccer and probably thought it'd be a good soccer movie). Neither of my kids, ages 13 and 10, enjoyed the movie. Both thought it was inappropriate, in fact my 13 year old boy actually said he thought it should have been rated R.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much sex
Too much consumerism
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (3):

A movie should have personality; otherwise, why call it entertainment? Some of the worst ones can at least find comfort in having a point of view. But to be, well, "meh?" Why bother? Playing for Keeps is about as formulaic as a romantic comedy can get, and goes light on both the laughs and spark. Thurman, Zeta-Jones, and Greer give it the old college try, but the story doesn't require them to do much more than look Butler up and down and then wait for a chance to pounce. Biel has a little bit more to work with, and her efforts are deeply felt, but it's almost a shame because it creates dissonance from the rest of this ho-hum film.

There's no momentum, no surprises, no energy. It's not awful, but it's not terribly good, either. It's just there. Since there's little here that's refreshing -- aside from Lomax's work as Lewis -- it's not hard to guess how things will turn out between George and Stacie. But it's not easy to see why we should sit in the audience, either.

Movie Details

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