Aylmer to Zazzoo and Beyond: Dennis Quaid

Showing posts with label Dennis Quaid. Show all posts

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Playing For Keeps - Review

Playing for Keeps
(2012 - December 7)
Comedy | Romance
106 min

Rated: PG-13 Some sexual situations, language and a brief intense image What parents should know

Grade: C

Director: Gabriele Muccino
Writer: Robbie Fox (screenplay)
Stars: Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel and Dennis Quaid | See full cast and crew

Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Uma Thurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Dennis Quaid star in Playing for Keeps, a romantic comedy about a charming, down-on-his luck former soccer star (Butler) who returns home to put his life back together. Looking for a way to rebuild his relationship with his son, he gets roped into coaching the boy's soccer team. But his attempts to finally become an "adult" are met with hilarious challenges from the attractive "soccer moms" who pursue him at every turn. -- (C) Film District

Don't expect Playing For Keeps to win any Oscars, Golden Globes or People's Choice awards, it's very formulaic so neither will it be scoring any points for originality but it is fairly innocuous entertainment for its target audience. It could have been a much better film if it had not spent so much of it's time focusing on marital infidelity and George's (Gerard Butler) promiscuity. George is a washed up former pro soccer player who has lost his family due to his immaturity and his egocentric lifestyle. He now is single and desperately wants and needs a job in sports broadcasting. He also now realizes, a bit too late, that his family and being a father to his son is important to him.

There are no surprises in this very generic story, every event is predictable. Even with a very capable cast of actors there are no stellar performances in this film. George's son Lewis (Noah Lomax, who will next be seen in the upcoming Safe Haven) is as much a standout as anyone in the cast which doesn't say much for veteran actors like Gerard Butler, Dennis Quaid, Uma Thrurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Jessica Biel.

It's not that Playing For Keeps is a bad movie it's that it's just not really a good movie either. If you are looking for a great film or a tear-jerker, emotional film you will probably be disappointed, but if all you expect is some mindless entertainment for an hour and forty-six minutes then you'll most likely get what you paid for.

Cast

Gerard Butler Jessica Biel Noah Lomax

Gerorge Stacie Lewis

James Tupper Uma Thurman Dennis Quaid

Matt Patti Carl

Catherine Zeta-Jones Iqbal Theba Judy Greer

Denise Param Barb

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

The Words - Review

The Words
(2012)
Drama/Romance
(1 hr, 36 min)

Rated: PG-13
for brief strong language and smoking

Directed/Written: Brian Klugman and Lee Sternthal [co-wrote "Tron Legacy" together]

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, Zoe Saldana, Jeremy Irons, Ben Barnes, Nora Arnezeder, John Hannah, J.K. Simmons, Zeljko Ivanek, Michael McKean | See full cast and crew

Grade: B-

A writer at the peak of his literary success discovers the steep price he must pay for stealing another man’s work. Hard life lessons are learned.

You were probably not in the theaters this past weekend, not many were. So chances are you haven't yet seen The Words. It was the worst box office weekend since 2008. The Words and Cold Light of Day's opening weekend receipts both were major disappointments for their respective studios. The fast fading Possession saw its second week receipts drop off by 47% but still managed to hold on to the top spot. Promotion for Words was poor, Cold Light almost nonexistent, they debuted at a miserable 4th and 13th place. ( read more : 'Words,' 'Cold Light' Bomb on Worst Weekend in Years...)

Words is not a bad film but it's not great film either. It's plot follows four different storylines with four different sets of characteres simultaneously, a sort of play within a play within a play within a play. Kind of like the filmmakers had the idea to remake “Inception” set in the world of novels and authors. The film is not, however, quite as clever or as complex as it pretends to be. I has received some very harsh reviews from some critics. Their hatred for plagiarism and seeing themselves as 'writers/authors', the story is a little too close for comfort for them I think and therefor taints their critical perspective.

Despite the merging of four stories, first time directors Klugman and Sternthal keep it pretty clear where we are and in which level of the story. It is best to go into this movie without knowing much about it, otherwise the story will be ruined for you so I'm not going to go into details. I do recommend it though with some reservations. I was impressed (not in a positive way) by performances of Dennis Quaid and Olivia Wilde. They were the least believable of the four couples, taking themselves just a bit too seriously...listen closely to what I say because every word I say is loaded with significance. Not really an exact quote but that's the attitude they exude.

There was one curious line, at least to me, in the story of the 'young man' (Ben Barnes) in post WW II Paris, the soldiers are repairing the bombed sewers and one soldier lamenting their dismal task says, 'I miss Utah.' At least that's what I think I heard. I don't plan to go back and watch it again just to see if that is actually what he said.

It was good to see Bradley Cooper do a role where he isn't rude, lewd, crude and spewing out one profanity after another (as in The Hangover movies, #3 is on its way). The studio, investing little in promotion, placed the success of Words almost entirely on the shoulders of Cooper's name recognition (Jeremy Irons is a classic and was actually way more of a draw for me). Zoe Saldana is not only beautiful but is also believable in her performance. The end of the film is, I think, purposely muddled and vague, leaving the viewer to write his own ending. The titles of the two books from the movie's authors, 'The Words', and 'Window of Tears' are dubious choices for best sellers. As a movie experience, Words is slightly better than most of this summer's movie offerings. There is one very unnecessary F-bomb and one other unnecessary profanity of the blasphemy type, otherwise it is reasonably clean.