Playing for Keeps
User Score
4.5 out of 10

Mixed or average reviews- based on 23 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 23
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 23
  3. Negative: 12 out of 23

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  1. CountryPetInn
    Dec 7, 2012
    0
    OMG if you loved GIGLI you might like this! (Vomits in the corner)...BOO! More crap from Hollywood. The money would have been better spent on underprivileged kids soccer camp.
  2. GreatMartin
    Dec 7, 2012
    2
    Image This reviewer is a sucker for romantic comedies and even more of a pushover for
  3. Oroiael
    Dec 9, 2012
    0
    Watching YouTube videos of people vomiting is a better use of digital media, and with better acting. I stayed through the whole film as a measure of endurance. Apparently, I have a high threshold for pain. Good to know. This movie makes me wonder if the acting and production staff know just how terrible the movie is during filming. I feel sorry for the post production people who had to watch this flop over and over to get the editing and sound correct. They are the true heroes. My hats off to you, you aren't paid enough.… Expand
  4. Dominos
    Dec 28, 2012
    0
    I want to punch Dennis Quaid in his **** face. Don't go and see this stupid piece of trash. Stay home and finger your anus or something, it would be far more entertaining than this.
  5. hoops2448
    Apr 22, 2013
    2
    Football films and cinema have never really meshed, they just don't translate well. To combat this Playing for Keeps keeps to the sidelines, looking at the supporters and the kids inspired by the game. However judging by the film I just watched, it's surprising that any part of the sport is inspiring, especially for the kids.
    George (Gerard Butler plays a screw up ex footballer who is per    petually feeling sorry for himself. When he is forced to coach his sons team by his ex wife Stacie (jessica Biel) he is given an opportunity to prove himself the man he thinks he is, not the child everyone else does.
    Now I know the word reprehensible is a little extreme but this film really is. I mean it doesn't compare to the horror of Die Hard 5 but Playing for Keeps is dreadful none the less. The script is awful, the characters interact in the most unnatural ways, the women behave like neanderthals for comedy's sake and rarely eliciting more than a chuckle. Bulter is a likable idiot but he only really entertains when playing the game and not talking. Dennis Quaid pops in and out of the film to annoy the viewer with his over the top business man father, a slimebag who is more alien than human. Biel is actually surprisingly good for once in her career but she can't stop the ship from sinking. In fact there are few acting problems, except for Quaid and Uma Thurman, whose shrillness makes her scenes unbearable. The problem is that the film has no direction,a message it never convincingly delivers and because of this, Playing for Keeps is nowhere near the inspirational story of a mans comeback into something so unbearably crass. Overall the film gives you characters you don't like, sets a tone that makes you think Farelly brothers instead of touching family drama and fails to convey why the game is so important to George and the kids that he coaches and fails to inspire.    … Expand
  6. margezoto
    Dec 7, 2012
    10
    This is a heartwarming film showing the main character who from a life of stardom as a popular soccer player bedomews a has been. He still has name recognition, but he is down and out. He reconnects with his 11 year old son after 7 yearsof absence and unwittingly becomes a coach for his son's team.

    I am sorry that the critics gave it a poor review. It is worth seeing.

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
27 out of 100

Generally unfavorable reviews - based on 26 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 26
  3. Negative: 15 out of 26
  1. Total Film
    Reviewed by: Ken McIntyre
    Jan 11, 2013
    20
    Playing For Keeps is awful – and not in a hilarious Ed Wood way.
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  2. Time Out New York
    Reviewed by: A. A. Dowd
    Dec 11, 2012
    20
    Husbands and fathers, do not try this sh-- at home. Such "lovable" misbehavior is best left to the professional cads.
    Read full review
  3. Village Voice
    Reviewed by: Melissa Anderson
    Dec 10, 2012
    30
    Yet it's not entirely forgettable. I'll long be haunted by Dennis Quaid's manic performance as a palm-greasing dad who seems to be under the influence of bath salts-tweaked-out acting that matches the camera movements.
    Read full review
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