Playing for Keeps 2012

Glenn Kenny, MSN Movies: 'Playing for Keeps' wants to run and kick feel-good moments through the goalposts, but it limps and wheezes from the opening faceoff until its final whistle, with a lot of effort expended to earn, and make, very few points. Read more

Manohla Dargis, New York Times: None of it is especially credible or engaging. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: "Playing for Keeps" plods along pretty much as you'd expect. Its small pleasures come from the relaxed cast. Read more

Scott Tobias, AV Club: A bedroom farce without the farce, a fish-out-of-water comedy on sun-cracked lake-bed, a story of fatherly redemption that barely gets past the hair-mussing stage. Read more

Bill Goodykoontz, Arizona Republic: Not only is it not funny and not particularly romantic, it treats women like idiots. Read more

Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: This is modern movie stardom, and it's depressing: the romantic lead who could also be selling us body spray. Read more

J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader: Dennis Quaid hammers away at a nothing role as Thurman's husband, an adulterous alpha dog; it's nearly identical to the one he played earlier this year in What to Expect When You're Expecting, but who's counting? Read more

Tom Long, Detroit News: It appears to be an empty-headed piffle of a film about a dashing former professional soccer star coaching his son's team and having affairs with an assortment of randy soccer moms. And that's precisely what it is. Read more

Darren Franich, Entertainment Weekly: Playing for Keeps takes place in a tonally incoherent universe, constantly shifting between rom-com farce and mawkish family drama. Read more

Stephen Farber, Hollywood Reporter: Attractive actors can't redeem a sodden script. Read more

Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: At some point you hope [Butler] will find a movie that will give him the right material to make hearts truly beat faster. Read more

Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald: The only thing Playing for Keeps teaches us is: Guys, forget the bars and nightclubs. Soccer moms are where the action is. Read more

Rafer Guzman, Newsday: Half the actors realize they're in a bit of Hollywood fluff, but others deliver emotional performances worthy of a serious drama. As for Butler, well, it's hard to say exactly what he's doing. Read more

Mark Jenkins, NPR: Is it a heartwarming romantic drama? Or a cynical sex and sports comedy? There is no wrong answer, dear ticket buyer. Read more

Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News: Perhaps, if this movie fails, studios will finally accept that we all deserve better. Read more

Kyle Smith, New York Post: One of those movies that comes "straight from the heart" - the heart of the hack screenwriter's manual that pushes formulaic structure to cover up a lack of compelling characters, genuine emotion or actual humor. Read more

Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: If Gerard Butler exudes rakish charm and Jessica Biel a charming flintiness, then why is Playing for Keeps so utterly charmless? Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: A sloppy, poorly focused comedy that wants to be about the relationship between a father and his 9-year old son but ends up being about nearly everything else. Read more

Richard Roeper, Richard Roeper.com: Smarmy. Dopey. Sloppy. Lazy. Creepy. Tone-deaf. Predictable. Embarrassing. Lousy. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: A film that's pretty much from the assembly line. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: For a trifle - one that probably looked like one on the printed page, too - "Playing for Keeps" somehow attracted a strong cast. Read more

Christy Lemire, Associated Press: It is truly baffling that all the talented, acclaimed actors involved actually read this script and then agreed to devote their time to this movie, especially given its uncomfortably flagrant misogynistic streak. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: "Playing for Keeps" is a perfectly pleasant romantic comedy completely lacking in novelty. This will leave many viewers unengaged, but may not be a disadvantage for its core audience. Read more

Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail: Butler beware: In acting as in soccer, if you keep taking dives, sooner or later you pay the penalty. Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: Playing for Keeps doesn't play with a full deck. Read more

Alonso Duralde, TheWrap: This rock-stupid combination of family schmaltz and horny-MILF male fantasy does this charismatic leading man (and everyone else involved) no favors. Read more

Anna Smith, Time Out: Everyone involved deserves a script with more wit, originality and sense of purpose. Read more

Claudia Puig, USA Today: Playing for Keeps is a throwaway movie if ever there was one. Read more

Justin Chang, Variety: A modestly affecting reconciliation drama wrapped in a so-so sports movie by way of a misogynistic romantic comedy, Playing for Keeps can't stop tripping all over itself. Read more

Melissa Anderson, Village Voice: 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 ... Read more

Bilge Ebiri, New York Magazine/Vulture: These are actors due a break. Unfortunately, this comedy-drama about a kids' soccer coach boinking a bunch of desperate housewives doesn't appear to be it. Read more

Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: An undistinguished, impact-free watch-checker that will soon be vaguely distracting transatlantic travelers who forgot to carry on their iPads. Read more