Name: Retro Film Review: Playing by Heart (1998)
Item: Playing by Heart
Rating: 30
Author: @drax

(source:tmdb.org)

Films made out of multiple and seemingly unrelated subplots were very popular in 1990s Hollywood. This was mostly because they gave illusion of being unconventional and thus earned sympathies among reviewers. One of such films was Playing by Heart, 1998 drama written and directed by Willard Carroll.

The plot of the film depicts eight days in the lives of several citizens of Los Angeles. Paul (played by Sean Connery) and Hannah (played by Gena Rowlands) are celebrating 40th wedding anniversary only to find that Paul wanted to end marriage over another woman many years ago. In the meantime, Mildred (played by Ellen Bursytn) tells family secrets to her son Mark (played by Jay Mohr) who is dying from AIDS. Hugh (played by Dennis Quaid) uses his talent for telling sob stories in order to pick single women in bars. Roger (played by Anthony Edwards) and Gracie (played by Madeleine Stowe) are enjoying torrid extramarital affair, but also don't want to end their respective marriages. Stage director Meredith (played by Gillian Anderson) has been so hurt by men that she is reluctant to answer to the courting by an architect Trent (played by Jon Stewart). Ambitious actress Joan (played by Angelina Jolie) is intrigued by Keenan (played by Ryan Philippe), young man who rejects her sexual advances. Lives of those people are going to be connected in quite unexpected ways.

Originally titled Dancing About Architecture, this film had at least some ingredients of Hollywood success - respected cast, Vilmos Zsigmond's cinematography and John Barry's musical score. What it didn't have was the director able to handle such complex plot. Because of that Playing by Heart is an overlong. Another problem is in various characters and subplots not being equally interesting and various actors not making equally good performances. Some, like Gillian Anderson's, are great, while others, like Stowe's and Edwards', leave much to be desired. Soon the artificiality of the whole concept begins to reveal itself, especially in the ending which makes this film looking more like a Hollywood fairytale than anything resembling real life, despite author's attempt to remind the audience about dangers of AIDS. Because of that Playing by Heart is into nothing more than merely watchable film.

RATING: 3/10 (+)

(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.films.reviews on October 13th 2004)