hyped garbage

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

The first must-see film of the year.

I believe this is the third time I'm watching this movie - haven't seen it in years. If you like movies in the "multiple storyline" form of "Short Cuts" and "Magnolia", where lots of stories are told in parallel and finally meet, then you're gonna love this movie. Unsurprisingly, the highlights of the movie are the scenes with Ellen Burstyn (made me cry more than once) and Gena Rowlands & Sean Connery, but you can't expect less than fantastic actors like these, given a good script. Dennis Quaid is also good in his role. The Angelina Jolie story was OK - Jolie is overacting but she's OK in her role. I would have cut the entire Gillian Anderson story - I don't know if it's the story that's weak or Gillian Anderson's acting (probably the latter), but something doesn't work for me there. Also, Madeleine Stowe is beautiful, but her story is just minor and not very interesting.

Playing by Heart is a comedy-drama film, which tells the story of several seemingly unconnected characters who are articulate and witty people that are pondering on the meaning of love.The cast ensemble includes Gillian Anderson,Ellen Burstyn,Sean Connery,Anthony Edwards,Angelina Jolie,Jay Mohr,Ryan Phillippe,Dennis Quaid,Gena Rowlands,Jon Stewart and Madeleine Stowe.It was written and directed by Willard Carroll.Carroll focuses his film on four couples, all in one way or another battling with the problems of relationships, ranging from long-marrieds to Gen-X club-hoppers. Ostensibly, part of the film is invested in the mystery of how all these characters are interrelated, but keen viewers will be able to discern the connections among everyone. It's the uniformly excellent performances, though, that make this multi- character drama compulsively watchable. Most striking, surprisingly enough, are Jolie and Phillippe, the youngest members of the cast who reveal heretofore hidden depths of talent. Equally impressive are Gillian Anderson and Jon Stewart, who transcend their yuppie persona's in their awkward enactment of the timeless dating rituals. Other cast members are quite good though saddled with story lines that are occasionally less than compelling. The only complaint you'll have is that once everyone's connections are revealed, you'll wish this cast had more of an opportunity to interact. The journey toward the film's bittersweet end, however, is marvelous in and of itself.But nevertheless,it certainly provides more emotional nourishment than most other mainstream movies generate these days.

I found this DVD whilst I was trying to find something cheap to make up the full price of my Father's Day present - a gift voucher on Amazon. I had never heard of the movie, and it would not have mattered if I had continued in my ignorance! A frightfully over emotional 'American' movie that presumably felt it could follow the TV success of a show like '30 Somethings' and do the multi-strand jump cutting of 'Babel' with everything coming together at the end. Well, it didn't work. You assemble a great cast of pros - the Weinsteins looking for a left field hit that might pick up some Oscar traction - and make an auteur film about love that is supposed to make you feel better!! Uh, no, I was depressed fairly soon in - what with the ridiculous Dennis Quaid strand talking about running over his wife and child (yes!), and a young man dying, a la 'Philadelphia' of AIDS!! Talk about cheap shots and sentimentality that would have made John Ford blush in shame! The storyline is of various couples of various ages ( and quickly it becomes clear are all part of one family) talking about love, trying to find love, and actually having affairs. I'm afraid it loses credibility because several of the actresses post-coital have very carefully wrapped sheets or duvets around themselves demonstrating a complete lack of spontaneity (although that is the point I suppose, as the film is all too much talk and cod philosophising about love to be really credible. There is interest in the Ryan Phillippe/Angelina Jolie and Sean Connery/Gena Rowlands elements, but because of the too many strands, even these are rushed, overwrought and concluded far too quickly. A pity because they might have made a half decent movie. But ultimately the film is crushed by its own sense of po-faced theatricality and verbiage - yet again Americans taking themselves too seriously. The tagline called it a romantic comedy with a twist - yes, the twist was it was not very funny at all (the guy with Aids dies in his mother's arms on full screen - ho, ho!). Hoiw did this ever get made????

The lesson I got from the movie: Love is caring about someone enough not to burden them with EVERY negative thought that crosses your mind; as seen in the movie. In relationships, you need to Play by Heart. But keep your brain involved too.Some reviewers say the movie was: adorable, cute, sweet. More like irritating, juvenile, typical, pathetic, 90's, 'down with men' C-R-A-P. You can spot a movie made in the 90's. I'm glad the decade is over. And I'm not biased. I'm even a fan of some of the actors: Jon Stewart, Gillian!(the reason I saw the movie), Sean Connery(this "role" really reduces him). I didn't like any of their roles. And I have no problem with romance, but this movie is pathetic. It's for people into self pity. All these great reviews mirror our pathetic society. The ending isn't ingenious as someone said - It would have to be your 1st movie to think that. We're simply not told certain things until the end....the interweaving doesn't add to the story...unless I missed something in my uninvolved state.