Festivale online magazine
A Reel Life film section
Playing by Heart movie review

Ensemble romantic comedy across generations and lifestyles in L.A.

While I wrote up Tea with Mussolini I wondered why it had failed to keep my interest? Had I seen too many crash-bang-run-slam movies? Was an action movie all I had left? Did I need the obvious action target? Can a film be simply about people and their needs?

A writer once suggested that the question is, 'how can we make of the world a home? And that is the central concern of this film.

Just what is it that we must do, how must we adapt, in order to find happiness and a place of our own in this world.

Movie Still, Sean Connery and Gena Rowlands in Playing by Heart

The couples include an over-achieving mother watching her son dying of AIDS, a relationship-shy woman (Gillian Anderson) pushing away an apparently Nice Safe Man, a far-from-shy woman (Angelina Jolie) making a great show of living life to the fullest in the clubbing scene and trying to break through the isolation another club-goer, a pair committing elegant adultery in hotels (Madeline Stowe and Anthony Edwards), a man lying to strangers in bars (Dennis Quaid), and a long-time married couple facing his death, and the fallout of his past infidelities (Gena Rowlands and Sean Connery).

Nicely crafter, with a well-chosen cast, this film does what the best stories do, it makes you look at people as they try to make their lives, and the lives of the people around them, better.

Due for Australian release May 13, 1999 rescheduled to August 12 1999
For official site, cast and crew credits, see below

For credits and official site details, click here.
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Just the facts: Title: Playing by Heart (1999) Written by: Willard Carroll Directed by: Willard Carroll Produced by: Meg Liberman, Tom Wilhite, Paul Feldsher, Guy East, nigel Sinclair, Edited by: Pietro Scalia Director of Photography: Vilmos Zsigmond running time: 121 minutes rating: M

The Players: Madeleine Stowe, Angelina Jolie, Gillian Anderson, Gena Rowlands, Sean Connery, Ryan Phillippe

Official website

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