Sports fans: run!
Backed by an impressive cast, and Muccino's previous success ("Seven Pounds"), "Playing for Keeps" is utterly disappointing.
Butler plays a washed-up soccer star who wants to win back his ex-wife (Biel) and son by coaching the kid's soccer team in Virginia, attracting a colossal amount of female attention (mums, widows and wives) in the process. A soccer scene in the rain nostalgically reminds us of Butler in his 300 prime. Does he get the ex-wife, the son, and the sports-casting job with ESPN? Take a guess.
Playing for Keeps (Kiss the Coach) | Directed by Gabriele Muccino (USA 2012) with Gerard Butler, Dennis Quaid, Jessica Biel. Starts April 11