Playing by Heart (1998)

Director:

Willard Carroll

Writer (WGA):

Willard Carroll (written by)

Release Date:

23 April 1999 (Italy)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

If romance is a mystery, there's only one way to figure it out.

Plot:

Eleven articulate people work through affairs of the heart in L.A.

Plot Keywords:

Bar | Sex | Cooking | AIDS | Imagination

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Angelina Jolie	...	Joan
Sean Connery	...	Paul
Gena Rowlands	...	Hannah
Gillian Anderson	...	Meredith
Madeleine Stowe	...	Gracie
Ryan Phillippe	...	Keenan
Dennis Quaid	...	Hugh
Christian Mills	...	Phillip
Kellie Waymire	...	Jane
April Grace	...	Valery
Anthony Edwards	...	Roger
Ellen Burstyn	...	Mildred
Jay Mohr	...	Mark
Tim Halligan	...	Cook Show Director
Michael Emerson	...	Bosco

Also Known As:

Dancing About Architecture (USA) (working title)
If They Only Knew (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

121 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | UK:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Austria:6 | Chile:14 | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:6 (bw) | Norway:A | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R | Singapore:PG | Poland:15

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Hyperion Pictures

Trivia:

Also contains a spoiler for Suddenly, Last Summer (1959).

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: Throughout the entire movie, whenever there is a scene (and there are many) involving martinis, between shots the olives and level of vodka in the glass change. This happens many time when a character either eats an olive or is about to eat one, it will re-appear in the glass seconds later. Also - many times where the character is starting to say something, and the view is changed to be from their point of view and their lips are no longer moving.

Quotes:

Paul: [a waiter arrives with a tray of champagne] Ah, champagne!
[Paul offers a glass to Joan]
Paul: Jo-Jo?
Joan: [smiling self-consciously, waves it away] Oh, um, Dad, that's okay. Keenan and I are just going to have a couple of cokes.
Hannah: [Paul and Hannah look at each other, shocked that Joan has passed up alcohol, then they both look at Keenan] Keenan, have I said how very nice it is to meet you?
Joan: Funny.

Movie Connections:

References Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)

Soundtrack:

Dance the Night Away

A great romance.

Why this film wasn't in wide release is beyond me. It had a great cast and a great story and even the trailer for it was funny. And plus, can't Sean Connery sell a movie all by himself? This is a true hidden gem of a film and it is one that really should be seen by everyone.

I won't really get into the details of the film too much because seeing what this film is all about is one of the joys of it. You watch it and you know there is more to it than the screen play lets on about and it is fun trying to piece clues together to understand what is going on. It is a mystery in some ways and isn't that what the movie claims to be? A mystery about love. And as they allude to, love is a mytery anyway.

My fave characters are Gillian Anderson's and Jon Stewarts. Their story hits all the right notes and it is easy to relate to them. They are both cautious people when delving into love. Both have been hurt but one of them is just a little more relaxed and willing to learn about love again. And there is one scene where Gillian jumps all over Stewart about some silly issue and this is the area where most movies go the traditional route and they break up, get back together and live happily ever after. It is a typical concept and it has been done to death. But in this movie it takes a fresh approach to solving problems and that is it's strength.

This is a great romance and it is also wickedly funny. And the way everything is summed up at the end is not only perfect but it is heart warming and it leaves you feeling glad to be in love, or at least willing to fall again.