Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 1998
Playing by Heart
Buy Playing by Heart now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'Playing by Heart' is a 1998 American comedy-drama film, which tells the story of several seemingly unconnected characters. It was entered into the 49th Berlin International Film Festival. It stars Gillian Anderson, Ellen Burstyn, Sean Connery, Anthony Edwards, Angelina Jolie, Jay Mohr, Ryan Phillippe, Dennis Quaid, Gena Rowlands, Jon Stewart and Madeleine Stowe. 'Playing by Heart' is an ensemble work that explores the path of love in its characters lives.
Plot
Among the characters are an older couple, who are about to renew their wedding vows; a theatre director and architect navigating a new beginning; a young woman looking for a good time; a gay man dying of AIDS and his mother who had not been close; a couple having an affair and her husband who is exploring ways to break through the staleness of their marriage.
As the stories evolve, the connections between the characters become evident.
Cast
* Gillian Anderson as Meredith
* Ellen Burstyn as Mildred
* Sean Connery as Paul
* Anthony Edwards as Roger
* Angelina Jolie as Joan
* Jay Mohr as Mark
* Ryan Phillippe as Keenan
* Dennis Quaid as Hugh
* Gena Rowlands as Hannah
* Jon Stewart as Trent
* Madeleine Stowe as Gracie
* Kellie Waymire as Jane
* April Grace as Valery
* Patricia Clarkson as Allison
* Michael Emerson as Bosco
* Amanda Peet as Amber
* Alec Mapa as Lana
* Nastassja Kinski as The Lawyer (uncredited)
* Hilary Duff as Extra (uncredited)
Production
According to director Willard Carroll the film was made on a budget of $14 million as the cast led by Sean Connery agreed to work for $50,000 each. Carroll praised Connery, saying he "continued his total democratic cooperation in the ensemble piece. He was the most generous actor, although he's a larger-than-life star" and that Connery "set the example" the others followed.
In some regions, the film was released under the title 'Intermedia'. The original US title was 'Dancing About Architecture', a reference to a line in the film (based on a quote regarding "writing about music") that the idea of "talking about love" is equivalent to "dancing about architecture". A second working title, 'If Only They Knew', made it as far as the top label for some copies of the soundtrack CD. Executive producers include Bob Weinstein and Harvey Weinstein for Miramax Films.
Jon Stewart's character is an architect, his home in the film is the Stahl House.
The soundtrack includes songs by Morcheeba, Bonnie Raitt, Bran Van 3000, Edward Kowalczyk of Live, Neneh Cherry and Moby.
Reception
The film was released in the United States on December 18, 1998. In the United Kingdom, it was released on August 6, 1999, and opened at the number 11 spot.
On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 60% based on reviews from 53 critics. The site's consensus was: "It's overly talky, but 'Playing by Heart' benefits from witty insights into modern relationships and strong performances from an esteemed cast." On Metacritic the film has a score of 55% based on reviews from 26 critics. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film a grade B+ on scale of A to F.
Roger Ebert gave it a thumbs down, and 2.5 out of 4 in his print review, due to its entertaining dialogue, star power and charming moments, but determines it to be a 'near miss' because of its soft, gooey center. It was one of the last films reviewed on air, by film critic Gene Siskel, on 'Siskel and Ebert at the Movies', before his death on February 20, 1999. Like Ebert, Siskel gave it a thumbs down, deeming the film more about behaviour than story.
Jolie won an award for "Best Breakthrough Performance by an Actress" from the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures, and writer/director Willard Carroll was nominated for an award at the Berlin International Film Festival.
References
Buy Playing by Heart now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 1998