Playing for Keeps

First Hit:  Predictable film, some strong moments, and generally disappointing with this strong cast.

George (played by Gerard Butler) is a finished professional soccer player from Scotland. He was famous, blew through his money, and is now looking for work.

He’s also is divorced from Stacie (played by Jessica Biel) who is living with their son Lewis (played by Noah Lomax) and her fiance (played by James Tupper). While trying to find a job he moves near his son and ex-wife and becomes the soccer coach for his son’s team. He is a hit and the team begins to score and win games.

However, as expected the parents of the kids on the team want to influence the coach to play their kid or provide special coaching. Making it more complex is that George is a ladies man and all the divorcees want a piece of him in more ways than one. To this end we have Uma Thurman (Patti) who is married to Carl (played by Dennis Quaid).

Patti wants to have an affair with George while Carl, who influences the team and George with money, will kill anyone who has an affair with his wife. There is also Denise (played by Catherine Zeta-Jones) who has influence at ESPN and uses her sexuality and connections to influence George.

Lastly, there is Barb (played by Judy Greer) who is freshly divorced and is prime for sex. Besides the predictability of the film, it sets things up but then lets them go. Example: Carl gives George a bunch of money for the team and George uses it for his rent and deposit on his new digs but there is no consequence for this action.

Butler is good and fits the role well but it just seems so predictable. Biel is very good and she and Butler create a wonderful chemistry. There are a couple of scenes when they are speaking with each other that were really strong. Quaid’s role was odd and not very well thought-out. Zeta-Jones was good and created some fun in the film. Thurman is oddly interesting as a lonely unhappy lush wife. Greer is one of the more interesting people in the film with her emotional jags. Robbie Fox wrote a bland screenplay. Gabriele Muccino directed this film in a very safe way. There wasn’t anything that really stood out or was detrimental. It was safe.

Overall:  This film would be a good Sunday evening family DVD or streaming watch.

Seven Pounds

First Hit: Initially I struggled to get into the flow of the film, but in the end it was very satisfying and touches on an interesting subject.

Will Smith has played comedic and dramatic parts and he is showing himself to be very capable at both. In this film Smith plays Ben Thomas as an IRS Investigator, or is he.

Right at the beginning his behavior is unlike any investigator I’ve ever come across (yes I’ve met a couple). But as he investigates people, he truly learns about these people and if they're living of an honest true life. He grants people payment favors if possible and sticks it to others who are lying to him.

Interspersed with the flow of the story are haphazard scenes of him with his wife, his old home, and an accident. The flash backs and story line are choppy and keep one off course, but when the film hits the ¾ mark it starts to clear itself up. Ben has some great scenes with Rosario Dawson (as Emily), Woody Harrelson (as Ezra) and Barry Pepper (as Dan).

Additional scenes with Elpidia Carrillo and Joe Nunez were wonderfully dramatic and very funny respectively.

Will Smith is excellent at showing deep conflicted emotions which are required in this part. Rosario Dawson is wonderful as a woman who, besides having tax issues, has a congenital heart problem and may die. Direction by Gabriele Muccino was less than stellar because the scenes weren’t craftily mixed up, they were confusingly mixed up. As I started to get into the flow of what this film was attempting to do, more than half the film had passed. I think the mystery could have been concealed in a different way.

Overall: Once passed the halfway mark the film starts to get traction and became more engaging and interesting. At the end I felt justified for sitting there for 118 minutes.