|
|
|
Playing by Heart
***
Cinema
Releases - August 26, 1999
Rated on a 4-star
scale. USA. Written and directed by Willard Carroll. Starring Gillian Anderson,
Ellen Burstyn, Sean Connery, Gena Rowlands, Anthony Edwards, Angelina Jolie,
Jay Mohr, Ryan Philippe, Dennis Quaid, Madeleine Stowe, Jon
Stewart.
I've never been to a stranger's funeral, but I
imagine it would be oddly interesting. Being there, I'd see the emotions
of people who are all linked to each other, whether or not they know how.
There would be people known and unknown to each other, with and without baggage,
feeling both love and hate. The young attendants with their boyfriends and
girlfriends, the older couples, parents, children, friends, enemies... and
whoever else.
Willard Carroll's "Playing by Heart"
feels like that. If you have no idea what I'm trying to convey, you're
likely to have the same reaction to the film, which cuts between several
diverse dramas with little purpose and much curiosity.
It's unclear which drama, if any, is supposed
to be the most important, so I'll discuss the characters' stories in the
order of each actor's placing on my cast list. Meredith (Gillian Anderson)
is a lonely, clumsy, divorcee stage director who keeps having nervous dates
with bookstore owner Trent (Jon Stewart). Mildred (Ellen Burstyn) wants to
make up for lost time with son Mark (Jay Mohr), before he dies of AIDS. Paul
(Sean Connery) is also dying, of a brain tumour, and his wife Hannah (Gena
Rowlands) is distressed by both this and the realisation that Paul once fell
in love with one of her former colleagues. Roger (Anthony Edwards) and Gracie
(Madeline Stowe) are trying to have a no-strings-attached sexual affair,
but, of course, emotions are getting in the way. Joan (Angelina Jolie) is
an excitable chatterbox club-hopper who longs to spend time with scarred
and silent Keenan (Ryan Phillipe). And Hugh (Dennis Quaid) scours bars every
night, to tell strangers fictional sob stories about his life.
There's obviously a lot going on in "Playing by
Heart", and it barely stops for breath when showing it. At times this is
exhilarating, but more often it's too dizzying and disorientating for that
which purports to be a tender study of relationships. I also thought the
turn the film takes in its climax, linking the characters through shared
family and friends, was rather tacky, when a stronger-drawn thematic link
would have been more satisfying.
Still, the movie is fun. The performers have charm
even when their material gets hollow or silly, cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond
gives Los Anegeles a bright, colourful look, and plenty of snappy dialogue
and good tunes are on offer. Although "Playing by Heart" has nothing to say,
on its surface is a nice and sweet surprise.
COPYRIGHT© 1999 Ian
Waldron-Mantgani
1999 Reviews
(alphabetical)
1999 Reviews (by star
rating)
Archive of all cinema reviews
(alphabetical)
Review Archive
Index
UK
Critic main page
|
|
![[Image]](http://www.ukcritic.com/posbanr2.gif)