Playing by Heart

(out of four)

By David N. Butterworth

It will come as no surprise to fans of Elvis Costello that his beautifully expressed observation that "writing about music is like dancing about architecture" has served as inspiration for a motion picture.

In writer/director Willard Carroll’s articulate Playing by Heart (a film that was originally titled Dancing About Architecture), talking about love is said to be as foolish a pastime. Yet this early assertion paves the way for an examination of how people find love, how others hang onto it, and how some are forced to let it go.

The city of Los Angeles forms the backdrop for an ensemble piece that in many ways resembles Alan Rudolph’s Welcome to L.A. While Playing by Heart doesn’t quite capture the mood and seductive atmosphere of Rudolph’s film, it makes for an interesting companion piece in its observations about human interactions.

In Welcome to L.A., Richard Baskin’s songs were woven conspicuously into the framework of the film; here, John Barry’s soft and fragmented score is pretty much relegated to the background, providing a delicate dotting of the I’s and crossing of the T’s after the actors have spoken their often-wordy piece. The writing isn’t always there–either Carroll has too many characters, or too many points he wants to make–but for every interchange of languid dialogue there’s a scene that’s surprisingly potent.

Billed as a romantic comedy with a twist, the film actually serves up a number of twists along the way, including the print ads’ tip-off that "these three couples are about to come together in an unexpected way..."

Joan and Keenan meet at a rave. Joan is vivacious and relentless in her pursuits; Keenan is restrained and consistent in his brush-offs. This makes Joan crazy for him. The couple are played by Angelina Jolie (Jon Voight’s daughter) and Ryan Phillippe, last seen clubbing in 54. Although Keenan "doesn’t date," they wind up at a midnight screening of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and that alone is almost reason enough to recommend Playing by Heart.

After 40 years of marriage, Hannah (played by Gena Rowlands) discovers her husband Paul (Sean Connery) with a souvenir of a 25-year-old love affair. These veteran performers are typically solid, but it’s a pity they’re given some of the film’s weakest lines.

And then there’s Meredith (Gillian Anderson of The X-Files) and Trent (Jon Stewart). A divorced theater director, Meredith is better at orchestrating other people’s lives than she is her own. Divorced himself, Trent simply wants to buy her dinner, but Meredith deplores the "contrived artificiality" of the dating scene. Unfortunately Anderson’s strongest characteristic is an annoying forelock which she’s constantly pushing out of her face.

Padding out the film (not that it needed any padding) are an adulterous couple played by Madeleine Stowe and E.R.’s Anthony Edwards; a self-absorbed alcoholic (Dennis Quaid) who drifts from cocktail bar to cocktail bar; and a mother tending to her dying son (Ellen Burstyn and Jay Mohr).

Pets, martinis, and a common jargon help tie the knotty relationships together.

Strangely enough, Jolie and Phillippe fair far better than Playing by Heart’s more seasoned professionals. Jolie oozes a brash confidence and Phillippe is every bit her match in a moodier, more introspective performance. It’s difficult to develop a relationship to a convincing "I love you" climax in under two hours, even in a VW bug in the rain, but it’s a tribute to Jolie and Phillippe that when they share that conviction, you believe it.