Dinesh Kamath's column on Hollywood movie 'Playing for Keeps' that was published in Newsband

Playing for Keeps is an upcoming 2012 American romantic comedy film directed by Gabriele Muccino, starring Gerard Butler with Jessica Biel, Uma Thurman, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Judy Greer, and Dennis Quaid in supporting roles. The film is set to be released on December 7, 2012.

The movie has an interesting plot. A former professional athlete with a weak past tries to redeem himself by coaching his son's soccer team, only to find himself unable to resist when in scoring position with his players' restless and gorgeous moms.

The film has Gerard Butler as George, Jessica Biel as Stacie, Uma Thurman as Patti, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Denise, Dennis Quaid as Carl, Judy Greer as Barb, James Tupper as Matt and Noah Lomax as Lewis.

Gerard Butler produces and stars in Playing for Keeps, a romantic comedy about an ex-international soccer star who returns to small-town America, where his son and estranged wife live. George discovers that being famous can create problems. You can cause a bit of chaos even with the best intentions wherever you go. George is chaotic on the inside and he causes chaos wherever he goes, but he’s trying his best to take the right path. That right path is often blocked by those who would like to get their claws into him because he’s an appealing character and yet in himself he doesn’t feel that at all. That’s what’s interesting about him.

Catherine Zeta-Jones and Uma Thurman have fun roles to play in this film. They are juicy comedic crazy roles and yet they speak to you in a way that’s relatable. People get those characters, where they’re coming from. That’s what you will love about this movie.

The movie teaches those men in a midlife crisis everything about growing up. The movie teaches that you want to keep the child in you, but at the same time you’ve got those quick fixes and learn about commitment and sacrificing something and ultimately going beyond distraction and love (to) family (and) career. But that’s tough because in this life we live there are so many temptations and distractions and you can’t deny it, they’re fun and exciting.

In the movie, you find George finally growing up and then for a long period of time he is thinking he has no purpose, no real maturity, and he is not handling his responsibilities very well.

Thus Gerard Butler in this movie bends it like Beckham and grins it like Grant (Hugh). He plays a washed-up, ex-soccer star with a charming accent and perfect hair who is trying to make things right with his estranged son and former flame (Jessica Biel). Naturally, he ends up coaching his son's soccer team, which largely consists of teaching the wee tots cute British insults like "wanker." Even more naturally, he also ends up attracting the attention of a parade of randy soccer moms. The film answers the question whether he scores with the ladies or scores with his loved ones?

In this movie an attempt is made to rehabilitate a brash, arrogant sports star and teach him the "real meaning of life." Butler's sports-car-loving footballer is perfectly summarized in the film: He's just one of those guys: Women like him, men want to be him. In the end, this movie won't make Butler's career highlights' reel, but it will tug on the heartstrings.

Thus 43-year-old Butler finally gets to sound like himself in Playing for Keeps, which opens Dec. 7. In this comedy you will love the way he portrays retired Glasgow Celtic soccer star George Dryer, who is trying to be a better person by coaching his son’s soccer team in a suburban Virginia town. You will also love watching George’s effort to improve and how it doesn’t come easy and also how he’s desperately broke and divorced from his wife (Jessica Biel) and also how he’s also surrounded by oversexed soccer moms (Catherine Zeta-Jones, Uma Thurman, Judy Greer) and one aggressive soccer dad (Dennis Quaid) who keep complicating his life. As the soccer moms get up close and personal with the new coach, George realizes he wants his life back as a husband and father.

George is like a fish out of water. He’s lost his way, but he starts to realize you don’t get many second chances to appreciate a wife, family and fatherhood, so he’s really trying to grow up.

That’s the serious side of the story. The humour arrives when everybody around him attempts to entice him back to his carousing ways. George is really an observer to what’s going on around him and a lot of the scenes Butler has with Dennis and Uma, he is just listening and reacting. Butler is undoubtedly pleased and excited about landing the all-star cast. His charm might have had a little something to do with that.

Butler has a knack for comedy, and he’s a decent soccer player, having played growing up in Paisley, Scotland, before moving to Glasgow to study law at university. He connected with the stranger-in-a-strange American landscape, too. Butler admits he felt a little like his estranged Playing for Keeps character with his initial breakout as an actor. But later he had adjusted. He had a little technical help to establish his soccer presence as a pro player in some of the film’s sequences. Through the magic of special effects, the film shows Butler as Dryer playing in real Celtic soccer games, with the actor inserted later.

Thus Playing for Keeps is a great movie. Do watch it when it gets released on 7 December 2012.