Quartile rating: 5/10 · 1 rating
A former sports star who's fallen on hard times starts coaching his son's soccer team in an attempt to get his life together.
Playing for Keeps is a formulaic romantic comedy with little to distinguish it from countless other feel-good sports family dramas. The plot follows a predictable redemption arc with no surprises, the ensemble cast (despite featuring recognizable names) delivers uninspired performances constrained by thin material, the visual style is flat and TV-movie-esque, and the ending wraps everything up in the most conventional way possible. Its novelty is genuinely low — it recycles well-worn tropes of the fallen sports hero reconnecting with family without any distinctive voice or creative angle.