Gillian Anderson,
Angelina Jolie,
Madeleine Stowe,
Ellen Burstyn,
Sean Connery
... see more 
Sophomore writer/director Willard Carroll weaves together an all-star cast in interlocking stories about finding love in Los Angeles. The film's theme is spoken by young club-hopper Joan (Angelina Jol... read more
DVD Release Date: October 2, 2001
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Stats: 902 reviews
Your Rating
Flixster Reviews (902)
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July 24, 2011I'm a bit confused as to why "Playing By Heart" has faded into oblivion since it debuted in 1998. First off, the cast is impeccable. "Playing By Heart" should be remembered for getting some of contemporary cinema's finest actors on screen together. Gillian Anderson, Angelina Joli... read more
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March 17, 2011Slice of Life / Romantic Comedy. It's a little choppy through the first half with the HUGE ensemble cast squared off in pairs. Contains a lot of the late 90's AIDS hysteria.
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June 12, 2009"Playing By heart" was seriously playing by Skill. It was emotional,sensational,comedical, and just right for a bad day. A true feel good inside film.
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March 26, 2006I remember it as a pretty great film, but have to rewatch it one day since it has been quite a while since I saw it.
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November 12, 2011Disgustingly 90's "Love Actually", sure this came first, but holy hell. Cheesy lines, boring story, and mostly interesting characters, really make this movie painful to watch. The only saving grace is Sean Connery and Jon Stewart, but even with them, there are lots of problems ... read more
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June 28, 2011A very deep, touching, and funny film with a great script. Plus the actors are brilliant and their performances are even better. I mean look at the cast: Sean Connery, Ryan Phillipe, Gillian Anderson, Angelina Jolie, Dennis Quaid, and the list goes on. It's probably one of the... read more
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January 10, 2011I really enjoyed the ensemble cast in roles that are away from their normal roles that made them famous. "Seductively funny" and "Hilarious" was right. A feel-good flick to watch if you're looking for an uplifting movie. "Talking about love is like dancing about architecture."
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June 2, 2009this isn't a really great movie...but i enjoy watching it. i found it during my "ryan phillippe is beautiful" phase of the late 90s.
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October 25, 2008Way too high on the cheesy scale for my liking. But I'm definitely not upset I saw it, as it has an interesting and loaded cast combo. The problem is that these cast members had trouble trying to act effectively when they had to work with this artificial and incredibly unrealisti... read more
Critic Reviews
March 26, 2009
Lael Loewenstein, Variety
June 3, 2006
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader
This charming romantic comedy with a Los Angeles setting cuts between seemingly unconnected miniplots the way some Robert Altman movies do. Full Review
February 14, 2001
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
If Playing by Heart is the kind of film that used to be known as a "woman's picture," it certainly provides more emotional nourishment than most other mainstream movies generate these days. Full Review
January 1, 2000
Stephen Holden, New York Times
For all its artificiality, Playing by Heart percolates with an earnest charm. Full Review
January 1, 2000
Peter Stack, San Francisco Chronicle
Mushy yet funny and intelligent, the beautifully executed new film Playing by Heart is an ideal romantic comedy-drama for a winter afternoon. Full Review
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
[It's] n tune with the current trend toward movies that coddle the audience with reassuring sentiments. Full Review
January 1, 2000
Charles Taylor, Salon.com
As a young scenemaker who keeps landing in one bad relationship after another, Jolie doesn't exactly avoid the pitfalls of the material she's given. But her performance is flabbergasting. Full Review
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews
The movie is consistently well-acted and features a gallery of characters so affable that it's difficult to actively dislike any of them, or, for that matter, the film as a whole. Full Review
January 1, 2000
Paul Tatara, CNN.com
It's much more enjoyable than this sort of date-movie thing normally is, and that success can mostly be credited to the big names populating the film. Full Review
June 3, 2006
Derek Adams, Time Out
All of these characters are more interesting when things are going badly for them than when the tide has turned, and Carroll's determination to make the final reel an extended bout of audience tummy t... Full Review
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Playing by Heart
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