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Playing by Heart

Playing by Heart

Comedy · Drama · Romance · 1998

In a vibrant tapestry of love and longing, nine interconnected souls navigate romance and heartbreak in L.A., where passions collide and truths unfold, revealing that the heart's desires often lead us where we least expect.

Movie details

Playing by Heart

“If romance is a mystery, there's only one way to figure it out.”

1998 Comedy · Drama · Romance 2h 1m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

6.6 / 10

Community rating

In a vibrant tapestry of love and longing, nine interconnected souls navigate romance and heartbreak in L.A., where passions collide and truths unfold, revealing that the heart's desires often lead us where we least expect.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Playing by Heart?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Top Five

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Willard Carroll

Written by

Willard Carroll

Gillian Anderson

Gillian Anderson

Meredith

Ellen Burstyn

Ellen Burstyn

Mildred

Sean Connery

Sean Connery

Paul

Anthony Edwards

Anthony Edwards

Roger

Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie

Joan

Jay Mohr

Jay Mohr

Mark

Ryan Phillippe

Ryan Phillippe

Keenan

Court is in session

Put Playing by Heart on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Sentimental Softie

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Cool Ironist

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.