Playing for Keeps

George is a former professional soccer player whose playing days and the lifestyle that came with them are over. Broke after a series of poor investments and divorced from his wife Stacie, he returns to Virginia hoping to rebuild a relationship with her and with Lewis, the son he largely neglected. Taking over as coach of the boys' team Lewis plays on becomes his way back into his child's life, though the attention he draws from the players' mothers complicates his attempt to prove himself as a father.

Gerard Butler stars as George, with Jessica Biel as Stacie, Noah Lomax as Lewis, and Dennis Quaid, Uma Thurman and Catherine Zeta-Jones among the credited cast of 39. Gabriele Muccino directed from a screenplay by Robbie Fox; the film sits between Seven Pounds (2008) and Fathers and Daughters (2015) in his directing career, following five earlier features.

Released in late 2012, the film runs 106 minutes and mixes comedy with romance. Made for a budget of about 35 million dollars, it took in roughly 31 million worldwide, meaning it did not recover its production cost at the box office. Audience response was muted: on IMDb it rates 5.7 out of 10 from around 32,000 votes, and on TMDB 5.6 out of 10 from more than 700 votes.