Playing By Heart (1998)

Playing By Heart
Tagline: If romance is a mystery, there’s only one way to figure it out.
Category: Drama, Romance
Director: Willard Carroll
Cast: Gillian Anderson, Ellen Burstyn, Sean Connery, Anthony Edwards, Angelina Jolie, Jay Mohr, Ryan Phillippe, Dennis Quaid, Gena Rowlands, Jon Stewart, Madeleine Stowe, Matt Malloy, Christian Mills, Kellie Waymire, Patricia Clarkson
Rated:

plot summary

Eleven articulate people work through affairs of the heart in L.A. Paul produces Hannah’s TV cooking show, and they must move beyond gentle barbs when she wants to know about an affair of his years ago. Mark is dying of AIDS, and his mother comes to his bedside: they must talk truthfully. Men have scalded Meredith so she rebuffs Trent’s charm, but he persists. The trendy, prolix Joan tries to pull the solitary Keenan into her orbit: why is he reluctant? An adulterous couple meet at hotels for evening sex, but she is unwilling for the relationship to grow. Hugh tells tall tales, usually tragic, to women in bars. By the week’s end, their parallel stories converge.

cast list

Gillian Anderson Meredith
Ellen Burstyn Mildred
Sean Connery Paul
Anthony Edwards Roger
Angelina Jolie Joan
Jay Mohr Mark
Ryan Phillippe Keenan
Dennis Quaid Hugh
Gena Rowlands Hannah
Jon Stewart Trent
Madeleine Stowe Gracie
Matt Malloy Desk Clerk
Christian Mills Phillip
Kellie Waymire Jane
Patricia Clarkson Allison