brianbishop-28747
It is a good flick. The strangeness of the supporting characters is what friends area actually like. This is a little typical of a Rom-Com but it is excellent for what it is. I love it my, wife loved it and it is worth a watch!
SnoopyStyle
A Hollywood screenwriter (Chris Evans) is assigned to write a rom-com. The problem is that he wants to write action and has never been in love. Being abandoned by his mother at an early age has left him commitment phobic. His group of writer friends include Mallory (Aubrey Plaza), Lyle (Martin Starr), Samson (Luke Wilson), and Scott (Topher Grace). It's love at first sight when he meets a woman (Michelle Monaghan) at a charity event except she already has a boyfriend. Writers Chris Shafer and Paul Vicknair also wrote Chris Evans' directorial debut. So it's not a shock to see Evans involved in this one and he probably brought along all these friends of his. The premise has limited bite and even less originality. There's nothing new here. Plaza does have great fun playing the wackiest of the group. The romantic couple is saved by Evans' inherit personal charms. I love Monaghan but she's not better than peak Meg Ryan. There's even a diner scene but this movie is nowhere near the icon. Other problems include the use of the lead characters in the imagined stories. They are obviously trying hard to be magically charming but all they do is to leave the movie in neutral. They lack anything interesting to justify taking a break from the plot such as there is one. Generally, this is a bland rom-com with one or two funny side characters.
witster18
I don't mind the occasional romcom. As a matter of fact I rented this at the same time i rented "Love, Rosie". Neither were anything to write home about or recommend, but this one in particular was weak.The biggest problem here is the writing - which is deplorable.The plot around the lead character is dropped like a dead fly. There is just absolutely no momentum for the plot. The whole "writing" theme isn't tackled well at all(kinda mirrors the whole script actually), and Chris Evans doesn't really fit the bill either. Don't get me wrong, I like Chris Evans and Michelle Monaghan very much, but this will easily qualify as one of their worst.They don't have any chemistry here. The biggest problem is Michelle's 'playing hard to get' which really derails the whole thing. It's not the acting... it's the writing.. there's no significantly well- written dialog between these two, and then the hard-to-get theme, the oddball friend thang, and the completely ball-dropped writing subject of the plot come together to give us this.... a completely under-whelming romcom.I would definitely pass on this one. "Love, Rosie" wasn't great, but it was a lot better following this. There's just not much at the Redbox - here's yesterdays Redbox ratings: Love, Rosie 5.5/10 Playing It Cool 4/10 Spare Parts 6.5/10 Wild Tales 8.5/1042/100 Pass! Even fans of the genre. Drab.
Anurag-Shetty
Playing It Cool tells the story of a guy(Chris Evans), who doesn't believe in love. He is a screenwriter by profession. He is told to write a script for a romantic comedy by his boss, Bryan(Anthony Mackie). Being someone who doesn't believe in the concept of falling in love but would rather keep it casual with every girl he meets, he struggles to write the script. He seeks ideas & inspiration from his group of friends including, Scott(Topher Grace), Mallory(Aubrey Plaza), Lyle(Martin Starr), & Samson(Luke Wilson) on matters regarding love. However, he fails to get inspired. When a woman(Michelle Monaghan) enters his life, he starts falling for her. However, things get complicated when he finds out that she's in a relationship with a guy named Stuffy(Ioan Gruffudd). Playing It Cool is my new favorite romantic comedy. Though the ending is predictable & follows the classic romantic comedy formula, the movie itself rarely goes in the direction of clichés. Even when it does, the characters of the film are very aware of it & mock themselves or others for it. Another thing I love about the movie is that it's a romantic comedy told from the male perspective. This film is totally out of the box because till the end of the movie, we never find out the hero & heroine's names. I don't think this has ever been done before. Chris Evans is unforgettable as the Narrator. It's nice to see Evans play a character who is a player & a habitual liar, which is the complete opposite of Steve Rogers/Captain America, his most famous character. Evans excels not just in the comedic moments but, in the emotional scenes as well. Evans' narration is the heart & soul of the film. Michelle Monaghan is outstanding as Her. The chemistry between Chris Evans & Michelle Monaghan is natural & electrifying. Topher Grace is great as Scott. Aubrey Plaza is brilliant as Mallory. Martin Starr is hilarious as Lyle. Luke Wilson is good as Samson. Ioan Gruffudd is impressive as Stuffy. Philip Baker Hall is spectacular as Granddad. Anthony Mackie is awesome as Bryan. The supporting characters are effective. Playing It Cool is a must watch for women who love romantic comedies & men who are skeptical of them.
AD
