Playing By Heart

The title of Willard Carroll's film lets you know what you're getting yourself into. At the outset of this cleverly interconnected (sometimes annoyingly so) tale of six different relationships, the youngest of three sisters, Joan (Angelina Jolie), tells us that her musician friend equates "talking about music" or "talking about love" with "dancing about architecture" -- it just can't be done. Love, of course, is the focus here, and even though they supposedly can't talk about it, these couples give it quite a go.

A horde of big-name stars populate this chick flick, from Sean Connery, who mimics a puppy dog at one point (scary), to Jon Stewart, who ends up in bed with Gillian Anderson's monster dog (better). The pace is quick and the cuts from romantic situation to situation keep the momentum going. But the characters who aren't already attached produce the necessary "I love you" ASAP -- like, after a single date. And as will happen in a movie that combines mini-stories, some are better than others. Dennis Quaid as the schizoid storyteller and Madeleine Stowe as the cheating wife are among the least appealing of the bunch. Playing by Heart has its share of mush, but it's smooth enough to go down easy. At the Showcase Route 6.

-- Rachel O'Malley