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Home/Playing for Keeps/Similar Movies

Playing for Keeps

Movies Like Playing for Keeps (2012)

Playing for Keeps is a 2012 comedy, romance film from Gabriele Muccino with a MovieMagicScore of 5.7/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with The Longest Penalty Shot in the World and Mother India.

The Longest Penalty Shot in the World poster

The Longest Penalty Shot in the World

2005

Fernando (Fernando Tejero) is a loser. A gray type, without ambition, that works like bookcases distributor in a supermarket of the quarter. In his free short whiles, he is a substitute keeper of a football team, a third regional one. In all the season he has not played a single minute. But the last Sunday of the league the referee indicates penalty and the regular keeper injures itself. Fernando must occupy the goal for the first time. If penalty scores, the team of the district will proclaim champion. If no, all the effort of a year will not have been worth for anything. When the penalty is just about to be kicked, a group of indignant fans with the referee invades the field and prevents the kick. The competition committee decides that the penalty must play the following Sunday, in the same goal, with same players and the field closed to the public. El Penalti más largo del mundo, (The Longest Penalty Shot in the World) is exactly the history of that week of delay.

Mother India poster

Mother India

1957

A poverty-stricken woman raises her sons through many trials and tribulations. But no matter the struggles, always sticks to her own moral code.

Monolith poster

Monolith

2016

A mother and her son plan a surprise visit to Los Angeles to see her husband/his father. Halfway there they get into a terrible accident in the middle of nowhere and now must fight to survive.

Kicking & Screaming poster

Kicking & Screaming

2005

Phil Weston has been unathletic his entire life. In college he failed at every sport that he tried out for. It looks like his 10-year old son, Sam, is following in his footsteps. But when Phil's hyper-competitive dad benches Sam, Phil decides to transfer his son to a new team which needs a coach. Phil steps in to be the temporary coach and immediately begins to butt heads with his dad over this new competition in their lives.

The First Beautiful Thing poster

The First Beautiful Thing

2010

The film tells the story of the Michelucci family, from the nineteen-seventies to the present day: the central character is the stunningly beautiful Anna, the lively, frivolous and sometimes embarrassing mother of Bruno and Valeria. Everything begins in the Summer of 1971, at the annual Summer beauty pageant held at Livorno’s most popular bathing establishment. Anna is unexpectedly crowned “Most Beautiful Mother”, unwittingly stirring the violent jealousy of her husband. From then on, chaos strikes the family and for Anna, Bruno and his sister Valeria, it is the start of an adventure that will only end thirty years later.

Little Children poster

Little Children

2006

The lives of two lovelorn spouses from separate marriages, a registered sex offender, and a disgraced ex-police officer intersect as they struggle to resist their vulnerabilities and temptations.

Twitches poster

Twitches

2005

Twins separated at birth, Camryn and Alex meet by chance for the first time on their 21st birthday and discover they're witches with the power to save their homeland of Coventry from the evil that threatens it. But when Camryn leaves Alex to face the darkness alone, will Coventry be doomed? Or will the sisters multiply their magic by standing together?

Little Voice poster

Little Voice

1998

After the death of her father, Little Voice or LV becomes a virtual recluse, never going out and hardly ever saying a word. She just sits in her bedroom listening to her father's collection of old records of Shirley Bassey, Marilyn Monroe and various other famous female singers. But at night time, LV sings, imitating these great singers with surprising accuracy. One night she is overheard by one of her mother's boyfriends, who happens to be a talent agent. He manages to convince her that her talent is special and arranges for her to perform at the local night club, but several problems arise.

Spanglish poster

Spanglish

2004

Mexican immigrant and single mother Flor Moreno finds housekeeping work with Deborah and John Clasky, a well-off couple with two children of their own. When Flor admits she can't handle the schedule because of her daughter, Cristina, Deborah decides they should move into the Clasky home. Cultures clash and tensions run high as Flor and the Claskys struggle to share space while raising their children on their own, and very different, terms.

Evening poster

Evening

2007

As Constance (Natasha Richardson) and Nina (Toni Collette) gather at the deathbed of their mother, Ann (Vanessa Redgrave), they learn for the first time that their mother lived an entire other lifetime during one evening 50 years ago. In vivid flashbacks, the young Ann (Claire Daines) spends one night with a man named Harris (Patrick Wilson), who was the love of her life.

The Guilt Trip poster

The Guilt Trip

2012

An inventor and his mom hit the road together so he can sell his latest invention.

The Lion from Estrela poster

The Lion from Estrela

1947

Anastácio lives in Lisbon and is fanatic for Sporting CP, one of the city's football teams. When the team travels to face Porto, he follows it with the family, staying in house of his friend, Mr. Barata, pretending to be rich.

She's the Man poster

She's the Man

2006

Viola Hastings is in a real jam. Complications threaten her scheme to pose as her twin brother, Sebastian, and take his place at a new boarding school. She falls in love with her handsome roommate, Duke, who loves beautiful Olivia, who has fallen for Sebastian! As if that were not enough, Viola's twin returns from London ahead of schedule but has no idea that his sister has already replaced him on campus.

Fever Pitch poster

Fever Pitch

1997

A romantic comedy about a man, a woman and a football team. Based on Nick Hornby's best selling autobiographical novel, Fever Pitch. English teacher Paul Ashworth believes his long standing obsession with Arsenal serves him well. But then he meets Sarah. Their relationship develops in tandem with Arsenal's roller coaster fortunes in the football league, both leading to a nail biting climax.

Bend It Like Beckham poster

Bend It Like Beckham

2002

Jess Bhamra, the daughter of a strict Indian couple in London, is not permitted to play organized soccer, even though she is 18. When Jess is playing for fun one day, her impressive skills are seen by Jules Paxton, who then convinces Jess to play for her semi-pro team. Jess uses elaborate excuses to hide her matches from her family while also dealing with her romantic feelings for her coach, Joe.

Guys & Balls poster

Guys & Balls

2004

Ecki is a sweet, closeted gay man who works in his family’s bakery and plays goalie in his small town’s soccer team. When he both loses the big game, and is caught flirting with another player, his homophobic teammates throw him out. He vows to return one day with an all-gay team that will grind the heteros into the dust, so he sets off to find his “dream team.” With the help of his nurse sister, Ecki scours local gay bars and eventually assembles a hilariously motley but endearing crew of misfits that includes a leather-daddy threesome, a femme Turk with Beckham fantasies, a secret straight guy in love with the sister, and a seriously cute nurse eager for some private play-time with the goalie. Ecki now has two problems – turning this bunch into a team, and facing his own fears regarding his first romance.

Ladybugs poster

Ladybugs

1992

To climb the corporate ladder to success, a businessman agrees to coach his company's all-girl soccer team with the help of his secret weapon: his fiancee's son.

FC Venus poster

FC Venus

2005

Pete is a football enthusiast, who plays as a goalkeeper for FC HeMan, a team playing in the lowest possible league. His girlfriend, Anna, hates the whole sport. Pete and his teammates are planning to travel to watch the Football World Cup held in Germany. Anna is not excited about Pete's plan to leave her alone for the summer. Therefore Anna decides to present a challenge to Pete: She will form a team from the wives and girlfriends of the FC HeMan players, and then the women's team (FC Venus) would play against FC HeMan. If the women's team wins, the men will have to give up football, and if the men's team wins, the women will never complain about their hobby.

33 Scenes from Life poster

33 Scenes from Life

2008

The Polish artist Julia and her husband Piotr, a talented and successful composer, live in Kraków. When Julias's mother, Barbara falls ill with stomach cancer, the life of the family is falling apart. Julia accompanies her mother to death, but her husband Piotr is at rehearsals in Cologne and leaves her to cope with this difficult situation. Only her friend Adrian is at her side. Her father Jurek is also overwhelmed by the impending loss of his beloved wife. After the death of the mother her father takes comfort from alcohol. Shortly after the father dies. Julia found only in the arms of Adrian to rest, but this in turn destroyed her marriage to Piotr. After the loss of the parents and break up of the marriage she is now alone in the world with an uncertain future where Adrian is of little help

Sudani from Nigeria poster

Sudani from Nigeria

2018

When a soccer club manager brings one of his injured foreign players home to recuperate, they form an unlikely bond despite their cultural differences.

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Playing for Keeps?

The top films similar to Playing for Keeps by MovieMagicScore are The Longest Penalty Shot in the World (5.3), Mother India (7.1), Monolith (5.3). Each shares comedy/romance themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Playing for Keeps worth watching?

Playing for Keeps holds a MovieMagicScore of 5.7/10 from 706 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Playing for Keeps?

Playing for Keeps (2012) is a comedy, romance film directed by Gabriele Muccino, starring Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Uma Thurman.

Where can I find more recommendations like Playing for Keeps?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more comedy recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like The Longest Penalty Shot in the World Movies like Mother India Movies like Monolith Movies like Kicking & Screaming Movies like The First Beautiful Thing Movies like Little Children

About movies like Playing for Keeps

This ranked list pairs Playing for Keeps (2012), a comedy and romance film from Gabriele Muccino, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Gerard Butler take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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