I have to admit that I overplayed my reluctance in allowing my girlfriend to drag me to Playing By Heart. It was a drama about love and romance, no doubt with a lot of talking, a lot of crying, and that baffling chick flick one-two punch: lots of kissing, but not a lot of sex. On the other hand, I knew that the buzz on this film was that it was a serious work from a real auteur. Plus, Madeleine Stowe was in it, and Madeleine Stowe is hot.

So, bitching and moaning so she'd think I was doing her a favor, I took the girl to go see the picture. And son of a gun, I liked it. A lot.

Playing by Heart was originally called "Dancing About Architecture", which is why the film opens with a speech explaining how talking about love is like dancing about architecture--there's just no point. If changing the title to something more commercial was an artistic compromise on the part of writer/director Willard Carroll, it may have been his only one. This is a very good, very entertaining film.

It's similar to Short Cuts in that we see different stories unfolding simultaneously throughout L.A. There's Jon Stewart putting the moves on a reluctant Gillian Anderson. There's Anthony Edwards trysting with Madeleine Stowe in a hotel room. There's Jay Mohr on his death bed with his mother Ellen Burstyn. There's Angelina Jolie chasing after a reluctant Ryan Phillippe. There's Sean Connery and Gena Rowlands rehashing an ancient betrayal. And there's Dennis Quaid getting drunk and spilling his guts out in a series of bars. How these characters are related is only hinted at through most of the film. When the revelations come, some are obvious, some are unexpected.

If Playing By Heart is not as expansive as Short Cuts and doesn't leave as deep an impression, it is also a less uneven film. Pretty much everything works, and works beautifully. Dennis Quaid demonstrates again why he's one of our greatest living actors, Connery and Rowlands duke it out like a couple of old pros, Jay Mohr turns in a very nice performance that's worlds away from his sports agent Bob Sugar, and Angelina Jolie and Ryan Phillippe in particular stand out as a couple who have some very strong reasons for not getting together.

The small secrets that the script keeps from us helps us stay interested in each of these unfolding dramas, and all the actors are a pleasure to watch. So if your girlfriend is, like mine, sick and tired of the endless Sterling Hayden film festivals (The Asphalt Jungle and The Killing, both before breakfast!) and insists it's time you take her to a girl film, then Playing By Heart is an excellent choice.