[4] It stars Gillian Anderson, Ellen Burstyn, Sean Connery, Anthony Edwards, Angelina Jolie, Jay Mohr, Ryan Phillippe, Dennis Quaid, Gena Rowlands, Jon Stewart and Madeleine Stowe.

Among the characters are an older couple, who are about to renew their wedding vows; a theatre director and architect navigating a new beginning; a young woman looking for a good time; a gay man dying of AIDS and his mother who had not been close; a couple having an affair and her husband who is exploring ways to break through the staleness of their marriage.

Hugh runs into improv classmate Valery in a bar, telling her he performs better in real life than in class.

The spark has gone from Gracie's marriage, who deals with this by meeting her lover Roger in hotel rooms before returning home to her distant husband Hugh.

Mark is gravely ill with AIDS and being looked after by his mother Mildred who, after years of estrangement, finally learns he is gay through his diagnosis.

Mildred calls Meredith for Mark's funeral, as he was her high school sweetheart, then husband, who left her for a man.

Returning home with Mildred, Meredith goes next door to her parents - Hannah and Paul - where the anniversary preparations are well on their way.

According to director Willard Carroll, the film was made on a budget of $14 million as the cast led by Sean Connery agreed to work for $50,000 each.

The soundtrack includes songs by Morcheeba, Bonnie Raitt, Bran Van 3000, Edward Kowalczyk of Live, Neneh Cherry and Moby.

The site's consensus was: "It's overly talky, but Playing by Heart benefits from witty insights into modern relationships and strong performances from an esteemed cast.

[13] Roger Ebert gave it a thumbs down, and 2.5 out of 4 in his print review, due to its entertaining dialogue, star power, and charming moments, but determines it to be a 'near miss' because of its soft, gooey center.