Oh, Gerald Butler ... what is Hollywood going to do with you?
Butler was poised for superstardom after his rousing turn in Zack Snyder's "300" as King Leonidas, the mighty warrior who made "THIS! IS! SPARTA!" one of the most oft-uttered pop culture quotes of 2007. Since then, he's been kind of floundering about, appearing in wretched Katherine Heigl comedies and giving decent performances in forgetful would-be "important" dramas like "Machine Gun Preacher."
Butler's latest casts him as a former pro soccer star with a goal for winning back the heart of his ex-wife (Jessica Biel) as he agrees to coach his adorable son's soccer team. Things get complicated when he's offered an exciting new career path as a sportscaster by Catherine Zeta-Jones, a job that would take him out of the field and out of the good graces of his family. Oh, heavy is the Butler head.
"Playing For Keeps" (quite the unfortunate title, no?) doesn't exactly look like it's going to turn Gerald Butler into the A-list movie star we keep thinking he's going to be some day (maybe), but it's definitely got a strong enough case of the cutes to make for one of the more undemanding feel-good movies of the upcoming holiday season ... even though we don't quite buy Biel as a suburban divorcee with a kid.
Check out the trailer below, if you're up for some sugar shock. "Playing For Keeps" opens Dec. 7.
