Playing by Heart
1998 · 121 min · Director: Willard Carroll
Show plot summary (may contain spoilers)
Eleven articulate people work through affairs of the heart in Los Angeles. Paul produces Hannah's television cooking show, and they must move beyond gentle barbs when she wants to know about an affair of his years ago. Mark is dying of A.I.D.S., and his mother comes to his bedside: they must speak truthfully. Men have scalded Meredith, so she rebuffs Trent's charm, but he persists. The trendy, prolix Joan tries to pull the solitary Keenan into her orbit: why is he reluctant? An adulterous couple meets at hotels for evening sex, but she is unwilling for the relationship to grow. Hugh tells tall tales, usually tragic, to women in bars. By the week's end, their parallel stories converge.
Emotional fingerprint
Playing by Heart (1998) — Movie. Top emotional signals: Empathy 30%, Love 25%, Sadness 18%. Source: AI estimate. Shares describe emotional signal, not percentages of people. Your experience may differ. How we measure
- Empathy30%
- Love25%
- Sadness18%
- Humor12%
- Melancholy10%
AI estimate · no viewer votes yet
How we measure
AI estimate
Share of emotional signal, not the percentage of people or a probability of enjoyment.
Each viewer contributes one response, split equally across their selected emotions. When available, an automated estimate supplies a prior that is blended with those responses. Counts include distinct viewers, not automated estimates or archived anonymous votes. Fewer than 3 viewers is an early estimate; more responses do not guarantee certainty.
Why it feels this way
The strongest emotional signals are Empathy, Love, Sadness. Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance. AI estimate.
Is it worth watching?
Consider this title if you are looking for Empathy, Love and Sadness. Its IMDb rating of 6.9/10 suggests a generally positive audience reception. For these leading emotions, its Feel Score is 70/100.
How did it make you feel?
Votes are saved to the fingerprint once you’re signed in.
Pick up to three · 0/3
Emotional journey
- Love
- Empathy
- Sadness
Not enough subtitle evidence
No dominant emotion
Dominant emotion: Humor
Dominant emotion: Sadness
Dominant emotion: Love
Dominant emotion: Empathy
Dominant emotion
| % | Approximate minute | Dominant emotion | Overall intensity | Love | Empathy | Sadness |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5 % | ≈ 3′ | Humor | 32 % | 8 % | 23 % | 22 % |
| 7.5 % | ≈ 9′ | Sadness | 36 % | 6 % | 25 % | 23 % |
| 12.5 % | ≈ 15′ | Humor | 43 % | 5 % | 23 % | 21 % |
| 17.5 % | ≈ 21′ | Humor | 44 % | 10 % | 21 % | 20 % |
| 22.5 % | ≈ 27′ | Humor | 43 % | 16 % | 28 % | 24 % |
| 27.5 % | ≈ 33′ | Sadness | 43 % | 15 % | 36 % | 30 % |
| 32.5 % | ≈ 39′ | Humor | 41 % | 19 % | 36 % | 26 % |
| 37.5 % | ≈ 45′ | Love | 43 % | 24 % | 30 % | 19 % |
| 42.5 % | ≈ 51′ | Humor | 48 % | 18 % | 31 % | 25 % |
| 47.5 % | ≈ 57′ | Sadness | 50 % | 15 % | 33 % | 31 % |
| 52.5 % | ≈ 64′ | Humor | 51 % | 21 % | 34 % | 31 % |
| 57.5 % | ≈ 70′ | Empathy | 55 % | 28 % | 46 % | 40 % |
| 62.5 % | ≈ 76′ | Sadness | 64 % | 38 % | 61 % | 55 % |
| 67.5 % | ≈ 82′ | Sadness | 71 % | 53 % | 66 % | 57 % |
| 72.5 % | ≈ 88′ | Love | 66 % | 57 % | 55 % | 39 % |
| 77.5 % | ≈ 94′ | Love | 63 % | 57 % | 48 % | 25 % |
| 82.5 % | ≈ 100′ | Love | 68 % | 64 % | 50 % | 24 % |
| 87.5 % | ≈ 106′ | Love | 65 % | 63 % | 43 % | 19 % |
| 92.5 % | ≈ 112′ | Love | 58 % | 55 % | 33 % | 15 % |
| 97.5 % | ≈ 118′ | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence | Not enough subtitle evidence |
Rags to riches
Rags to riches: The emotional tone rises from negative to positive.
Riches to rags: The emotional tone falls from positive to negative.
Man in a hole: The tone falls, then recovers.
Icarus: The tone rises, then falls.
Cinderella: The tone rises, falls, then rises again.
Oedipus: The tone falls, rises, then falls again.
AI reading of the film’s English subtitles (dialogue and sound cues) — not viewer votes. How we measure ↗
Afterward Reveal viewer responses · may contain spoilers
Viewer responses about feelings after the title ended, separate from feelings while watching. No AI estimates.
0 responses so far
Feeling details appear after at least 3 viewers respond, to protect privacy.
Cast
Phillip
Jane
Cook Show Director
Details
- Directed by
- Willard Carroll
- Written by
- Willard Carroll
- Type
- Movies
- Released
- 1998
- Runtime
- 121 min
- Country
- United States
- Ratings
- Feels mostly
- Empathy
- Data updated
Where to watch
Rent
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