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Playing for Keeps

  • 1986
  • PG-13
  • 1h 42m
IMDb RATING
4.4/10
794
YOUR RATING
Playing for Keeps (1986)
Danny, Spikes and Silk have just recently graduated from high school in New York. Danny finds a title deed for a huge house in a small town. He has a dream to turn it into a Rock n' Roll hotel. The townspeople though are not very welcome to the New Yorkers. With a little help from an aging stockbroker, a local girl, and the "stockholders" (friends from New York), they are able to help Danny pursue his dream.
Play trailer1:40
1 Video
12 Photos
Comedy

Danny, Spikes and Silk have just recently graduated from high school in New York. Danny finds a title deed for a huge house in a small town. He has a dream to turn it into a Rock n' Roll hot... Read allDanny, Spikes and Silk have just recently graduated from high school in New York. Danny finds a title deed for a huge house in a small town. He has a dream to turn it into a Rock n' Roll hotel. The townspeople though are not very welcome to the New Yorkers. With a little help fro... Read allDanny, Spikes and Silk have just recently graduated from high school in New York. Danny finds a title deed for a huge house in a small town. He has a dream to turn it into a Rock n' Roll hotel. The townspeople though are not very welcome to the New Yorkers. With a little help from an aging stockbroker, a local girl, and the "stockholders" (friends from New York), they... Read all

  • Directors
    • Bob Weinstein
    • Harvey Weinstein
  • Writers
    • Bob Weinstein
    • Harvey Weinstein
    • Jeremy Leven
  • Stars
    • Daniel Jordano
    • Matthew Penn
    • Leon W. Grant
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    4.4/10
    794
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Bob Weinstein
      • Harvey Weinstein
    • Writers
      • Bob Weinstein
      • Harvey Weinstein
      • Jeremy Leven
    • Stars
      • Daniel Jordano
      • Matthew Penn
      • Leon W. Grant
    • 18User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:40
    Trailer

    Photos11

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    Top Cast91

    Edit
    Daniel Jordano
    Daniel Jordano
    • Danny
    Matthew Penn
    Matthew Penn
    • Spikes
    Leon W. Grant
    • Silk
    Mary B. Ward
    • Chloe
    Marisa Tomei
    Marisa Tomei
    • Tracy
    Jimmy Baio
    Jimmy Baio
    • Steinberg
    Harold Gould
    Harold Gould
    • Rockerfeller
    Kim Hauser
    • Marie
    Robert Milli
    • Cromwell
    John Randolph Jones
    John Randolph Jones
    • Sheriff Billy Sullivan
    • (as John Randolf Jones)
    Bruce Kluger
    • Gene Epstein
    Anthony Marciona
    Anthony Marciona
    • Ronnie Long
    Glen Robert Robillard
    • Joel
    J.D. Rosenbaum
    J.D. Rosenbaum
    • Davey Beck
    Frank Scasso
    • Van Go-Go
    Lisa Schultz
    • Jill
    Douglas Warhit
    Douglas Warhit
    • Larry Diamond
    • (as Doug Warhit)
    Pete Antico
    Pete Antico
    • Flyer
    • Directors
      • Bob Weinstein
      • Harvey Weinstein
    • Writers
      • Bob Weinstein
      • Harvey Weinstein
      • Jeremy Leven
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews18

    4.4794
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    Featured reviews

    brgnj94

    Not filmed in New England!

    Yes, it was shot in 1983 in Honesdale PA. The name of the hotel when it was open in real life was Bethany Colony. After it had been closed for awhile it was used by the studio to make this movie. The Honesdale High School senior class were in the movie in the graduation scene. Unfortunately, the studio left the hotel in worse condition than when they found it. I've never seen it but would love to so I am trying to find a copy. Sounds like a DVD version I will never see but luckily I still have a VHS player! I was only 11 when it was filmed but remember the movie being filmed when I lived in Honesdale. Never knew the stars in it or that it was Miramax's first film. I'll have to let the rest of my friends know that.
    giuseppe pelosi-3

    Awful, but ...

    ... but you gotta love that great song by Sister Sledge, "Here To Stay" as the plucky teens fix up the house. I bought the soundtrack for that one song.

    I remember all the MTV spotlights on this movie, all the cheesy videos put out in an effort to promote it, along with "Fire With Fire" and "American Anthem." Great nostalgia for an 80s fan, but man does it stink.
    6iPhoney

    Better than average 80's Teen Movie...

    When I first looked at the LaserDisc jacket, I thought this movie was going to be a bomb, but was instead pleasantly surprised. Better than below average 80's Teen Adventures (like Kevin Bacon's often cheezy Quicksilver '86), this fun movie included a very young Marisa Tomei and super cute Mary B. Ward. Worth a watch.
    2rwalkers

    Hey, you guys are pretty harsh on my first movie!

    As a senior at a college in northeastern Pennsylvania, I accepted the opportunity to be an "extra" in a movie being shot in Honesdale, PA. Well, guess which movie it was - you got it - "Playing for Keeps"! I don't think I've told anyone I was ever in it (except my wife) as I'm sure I don't want them seeing it! We spent the day there - mostly outside in the cold, and shot 1 scene - the final scene where the guy comes back from jail - for the night. I thought I performed well, and am still waiting for my credit! (And the lunch that was promised!) Was a fun experience - haven't seen it in years - guess I've gotta get a copy! Actually don't remember seeing Marisa, but do remember hanging around with some of the other cast members during the unbelievably long down-time. Guess that's why they call it work...
    ricecakes

    Small Town Cheese, Corny But Kinda Fun

    Well, I grew up and still live near in the town where this was filmed. I saw part of this film on TV first. It was pretty unnerving to flip the channel and see familiar streets and buildings being broadcast; like being in the Twilight Zone.

    The only reason I purchased this movie was because of where it was filmed. The town has undergone some changes since the movie was made, so it's a nice nostalgic scrapbook of sorts. The movie itself is cheesy, corny, and rather poorly done like most teen oriented films of the 80's, though it had a LOT of potential... I must say, I'm quite surprised to see it out on DVD - wish I had known that before going to eBay and buying it on VHS!

    If you like cheese, small-town people made to look like dumb hicks, and teen power, then this is a must see. Otherwise, if you're not from the area it was filmed, it's almost a waste of time.

    Almost...it *is* pretty funny as long as you're not taking the movie seriously and considering it a drama like the little sticker on the box says....

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    Related interests

    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      One of the earliest known episodes of sexual harassment by producer Harvey Weinstein happened during the pre-production of Playing for Keeps (1986): "In 1984, when Tomi-Ann Roberts was a 20-year-old college junior, she waited tables in New York one summer and hoped to start an acting career. Mr. Weinstein, one of her customers, urged her to audition for a movie that he and his brother were planning to direct. He sent scripts, then asked her to meet him where he was staying so they could discuss the film, she said in an email and a telephone interview. When she arrived, he was nude in the bathtub, she recalled. He told her that she would give a much better audition if she were comfortable "getting naked in front of him," too, because the character she might play would have a topless scene. If she could not bare her breasts in private, she would not be able to do it on film, Ms. Roberts recalled Mr. Weinstein saying. (...) Ms. Roberts remembers apologizing on the way out, telling Mr. Weinstein that she was too prudish to go along. Later, she felt that he had manipulated her by feigning professional interest in her, and she doubted that she had ever been under serious consideration. (...) Today she is a psychology professor at Colorado College, researching sexual objectification, an interest she traces back in part to that long-ago encounter." [New York Times, Oct.10, 2017]
    • Goofs
      Chloe strips to swim, but moments later you can see she's wearing a white tube-top.
    • Quotes

      Danny: [after reading a bank loan poster urging to "See Your Bank Buddy!"] Excuse me, I'm looking for my First National Bank Buddy.

      Bank Buddy: You sure you don't want your Manhattan Bank Mommy?

      Danny: Could I see my buddy please?

      Bank Buddy: [sarcastically] I'm your buddy.

      Danny: Oh, I expected someone...

      Bank Buddy: So did I. So why don't we just make the best we can of a bad situation, shall we? Age?

      Danny: Well, its ah...

      Bank Buddy: Forget it. Present income?

      Danny: Well, its kind of like...

      Bank Buddy: Nothing?

      Danny: About that.

      Bank Buddy: Good. How would you prefer to be disqualified, on the basis of income or age?

    • Connections
      Featured in Sister Sledge: Here to Stay (1986)
    • Soundtracks
      Life to Live
      Written by Pete Townshend

      Performed by Pete Townshend

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    FAQ16

    • How long is Playing for Keeps?Powered by Alexa

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 3, 1986 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Dunder & Brak
    • Filming locations
      • Hawley, Pennsylvania, USA
    • Production companies
      • Miramax
      • Playing for Keeps Inc.
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $5,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,669,366
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $1,406,300
      • Oct 5, 1986
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,669,366
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 42m(102 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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