Based on a true story from the alternate universe of Disney

Rating: 6/10 (6 September 2013)

Spoiler alert:
The final score, with Ouimet squeaking out a win on the final hole, seems key to the film's claim of "World's Greatest Game." But it is not true. The playoff wasn't even close. Ouimet beat Vardon by five and Ray by six, a birdie on the 17th hole sealing the victory.
But he was a 20-year-old kid who beat the pros. Except that the defending champion, John McDermott, had won at 19, and again the previous year at 20, making him the defending champion at 21.
But he was a poor social outcast. Except that his father made enough money to buy a house on a leafy location directly across from the 17th hole of the country club when Ouimet was 4. He became a caddy at 11, taught himself golf (caddies are normally allowed to play in off hours) and club members impressed by his skill encouraged him. "It wasn't long before Ouimet was the best high school golfer in the state." - Wikipedia.
Ouimet's father wouldn't let him play golf, frustrating his dream of going pro. Except Ouimet never wanted to become a pro, and he played a lot of golf in high school, so much that his father urged him to focus on a more rewarding profession. Oumet wanted to become a banker and stock broker, and did.
The big bad rich guys wouldn't let Ouimet play with them. Except they practically begged him to. "He was asked personally by the president of the U.S. Golf Association." Ouimet said no. "Ouimet originally declined to play, having just returned from an absence from work to play in the National Amateur. His participation in the Open was soon arranged, however, with the cooperation of his employer." -- Wikipedia
His caddy, Eddie Lowery, amazingly, was only 10. Except that caddies were not allowed to be older than 16, so all the caddies were "truants."
Ray, at 6 feet and 220 pounds, was "overweight" but not obese, according to the NIH BMI calculator. Photos show he was not morbidly obese, as portrayed in the film. (But, hey, this is Disney.)
Oh, and Ouimet won on a rain-soaked course that he grew up playing, clinching on the hole across from his bedroom window. Poignant, but not astonishingly great.
Shane Hurlbut, what were you thinking?
This is absolutely the worst use of color I have ever seen in a film. I had to turn if off entirely and watch it in black and white.
The color looked like an old hand-tinted postcard. Cute, but it should have been dropped after the beginning of the movie. The movie's setting of the era was so good that the color manipulation was unnecessary.
This excessive digital mucking around with color is going to come back to haunt otherwise good movies, much as it did "South Pacific." I see now where "42" got the inspiration for its time traveler color shift.
Gimmicks should be used for a good reason. Speaking of which, the CGI is pretty hokey, and often was not integrated well with the actual footage. (But, hey, this is Disney.)
The opening credits montage is meaningless, but a stroke of genius. It set the film up as a fable, at the same time claiming the mantle of "true story." So I said, "What the heck, this is Disney, forget the fact checking."
At least until the movie is over. What Hollywood calls a "true story" would get any defendant in court a life sentence for perjury. At least the movie showed Francis Ouimet practicing golf for a few days, unlike the master chef rat in "Ratatouille." In reality, Ouimet played in several tournaments before the Open.
Surely, the Open is at least portrayed accurately. Wrong. But I'm not a golfer, and don't really care.
Brian Tyler, I hope you are good friends with Randy Newman, cause you owe him a beer for ripping off his theme from Seabiscuit. Given the ending music, better make that a truckload. And don't go saying this is an homage two years after Seabiscuit.
There is the usual paint by numbers assemblage of plot. We see a dose of Titanic in the cartoon versions of venal rich folks and the romance of the débutante and the plebe. And there's the dad-the-failure theme we see in Breaking Away, etc. There's the natural genius bit from Good Will Hunting, plus some supernatural genius, as suggested by the CGI course-Ouimet mind meld.
The movie that comes closest in theme is October Sky, with the kids succeeding in the national championship against long odds, and then becoming successful adults. Ouimet and Eddie Lowery, too, became very successful in life. But October Sky avoided the hokey Disney gimmicks.
For a Disney film, this is watchable by adults, but another studio might have done better. On the other hand, the Disney gimmicks add to its juvenile appeal (Hey, mommy, what's the lady bug doing on the golf ball?).
The Greatest Game? Who are you kidding? If you are a golf nut, maybe. Ever hear of the miracle 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team? The amazing 1969 New York Mets? Underdog victories are what sports is all about.
From a golf perspective, apparently the players were younger back then, and not especially good. From a reality perspective, it seems the "true story" claim hangs on a slender thread. (But, hey, this is Disney.)
Francis Ouimet, Eddie Lowery, Harry Vardon and Ted Ray are worth remembering for who they were and what they accomplished, even if half the people in the movie mispronounce Ouimet's name. The question is whether anyone will remember this movie in the years to come?