Well directed, well portrayed, excellent casting

Rating: 9/10 (30 September 2005)

What made the film "The Greatest Game Ever Played" one of the best adaptations of an actual event I have seen on screen was its ability to make the characters so rich and believable. I was very pleasantly surprised by the care and detail this story was given. We are all familiar with the principal actors, yet they were able to bring Frances Ouimet and Harry Vardon to life for us in a legitimate way.
The story highlights not only the history of the event, but shows us the history of ethnic classism in golf and in Western history in general. Everyone can identify with the various characters because we know them, or because we are them.
The costuming was some of the most accurate period dress I have seen in a recent film; very impressive. The casting is perfection. Bill Paxton has done a stellar job.
For golf fans, the sticks used are period, and the swings imitated are authentic. That is really impressive when you consider that Shia LeBoeuf did not play golf before working on this film, unlike Will Smith in "The Legend of Bagger Vance" who played 100 holes a week. Working with period equipment is hard on the seasoned golfer; for a young man who has not played, his accomplishment in perfecting Ouimet's swing and his character are astonishing. He is making a fine transition into adulthood in this role and is to be commended for his performance.