Four Nottings, Actually

Rating: 7/10 (21 September 2004)

It wasn't written by Richard Curtis, but if you've seen his roster of five-act rom-coms you will sense his presence. Wimbledon obeys the British feelgood formula so slavishly that it feels as though the director was just filling in the blanks.
But what blanks. It is properly funny, well-paced, and uplifting even in its most predictable moments. Paul Bettany is jolly good as Hugh Grant and Kirsten Dunst is a huge improvement on Andie MacDowell in the romantic-lead-to-sell-the-film-in-America role. The supporting cast, especially James McAvoy and Jon Favreau, is excellent.
If only it could have been a little more original. The characters, key plot elements and even some individual scenes have been imported wholesale from Notting Hill. Perhaps next time the (very talented) writers can afford to be a little more adventurous.