positive schmaltz - all round goodness

Rating: 7/10 (10 December 2004)

Sports Movies are usually immensely positive good-natured affairs altogether. Wimbledon is no different as Tennis tries to drag itself into the mainstream and gain some appeal with tykes around the globe. Some schmaltz thrown in along with the lovely Kirsten Dunst and you have a line-up capable of taking on any audience. Or do you?
Tennis. Rusedski, Agassi, Sharapova et al. They make big news once a year as we all tune into Roland Garros and Wimbledon but how big a deal is it really. This movie tries to drag the sport kicking and screaming into the 21st Century.
With two excellent leads in the Lovely Kirsten Dunst and a surprisingly charming Paul Bettany(Master Commander) and a supporting cast including Sam Neill (Jurassic Park), Jon Favreau (Swingers) and back-up folk such as John McEnroe and Chris Evert there's plenty of people who can make a movie enjoyable.
The main gist of things is that aging Brit Peter Colt(Bettany) has decided to make one last bash at the Championship, expecting to make a quick exit. The night before his first match he meets Lizzie Bradbury - the rising American starlet who sets his pulse racing and seems to spark him into action. The movie follows their blooming relationship while keeping up with their progress through the tournament. Not the massive cheese-fest it could have been as Colt gets fairly lucky along the way and it appears he was once class having been ranked 11th in the world at one point. Focus seems his problem, not ability. His new lady love hones that focus as he makes an assault on the title.
The tennis coaching for this was done by former headband-lover Pat Cash. By all accounts they had to abandon plans to make them look really good and had to add the ball in digitally later. Not for want of effort, both leads spent weeks in preparation for their roles. A well paced movie, you don't really have time to get bored and as such it remains wholly enjoyable for the duration. Sam Neill is pretty good with what little he has to do as the over-protective father who manages to avoid the cliché of being unreasonable for the sake of it. The rest of the cast are fun and entertaining particularly the younger brother (Carl) who some may recall as Pvt. Miller from Band of Brothers. Well worth a trip, Irishphat rating is a healthy 3 out of 5.