successfully makes tennis interesting

Rating: 7/10 (13 May 2005)

SPOILERS As a sport, Tennis is unique as being either boring or wonderful depending upon the location. There are those around the world who love tennis with a passion, and likewise there are some that hate it. Strangely though, for two weeks each year, the entire British nation focuses on a sport, it has a habit of ignoring for the rest of the year. With rain, strawberries and hopeless British players who never fulfil their potential, the two week Wimbledon Championships are always fun to watch, and a great way of showing how well the nation can hold a tournament.
Wimbledon is such a huge attraction however, that films have received backing before to involve it in one way or another. Until 2004 though, no film had ever considered actually making the tournament a crucial part of the plot. One possible reason for this might be that more often than not, the notion of a game where two people knock a yellow ball over a net, is just not that adaptable to the screen. In "Wimbledon" though, the true genius is that the film actually manages it with style.
Peter Colt (Paul Bettany) is a useless British also ran who is taking part in his final professional tournament. In contrast, Lizzie Bradbury (Kirsten Dunst) is a young up and coming player who expects to win the tournament. When the two meet, fireworks are set off and soon the two fall in love as Colt plays the finest tennis of his life.
Romantic comedies always tend to follow the same path. So much so, we often do know how the film will progress before we even put it on. The key to what makes one entertaining though is the supporting cast and the way the two stars gel.
Firstly, as far as a leading couple, Bettany and Dunst work remarkably well. Playing off her youthful beauty against his experienced old hand, the two genuinely convince that they care for each other. As established actors, it's little surprise that they work well together, and if not for the age difference (Dunst is currently 23 and Bettany is approaching 34) then the two could probably create a serious of different films as a couple.
The supporting cast is equally as good too. Whether the superb turn by Jon Favreau as the agent, or the equally good turn by Bernard Hill as Bettany's dad, the film is littered with well acted performances by a strong supporting cast.
Like the tournament itself though, the key point about "Wimbledon" is the tennis, and for that the creators have pulled something special out of the bag. Keeping us up to date with scores and only showing us certain points, the film never tries to overload you with too much ball play. When it does show you though, it manages to project the actors onto the actual pitch, and shows you from multiple angles as they rally between each other. The action is cleverly filmed, and more often than not, you genuinely believe your watching the actors playing tennis.
"Wimbledon" the film was always going to be predictable. Your standard romantic comedy, it should be no surprise to anyone when the conclusion takes hold. The beauty of the film though is that as well as containing a solid cast, it manages to capture the thrill of the game and actually make tennis interesting. For that in itself, it should be praised.