Probably the worst romantic drama I've ever seen--EVER

Rating: 1/10 (3 January 2005)

This movie was advertised as being from the director of Notting Hill, itself a mediocre and formulaic film heavy on stereotype and light on plot twists.
So I knew it was going to suck. I watched it to humor my sister on her birthday. If I'd known exactly how bad it was going to be, I would've pushed harder for a different chick flick.
The movie was noteworthy mainly for its liberal use of cliché. The sappy thumbs ups to the ball boys and other assorted "little people," the black-and-white contrast between Peter and his eventual American opponent, and the jealous and overprotective father coming around late in the game to root for the daughter's beau are merely the first three that come to mind.
Then there's the utter lack of character development. I'm still not sure whether the characters were played by real actors or by construction-paper cutouts.
As a tennis player who almost broke into the USTA top 100 in the state of Georgia, but aged out of my division, I might have at least enjoyed the tennis scenes and the player's comeback attempt. But it was not to be. The tennis was thoroughly uninspiring. Peter's character didn't even appear to have rehearsed his perfunctory lunges for the ball, not to mention his drop shot.